"It's too fast and I can't play my guitar solo!"  In my experiences I observe those fixated on slight variables of tempo, particularly when playing covers of someone else's music tend to also be those who are inexperienced in performance.  But when they lose control of their own functions, notice how quickly they defer the issue to the tempo and towards whom do they look?   When this occurs - ask them if they could play their solo for you and chances are you will see them crash and burn just the same.  It's the folly of the backseat driver incessantly barking at the person behind the wheel in deference to the fact that they themselves can't drive.  To be fair, there actually are better tempos than others but two things matter over all other factors: (1) can the singer get out their words comfortably (assuming they know the words...ahem!) and (2) can people dance to it?

  For what it's worth listen to a handful of live versions of any tune by any band and you will often hear a tempo different than the studio version.  It is usually faster.  There is a reason for that.  Energy.  A live performance that is memorable is anything but measured and cautious.

  News flash: it is everybody's responsibility for not only tempo but timing.

  For myself I enjoy the challenge and change in mechanics where a song is faster or slower than I am used to.  I will go from 8th note HH to quarter note; or if it becomes slow I can use my "shoulder/tip" 16ths.  Am I being an academy snob or am I just prepared?  Learning off a cd as your main schooling is fine but it's foolish to think that's all there is to it.  Same people who don't know how to change keys.  This is what it means to be a musician and what delinieates one from a mere weekend warrior who wants to pretend to be a musician.  Even in the cover band routine there is a world of variation based on the circumstances, the crowd and the vibe.  You have to be able to bend.  And if your playing can't shift +/- 10% without falling apart, maybe you've got some work to do?  In the meantime leave your drummer be.

  So how do you handle it when people blindly leverage their tempo issues to you, the drummer?

   Having said all of that, if a songwriter pays you to play their music and they want a tune at a specific tempo - it is your obligation to give them that tempo.  End of story.  At the end of the day, if a person, whatever their skill level, is thoughtful about it and has a modicum of honesty and curiosity...all this can easily be a non-issue.   You can never have enough people like that.

Thoughts? Comments? Criticisms?