TERAZ ROCK
magazine (Poland)
STRIP-TEASE
column
Ron 'Bumblefoot' Thal answers readers' questions....
JULY 2012
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RADEK BRUCH
1. If you was to play on another G3 tour and chose other guitar
players who would you invite?
Mattias Eklundh and Guthrie Govan. If it was G4 it would include
Christophe Godin. I could easily make it a G10 and add so many
amazing players, but if I had to only choose two, they'd be the two.
We've recorded together, toured together, jammed together - they're
wonderful people and it shows in their wonderful playing.
 2.
You worked as a producer with 24-7 Spyz among others. Why do you
think this band didn't achieve such success as Sevendust or Limp
Bizkit?
They hit the scene along with bands like Living Colour, they had a
specific energy that I loved. But things happen, whether it's from
labels, management, internal conflicts... that's a question best for
the Spyz guys to answer, they could tell you more about it than me.
It doesn't take anything away from the music, it's great either way.
I love producing most of all - the collaborations, the combination
of spirits in the music, making someone's music come alive, I love
it. The last two albums I produced were "Breathe Again" from NYC
rocker girl named Alexa Vetere, and "Rise Above" from Poc, a rock
singer from Mexico City. On both albums I co-wrote and did a lot of
guitar-work, it was more of a collaboration than just producing.
3. In 2011 you recorded some covers (including "Pink Panther
Theme" by Henry Mancini) for "digital download series". What was
idea behind it? Would you continue it?
I'm so busy between touring and producing that I'm not able to
hibernate for nine months and make an album happen. It made more
sense for me to release songs as I made them, one song each month,
keeping a steady flow of music coming out rather than waiting years
to finish and release an entire album – I didn't know how many
months I'd be able to keep it going, managed to get nine songs
released before hitting the road again. The last song I released was
the version of “The Pink Panther Theme” I'd play as my guitar solo
with Guns, and the band played on it. About these songs - it was
more than just releasing an MP3 each month – each song was released
with a choice of hi-resolution formats, instrumental mixes, lead
guitar transcriptions with backing tracks and reference mixes, and
also recording stems so people can make their own mixes. (www.bumblefoot.com/discography.php)
It was everything I wished I had for the music I grew up with.
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MATEUSZ JADCZAK
1. I know you like spicy food. What meal you recently eat was most
spicy and how did it feel eating it?
Actually, since I had the car accident last year and my brain got
rattled, I no longer enjoy spicy food. Even the slightest bit of
spice is irritating. I don't know if I'll ever get my old
personality traits back or if things like this are permanent. When
it came to spice I would usually add my own ingredients to make
everything 'the spiciest thing I ever ate', haha. I would add drops
of a liquid that measured 7,100,000 Scoville Units. To get an idea
of how hot that is, Jalapeno peppers are at 5,000. Habaneros are
300,000. The hottest peppers on Earth (Naga Viper, Bhut Jolokia) are
at 1,500,000. 'Pepper spray' used as a weapon by the police is
2,000,000. Absolute heat, Resiniferatoxin, Capsaicin, is 16,000,000
- it'll cause chemical burns. What I would eat was 7.1 Million.
2. In the past you modified guitars by yourself. Now, on GNR
tour, you use mainly Vigier guitars which is not well known company.
What's so special about it?
So many things are special about Vigier guitars. The necks feel
amazing. Vigier guitars don't use an adjustable metal truss-rod
inside the necks, instead they use a strip of graphite rock. The
necks are always perfect no matter what changes happen in
temperature or humidity - that's important on stage when you're
playing outdoor festivals... My Vigier's have DiMarzio pickups (Tone
Zone at the bridge, Chopper at the neck) and a 5-position selector
with out-of-phase settings and single-coil settings, gives the
guitar a lot of variety. There's a 'zero fret' which I think makes
the 1st fret feel more consistent with the rest, just a lot of
features that make a guitar great. (
www.vigierguitars.com
) And my 'Bfoot' signature models have a magnetized hole in the
bottom horn to hold your 'thimble' - it's a metal cap I keep on my
picking hand 4th finger, I tap on the string higher than the
fretboard to get notes higher than you can get on the neck. (Video
example at
http://youtu.be/AAnG7WD5sBk
)
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SŁAWEK
PLASTIC III
You don't use Stratocaster recently, although you used this guitar
as a teenager. Do you think learning flying bridge instrument is
important phase in guitar education or would you recommend something
else?
It's good to play all different physical styles of a guitar, as each
has its own character. My Vigier double-necks have a floating bridge
on the fretted necks, although I don't use the vibrato bar... hmmmm,
maybe I should....? :)
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ALICJA ZDZIEBŁO
Does someone call you Ron anymore or everyone uses Bumblefoot
nickname?
I get called by a lot of different names... "Ron", "Mr.
Foot", "Bumble"... my mom still calls me "Ronald" when I do
something wrong, haha.
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KRZYSZTOF WĘGIEL
1. Were you ever so burnt-out you didn't
even want to touch guitar?
Abslutely! When that happens, it's good to step away, live
life, and come back to it when you want to. How ever long it takes.
I've gone weeks without toughing a guitar, it's ok. Sometimes you
have to.
2. Did you ever try guitars by Polish company called Mayones?
No, I haven't. I'm checking them out right now online, they
look beautiful!
3. Would you accept offer for playing bass in Metallica?
Haha, I think I'll stick with guitar.
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MATEUSZ
Name place of your dreams to build house and live.
That place is imaginary, haha. It has New York's energy and
LA's weather and Pennsylvania's building codes and Canada's health
care system. And a theme park that resembles Amsterdam. It would be
on the Mediterranean coast. The house would have a room with shower
heads above, glass walls, and a big game of Twister on the floor. I
almost built that room in my studio, but I needed more space to do
it. If this magical place can't become real, I'd consider Scottsdale
Arizona - mountains, lakes, forests, desert, and sunshine, all
there. :)
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WAGON
1. Is your fancy beard your own idea for image or you were inspired
by someone? You would fit ZZ Top, don't
you think?
My Beard rules the Universe. You should be grateful that my
Beard allowed you to ask a question that mentioned it. My Beard gave
permission to the trees to grow and produce paper so Teraz Rock can
print their magazine. All Praise my Beard! Bring it gifts. No, bring
it *sacrifices*...! Hmmm, no, just gifts. My Almighty Beard will
challenge all those who dare question its ultimate power. My Beard
is the One Supreme Beard. Except for the guys in ZZ Top, their
beards kick ass.
2. In demo you sent to Mike Varney was Chopin's
"Fantasie Improptu". What was the idea
behind playing it?
I always thought it was one of the greatest pieces of music,
and there was such a challenge to finding a way to play it on
guitar. The triplets against 16th's, the way it would flow, the
dynamics and chord changes, it was romantic and beautiful. I was
recording it for my first real release on an album, 'Ominous
Guitarists From the Unknown' (Shrapnel Records, 1991). In 2010 I
made a guitar version of Chopin's Waltz Op. 64 #2 for a video game
"Music Master Chopin - Rock" (Bloober Team / PC Project). I should
try and transcribe it, that'll be a tough one!
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KURCZAK
I know you play Chopin sometimes. Do you know any other Polish
musicians/bands?
I've heard bits of things over the years but not enough to
truly say 'I know Polish bands'. Behemoth. There you go...!
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MARCIN
Are you sports fan? NBA, NHL maybe american football?
I used to like boxing a lot, wrestling too, some hockey,
basketball, football, baseball - but music takes up all my time, I
can't follow teams and seasons, not enough time.
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ALICJA ZDZIEBŁO
Do you remember your first time?
Doesn't everybody? Haha... I won't give details, a gentleman
never tells... :)
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MARTA KOWALSKA
1. What's most embarrassing
memory from teenage party?
It takes a lot to embarass me, haha. I can think of a lot of
things that I could or should be embarassed by, haha. Usually
involved something physical with a girl, and having little concern
about where we were and who was there. You could do that in the 80's
- no YouTube, haha.
2. I've heard you're
movie maniac. What's your favorite
horrors (Seventies only please).
Ahh, so many! Not sure if I have a favorite, but the most
recent 70s 'horror' type movies I watched were The Omen, Phantasm,
Willard, Wicker Man, and Horror Express.
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KATE
What's the funniest/most stupid
job you ever did?
Other than 'rock star' ? Most of my life has been
music-related work - writing, producing, engineering, teaching,
playing in bands, guitar-designing... trying to remember other jobs
I've had... I would paint album covers on the back of denim jackets
when I was 12 or 13, that's how I'd buy guitar gear. Once when I was
16 I answered a job ad in the paper, lied and said I was 18 so
they'd hire me, didn't know the exact details of the job. The job
was scaping old paint off the side of an old building, standing on a
piece of wood 50 feet off the ground with a hand-held scraper for 8
hours. That job didn't last. I worked as a stock boy at a
convenience store as a teenager and there was this rather *large*
woman in her 20's that kept saying she wanted to feel my chest and
would put her hands under and up my shirt - it was horrible. She had
a good 100 pounds on me, I was just a kid, finally one day she
backed me into a corner and my brain shut down and my fists went up
- she jumped back before I had to actually defend myself. After
that, I worked at a department store in the infant section - we'd
all sit behind the refrigerated doors drinking little baby jars of
juice, at the end of the day I'd be singing Led Zeppelin songs
loudly and inappropriately, must have been something in the juice.
In my early 20's I ran the music department of a private school and
part of the day was 'music for children' where I'd play my guitar
and sing kid songs to 5-year-olds. I was supposed to have an
assistant that helps handle the kids but she had some odd hatred
issues against men and would say rude things to me all the time. One
day she pulled my hair and I finally snapped on her. Oddly enough
she liked me from that point on. Crazy. I don't know, I think these
stories are more creepy than funny.
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 WIKTORIA
1. How did you feel at your first concert with Guns N' Roses on
stage?
Hungry. We only had seven rehearsals and my biggest concern
was knowing the music off the yet-to-be-released Chinese Democracy
album. There was so much concern over music being leaked that they
wouldn't give me a copy of the songs to learn them. So I had to
learn half an album of complex arrangements by listening to the
songs for a half-hour on the road manager's laptop at the reheasal
room. That was the challenge. It felt like every gig I had ever done
- I drove to the venue with my amp in my trunk, played, then hung
out with fans...
2. Axl is more your boss or a friend?
More like my cousin's Uncle's friend's TV repairman. We spend
more time laughing and joking, he's more friend than boss.
3. What was your first guitar?
My first electric guitar was a
sunburst Les Paul copy from a company called 'Pace', cost about $85,
got it when I was 8 years old. I still have it, but that guitar went
through a lot of changes. First I put gold reflective tape on the
pickguard, and then added the pickguard shape in reverse on the
other side of the body. From there I had cut the body into a small
odd shape and painted it red, put a Badass bridge and a DiMarzio
Super Distortion pickup in it. Then it was covered in fur. Then I
made it into a fretless and covered the fretboard in coins. Then it
got covered with penguins. Click this link, you'll see, haha... (
http://www.bumblefoot.com/gear/01-pensive-expenguin.php
)
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LOKO
1. What's your everyday relations with
band members (only concerts,
rehearsals?)
I'm always hanging with someone in the band, having dinner,
going out or just sitting around doing nothing together. I guess you
can say we're.... 'friends'? When we're not all together we call and
email and keep in touch. It's pretty normal.
2. What's your favorite GNR song
from before you were in a band and
favorite from Chinese Democracy?
I liked 'Jungle' from the first time I heard it when it just
came out. If I had to choose, probably Jungle and Don't Cry. On
Chinese my favorite is Shackler's Revenge. It's high-energy, and I'm
very involved in the song, switching from fretted to fretless,
singing harmonies, I like it.
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SŁAWEK SUCHOWIECKI
1. What do you think on sound effects on Chinese Democracy?
It's fine to me. It's growth. I always think
of The Beatles, how in a few years they went from 'She Loves You' to
'Helter Skelter,' a totally different sound, which can also be
attributed to changes in technology - amps
with more drive, studios with more multi-tracks and FX…
but, with the Beatles you
grew with them, hearing them change from one album to the next. With
Guns N' Roses, we're talking about big changes in technology, band
members, and a longer moment of time -
all the growing and changing happened without albums
to take you along that journey, a step at a time.
There wasn't a 'Rubber Soul,' 'Sgt. Pepper,' 'White
Album' in-between. We're jumping straight
from 'A Hard Days Night' to the 'White Album.'
So the sound of Chinese Democracy came as a shock to many
people, and many have strong feelings about
it. That's good though - art
and music should bring out strong feelings, yes?
2. Your funniest moment onstage?
So many. Playing in the rain at Rock In Rio 2011 as the stage
was getting flooded, I put on a Star Wars helmet from the audience
and it immediately fogged up and stuck to my face, I couldn't see
and couldn't remove it...! Right as I had to play the solo! And of
course it was televised, what a mess! A few months ago I was playing
a solo and Axl came up behind me and wrapped my arms up in orange
tape, I couldn't get out, haha! A lot of funny 'Spinal Tap'
moments...
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WITOLD BULAK
What do you think of GNR show in Rock N' Roll Hall Of Fame?
I didn't see it yet, been so busy with touring and
everything...
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NATA
1. After GNR show in Poland you have 2 days off before Slovakia
concert. Do you plan short stay
in Poland, beautiful city Cracow is nearby...
I hope we'll have some time to enjoy Poland. I would love to
see some of Cracow. My grandparents came from Poland and Lithuania,
but I don't know which towns. I'd come over my grandmother's house
in Brooklyn and she'd always be grating potatoes into a bowl, to
make potato latkes, and she'd bargain with me to eat fruit... I
remember, being 20 years old and her saying "Ronald, have an
orange." "No thanks grandma, I'm not hungry." "Ronald, I got you
this apple, here, eat it." "It's ok grandma, I'm really not hungry."
"OK Ronald, I'll eat half, you eat half." "No thanks, I don't want
to eat an apple." "I just cut the apple in half, here Ronald, here's
your half..." Now I want to come to Poland and eat some potato
latkes - and an apple - for her.
2. Could you play for local fans solo with Chopin's
"Fantasie
Improptu"?
If I do a solo tour I'll play it. :)
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 CHRISTINA
Don't you miss composing in band
context? Wouldn't you like to
create new material with GNR guys? Did you record
anything yet?
Yes, I miss writing as a band. My wish was that the band
would get together for one week before every part of a tour would
begin, and we write a song, record it, release it, play it on that
leg of the tour, and keep doing this every time we start a new leg
of a tour. If we did that, this band would have a brand new album
done by now. When this tour ends, Frank (drums) and Tommy (bass) and
I plan to get together and start writing some new music. Hopefully
nothing will get in the way of doing that.
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ADAM ŚLUSARZ
Did you consider quitting band or playing live after car accident?
Yes. I couldn't lift my arms and didn't know if I'd ever be
able to wear a guitar again. So I started producing more, while
going to physical therapy for months. I was not ready to start
touring last year. It was the most difficult time in my life, I did
whatever possible to get through shows, combining drugs and alcohol,
to be well enough to play and numb enough to withstand the constant
pain. It was brutal. This European tour is the first time since the
accident that I'm on stage without poisoning myself to be physically
able to. Before the tour began, I had steroids injected into my
spine. Not fun. But I'm able to endure the pain and get through
shows without drugs. It was a year of suffering like I never
imagined, and it's not over. It almost killed me, for real. But it
didn't, I'm a fighter. I'm fighting for what I love.
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Thank you all for the wonderful questions, this was a real pleasure!
Hope to see you soon!!
~ Ron 'Bumblefoot' Thal
June 7th,
2012 |
