Batttttty
goes on a hot date with Bumblefoot |
| For
years now, since ages before he joined Guns N' Roses, Oh
yeh, and he's part of the team which is putting together |
 |
| You're
one of the movers'n'shakers behind Rock Against Diabetes,
a concert that is raising money to help people with diabetes. What
is it about this charity that caused you to get involved, and how
is the event coming together? We started talking about it
earlier in the year. The organizer told me he was going to throw
his prosthetic foot on stage while I played - that's what hooked
me. Since then, I've volunteered time to help reach out to acts
and sponsors, to take part in auctions, and hopefully help some
sick kids get what they need. We're in the last month before the
show, tying up loose ends, putting out fires, the usual last-minute
mayhem that ensues in the final stages of any event. |
 |
All
credit to you for the amount of work you've put into this project
- I know how much you get personally involved with lots of charitible
causes, such as raising money for Multiple Sclerosis after your
pal was diagnosed with MS - and also after 911, when you donated
the profits of your 911
album to the disaster relief organisations. Bless you, from
the bottom of SITN's heart! |
|
Now, you make no secret of the fact that you're one crazy mofo
- the biography on your website is heartwrenchingly honest about
the issues you've had to deal with. I'm probably the least
crazy person I know. But please, continue.... For
those who haven't read your Bio
yet, and don't know the background to the 'me' you mention in
that last answer, here's a breakdown of the 'breakdown'... after
some particularly stressful events in 2003, you went to the doctor
and were prescribed medication which took all the stress away
and made you feel 'normal'. But the downside was that the meds
took away a lot of the good angst which is needed for the creative,
artistic process. So in your latest album Abnormal (which you
wrote after all the meds were out of your system), and which was
the follow-up to Normal, you again reach into the dark side. The
lyrics to the title song tell it exactly like it is. When you
look back at the 'normal' days, how easy now did it seem then,
to tell it like it was? A bit like peeling an orange whilst wearing
boxing gloves? You can see it and smell it, but you just can't
get at it or taste it! Sorry, not trying to answer the questions
for ya - just thinking out loud!
I don't remember it being any different. I also don't remember
five minutes ago. Better off that way...
Comfortably Numblefoot! |
...
Me too darlin - yeh... right - but truthfully,
my own family is steeped in madness, and it's a very misunderstood
condition. And whilst I don't want to trivialise it in any way,
from my own experiences I've found that hypermania can be a lot
of fun, even if sometimes the only person who can see the joke
is the one who's got it! So, while we're both up here on the couch
baring our souls (insert 'baring assholes' joke here) tell us
what part your madness plays in your music. And what part your
music plays in your madness. What madness??? I think I'm
just being honest, that's all - not afraid to bare it all. With
brutal honesty, the 'brutal' tends to leave a bigger mark than
the honesty. But I don't see what other people see - I see me.| You've said that getting the music out of the inside of your head, and into the outside of your head brings you peace. Is it the same kind of peace for the angry/crazy/frustrated songs as it is for the more melodic tunes? And how well do the peaces fit together? The peaces (and the pieces) fit perfectly, like oranges and boxing gloves. Fumblefruit! You've been described as a 'musician's musician', so I guess you played quite a few gigs where the first seven rows of the crowd were full of nerdy guitarists who'd stand completely still whilst concentrating on your fingers, and then nod wisely after an intricate bit of solo. And then you joined GN'R and suddenly you're playing arenas and there are loads of women perched on their boyfriends' shoulders, bouncing up and down and throwing their underwear at the stage. Which kinda audience do you prefer, and how high does each score on the Scovillometer? It's all good - one has what the other doesn't. They complement each other, like orange boxing gloves. Boxing gloves for oranges? Hmmm, ok. What has been the most memorable gig you've played as part of GN'R - and what made it so (apart from the one where the most women did the most bouncing and threw the most underwear)? Gonna write as gigs pop into my head.... Dodging piss bottles at Donington was a memorable one, good gig. Roses everywhere at the venue in Poland. The acoustic gig in NYC the night before leaving for Europe in '06. There was a little dog hangin' around the venue in Greece - made a bed out of my jacket for him to sleep on - I think that was where I lost a wing on the Flying Foot guitar. Madison Square Garden... Budokan... Scandinavian people being very cool... singin' the Grinch as my solo in LA around Christmas... some fun moments... But yeah, all the gigs complement each other - like boxes of orange gloves. Marigolds? |
|
| A
lot of your fans probably know by now that 'Bumblefoot' is the
name of an ulcerative condition that animals get. You called your
band Bumblefoot, but through the years the name has become attached
to you as an individual. Is Bumblefoot the same person as Ron
Thal? Or did you keep the name so that Bumblefoot could take the
responsibility (and also the kudos) for the things Ron might do
or say or play when Ron wasn't comfortable being Ron? Or to give
you the freedom to be Ron separately? Or is it just a nickname
that stuck? Or what? It's
just a nickname at this point. Or a name to go with the quirky
solo music. When I'm with Guns, I feel like me.
But which 'me' ...? Oh never mind.
|
 Bumble and Rob De Luca on the brink of getting an endorsement |
So... when you're writing do you develop certain songs as Ron and others as Bumblefoot? And if so, which does what? Well, they kinda complement each other, like apples and elbow pads. Not like gloves for orange boxers? Interesting! Your savant-esque brain can handle a lot of different things going on at the same time - so when you're on the road with GN'R do you still get ideas for your solo albums and if so, how do you go about saving the ideas or even working on them? Ya know, I have a real hard time writing on the road. The only song I wrote on the road was "Simple Days", everything else was written between touring. Whenever I write songs, I keep them in my head, they usually don't leave my head until I show Dennis (Dennis Leeflang, drummer) the songs. For
years now via your website and messageboard, you've had a very
close inter-action with the fans. How important is the 'community'
thing to you? And are there any down-sides to being so accessible?
The connection is everything. Sometimes I'm away for days without
seeing a computer, but I try to stay connected amidst everything
going on whenever I can. Everything in life has a downside if
you look for it - but I'm not gonna look for it right now. I
have too much fun with you - I'm not gonna start bitchin' about
anything. |
|
Not
counting musicians, which three people most inspire you - and
for each one tell us why. OK,
now the word association thingy. For each of these, tell us the
first word or phrase that comes into your head (and remember that
I'll know if you're lying!) |
|
Click on the link above for full details of ROCK AGAINST DIABETES which takes place on 22nd and 23rd August 2008 |
© Batttttty - 22nd July 2008 |
