Interview
Greetings Mr. Bumblefoot sir! How are you today?
I am fine, THANK YOU for your overwhelming concern. What
I really want to know is, how are YOU?
I'm great,
and thank YOU for YOUR overwhelming concern! Musically, what inspires you?
Portuguese bugles. The sound - oh, the sound. It
cries, as if each note was its last. When it cries I cry, as if each
note was the last I might ever hear. Sometimes I cry for other
reasons... this morning I had to re-toast my waffles because they
didn't brown enough. The following 2 hours were an emotional roller
coaster - into HELL. But what doesn't kill us makes the heart grow
fonder, or something like that. It's moments like these that need to
be remembered - no, not just remembered - *shared* so that other
people can know there's someone out there who understands them and is
walking the same path, together. THAT's what inspires me.
That, and old-school metal. (Next time I have waffles I'll think
of Portuguese bugles - Matt.)
Any plans for album
number 7? If so, will it be themed in the way that "Uncool" was?
Yes, I've got it all planned out. It won't be loungy
like Uncool though... a bit more punky.
Given your hard
work to break yourself into the music industry, what do you think about
"American Idol" or "Pop Idol" as it is in this country, and other
made-for-TV pop stars, offered a quick road to the top?
I
don't think they've taken as quick a road as we think. Some of them
I'm sure have been at it since they were children and have studied
singing, dancing, songwriting, acting, everything they could to
continually develop their talents. And to fly across the country and
wait in line for 2 days just for an audition - that's more dedication than
most of us have! And if they make it onto the show, it's constant
rehearsing new songs and performing. TV makes everything seem more
glamorous than it really is, often doing an injustice.
Obviously, you are a fantastic guitarist - are there any of
your songs which you find particularly challenging to play?
Why thank you, kind sir! Yes, some of the solos get a
little "out there" - the build-up in "R2" and stuff like that.
You have been to the UK before, most recently demonstrating
Vigier guitars, and received a warm welcome I believe! Do you have any
plans to release albums or tour over here?
I'd love to tour in
the UK, but I'd need the CD in retail stores to help the tour company
persuade club owners to book Bumblefoot shows there. Otherwise they
might feel like they're taking too big a risk. If not my own tour,
maybe I'll get to play UK as a hired guitarist for someone else's group,
who knows? I'd be cool with that.
Is there any guitarist you would particularly enjoy duetting with?
Can we expect to see you on the G3 tour at some time? :)
Soooooo many... I have plans to make an album with
Mattias
Eklundh in 2004 - looking forward to it...!
Recently you
have been teaching a music production course at a college in NY - is there
anything valuable you have learnt from this experience?
No.
Is there any further news on this second Eminem
lounge tribute? What plans do you have for the album?
We're
just waiting for the label to give us the ok. What I'd like to do is
get some cool players as guests on the album - could be a very cool
thing... we shall see....
Hopefully this will be the
answer to the most gripping question of all... how did you come up with
the name "Bumblefoot"?
My wife (girlfriend at the time) was
studying to become a veterinarian. I was helping her study and one
of the diseases we came across was called "Bumblefoot." Just
hearing the word felt like I bumped into a twin brother I never knew I
had. It was like finding the one missing piece to the puzzle that is
self. A little bit of info that you might find interesting:
Onions can be divided into two
categories: spring/summer fresh onions and fall/winter storage
onions.
Spring/summer Fresh Onions
Spring/summer fresh onions are available in yellow,
red and white throughout their season, March through August.
Fresh onions can be identified by their thin, light-colored
skin. Because they have a higher water content, they are
typically sweeter and milder than storage onions. This higher
water content also makes them more susceptible to
bruising.
With its delicate taste, the
spring/summer onion is an ideal choice for salads and other
fresh and lightly-cooked dishes.
Fall/winter Storage Onions
Fall/winter storage onions are available August
through April. Also available in yellow, red and white,
storage onions have multiple layers of thick, dark, papery
skin. Storage onions have an intense flavor and a higher
percentage of solids.
Storage onions are the best choice for
savory dishes that require longer cooking times or more
flavor.
The Color of Onions Onions
come in three colors - yellow, red, and white. Approximately
88 percent of the crop is devoted to yellow onion production,
with about 7 percent red onions and 5 percent white
onions.
Yellow onions are full-flavored and are a
reliable standby for cooking almost anything. Yellow onions
turn a rich, dark brown when cooked and give French Onion Soup
its tangy sweet flavor. The red onion, with its wonderful
color, is a good choice for fresh uses or in grilling and
char-broiling. White onions are the traditional onion used in
classic Mexican cuisine. They have a golden color and sweet
flavor when sautéed.
Onion Sizes Onions range in
size from less than 1 inch in diameter (creamers/boilers) to
more than 4.5 inches in diameter (super colossal). The most
common sizes of onions sold in the United States are the
medium (2 to 3 ¼ inches in diameter) and the jumbo (3 to 3 ¾
inches in diameter).
Domestic Onion
Production
Spring/summer Fresh Onion
Availability
Area |
Trade Name |
Production |
Features |
TEXAS |
Rio Grande Valley & Winter
Garden |
SuperSweet®, Texas Spring Sweet®,
& Texas 1015 SuperSweet® |
March - July |
|
West & High Plains |
|
June - August |
|
GEORGIA |
Vidalia |
Vidalia Sweets® |
April - June |
CA Storage July -
November |
ARIZONA |
Arizona |
Grand Canyon Sweets™ |
May - June |
|
HAWAII |
Maui |
Maui Sweets |
Year Round |
Limited Mainland
Availability |
Oahu |
Hawaiian Hula Sweets™ |
March-October |
|
WASHINGTON |
Walla Walla |
Walla Walla Sweets® |
June - August |
|
NEW MEXICO |
New Mexico |
Nu-Mex Sweets |
June - August |
|
South Central |
Carzalia Sweets |
|
|
CALIFORNIA |
Desert Valleys |
Sweet Imperials™ |
April - June |
|
San Joaquin Valley |
|
May - August |
|
Coastal Valleys |
|
June - September |
|
COLORADO |
Colorado |
|
July - September |
|
NOTE: Various limited
production spring/summer fresh "sweet" onions are
available on a seasonal basis from other locations
including, but not limited to, California, Colorado,
Michigan, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, and
Washington. |
Fall/winter Storage Onion
Availability
Area |
Trade Name |
Production |
Features |
CALIFORNIA |
California Southern High Desert
Valleys |
|
September - March |
|
NEVADA |
Nevada |
|
September - March |
Mostly Whites |
NEW YORK |
New York |
|
August - May |
Mostly Mediums |
MICHIGAN |
Michigan |
|
September - March |
Mostly Mediums |
OHIO |
Ohio |
|
August - April |
All Sizes |
MINNESOTA, NORTH
DAKOTA, WISCONSIN |
Minnesota, North
Dakota,Wisconsin |
|
September - March |
|
ILLINOIS, INDIANA, IOWA, SOUTH
DAKOTA |
Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, South
Dakota |
|
September - March |
Limited Production |
IDAHO - EASTERN
OREGON |
Idaho - Eastern Oregon |
Idaho-Eastern Oregon Spanish
Onions™ |
August - April |
Large Size |
WEST/CENTRAL OREGON
|
West/Central Oregon |
|
August - April |
|
WASHINGTON |
Washington |
|
July - May |
|
COLORADO |
Colorado |
|
August - April |
|
UTAH |
Utah |
|
August - March |
|
NEW MEXICO |
New Mexico |
|
September- December |
Limited
Production | | |
Does that answer your question? I thought
so.
Thank you very much for doing this interview! Hopefully more
of the good people of England are better informed of the crazy genius that
is the work of Ron Thal!
The pleasure was all mine! Go
to Hell. Thank you for the opportunity to acquaint myself with the
good people of England. Take care!
BfoOt
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