2008.01.DD - Guitarhoo! - Fave 5 with... Ron Thal a.k.a Bumblefoot

Fave 5 with...
Ron Thal a.k.a Bumblefoot

Member of Guns n' Roses, as a solo artist Ron has also released 7 CDs, a live DVD, numerous appearances on compilation CDs and has appeared as a guest performer on many other albums.

A prolific songwriter and producer, Ron has had songs featured on MTVs The Osbournes, Pimp My Ride, Made, Extreme Elimination, Hogan Knows Best, Date My Mom, Real World and plenty others.

Ron, what are your top fave 5 songs which have impacted you the most in your life musically or otherwise?

Ron: Too many songs to put on this list! Here's 5 that came to mind...

Strawberry Fields Forever
by The Beatles

Man, the darkness of it all - the slowed down recording, chug of the cellos, backwards drums, the whole vibe lyrically, musically... and then that twisted ending that fades in and out. That song takes me to a whole other place I never would have been able to get to on my own.

Mean Street
by Van Halen

The guitar intro still baffles me. Can't figure out how he made it sound the way it did. Yeah, the notes can be played, but not quite like *that*.

How Can I Be Sure
by The Young Rascals

It's just a beautiful song. I remember hearing it on the radio in a cab in Miami 15 years ago. I never forgot the song from the first time I heard it. There was this light-hearted flirtatious thing that music had in the 60s and 70s that we've lost. Engelbert had it, Tom Jones, BJ Thomas, Davy Jones, Stevie Wonder, Spiral Starecase... so many songs that just made ya smile and feel good. This is one of those songs.

Welcome To the Jungle
by Gn'R

It's a Pavlov thing. Every time I hear the song start, my head turns to the left and I expect to see Axl walk out and say "...you know where the f**k you aaaaaaaaaaaarrrree!!!!!"

Tchaikovsky's violin concerto in D, Op. 35
by Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky

My dad had an old 78-speed album of it, I think it was his older brother's. When I was 13, I'd drop the needle, listen for half-a-second, lift the needle, play it on guitar, and worked my way across the whole album, learning the main violin part by ear and playing it on guitar. Remember having company upstairs, and I'd be in the basement for hours all anti-social, one hand on the guitar neck, body twisted and the other hand holding the needle over the vinyl. Good stuff.

Thank you Ron for joining us! High-5!

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