On a recent assignment, I had the opportunity to meet Ron
“Bumblefoot” Thal, a guitarist, songwriter, recording artist and
producer – and since 2006, lead guitarist for Guns N’ Roses.
Ron is not just a prolific artist – he’s also a terrific
guy, intensely committed to philanthropy and non-profits, supporting
a broad range of causes including multiple sclerosis, autism, burn
victims, diabetes, cancer, blindness, and victims of natural
disasters such as earthquakes, drought, and hurricanes.
And when not writing/performing with GNR, Bumblefoot has a
rich solo career; he collaborates with other artists; has a
multitude of song-writing projects for TV, movies, video games;
produces music; conducts music workshops and clinics worldwide; has
done television acting; and is an entrepreneur with a line of hot
sauces and guitar cases.
Check out what he had to say in our Q&A.
Interviewed by: Ilya Mirman
You have quite an
eclectic body of work – are there some common threads that connect
your various projects, compositions? One common thing I see when
looking at it all is a tendency to take a light-hearted look at
life’s difficulties. Like pointing out a funny face in a storm
cloud. I guess its my own way of taking power away from the dark
side by twisting it into something that lifts the spirit. On the
surface someone may see ‘funny lyrics’ but it’s often touching on
deeper subjects that we all deal with in some way. Instrumentally on
the guitar, I might do the same, adding moments of technique or
intellectuality to a simple form. I like the contrast, but it’s
really the completion, a balance of duality.
Aside from touring with
GNR, what music projects do you have going on in parallel now? I’m working on my next Bumblefoot
album. It’s been long-overdue, but creativity happens when it’s
meant to. That can be an easy way out, so keep in mind that
sometimes you have to force yourself into the zone, and when you do
this it’s also because you were meant to at that moment. I’ve always
found it difficult to write while touring, I don’t get the down-time
needed to re-charge the creative batteries and build momentum. On
the most recent South American tour with GNR I forced myself to find
a way, I’d be wandering the stairways of hotels for hours staring
into space and writing words. Digging deep into yourself and
allowing the needed emotional free-flow for songwriting, while being
on the road where everybody wants your time and attention… the two
conflict each other, volatility and patience, it was torment. But
that’s where the good stuff comes from, you need to feel, and that’s
not a smooth road. I have an upcoming US solo tour
in June/July. It’s part of the “Guitars Gods” tour, featuring Yngwie
Malmsteen, Gary Hoey, Uli Jon Roth and Bumblefoot. I’ve been touring
around the rest of the world for 17 years but this will be my first
full US tour. I have info on tour dates as well as special VIP
meet-n-greet packages atwww.bumblefoot.com
You do a lot of various
workshops and clinics around the world – how did that start, and
what about this is particularly rewarding for you? It’s become my favorite kind of
performing. What I like about performing is connection and
interaction. There’s something a little awkward to me about the
separation between the audience and stage, it sometimes feels like
I’m a movie being watched, and that can lead to a disconnected
robotic performance. At Bumblefoot shows I like to have people sing
along, strum my guitar, I’ll come play in the audience, that’s what
I like, being face-to-face and making a show together. And with
workshops, it’s the most spontaneous and interactive of all
performing. Audience Q&A leads the events in different directions,
we all get to meet, we’re taking photos, signing merch, chatting,
it’s very personal and sometimes go for over 6 hours, I have to be
forced to stop, haha, prying the guitar from my hands… these events
are not just for guitar players, it’s a personal performance with
backing tracks, sometimes including a jam with a live band and
audience members get to jam with us, sharing experiences and the
things I’ve learned along the way. Teaching is the most gratifying,
to inspire others, to give what you’ve received.
You’re a self-professed
huge KISS fan. Can you tell us about KISS as an influence, and the
all-star tribute band you helped form recently? It all began with a KISS tribute
albumA World With
Heroeslaunched by
journalist Mitch Lafon, with proceeds going to a cancer hospice. I
sang and played guitars on a cover of the song “Detroit Rock City”,
with Rex Brown on bass and Brian Tichy on drums. Rex Brown sang and
played bass on a cover of the song “Larger Than Life” with Mark
Zavon on guitar and Brian Tichy on drums. After the album was
released promoters began to ask, “So when are these guys gonna play
live?” We started getting offers and we formed a band called “A.L.I.V.E.”
where we’d play KISS songs from the albumsAlive!andAlive
II. We did a few shows in LA and Vegas in July 2013, just for
the fun of it, as fans. I don’t know if we’ll do more shows, tricky
to get all our schedules sync’d up. For me, being a KISS fan started
at age 5, when I first heard theAlive!album.
My first concert was KISS at Madison Square Garden NYC in 1979. They
inspired me, along with many others, to do what I do. I only hope I
can do the same for others.
Regarding your
philanthropic endeavors: how do you decide which causes to back, and
what motivates you? Making music solely to entertain
people has never been enough for me. Music can motivate people to do
good things for one another, and it seems wrong to not act on this
potential. I do what I can, when I can. It’s important to pick the
right organizations and situations. I’ve seen too much failure in
small charities where a lot of people’s time, effort and money are
wasted on events that are unable to deliver proceeds where they’re
intended and needed. I’m becoming more selective, I have to, the
time just isn’t there and I have to make choices.
You’ve recently become
a cultural envoy for the United Nations. What does that actually
mean, and how did you get involved? There’s a wonderful organization,theHDI.orgwith
U.N. humanitarian and diplomacy programs, we work with U.S.
Embassies around the world to make events that bring people together
through music. I simply go, be myself and do what I do. I’ve had the
pleasure of making music with fantastic local musicians playing
rock, traditional cultural music, and have made good friends. I’ve
been to Albania, Malaysia, Indonesia and Belarus over the past year,
integrated as part of my own tours, with more plans for the near
future. It’s been a blessing to have these experiences.
You have several
entrepreneurial projects in the works – can you tell us about them?
How did they come about, where are you seeing success? Are there
things in the works? I have a line ofhot
sauceswithCajohns
Fiery Foodsranging
from mild Bumblicious to extremely hot BumbleF**KED. I love to eat.
Haha, who doesn’t? I love spicy food, often to the extreme, and when
you’re passionate about something, you want to share the passion.
I had lots of ideas, flavor profiles and simple recipes for hot
sauces, the good folks at CaJohns turned it into reality. We have
more products we’ll be rolling out. I have some unusual ideas
sometimes, haha.
I also teamed up with Eastsport,
makers of gear bags and backpacks, to launch a line ofsignature
guitar cases. We started with twelve custom cases in the
collection, with my personal favorite theDeluxe
Electric Roller Case. I thought about all the years of lugging
guitars around airport terminals, carrying gear to gigs, and
anything that could have made it more practical, and put it all into
a guitar case. Extra padding, deeper pockets, wheels, an
attachable/detachable gear bag with dividers and cable ties, and a
clear window to put your flyer in to advertise your band, gig,
teaching. And now we just launched theBumbleBabeline
of acoustic guitar cases . We’ll continue to expand on both lines of
cases with different designs and materials.
The next goal I have is to create
a worldwide music festival that will bring attention to indie
artists all over the world in a unique way. There’s so much talent
out there that deserves to be recognized and nurtured, I want to
help make that happen.
Any television work on
the horizon? I was born with a natural cartoon
voice, haha. I’ve looked into doing voice-overs and would like to
pursue that. I’ve done some acting in indie films, been a guest on
TV shows over the years, but mostly have provided music for TV and
film. To quote one of my songs, (“Rockstar For A Day” from the
“Normal” album) “I’ve got a face that’s made for radio, and a voice
that’s made for I don’t know…”, haha.
