Billy Gibbons via email is better than no Gibbons at all
I've done hundreds of interviews with famous rockers since I started writing for the Straight back in '82, most of them over the phone—in advance of a Vancouver tour date—some of them in person.
It's always been the paper's policy to turn down offers of email interviews—where you send in questions and the answers are sent back—because good journalism is based on the one-on-one conversation.
I tend to agree with that policy, but when I heard that one of my fave guitarists of all time—Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top—was only doing email interviews in advance of this Saturday's show in Vancouver, I decided to make an exception.
Plus, anything goes when it comes to blogs.
So earlier this month I did one asking if anyone had any questions for Mr. Gibbons, and promising that I'd include the three best questions along with a few of mine. The winners were David Gogo, Craig Northey, and Carl Spackler.
Just the other day Gibbons replied with his answers, so without further adieu, here's my first-ever email interview, because it's Billy freakin' Gibbons, that's why.
1) Nanaimo blues-rocker David Gogo said: “Ask Billy what he thinks Jimi Hendrix would be up to if he was still around…”
Jimi is still around! He's ripping it up big time somewhere up there. If Jimi were back down here ZZ would seriously consider expanding to a four piece.
2) Craig Northey from the Odds said: “Q: Billy: desert island. 1 guitar with a tweed Fender Harvard. ’58 Esquire or ’58 Les Paul? (Yes there is power)
Does FedEx service the island…?…coz' there's a lot 'o stuff out there…! Well, oddly, the message-in-a-bottle just happened to surf up onto the beach sand and lo-and-behold, the message read, "Check out the 3rd palm tree from the left 'coz there's a ’58 Esquire AND ’58 Sunburst Les Paul in original hardshell cases leaning just behind on the leeward side" Oh yeah, and, as everyone might already know, the fave is Pearly Gates, a '59 Standard. Could she come along?
3) Carl Spackler of La Chinga asks: “Is Master of Sparks based on a true story?”
Yes, it's a true story, set to music. We grew up with a guy who was a drummer we called "R&B Junior." His family had a ranch and there was guy who worked there who was a talented welder. We asked him to construct a steel ball with a door in it and added a surplus pilot's seat with a harness. We figured that chaining this ball up to the back of a pick-up would provide for a thrilling experience. And that it was, at 60 miles an hour with sparks flying as it bounced along striking rocks and debris. We had fun, we survived and that was that.
4) If you had to choose your favourite guitar solo from all the ZZ Top songs, which one would it be, and why?
Well, more than one might imagine…ain't jes' one…! "Rhythmeen", "Mescalero", "Waitin' For The Bus"…all were one-take dreams...
5) Are you always trying out different guitars and amps in search of different tones, or are you pretty much happy with the tone you’ve already got?
* The new Magnatone "Super 59" is opening new tonal avenues and with true pitch-shifting vibrato. Killer…!
6) Is it true that you originally planned to call yourself ZZ King in tribute to B.B. King?
Yes.. or B.B. Top.
7) It’s been something like 44 years together with the same guys. What’s the secret to the band’s longevity?
The fine times rage on in doing so the logic is why put an end to a good time lettin' the thrash 'n bash rock on…! It's chronic: same 3 guys, same 3 chords. That's the magic formula in six famous words.
8) Having travelled all over the world, where would you say the most devoted blues-rock fans are located?
It's everywhere for sure. We've found outrageous midnight audiences as far out as say, Macedonia…! And that's loaded with high charges of energy just like it's deep in the heart of Texas. We just turn up the Bar-B-Q grill, whip on the hot sauce and let 'em all bear down on the meat.
9) What was the last album you actually bought in a store, or downloaded?
* One of each. "Combination Boogie" by J.B. Hutto
Comments
1 Comments
Lynette Lalanne
Oct 23, 2014 at 11:29am
Billy G, you met my daughter and Margaret last Saturday; recommended tomato bisque soup. Since I threw your name in the letter herein - I thought I should send you a copy. Here's your copy of a letter I wrote to Ellen Degeneres today for a very special friend. Regards, Lynette
A letter to: Ellen Degeneres (And Dr. Leaf and John Dale and Maggie and Brandi and Billy - you will understand)
Ellen, Boldly I want to tell you something you need to do – come to Houston. This is my invite (assuming you needed one). You can do it all incognito. I’ll put a hat on your head and take you out in public. I want to buy you a cup of tomato soup rumored to be “Houston’s best” by some other celebrity of another name. Maybe I personally will wait to taste that soup so that we can experience a “first” together. I’m told that firsts are a most excellent method of creating great memories!
After years of not recalling dreams, this morning that vividly changed and this is what I know – you were there in my dream last night. Exciting as that may not be to you personally, for me it is monumental…for several reasons.
Other than professionally, I have not picked up pen in hand to write freely in many years but here I am today writing to you. Recently I began a “21-day brain detox” program which may be the reason I would apply to this happening but I think only Dr. Caroline Leaf might fully explain. She’s the neuroscientist whose exercises I’ve begun to practice. And while I did not remember the details of my dream, the remarkable feeling of it lingers largely inside me right now. As excited as I’d become recalling the dream or knowing I actually had one; I really wanted to remember every detail . . . to no avail.
I couldn’t get”Ellen” out of my head when I began my daily dawg walk with Rumba. You’re from Metairie so I assume you know how to spell, D A W G properly. Rumba is special, a rescue, looks odd but that is just a future story to tell. My efforts to remember the dream did not manifest BUT these are what things I did remember.
I remembered a friend namely, John Dale Murphy, who in the not-so-distant past called one day to say he was going to appear on the Ellen Degeneres show one day. Wow, I thought. I wonder how that would happen. Passive conversation as it was at the time, this young man is a survivor of an attempted suicide by placing a gun in his mou