Let's Put it this Way - with Special Guest John Thayer

In this conversation, Sam Fischer interviews John Thayer, a seasoned guitar tech who has worked with iconic guitarists like Warren DeMartini, George Lynch, and Nuno Bettencourt. They delve into the intricacies of live performances, the challenges of quick guitar changes, and the unique experiences of touring with rock bands. John shares insights on the pressures of live sound, adapting to different venues, and the essential tools he carries as a guitar tech. The discussion is filled with anecdotes from the road, highlighting the camaraderie and fun that comes with working in the music industry. In this engaging conversation, Sam and John delve into the world of guitar tech, exploring the nuances of tone, the evolution of gear, and the unique styles of legendary guitarists. They share insights on the pressures of live performances, the business of being a guitar tech, and the lasting legacy of iconic musicians. The discussion highlights the importance of passion in the music industry and the profound impact of personal style on guitar playing. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome to Cowboys, not Exit. Home of the brave, not home of the fear. The world needs more cowboys and fewer exits. We're everywhere. Podcasts are found. So tell your fellow cowboys. And keep the conversation alive on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Remember to subscribe, rate, review, and share. And now, Cowboys, not a guest. It's Dan Fisher.

SPEAKER_05 0:32

Today I am uh extremely honored to have a guitar tech, which is kind of an interesting guest for me to have, John, but I have today I have uh John Thayer on, and John is a a guitar tech uh and tour manager and and all-around handyman, kind of uh uh the fixer of all problems on uh for rock bands. And uh specifically, John is a um guitar tech for three very prominent guitar players that are from my era. Now I am about 57 years old. John, how old are you now?

SPEAKER_02 1:10

Uh 59.

SPEAKER_05 1:11

59, okay. So anybody that listened to 80s music probably has heard of the bands uh Dockin, Rat, and Extreme. And they have three really good guitar players: George Lynch, Nuno Betancourt, and Warren D Martini. Uh and John has had the pleasure of working for all those guys in the role as a guitar tech, which I I find to be pretty interesting. So I'm really privileged to have you on. I appreciate you being here today, buddy.

SPEAKER_02 1:38

Thanks, uh Sam.

SPEAKER_05 1:39

So to get started, I I uh to play a little game here. I have a one-word nickname for each of these guitar players. For for Lynch, I would say I would call him Edge or Edgy. Uh for uh not necessarily personality, just their playing style. Edgy. Uh Nuno Bettencourt, I would call spunk, and Warren I would call tasty. What what were what are am I am I close or what would you call these the these three guys?

SPEAKER_02 2:08

Yeah, that I mean pretty much sums it up. I mean, it's like all three of them got fired of their playing, and like each individual won. So yeah, that actually works pretty good.

SPEAKER_05 2:21

Okay, all right. Um so I'm gonna dive right into this. About I don't know what three, four days ago, you and I were both at a concert called M3 Festival in Maryland, and uh you're teching for Warren D Martini, and he's playing the epic intro to a song called Lay It Down. And by God, by God, if that low or excuse me, the high E string went to shit. Now, my question to you is was your backup guitar in the because he tuned down, right? For that song. Um, that's a uh was your backup tuned to the same tuning? So did you have to get a str Okay, so you had to not only well you've you gave him so you so what you did is uh basically quickly tuned your backup guitar and handed him the backup guitar. Is that what you did?

SPEAKER_02 3:10

Yeah, yeah, basically uh had that one ready for the encore and another song, and that's where actually half step down and uh standard tuning for the last two songs, and yeah, it was ready for that, and he popped, I think it was the B or the G, and I had to real quick like drop it down to drop D for him before I could give it to him.

SPEAKER_05 3:32

Which is takes it it's not an automatic, it's not a three-second process, brother.

SPEAKER_02 3:39

Oh yeah, it was maybe about four seconds. I just had to pop it into a tuner quick, and uh the way we do it, like a lot of guys will do if they're doing drop D with a Floyd, is they'll have that E-tuner, the low E-tuner, almost all the way in. So I just had to like quick as I could back it out and get it on drop C sharp and go.

SPEAKER_05 3:59

And there's just never, dude, there's never a good time to break a string, you know? I mean, never in that song because the opening chords of that song after the intro are just as good as the intro, in my opinion. Um yeah, we we missed them, damn it. Um, yeah, I know.

SPEAKER_02 4:13

Carlos kind of took up the slack for a moment, and yeah, I mean, and that's the hard thing sometimes tour, and the way a lot of bands do now is uh we got two guitars and we're using the drop D tuning on there's a few songs, and it was a block at the end of the set, and it was one of those uh you gotta be in one or the other.

SPEAKER_05 4:38

So so you hand so you handed him, you know, we got that part of it done, he's back to playing, but now you've got to restring this this other guy and get him to standard. Is that what happened? Or did uh did he okay, okay.

SPEAKER_02 4:50

But that's yeah, because I basically had that to get that ready for the encore. We're back up to standard pitch. Well, half step down, but that's our standard.

SPEAKER_05 5:00

Now you've been doing this for a long time, but is your heart flutter just a little bit? You're like, oh shit.

SPEAKER_02 5:05

I mean Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah, it was a fun situation. Um, especially knowing, all right, I got one song to get it done and everything, but like there's I don't know if I want to call them tricks or whatever, but there's certain strings that will kind of wind a little extra. So just in case that does happen, he usually pops at the bridge. Normally doesn't break up at the neck, you know, it's uh you push down on it a little too hard. Um so with the extra couple of wraps, it's unwind it, slam that string back in, and I think I was ready in like 30 seconds a minute.

SPEAKER_05 5:43

Yeah, yeah, you did great. You did great, and it's your absolute pro. Now, uh the lynch mob, the final, the final show for the lynch mob, as they are now called something else. But uh anyway, uh the lynch mob show in Medina, Minnesota, it was also, I think it was the last song Encore, wasn't it? He bust a string. I can't remember what song it would have was.

SPEAKER_02 6:04

I think it was Yeah, I think it did happen. It was a minute ago.

SPEAKER_05 6:07

And that one was quick, brother. I was with so I was with uh a couple friends of mine. One is my uh guitar teacher, Zachary Adkins, and and then uh another another another player by the name of Fred Hugg. And anyway, and then his brother, uh Derek Adkins, also, but we all commented on the way on the way back to the hotel, like, dude, that was a pro change. That was just like slick as snot. So kudos to you, dude.

SPEAKER_02 6:30

Thank you. I mean, with the Floyd, like I said, it's kind of easy. There's certain strings normally. Normally, you break either a G or a D, and sometimes a B and the E. So I'll wrap them like an extra inch or so, get an extra wind or so so you can use the same string. Uh sadly, on the high E, man, once that goes, it turns into string most of the time. So you gotta scrap that, but um get a new one. Yeah, it just oh hopefully you gotta be.

SPEAKER_05 7:10

See, I'm not yeah, I guess you learn those things uh through trial.

SPEAKER_02 7:14

I I'm not smart enough to think about those things, but uh yeah, it's just kind of trial and error, and it's one of those things where for a while I was breaking D's, so it was like rather than trying to throw a new one on where you'd have to stretch it, and it would just be a whole process, you're throwing the same string back through there, yeah, and everything. And hopefully, like if it's a D string, you don't pull it and unwind the thing, and you can just snip it and throw it back in, and it's one of those okay, it will get you through.

SPEAKER_05 7:46

Yep. Well, it's it's it's fun to watch. I I like watching you as much as I like watching the players, but I I my heart went out for you, too. I'm like, oh, oh Bubba, no.

SPEAKER_03 7:58

Oh yeah, yeah. Let's put it this way. I was getting ready for we had uh lay it down, and then I think uh let me look at a set list.

SPEAKER_02 8:06

I think you're in love right afterwards when we both drop B's and then it's going to the encore, so it's like I everything was rolling, get ready for the encore. I see Warren start walking over, and it's like, like you said, heart sinks, and it's okay, let's just get this done.

SPEAKER_05 8:23

So your job is to be a pro. And and when I I don't know, this is a very strange analogy, so hang with me. Um, I met a a Secret Service agent once who was guarding at the time Vice President Walter Mondale, and he happened they happened to be at the um the Winter Olympics when we beat a Russia back in 1980, and it was a big deal.

SPEAKER_02 8:46

Oh, okay, up in Lake Placid, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 8:47

Yeah, yeah. I mean, there's a movie about it. So when they they score the winning goal or whatever, uh the Secret Service agent totally like broke, or I'm like, it's almost like breaking character. You know, it's like he's like broke, he's like cheering with everybody else. He's like, he's like, oh shit, what are you doing? Like, you know.

SPEAKER_03 9:08

So it's kind of like a job here.

SPEAKER_05 9:11

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So do you ever find an instance where you're on stage and you're like, shit, you know, like, God dang, that sounds good because you have the best seat in the house. Well, not necessarily though. I don't know that you do because you can't hear as good as maybe I can in the center. Sadly, it's like the worst seat in the house. Yeah, for sound. But there are times, or is there not, is there ever have you ever caught yourself? You're like, this sounds good, or like you you like kind of get out of your character, you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_02 9:40

Oh, yeah. I mean, it's more of a it at times that certain songs will do that.

SPEAKER_05 9:47

Um Yeah, see, so so I'm glad you're being honest because I caught your ass on uh Wakeful Jr. the other day. I'm like, Johnny, like this song.

SPEAKER_03 9:57

It's funny. It was uh I've been actually that was the second show I've done with Warren.

SPEAKER_02 10:03

I just started with him. Um first show, what was it? Uh a Mehican.

SPEAKER_03 10:09

I got a Settlers on the wall, yeah. I think it was Back for More. It was one of those the first stands up. Um you get the goosebumps, and it's just kind of um it throws you back, and it's just kind of like, wow, okay.

SPEAKER_02 10:26

Um standing up here, and like at the first show at Mohegan, it was I got the guitars in the morning, pulled them out, and the cross swords is in there, and it's the original cross swords.

SPEAKER_03 10:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 10:40

So it's you know, yeah, now for guys our age, we know exactly what the hell you're talking about here. Um I was gonna ask you, was it like tech it for the new guy? Like, you know, here comes Warren, it's like, what do you say? Do you want me to use Frenchie as your number one, or do you want me to use the swords guitar? I mean, uh, what what what what what what's it like? I mean, dude, how do you want your action? Or I mean what are those conversation? What is the convers, or do you even have a conversation with the with the artist?

SPEAKER_03 11:06

It really wasn't too much of one.

SPEAKER_02 11:09

Um, basically met Warren the morning of the show, and I had met him for a quick minute a few years ago, but um nothing. Guitar was high, like great to meet you and everything, because he came to a lynch mob show years ago. Um but yeah, it was just pretty much he has them set up and everything because he's bringing them. Um it was basically just getting the gear and getting it set up and a quick little chat of what he was running because of obviously the first time working with him and stuff. I get a lot of times I'll get uh a text sheet, a little description of like what's going on and setups and everything. Um, and then it was just get through the first sound check and through the first show.

SPEAKER_05 11:57

Yeah, and you did. Um so it's interesting because Warren and George are peers, uh, and I guess I'll talk about that in a little bit in the interview, but later, but they're I mean, they're like buddies and friends and stuff, right? I mean, so did so the question, I guess the million dollar question is did did did did George refer you to Warren or did somebody else hire you, or how does that work? Like, how did you become you know this is a bit this is a big announcement, listeners, because Warren D Martini hasn't played live in I don't know eight years or something.

SPEAKER_02 12:30

Yeah, I think it was like seven years or so.

SPEAKER_05 12:32

And he's back on stage with a band called uh Percy and D Martini.

SPEAKER_02 12:37

Not rat.

SPEAKER_05 12:38

Oh, that one, I mean it was a big deal, it was a big deal, so this is a big assignment. Like this guy's back on stage for the first time in eight years, and he's a he's an iconic player from the 80s.

SPEAKER_02 12:46

Um well, and uh they and Xtreme have same management. Um, so that's basically how this one came about. Yeah, um, he needed somebody, and Xtreme's off the road at the moment. So it was basically okay, do you want us?

SPEAKER_05 13:06

There's John, yeah. And oh, by the way, he's textured Lynch too, which which Warren knew, I'm sure. I mean, it's a small world out there, right? I mean, it's a pretty small world. Yeah, kind of, pretty much. It's it's it's I mean, it's lucky you, dude. I mean, my Mount Rush War of guitar players is George Lynch, Warren D Martini, um, Jakey Lee, uh, and Angus Young. Sorry, Nuno. Um but but that's you know, you're right in my sweet spot. That's that's oh yeah, dude. I'm sorry to interrupt. I actually have a story about that on the on the cruiser a couple years ago. These damn uh meet and greet or these click the photos that you go in, you stand on the phone. Oh, okay, the photo yards, and and you get like 0.5 seconds to say something just to like your heroes. And I love Nuno Betancourt, I love him to death. Um and and so I walk into the photo and I just like I go, you know, Nuno, I can't figure out who's who's uh the better guitar player on this ship, you're George. And I forgot that Michael Schenker was on the damn boat, but uh uh um he's probably learning both of them, but uh well I um personally but uh no I get it yeah but Nuno's funny as hell about he goes well he's like well I know well yeah I mean that was the cool thing with the boat this year is having both of them it's I basically walked out and no offense any of the guitar players on the boat but I know I got kind of two of the badasses on the boat. Yeah I there's no doubt about it dude no no doubt about it now we're did you tech for George on the Kiss Cruise? Yeah I can't you did okay yeah so there was a moment during that star we're gonna I'm gonna geek out and I really don't care um there was a moment in that show where they were doing uh an all-star jam I think Tyson Leslie and Brent Woods puts put on these these all-star jams and they got George up there okay yeah they got George up to do a mountain song and I I don't even know what mountain song it is because I don't listen to a lot of mountain but I know Leslie West is very influential these guys anyway it was uh George and Tracy Guns and it was just a it was a poignant moment because um tracy who's one of the nicest people I've ever met by the way he's just the nicest a blast but uh oh my god with him and his tech fits on the uh boat this year just the nicest guy to everybody just friendly and just nice but anyway um there was a point of that shore uh they're jamming they're trading solos or whatever and Lynch was in fuego um and Tracy sat down stopped playing and sat down on the drum riser and I have a picture and I have a picture of him I have a picture of him pointing at Lynch um and I just you're talking about in at that moment I'm like there's not a better guitar player on the ship right now there's just not um but anyway geek oh yeah I mean there was one point where I think we're up doing one of the docking encores because he did uh lynch mob and went up for encores with doc and I turned around and Paul Stanley's behind me watching I saw that I yes I was at that I I yep Paul Stanley was there yep I was there I can back that up yep it's just cool stuff cool stuff okay I I I told John it was gonna be a bunch of gaga lynch stuff yeah so I'll stop that um and George George gets extraordinarily uncomfortable when people talk like I mean I've never I've only once did I ever like really say something to him geeky and he didn't he doesn't like it he just doesn't like it he just you know he appreciates it but he doesn't he doesn't do the guitar god stuff you know which is yeah one of the many reasons that I like the guy because he's very humble I he I think he's very humble uh well and most of them most of the good ones it's they don't rest on the laurels it's I'm always going for something you know being a guitar player it's like tone you're always chasing it yes and chasing the dream with them and everything yeah exactly and it's the same thing with the play in it once you get to once you get complacent with it you kind of lose your fire.

SPEAKER_02 17:26

Yeah yeah I agree it's the same thing with all three of them I mean obviously I don't w know Warren as much but it's the same thing with Nuno.

SPEAKER_05 17:36

It's always striving and driving for pushing more yep yeah and we get we're the beneficiaries of that I mean just unbelievable these guys are just oh yeah I just it's it's so awesome. Okay so this next section is going to be called let let me put it to you this way because I think that's one of your favorite uh or or famous things that you say right let me put it to you this way um uh in other words you know when things go wrong or whatever um I mean how do you deal with la I mean you kind of went through it but I mean how do you deal with last minute changes on stage um you just kinda roll with it I mean basically you kind of plan for the worst and hope for the best and at least on my end sadly my favorite moments when it's alright last song last note hits because I know it's alright we're done nothing can happen yeah exactly it's that exhale and everything and it varies I mean shows with George are a little more loose and free because you don't know what's gonna happen.

SPEAKER_02 18:53

I mean sometimes there might be a huddle on stage and it's okay well we were gonna play this song now it's gonna go in a little different direction. Um with extreme it's more of a two hours of on the edge and we're pretty much the same show every night it might change up a little bit um just because it's a different scale of things with the lights and sound and all that it's not as free flowing but yeah it's stressful where you're basically trying to get through with no issues.

SPEAKER_05 19:30

Yeah it's interesting you bring up the point about one of the my favorite you know on on the final ride tour I think I went to five shows I can't remember um but yeah my favorite I I think I only brought the guitar once or twice. But um yeah a couple times I tried uh anyway one of the things uh one of the real reasons I enjoy watching George is because I and you tell me if I'm wrong but listen he never plays the same thing twice ever I mean for solos it's the same structure perhaps but um he's not playing stuff no for no every night now Nuno oh no probably is um and and so from a tech standpoint that would I I mean it changes things up he keeps everybody on his their toes he tapes the entire band on their toes it keeps the drummer on his toes it keeps everybody right yeah more for the more for the band with that aspect I mean it's great for me where it's a little bit different um with them our set list is usually different every night there's stuff in and out um because we're not as I don't want to say reliant but it's like all right we don't really carry a crew so we don't have a light guy out there that needs to know boom when this is happening and video walls and all of that stuff.

SPEAKER_02 20:48

The the level of production is a little bit different.

SPEAKER_01 20:51

Right.

SPEAKER_02 20:53

So it's yeah if George wants to go an extra eight it's kind of on the band to be listening to him or hey in between a song they might do a couple minute little jam of something they've never heard he might never have heard of it. He's coming up with it on the spot so it keeps them on their toes.

SPEAKER_05 21:13

There was something I recorded in Harrison Ohio it wasn't this in 25 it was in 24 but it was just it was unbelievable. I mean Gabriel's coming up with freaking lyrics on the spot and stuff and it was just it was nuts. It was nuts oh yeah yeah just yeah I mean it it would be I I would think as a tech it would be I mean God bless all these bands that are all polished and have all this production and everything's on a queue but I as a tech you get to see a different with George you're getting to see it essentially a different show every night. Well you are I mean just from the standpoint like we said he doesn't play the same thing every night he just doesn't yeah I mean but it's not gonna be the same solo.

SPEAKER_02 21:55

Yeah and his sections will change I mean not really sections will change but like you're saying yeah it's Different solo. I mean, with us, uh both band are actually all three of them, I guess. Um, sometimes you have different set lengths, so it's changes up and everything. But yeah, with George, it's kind of or lynch mob. Um, it's one of those, all right, you're gonna end up in the destination, but you don't know how you're gonna get there. Yeah. And they both that's why he's edgy, John.

SPEAKER_05 22:23

That's why he's an edgy player. I mean, because he doesn't, he's I've heard him talk about it. Like sometimes he doesn't know where the hell he's going. And as a as a person who's not trained, I have no, I can't, I can't, I don't hear anything. I mean, I I'm not, I don't play to to pitch or to to uh by ear or any of that stuff. I'm not I'm not good enough, I'm not smart enough, or I'm not blessed enough. But I do know when he's in a solo section and he's like, oh shit, he's in trouble here, but he just pops right out of it, you know, and it's so much fun to watch. It's so much fun to watch.

SPEAKER_02 22:54

I I mean, and both of the aspects have great things, um, especially in my world, because it's like there's times, like you're saying, you'll just get caught watching and listening and stuff, and it's like, yeah, he he's always reaching and striving, and it's funny because there's be times where he'd be like, Man, I I wish I was more like the Shankers and Nunos and all of that stuff, where it is stress on him most of the night. Um but then I don't know, kind of be boring.

SPEAKER_05 23:24

No, it would be boring, and and it wouldn't, it's just not in this DNA. And I I just freaking love it. I love it as a as a as a as a fan. It's just it's awesome to watch. I it just it's oh no doubt. So much fun. Um how do you prepare for different climates and venues? Oh man, um it's a real issue. I know with my snake hunter guitar, that thing never stays in tune. I mean, it it one night in Las Vegas, the thing it was over like an air conditioning duct, and it just was a mess. It just couldn't be.

SPEAKER_02 23:57

I don't think you were a beer that night, but it's possible. Um, I've run into situations where I'm in a spot and it might be colder than on stage or whatever, and it can be really rough. Um man, it's you just try and acclimate like this weekend. Um California was kind of chilly and Maryland, where M3 was, was warm and humid, you know how it was.

SPEAKER_05 24:29

The humidity just it wasn't horrible, but if say you're in deep south humidity and you're an outdoor show, how in the hell do you prepare for that?

SPEAKER_02 24:38

You just gotta let them acclimate for as long as you can, depending on like if they're coming from your room or a flight or whatever. You just gotta let them sit out for a while. You know, it's like when you get a new guitar, you gotta let it sit in a case when you get it home, like especially wintertime, so it's been in the UPS truck all day. You gotta let it sit. It there's times I'll bust them out and let them sit for 20 minutes, half hour, an hour, depending on what it is, especially if it's a cold to hot thing. Um but yeah, it usually they're pretty good and you're not normally going back and forth from a cold to hot or whatever. Um so it's pretty consistent, because like where I'm setting up on stage, I'm pretty much by where we're gonna play. Um only issue I've ever really had is North Nuno's 4N flipped out on us once in Germany last year. Um uh because the club was like, dude, it was like 125 in the club. It was brutal. And the humidity and it was this place, I think Fahrenheit 36 or something in New York or in uh Germany somewhere, and it was like Fahrenheit 150 in the place. It was brutal.

SPEAKER_05 26:02

So not only are you trying to keep in tune, you're trying to like not uh pass out from the heat.

SPEAKER_02 26:06

I mean, um yeah, it was really rough. Our boards almost went thermal and shut down. We got really lucky on that even be able to have the show, but uh something happened in the very beginning of the show where he hit a uh did a dive bomb and the neck freaked out. It the neck bolts came loose in it and it shifted and dropped it about a whole step.

SPEAKER_05 26:37

It's crazy. That's that's just crazy.

SPEAKER_02 26:40

Yeah, it took a minute, believe me, yeah, it was uh not funny. Um yeah, I luckily uh we had issues for a couple days, and stupid me, I didn't think to check the bolts because we had never had an issue with them um for like a day and a half was trying to figure it out, and luckily got a minute where it got quiet at a festival, which is just unheard of. Um did a like buried the bar and heard the neck kink. And three out of the five bolts were loose. One of them was pretty much just spinning in its uh thing.

SPEAKER_05 27:18

It just goes to show you don't assume anything, man. You just uh uh neck bolts. Like what?

SPEAKER_02 27:24

Like and I don't know if it was because of the humidity in the club that night that made everything swell and caused them to loosen up or something. Um, but yeah, it caused real issues. I almost went home off of that.

SPEAKER_05 27:41

Little little invisible gremlins, man. Unbelievable.

SPEAKER_02 27:44

Oh, yeah, believe me. Um and you just never know. I I've had some crazy stuff like I had a neck shelf strip, like a uh actually it was a Kaler neck shelf or one of the Kaler Steelers on Nuno's guitars, and um loosening it, the thing stripped on me during the middle of the show.

SPEAKER_05 28:05

In the middle of the show, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 28:07

And what do you do?

SPEAKER_05 28:08

Like you're like, hey uh Nuno, the the thing just I mean, what do you do? You don't because you don't you don't want him to worry about that. You want him to worry about the show, but there's a reason why I haven't given this back to you, brah.

SPEAKER_02 28:20

Well, and the messed up part was it was during uh I think Wholehearted where he's got the 12 strings, so I got like song to do it, and uh dude, I tuned it, went to screw the thing back in, and it just kept spinning. So it wasn't even like it started getting tight and it stripped out because I yanked it too hard. It was it stripped when I took it out, and there was some choice four-letter words said for a moment there. Um tried a new shit. Let me put it to you this way everything.

SPEAKER_04 28:52

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 28:55

Um, yeah, there was a moment of, oh my lord. Oh, I'm just gonna go home now.

SPEAKER_02 29:01

Yeah, pretty much that could almost happen, but no, dude. He went, uh, it's good. I'll just use it. And pretty much every time he would bury the bar, the A and the E were unlocked, and he would just give them a little tweak, and bam, it'd be in. And we got through it, and I cobbled the nut together the next day.

SPEAKER_05 29:22

And 99% of the people at that concert had no clue what was going on. I mean, probably, you know. So good. Yeah, pretty much. I wouldn't have. I'm too dumb. I mean, I don't know what the hell's going on. Oh, if you don't see it, John's got it. I'd just be like, ah, John's got it. It's all good. Take me through a a day on the lynch mob final ride tour. Uh um, interesting tour. Um, there it was interesting the booking direction of things. I never I was I tried like hell to get you guys in Omaha, and I don't know why it didn't work out, it just never worked out. Um there was a lot of strange booking routes. But but but but generally you are always within like three to six hours driving time. Yeah, the lynch mob is a f you fly in. So, how does it work? Do you fly in? He's got I know he flies with his head, he flies with with his guitars, you have a guitar that you come with, right? How does how does that work? I mean, you have to rent stuff. There it is, the purple tiger.

SPEAKER_02 30:24

Um basically with um it's two different, it's different worlds between the bands, but basically with Lynch Mob, what we'll do is all right, if we got a Thursday night show, we'll fly in Wednesday, get to that first city, and then we'll drive ourselves in between. That's why we try and keep it three or six apart. Um usually huh, closer to the three is nice, but we'll just drive ourselves in between.

SPEAKER_05 30:49

Because what that means is you're either leaving at like 11 a.m. or noon versus eight or nine in the morning, right?

SPEAKER_02 30:56

Yeah, exactly. I mean, there's some of them where it's no sleep.

SPEAKER_05 31:01

I mean, like when I go to a show, sorry to interrupt, John, but when I go to a show, one of your shows, it takes me, say you're off stage at 11:30. It takes me a good two hours to unwind. I mean, I'm just too, I'm just my you know, my frickin' whoop is going off. I you know, activity detected, activity detect, you know, your your heart rate was a hundred and like a it got up to like 189 one night watching a lynch mob show, which is fine. Oh jeez, I can't do that. Uh but uh no actually I I'm in I can do that, but uh I'm in shape. But that's why I work out, John, so I can go to lynch mob shows. But um uh I'm wired, and so I don't know what the guys are like or what you're like, and it takes you an hour or two to to to to to to take everything out. Um, and so you're probably in bed, you're lucky if you're in bed by three, probably, right? Is that fair?

SPEAKER_02 31:50

Uh usually it's before that. It's not too bad. Um luckily, like we when we tour, um, this last one was different because we had gear with us with Paralandra, the opening band.

SPEAKER_04 32:02

Right.

SPEAKER_02 32:03

Awesome band in their own right. They are awesome. Uh we had gear with us. Normally, with us, we're touring and we get back lined, which is the promoter gets a hold of a company to basically provide us cabs, a bass rig, a drum set, um, and then George will bring a head and a pedal board, and then like you were saying, he'll bring at least one guitar, I'll bring a guitar and make life a little bit easier because we're flying all over. Um but we can be out of there. Man, I I if I really need to, I can be out of the venue in about 10-15 minutes, excluding merch. Um, because if we're not traveling, you're not taking very much stuff. You're not loading, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 32:47

Well, you're not loading cabinets into a van into a trailer.

SPEAKER_02 32:50

Yeah. This year when we did the last run, um we did with Paralandron stuff, so we all loaded in and stuff, and it wasn't too bad because we basically shared everything with them. Um yeah, so it's a lot easier. Um, normally I'm unplugging, packing an amp, a pedal board, and a pelican case, and I'm out the door. Yeah. Um, which is nice.

SPEAKER_05 33:17

Um, so you so you get to bed at say normally you're gonna get to bed at one o'clock in the morning.

SPEAKER_02 33:22

Yeah, yeah, one, two o'clock.

SPEAKER_05 33:24

So you're gonna get up, you know, depending on the the time of the show in the next day, you're gonna get you're gonna get say you'll get six hours of sleep if you're lucky. Yeah, sometimes. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 33:36

And so like you're saying, depending on how far of a drive it is, if it's a short drive, a couple hours, yeah. We can bust out of the hotel a little bit later and everything, and depending on when loaded and all that stuff is. So it's not too bad. And I mean, with them, we're usually not doing the last the last bunch of shows with Final Ride was almost two months, which we normally don't do. It's normally a weekend. Um, so yeah, you can survive for the three days on a couple hours of sleep every night. The home sleep.

SPEAKER_05 34:11

It's I mean, I used to when I was a younger guy driving, you know, employees, I'd say sleep when you're dead. Well, I s I sleep when I'm tired now, because I can. So I do. Um are there any essential tools that you have to take on that you take on tour or anything like you know, you get to a city, you're like, oh my god, I forgot X, Y, or Z.

SPEAKER_02 34:35

Um Yeah, it happens at times. Um I pretty much got a toolkit I just put together over the years from working on guitars and like any little miscellaneous piece of wire, foam, any weird stuff like that might get thrown in there because you might never know. Oh, there's I have a bolt. Oh, we need a bolt for something. Okay, here. Um but it's basically just basic guitar tools. I mean, cutters, just like a tackle box.

SPEAKER_05 35:03

I would like take a fishing tackle box type of thing. Not that size.

SPEAKER_02 35:07

Yeah, I got a little briefcase, and some dudes have bigger. Um stuck with the briefcase because with Lynch Mob we travel in a minivan. Um so it's I don't get a lot of roll. Believe me, I love a big rolling case, it would be awesome, but with that door, it's just not happening.

SPEAKER_05 35:23

No, no, because it it's not logistically, it's not gonna happen.

SPEAKER_02 35:28

Um so other than like basically your standard stuff, and uh yeah, there's a sharpie pin, John.

SPEAKER_05 35:36

You gotta have sharpie pins for morons like me.

SPEAKER_02 35:39

That's it.

SPEAKER_05 35:40

I mean, I always got at least one of those, a couple flashlights, and so like one clip on Tunor at the cruise that you saw me hauling out this big freaking humongous poster. Remember that? Uh oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, and so boy, that was talk about stress, brother. I had to get to the airport and I and and I had to figure out how to ship that thing FedEx, and I we got we got it done. But um, glad you got it. I'm never I'm not even gonna tell I told Jaron how much it cost to freaking ship that thing, but anyway, we've we we were outside the guitar case last week.

SPEAKER_03 36:16

I get it.

SPEAKER_05 36:17

Yeah, it's like whoa. Um, we were outside, and and and lo and behold, there's like Jaron and George are standing there. Uh, Gabriel had already signed it. He he I saw him in line going out of the ship. But anyway, I'm like, shit, I don't have a sharpie, like you know, and so Jaron's fumbling. Jaron has a sharpie by God, another just a great guy. Uh Jaron's a god. I mean, to tour with him would be fun because he's another he's like a backup utility guy, right? I mean, he's just a base player. It's he makes it all happen.

SPEAKER_02 36:47

I mean, he is the one that allows me to go out on the other tours when they have shows because he basically runs everything and picks up all the slack.

SPEAKER_05 36:58

Yeah, yeah. So yeah, he you know, I just I was just amazed at Jaron, like, oh, I got a Sharpie. And he like, he's like, you know, digging through stuff. So, John, I want to make sure that in your box of goods is a Sharpie.

SPEAKER_02 37:11

Oh, there's probably like you're gonna need a there's probably six, eight of them in there, at least two of them running around at a show.

SPEAKER_05 37:18

And not not your first rodeo, brother, not at all. Um other than tying George's shoes on stage, uh, what's the most unusual request you've ever gotten?

SPEAKER_02 37:30

Oh man.

SPEAKER_05 37:32

Um now you weren't the tech in the 80s that you know the famous story and God knows uh stuff of the stuff that lynch comes comes out of George's mouth. I don't know if it's true or not, but I think this is true. You heard about the story in the 80s where he's wearing spandex and his anatomy comes, he does not he's going commando and his amat the the spandex tears and his anatomy comes pouring out of the spandex, and then the tech has to the tech has to tape the anatomy up with some duct tape. I don't know if that's true or not.

SPEAKER_03 38:02

Yes, thank god that was not me.

SPEAKER_05 38:05

I I would just say no, bro. That uh there's I have limits, but I don't know if you ever heard that story or not.

SPEAKER_03 38:11

Um yes, I feel like I think I do remember. Sadly, that was probably Matt had to do that.

SPEAKER_05 38:18

Oh Matt, the the the president of the ESP guitars.

SPEAKER_03 38:21

Yes, the president of ESP guitars.

SPEAKER_05 38:28

The one that George always says has been his best man at all his weddings. Well, now I see why.

SPEAKER_03 38:32

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. I think you get special privileges if you've had to do that before. Um, nothing really. I mean, yeah, the dyeing of his shoes pretty much. Um, man, there hasn't been anything like crazy.

SPEAKER_05 38:53

We don't want him to trip on stage, you know.

SPEAKER_02 38:55

Oh, yeah. Well, the funny thing is, there's a couple of times where he'll like uh he had these sneakers that just would keep coming untied, and like, all right, I'd go out and tie it. And then he'd step on the other shoelace just to untie that one to be down there a little bit longer, yeah. At a boy.

SPEAKER_01 39:13

So I I I fixed that problem by like, I'd go down there and I'd tie them in like triple knots.

SPEAKER_05 39:20

Like I cut the circulation on his foot.

SPEAKER_01 39:25

Just like for your little kids where they're doubles, it's like, all right, here's three.

SPEAKER_05 39:29

Have fun tying that tourniquet his ass.

SPEAKER_02 39:34

Yeah, no doubt. But that that's one of the great things. I mean, I I have fun with all the guys because they're all great guys. But yeah, we do have fun because I mean I've been with them like 10 years, so yeah.

SPEAKER_05 39:47

Yeah, I the first time I remember meeting you was in 2019 in Tulsa. So I remember this, John, it's very significant to me. But um uh I don't I I was with him a lot. I saw a lot of his shows in 15. Um, but I don't remember seeing you there.

SPEAKER_02 40:01

That's when I first started with him. Yeah, I first started, and um when I first started, I was pretty much Jew and East Coast stuff. Um I'm from upstate New York. So it was a bunch of stuff that was in my area.

SPEAKER_05 40:16

Gotcha. Okay, yeah. Like he used to do like uh golden golden Colorado, and and then uh one time I just followed him down the damn coastline from like Seattle to San Jose to Oh nice to Vegas. Uh it's 2015. I remember that one too because it was like the last time that ACDC was on tour, and I I told him I'm I'm going to AC DC in San Lynchmine was off that night, or I don't know where the hell we're at, but so I'm going to ACDC tomorrow night uh in San Francisco. And he's like, Lynch's like, how'd I get that tone? I'm like, yeah, I'll I'll get right back to you, dude.

SPEAKER_02 40:49

I don't have George's tone, that's just me.

SPEAKER_05 40:54

Yeah, exactly. Um so if I wanted to be a guitar tech, if if if if if I said John, I want you to be my mentor, like what how uh uh uh you know I want to be guitar tech for for for George Lynch or for for Angus Young or for whoever. Uh what besides laughing at me, where how what would you recommend I do? Maybe learn how to play the guitar would be the first thing, but uh you know what?

SPEAKER_02 41:22

Like that's not being able to play it a little bit.

SPEAKER_01 41:30

You can get away a D, an A, a D, and a oh yeah, okay, dude, with a couple of guitars that I've seen from you. I hope you can play a little better than that. No.

SPEAKER_02 41:40

Oh, it's embarrassing.

SPEAKER_05 41:41

Um follow me on Instagram.

SPEAKER_02 41:44

If you can get away with a little bit of playing, so you can like just do a line check for the sound guy, you're okay. And as long as you know what they're supposed to feel like and the playability of them, it's basically being able to know how to rip a guitar apart problem solve anything if you have issues. Um some degree of pedals, amps, all the other stuff, and wiring and all that. Um and getting real lucky.

SPEAKER_05 42:18

Yeah. Well, if you hang around long enough and show interest, I think is the key, probably. It's like anything else in life. I mean, any success I've had, I never really thought I was gonna end up doing X, Y, or Z, but Oh, believe me, dude.

SPEAKER_02 42:32

I I did not plan ten years ago to become a guitar tech.

SPEAKER_05 42:39

Yeah, because you're you're busy in the rock and roll catering business, right?

SPEAKER_02 42:42

I mean, yeah, I used to do that, and uh, dude, I'd swing a hammer and do interior remodeling. I had a nine to five, 430 some days, but um yeah, and it was cool because it's all right, you're done, but it's sorry, it came along and turned into something. And all right, all right, let's go.

SPEAKER_05 43:03

But I think that's good advice. Yeah, like I as a kid in the 80s, I used to read every because this is way before the internet, so you couldn't you couldn't go on YouTube and like I didn't even hear George Lynch speak for the first time until American Bandstand appearance. Like, like you know, you're I'm all revved up, you know. I figured he's like, ah, I'm George, but he's like, he's all kind of soft spoken, you know. I'm like, what the hell? Just it's just weird. But anyway, um back in the 80s, I used to I would read guitar player for the practicing musician, guitar world, um, guitar magazine from head to toe, every word I'd read. And I used to I used to know like all the tech stuff, like well, so and so is using the SE seven four or whatever, you know. I uh and I I've now there's probably I bet you there's ten times as much gear available to players as there were in the eighties. So I've I've lost count.

SPEAKER_02 43:59

It's Ridiculous the amount of stuff that's out there and the amount of cool stuff. Um, funny thing is, it's you know what, some of the best is the old stuff. I mean, you you've seen George's rig and his pedal board and everything, and I mean, we're pretty much using an 80s rig.

SPEAKER_05 44:16

Yeah, he could he could use my well, most of my gears, his gear, but you know what? He could use my snake hunter. I have one his head from um to JCM 2000, but it it's modded for him. It was modded for him uh 2000. Yeah. Uh okay. It was it was modded for him for and then he used it on uh Shadow Train uh when he went around. It's still like dirty and dusty and stuff. It's awesome because you know you had it in trailers and stuff and just going through the desert. And but I mean he could I bet you he could still uh you know what with the good guys it don't really matter what they plug into no it doesn't they're uh they sound like them.

SPEAKER_02 45:02

It's uh they can and it's funny because there's stories with like Nuno Telly plugged into Eddie's rig and was disappointed because he sounded like Nuno Nuno.

SPEAKER_05 45:17

Yep, Ted did the same thing in Eddie's yeah, Ted Nugent did the same thing in Eddie's, and it's like it's like he could plug into George's rig and he sounded like him.

SPEAKER_02 45:25

George could plug into his rig and he'd still sound like George.

SPEAKER_05 45:29

So here's here's here's the question, then. Here's the question. George is driven by tone, right? And there's no question about that. He's gonna have a good night when he has great tone. But his tone truly right, duh. But I mean, you could his tone in his fingers. To me, it's in his fingers, it's in his heart, it's in his brain, you know, it's it's all right.

SPEAKER_02 45:55

Yeah, that's a dude. That's the thing.

SPEAKER_05 45:57

That's a thing. It's not equipment, it's not equipment. Yeah, it's not equipment. So the question, I mean, so your job is important in the sense of like you've got to give him what he wants to hear every night.

SPEAKER_02 46:08

Oh, yeah. Right? You want the rig to sound good, right?

SPEAKER_05 46:12

But uh but but uh Joe Joe average Joe six pack out here. Lynch could play anything I gave him, and it would sound like Lynch to me. You know what I mean? It's just a bizarre, mysterious kind of a thing.

SPEAKER_02 46:26

The thing is, though, it's okay, we could go up there with uh a line six, and like you're saying, as no offense to him, comma guy's not gonna know the player is gonna be like no, I like it and six. It's uh I mean don't get me wrong, some of their stuff is cool for what it is, but it ain't an 81800 with some hot tubes going and an old screamer and an old phase 90, and it's a little bit more basket weave cabinet with the old no, not even. We usually use the standard ones because that's all we can get.

SPEAKER_05 47:03

Um but but Lynch will take a basket weave before the standard, right? I mean, it just oh yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 47:09

If we can get when I'm backlined, I'm at the mercy of what the company's got.

SPEAKER_05 47:13

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 47:14

If we're not taking it with us, but it's like what you're going back to is yeah, it's the three H's, their head, their hands, and their heart. That's where it all comes from with the good dudes. I mean, you hear them warming up with a little black star fly, and it sounds like George. I mean, these guys got it, and it's there's something different that separates the really good guitar players. And I've been so lucky and blessed that I get to work for three of my five.

SPEAKER_05 47:46

Yeah, and all three are the exact same way. I mean, they warm up, you know, you could blindfold me, and I I would know in half a second. Half a second. Oh, yeah. I mean it it's amazing. So what what makes go ahead, go ahead.

SPEAKER_02 48:03

And that's kind of the cool thing is sometimes you get to watch them warm up and it's just they're just going off in places that it's not normally okay, this isn't normally in a song, they're just alright, improvising and stuff, and you never know. I mean, dude, I was working a gig last week and I walked in and you know was playing more than words with Steven Tyler. And dude, I was going in to get the guitar, I just walked in, shut my mouth, stood up against the wall, and listened, and it was like, okay, it was a moment.

SPEAKER_05 48:45

Spiritual. I mean, it's oh yeah, dude. It's unbelievable. Um so what so you listen to all these guys. So what makes George Lynch sound like George Lynch? To me, it's probably his vibrato and his aggressive attack on the strings, but I don't know how to articulate it.

SPEAKER_02 49:06

Um his no choices. Yes, they're places he places he goes on the fretboard. Yes.

SPEAKER_05 49:13

Um because he doesn't know theories, so he doesn't know that he's not theoretically correct or whatever.

SPEAKER_02 49:18

It knows a bit, but yeah, he's not a um, yeah, it it just his plan comes from his heart. I mean, it does with all of them. I can't speak so much on Warren. I mean, I just know from listening from years to him and a couple of shows, um, just because I haven't worked with him that long.

SPEAKER_05 49:38

Um, is Warren is Warren uh the is he theory based? Does he I don't know what his schooling is? Does he I don't know. I he to me he sounds more in the um he's not as edgy as George because he's playing more traditional things. However, however, he's playing them in a format that aren't isn't normally I don't know how to describe it's so juicy, it's so good the solo, the freaking um nobody rides for free. Like, holy god. Uh what where does this come from?

SPEAKER_02 50:09

Um, although he's got I don't want to say he's got more of a blues thingy, a little more blues base to his plan. I think uh but dude, I watched some video the other day. Um, because I sadly I got the worst seat in the house. Yeah, you don't get the seat. I I watched their back. It's funny. My buddies be like, Oh, you must learn so much. Yeah, I know what his back looks like, date. Exactly, and that's the way it's supposed to be. Um, but like I watched some video of a couple of the tunes from uh Warren at M3. M3 M3, he's all over the neck. It's not like he's a strictly in the box dude. He was playing some cool stuff. I think it might have been nobody rides or something. Um but yeah, he was tearing it up. It's just juicy, but it's just it oozes with juice.

SPEAKER_05 51:00

I don't know how to articulate it better than that. It's just it's damn juicy. It's so it's boom, boom, boom. That's right. I mean, it's what's coming out of him. Hey George, decapitate me with a frickin' with a chainsaw. I mean, it sounds good, but it sounds good. And and Nuno to me is is speed and finesse, I guess. I I funk. I don't know.

SPEAKER_02 51:26

Yeah, and funk. He's got a serious funk to his play.

SPEAKER_05 51:31

His rhythm playing is fantastic.

SPEAKER_02 51:33

Oh, yeah. Just all three guys' rhythm playing is like out of the world, but yeah, his is very um very percussive. Yes, yes. I mean, and dude, that's the thing that I'm so lucky is I get to watch three awesome guitar players play.

SPEAKER_05 51:55

Good for you, buddy. I and you get paid for it. Holy shit.

SPEAKER_01 52:00

Yeah, that's the miracle part of it too. It's nice to be able to eat.

SPEAKER_05 52:04

But but but let me that leads to one of the questions I had was in the last of that section, is is how the hell do you make money? Because I know, John, I know you're I mean you're making enough to make a living, but it's not you're doing this for love, you're not doing it for the money.

SPEAKER_02 52:20

I got Lamborghini out there. No, I'm kidding.

SPEAKER_01 52:22

Um you just do a lot of shows. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 52:32

And you get paid, you uh I mean, this is a per you don't have to ask answer this, but do you one million dollars? Like you get paid by the show. Do you get paid one show at a time, or how does that work?

SPEAKER_02 52:41

It depends on the band. Yeah.

unknown 52:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 52:45

Some of them do your salary, some of them it's per show. Um, depends on what's going on. Like, all right, next week I gotta one off doing boardwalk fest with extreme. Um, we'll get paid for a couple of days with that one.

SPEAKER_05 53:02

Right.

SPEAKER_02 53:02

It just depends.

SPEAKER_05 53:04

Gotcha. Yeah, it's it's an interesting business you're in, my friend. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 53:09

Um I mean, and like I said, you do a lot of shows. I don't know how much I was on the road probably in the last year.

unknown 53:19

Oh.

SPEAKER_02 53:19

I'd probably say at least six months of it, eight months of it.

SPEAKER_05 53:24

With extreme and lynch model, yes. Yeah. But it's yeah, I tracked you. I tracked you because I was always like trying to figure out, okay, is Johnny gonna be the is Johnny gonna be the tech uh uh of this next show? That maybe I'll bring the guitar because he knows my face and that stuff. Um but it's always been all you gotta do is I never.

SPEAKER_02 53:42

Um yeah, it's and it's basically trying just obviously with extreme, we do usually do tours, so we're out for a month and a half, month, two months, depending on what it is. Um so it's just trying to get as many shows a year and trying to pick stuff up when you can if you want to be able to, I guess that oops are um do it for a living.

SPEAKER_05 54:08

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 54:10

I mean, I always go back swinging a hammer, but it's a hell of a lot more fun doing this.

SPEAKER_05 54:14

Oh dude, this is a little more sexy. I mean, I don't know. Oh, yeah. I don't know. I don't know. I mean, I don't know. I I I honestly I don't if I had the game.

SPEAKER_02 54:22

You don't get to go on a cruise ship when you're swinging a hammer, right?

SPEAKER_05 54:26

Well, that's true, that's true, that's true. But on the other hand, I the pressure, I I I don't know if I could handle the pressure. I just I don't know. I I'm sure I could. I I've had high pressure gigs in my life, but it's just a different, yeah. You you might have 20,000 people looking at you.

SPEAKER_02 54:42

I mean, like, hey, um dude, we had a couple last year where it was a hundred thousand.

SPEAKER_05 54:47

Woohoo. It's like, hi, my name is John, and yeah, you don't you're not you're wearing black, you're not wearing. I want you to on your next gig, I want you to wear like uh hunter orange so everybody can see you, dude.

SPEAKER_01 54:59

Oh hell no.

SPEAKER_05 55:00

You're like, hi, I'm John, I'm fixing the string right now. 100,000 people, you're just gonna have to wait for me.

SPEAKER_02 55:07

No, thankfully, those shows went off without a hitch, but usually it it's not too bad. I mean, it's yeah, you got that half-hour changeover is a little stressful because you're doing a bunch of stuff, hoping everything works, no problems or whatever. Um, like okay, the other day we got we went in, we sound checked, moved our stuff, had once ACE hit the way M3 is with that rotating stage, um, we had ACEs set plus another 15 minutes or so to get set up, making everything working. Um had one little issue, got it resolved. Yeah, there was a little sweat in there for a second. Um usually it's not too bad. And especially like our extreme and lynch mob, we're out doing a check depending on where we're gonna do it playing in the afternoon and then locking everything down. So it's a matter of just all right, turning amps back on, dropping pedal boards, getting stuff taped down. And yeah, there's a little anxious moments right before the show, and it's like I said, nine out of ten shows, everything could be absolutely fine. Yeah, you have no issues. It's boom, great show, boom, pack it up, put it away, and good. It's that every once in a while.

SPEAKER_05 56:30

Yeah, I used to be believe it or not, I used to be a cop, but uh it's 59 minutes of boredom, one minute of sheer terror kind of thing, you know.

SPEAKER_02 56:36

You just yeah, yeah. I mean, and yeah, you're on edge. Like while you guys are out enjoying the show, rocking out. I'm kind of like, okay, everything working and listening.

SPEAKER_05 56:54

Yeah, man.

SPEAKER_02 56:56

You don't know. Uh I mean let's put it this way. Um where was it? We did Monsters on the Mountain in Tennessee. And George hadn't broke a string in probably a good year, maybe two years. Very rare. Yeah. Um, same thing with Nuno, knock on wood, that doesn't happen next time. Um it will.

SPEAKER_05 57:23

It's going to. You just text the shit out of yourself.

SPEAKER_02 57:25

You can just hit the um but you'll be ready.

SPEAKER_05 57:28

Who cares?

SPEAKER_02 57:28

It is what it is. Dude, he broke two of them at that gig in uh Gatlinburg.

SPEAKER_05 57:33

I remember that kind of now.

SPEAKER_02 57:35

Yeah. Yeah. And and the worst thing is, on the second one, I was trying to get his granddaughter Daisy May up on stage so she could run up to him as soon as he hit the end of the song. Right. So it took half a second to get the guitar to him.

SPEAKER_05 57:49

And luckily, I told him I got a great picture of him and I sent it to him. It's so cool.

SPEAKER_02 57:56

Oh, yeah, let's put it this way. It was funny. I talked to him afterwards. I was like, sorry, bro, I was out grabbing Daisy, and he's like, That's all good. You got your priorities straight.

SPEAKER_05 58:06

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 58:09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 58:10

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 58:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 58:12

Uh so this last section I had as a fan, so I was gonna geek out here, but I've already geeked out too much. I apologize. Um Warren, Warren and George similarities. Back in the day, um, I actually, when I was a kid, I had heard of Warren before I heard about George just simply because I heard of it out of the cellar. I'm in a small, small town in in north central Nebraska called Valentine, Nebraska, right? And I have no contact with anything other than buddies telling me what albums to listen to. And um uh, you know, it's this county has 5,000 square miles, 4,000 people. You do the math, right? Uh oh yeah, no. MTV was a big deal because you're like, oh, you know, look at look at his fingers, that's what he's doing. Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_01 58:53

You know, and the worst thing is half of the videos, it's they're stopped up so much, so it's like, and I the docking videos usually were terrible.

SPEAKER_05 59:02

But anyway, um uh I I was to me, Warren was my first hero before George, but then come to find out they're both they're both kind of I don't know who's influenced who. I think they both influenced each other, but uh and to find out that Warren's George uh um George is uh George is kind of generation one with Eddie and Randy. Warren was kind of the circle generation, yes, yes, yes, yes. So um but but but you know so in other words, Warren was my hero, but then it came to find out well, hey, he was really influenced by George quite a bit here. Um and so one of the the two things that I always that I noticed or thought uh in the 80s that that Warren did that he doesn't do anymore is fanning the pickhand fingers, which I always thought was the coolest shit ever. It's like what is he doing? So cool! Like he gives him centrifugal, centrifically, like mathematically, that's why he does it for it gives him more speed, who knows? But now Warren all night long he was like this, and it's so kind of disappointed me that Warren tell Warren to fan his damn fingers like the old days. Um and and and then the other thing is the the old the jack off vibrato or whatever the hell you want to call it. The oh yeah, yeah, yeah. And I didn't see Warren do that the other night. I don't know. Is there any other similarities in their playings or any any thoughts about that? Um you you don't think about that stuff, but I do. I'm a geek.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:32

Well, no, I I actually did notice because I was watching him warm up the other day for a moment, and um, I think I saw some video for the first show, and yeah, Warren was kind of more of a tight hand with it. Tight hand?

SPEAKER_05 1:00:47

And yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:48

Who knows? Over the years, your styles change a little bit. Yeah, um, I don't know and don't really want to speak. I don't know how much he'd been playing on his off time. Yeah, so I don't know if it's uh okay, you pick up the floor.

SPEAKER_05 1:01:03

So my question is, Warren, were you doing that because that's what Lynch influenced you to do and you thought you looked cool, or and now you're grown up and and and now you're in the fist? And he probably doesn't think about it. He probably doesn't even have an answer for it if I ask him, you know. He probably just that's the way I'm playing.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:17

Yeah, I don't know. Um, yeah, and it's I mean, your styles change a little bit, and yeah, I don't know why.

SPEAKER_05 1:01:27

Well, it was just it was I don't know. I just I was almost uh disappointed that Warren didn't fan his fingers the other day, darn it anyway. But it's it's fine. Uh almost as disappointed when he busted the damn string on light down.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:37

Hey, but hey yeah, I'll talk to him about no man. That's one of them things that happens, believe me. I was a little heart sync, everything was going great. Ah, it's the dude.

SPEAKER_05 1:01:49

It uh no one was more disappointed than Warren, I'm sure.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:52

Oh, believe me. And the funny thing is, one of the first things I saw, I don't know if it was before I took off Monday to come home or after I landed, was there was a nice minute-long video of that on uh Facebook. So I was like, oh yeah.

SPEAKER_05 1:02:07

Yeah, you just told me it was it was only 10 seconds, dude. It was a whole minute.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:11

Well, from like the start of the song to when he got back into it and stuff, but yeah, it was kind of funny.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:17

I was like, oh great. Yep, yep. This is the first thing I get when I uh get off the plane, is I get to see the video of its string break, and you know what, man, it happens. And the hard thing is with us just carrying two, uh it's one of those learn from it.

SPEAKER_05 1:02:36

Yeah, I don't know.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:38

I might have to buy a white Frenchie to bring out with us.

SPEAKER_05 1:02:41

Exactly. Well, I again, like I told you, I I felt for you. I felt a little pitter patter for you, buddy. I'm like, oh help John. I need a white Frenchie. Guitar gods, help John, help John.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:49

Oh, yeah. Um, and I mean most of the most of the time it would have been fine. It was just that drop D thing, it was like, oops, okay.

SPEAKER_05 1:02:59

Um, okay, this next one's probably gonna get us both in trouble, but um, the personality of George Lynch, that's that was very hard for me to figure out for a long time as a fan, and just you know, I'm nervous as shit talking to him, and you know, I'm a customer of his, obviously. How long did I mean this man has the biggest deadpan humor, the dry, just dry, and he god, he gets me. Like he'll he catches like half the time you don't and it's just like he's he his long-running thing with me, and I actually bought into it for a long time, was that um uh that I was a Canadian because I'm just so nice, you know. And so every time I see him is like, when did you get into Canada? And I'm like, is he serious or is he just full of shit? He knows he knows I'm not from Canada. Right. So is he how long did it take you to figure him out? Like in that way, like it'd be you know, because you're like, wait a minute, is he serious or is he not serious?

SPEAKER_02 1:03:56

Um, not too long. I mean, and at first it was like I'd have to say almost the first year was more we would just get together for shows, but yeah, you saw it, but yeah, dude, he is a riot.

SPEAKER_05 1:04:09

I mean, he's unbelievable sense of humor.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:13

Yeah, like you're saying, we'll do a six-hour drive, dude. We won't even turn on the radio half the time, uh and it's just uh he's hilarious.

SPEAKER_05 1:04:23

Yeah, he's a creative fella.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:26

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. We we have a blast. I mean, let's put it this way, he's one of my favorite humans on this planet.

SPEAKER_05 1:04:33

Yeah, yeah. Well, mine too. Warren and George are definitely the the reasons that I play guitar. I mean, there's just no doubt about it. There's none of that.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:47

I mean, like I said, that's they're three of my top five.

SPEAKER_05 1:04:51

Yep. Um two more questions, my friend. What was the best show for you on the last the Lynch Mob last ride tour? Because I'm hoping they were ones that I was at, because I have an answer to that myself. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:05:07

The pool show was really good on the boat. Yes.

SPEAKER_05 1:05:12

Um I I thought the Manhattan Room was a little bit better, honestly, but I don't know from your perspective if it was or not.

SPEAKER_02 1:05:20

Yeah, that was a good re that was a really good show. Um Jimmy's less. Oh no, I've always liked the pool deck. Yeah. Yeah, I mean, absolutely.

SPEAKER_05 1:05:29

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 1:05:30

But yeah, Manhattan Room show was really good. Um, he jammed out. Um man, I I pretty much every night on that last run, he was tearing it off.

SPEAKER_05 1:05:42

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:05:42

I mean it was the best thing, the very cool thing was it was the first time in the ten years I'd been with him. We'd gone out and we've done a week, maybe two weeks at the most, and that's maybe three or four a week. Um We went on a two-month run. Yeah, you did. Leading up to the boat.

SPEAKER_05 1:06:05

So it was normally I assume he's just getting better and better. I mean, the more he's playing on state overnight, the better it gets. It's just like Christianity.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:15

And everybody. And the band. And I mean, because it's normally they would get together on Thursday. It'd be a good show. Sat Friday would be really good. Saturday would be great. And then everybody goes home for a week, maybe two.

SPEAKER_05 1:06:30

Everybody goes home and all the cylinders are clicking, you know?

SPEAKER_02 1:06:33

It just exactly. And this was just alright, bam. Um we hit it for almost two months. And we had a couple of days off in between some little breaks and stuff. Um, but we were doing five shows a week pretty much.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:50

So it's like these guys were clicking. Um didn't even have to really think about playing. It was just go out there and play, and yeah, he was tearing it up. So yeah, the boat the boat shows were really good. Um yeah, those probably about the best two of the last one.

SPEAKER_05 1:07:12

Well, I was there. Love it. Yep. As far as the ones I saw, there were they were the the one in Harrison, Ohio, February 24, I want to say, was really good too. Um Blue Note. You weren't there. You weren't, I don't think you were there. I think you're out with extreme. No, that's right. I think you were out with extreme.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:29

No, I was there on that one. Oh, were you?

SPEAKER_05 1:07:31

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:31

That's uh Harrison's Blue Note.

SPEAKER_05 1:07:34

Blue Note, yeah. Yep, yep.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:36

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 1:07:37

Yep.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:38

See, we didn't have anything go wrong, so you didn't see me.

SPEAKER_05 1:07:42

Um, and I wasn't bringing my guitar, so I wasn't begging, like, hey John. Um what uh nice guitar, those Mr.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:49

Scarries are killer.

SPEAKER_05 1:07:50

Yeah, well, I think mine is really cool. Um uh so what's what do you what is 20 years from now, or well, let's say 50 years from now, everybody we're we're all all of us are gonna be probably gone, right? So what's the legacy I would think I don't want to be that old? Well, I always joke the only one that wants to be hundred is the 99-year-old guy. But um yeah, pretty much. Uh what uh what's the legacy that's gonna be written about each each of you each three of these guys? What what do you think the legacy is? I mean, that's a tough question. That's not. What do you think?

SPEAKER_02 1:08:29

Oh man, um because I mean people even could be listening. Hopefully, they're still listening to guitar and everything.

SPEAKER_05 1:08:40

I um I think they will, John. When I see six and eight and ten-year-old kids at some of these shows, it just it's it's your parents listen to it, and so I oh yeah, man.

SPEAKER_02 1:08:51

It's the parents bringing them up, and thankfully, and dude, like uh anytime I see any little kids at shows, I definitely take care of them with a pick, set list, anything like that, because they're the next generation of this stuff.

SPEAKER_05 1:09:06

Um at one of those shows, I remember standing next to a 14-year-old kid and he's with his guitar teacher, and he was totally into it. And I just uh I almost wanted to be like an old grandpa telling him like how it was back in the, you know, when I saw George Lynch play in front of 80,000 people at Monsters of Rock Tour, you know, and it it it's it's pretty cool.

SPEAKER_02 1:09:27

Oh yeah, I mean um innovators, pretty much all three of them. I mean, they were the best of that generation and still are. I mean, I don't know about Warren. Hopefully, Simon Steven will write something. I mean, it's George's last album. There was some great music on it. I'm sure the next one, I haven't heard anything off of it yet, is gonna be phenomenal. Um hell, Nuno with six with extreme. I mean, those guys put together a fantastic album.

SPEAKER_05 1:10:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:09

And their next one guaranteed is gonna be just as good.

SPEAKER_05 1:10:13

Yep.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:14

Yep. I mean, that's the crazy thing. It's like I luck out where okay, I get done with one band, I go to just as good of a guitar player. I mean, it's not even one A, one B, one Z, it's one one.

SPEAKER_05 1:10:32

Well, we gotta get Jake E. Lee back on the road, and you can tech for him. I've never seen Jake play live, and it's it's a bucket list thing for me, so I gotta we gotta get it.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:39

I think I saw him back with Ozzy and I caught him a couple of times with Badlands. Oh, but I didn't you know how I was sadly I didn't appreciate Badlands. Yeah, sadly I didn't appreciate Badlands at that point. I didn't either. Um yeah, and hopefully he's getting back out there.

SPEAKER_05 1:10:58

Yeah, I've heard he's he's route about round and about out in Vegas, so hopefully, yeah. Um we'll see him again live. But uh well, listen, John, I appreciate your time. Um I apologize if I geeked out here, but it's it's my job. I'm a fan, and I'm damn.

SPEAKER_02 1:11:14

No, dude. Uh believe me, same thing. I mean, uh George was like huge influence, as obviously you can tell from the back wall. Um on playing, and same thing with Nuno and Warren. I mean, it's all right, heard George first, opposite of you, heard Warren, and then the crazy thing is the first time I ever saw Nuno play, I got a chance. They got put on a bill where I was on it, and nobody knew about them. Dude, I watched him warm up. And let's put this way, I just finished demoralizing.

SPEAKER_03 1:11:52

Oh yeah. Let's put it this way. I finished my set, walked upstairs feeling ah, I just kicked some ass.

SPEAKER_02 1:11:59

Bro, I watched him warm up. I wasn't addressing him and sat there and went, really.

SPEAKER_05 1:12:04

I remember George once saying something to the effect, it's an I don't remember who he's talking about, but he said it's enough to encourage or discourage anybody. It was Paul Gilbert, I think, when Gilbert first came up. Yeah, because it's it's enough to encourage or discourage anybody, you know, and it encouraged George. That's why I was again that's the one of the things I like about Lynch's mother. He's always pushing, always striving, never thinks he's he's he's still chasing what's in his head. And God, we I like man, I someday I hope I get to hear what's in your head. It's like it'd be incredible.

SPEAKER_02 1:12:31

So well, they got the next one coming out. So yep, yep.

SPEAKER_05 1:12:34

And he's got you know, he does all this other stuff, KXM, which is completely different takeoff, and I mean just all these things.

SPEAKER_02 1:12:40

Oh, dude, that's one of my favorite projects of his.