'Peppers' Drummer Smith Honored In Birmingham, Talks Drum-Off

BIRMINGHAM (WWJ) -- Fresh off his viral "Tonight Show" drum-off with actor Will Ferrell, Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith returned home to Birmingham on Monday.

Smith received the key to the city from Birmingham Mayor Scott Moore, which he said he would probably be "the key to his mother's heart."

Smith recalled his troubled youth, as his family moved to Bloomfield Hills after being born in Minnesota.

"I went to three different high schools -- no, I went to two. And over, I never left the parking lot," Smith said. "I struggled with a lot of things here, but this community is a great place to grow up."

He said he would have gotten into a lot more trouble growing up like his band-mates in places like Los Angeles. Smith talked about how he felt that he often gets mistaken for Ferrell.

"That guy is an impostor -- I am upset with him, I don't like him, he's not funny, he's a jerk," Smith joked.

Smith is now preparing for another drum-off, this time with Ferrell and Metallica drummer, Lars Ulrich.

"It just may turn into something really big," Smith said.

The ceremony was part of a meet-and-greet and charity auction at the Birmingham Historical Museum, where Smith will be a part of the Sounds of Birmingham exhibit this summer.