2010.09.02 - Vortex.cl (Chile) - Interview with Bumblefoot

Exclusive with the guitarist of Guns N' Roses
Fecha: 2010 Septiembre 02
(Original interview August 20, 2010)
4 years ago I had the great experience to have an interview with you, then you told me about your album "Normal", your experience with Mattias IA Eklundh. As well as your experience as a producer, how did it come the idea to get your own "Custom Shaped Bumblefoot Guitar" and being part of the G3

Then you were living another musical moment very cool i think, you got married too Over the years I've followed your career especially when you told me in an email your were gonna be part of the Guns n' Roses, then it came a long tour for "Chinese Democracy", your new solo album "Ab Normal", your acoustic album "barefoot" and many tours all over the world ... that even finally brought to you to visit my country.

About this and much more i would like talk now. First If we look the past ¿What does mean for yourself your album "Normal"nowadays?

Today I see the Normal album as the beginning of a crazy roller-coaster ride, that leads up to this moment.... it's part of my own GNR chapter, it was events with GNR that got me to write a lot of the album.

It was 2004, and dealing with the music business inspired songs like Real, The Color of Justice, Rockstar For A Day.

Is it crazy to be part of GNR. ¿How did you make " Abnormal" after being a member of GNR and going back to the studio to keep working in your own career?

It's big juggling act, juggling time. When GNR takes a break, I lock myself in the studio and work on my own music, other people's music, everything else. It's a battle against the clock, 24/7.

GNR finished touring in mid-2007 and I went into the studio and started working on the 'Abnormal' CD, while also recording bands for a friend's TV show 'Talking Metal On Fuse'

By the time I finished and released Abnormal it was mid-2008, soon after 'Chinese Democracy' was released and I quickly put out an acoustic Ep, 'Barefoot' in Dec 08.

In early 09 we started rehearsing for the next batch of touring, took a break for the Summer and I toured the US & Europe playing guitar with Lita Ford, went back for final rehearsals with GNR in the Fall and hit the road in Dec 09.

Been touring since, and during any breaks in between legs of the tour, I'm right back in the studio taking on years of work that have been waiting to get done, guest solos for albums and producing other people... while I was rehearsing in 09 I spent 6 months mixing the 'Automata' album by the band 'Return To Earth' (Metal Blade records) - the album was released this week, great band!

You dont have too much time for your family.

10 things at once while racing against the clock, haha.My wife would come visit while I was in LA, and she joins me on tour whenever possible. She's the best. I call her my 'Partner In Crime'.

Your first album "The Adventures Of Bumblefoot" is about to be re-released with a complete songbook of the album. Why did you choose re-released this album? .and there is a chance to get re-released "911", "Hands", "Uncool" or the Sheet music book?

Shrapnel Records owns all the rights to the album, so it was completely up to them whether the album would/could be available or not. It was released in '95, on Roadrunner Records in Europe & Japan... when I left the label in 97 they stopped manufacturing, and the album making 'out-of-print'. No more copies, became a collectible on eBay, haha.

It stayed this way for a decade, and then last year Shrapnel got in touch, said they wanted to re-release it. I was happy as fuck - so we worked together on tweaking the artwork and adding some bonus tracks from a video game soundtrack I did for Sega in '96..

Starting this week you can get signed copies at my li'l webstore (www.bumblefoot.com/store) and $5 from every album is being donated to Multiple Sclerosis research. The songbook.

In 97, I decided to take on the challenge of transcribing the 'Adventures' CD inits entirety. Every note played, the fingers, picking, musical notation, TAB, noises, vocals, everything. It took 6 months of re-learning the album and writing out the parts, probably another 6 months just for typesetting and art work and making it all 'book ready'. 200 pages... I gotta say, writing out the album was tougher than making the making itself, haha.

That's at the ol' webstore too. All the other albums, “Hands”, “9.11”,“Uncool”, “Forgotten Anthology”, “Normal”, “Abnormal”,” Barefoot” - they're all available at my webstore, on iTunes and all those kinda sites, they're all available.

Will I ever do sheet music for the other albums? I don't know if I'll live long enough to have time to.

Ok I remember 4 or 5 years ago it was very difficult to get your records in South America, I got mine with my good friend Gustavo Serrano of CDk.cl, however today I see you have your webstore in Brazil with your last 3 albums. Could we have the complete merchandising in near future?

Yes, I'm selling CDs on MercadoLivre.com , thanks to the help of wonderful friends in Brazil! A way to make it easier for South Americans to get the albums. If there is a demand for more CDs and merch, I'll definitely make them available.

It would be great to have available all the albums for Southamerica thru Mercadolibre.com

Tell me about your experience in the contest "Be My Guest" in South-America during the tour with GNR?, tell me some anecdotes of that visit. i participe in this contest but i did not win.

That was a fun contest! That was something I put together on my own with my label Bald Freak. I wanted to do something special for the S. American tour, and it worked out well Everyone I met with that won the contest were great, so gracious and kind, really enjoyed meeting them all. Just hanging out, having good conversation, playing guitar.
Some got to hang a bit with Axl as well, which was an added treat for them. You entered the contest? Aaahhh!!!! Sorry man, next time we'll have to figure a little something out, non-contest-related.

Tell us about GNR and ¿What was your "REAL" contribution to the "Chinese Democracy"? About REAL im just kidding hope u get it hehe.

A *pun*! A Chilean Pun! Love it! Ha,ha. We'd spend 14 hours a day in studios in LA and NY between touring, I'd hear some song I never heard before and start feeling out ideas, rhythm stuff, riffy stuff, melodic stuff, noodly-noodly stuff, fretless stuff, different amps, pickups, guitars, fx, just a lot of experimenting, for every song. In the end there were plenty of options and possibilities, and decisions were made on what to keep, what to ditch, what to boost, what to duck.

What are GNR currently doing ? Is there a new material out soon? Any idea when GNR would be visiting us again?

Don't know when we're coming back to S. A., we have a whole lot of the planet we still need to visit. In a few days I'm flying out to London to start the European GNR tour, we'll be there for 2 months. After that, we'll see what comes together. Ya can't predict anything about the future, just have to see what's able to happen.

Few months ago in my country there was an horrible earthquake, in fact GNR was one of the first bands to play for a massive audience after the earthquake, what did you think then? Do you have friends in Chile?

The earthquake was a big deal in the US, very concerned. Immediately people from Chile started emailing me asking us to please not cancel our show there, they need us to give them a break, some happiness. I heard a lot of personal stories about loss, it was very sad. And this is why I say you can't predict anything - you never know what's going to happen, all you can do is not forget this, appreciate the good people and good things around you, be a good person and leave behind something positive.

Good to know musician like you, are worried about what was happening here, bringing all your good vibes to CHIle. We really appreciate it.

The whole world was worried and wishing you good vibes.

I waited for about 2 hours to all of you to see on the stage, it started a little bit late lol.

Um, yeah. It was.

Tell me Ron of what's to come in your solo career, more albums and when they would be done some dates to tell? and what type of music we should expect?

I think putting out the Adventures album is giving me the itch to do more instrumental guitar music. I have a hard time writing on the road - it can get intense, and I need time away to re-charge my batteries and get inspired, I don't get that on the road. But I'm going to try hard to write while I'm in Europe. I'm going to force it out, haha. It's been 2 years since my last albums came out, and I need to make more music.

Im pretty sure lot of your fans are expecting a brand new album very soon....well we will not take more of your time, i know this next monday you will start a new tour to UK with GNR, more than sure you wanna spend more time with Mrs bfoot eating sushi. i would like ask you for the last 2 things ? Thanx for your time , and hope to see you soon here in Chile.

Great chatting with ya, thanks for the cool questions and all! And the puns!! Lol.