{"id":2538,"date":"2013-08-15T09:01:14","date_gmt":"2013-08-15T16:01:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thefirst3songs.com\/?p=2538"},"modified":"2014-07-27T17:58:32","modified_gmt":"2014-07-28T00:58:32","slug":"qa-with-george-thorogood","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/thefirst3songs.com\/?p=2538","title":{"rendered":"Q&A with George Thorogood"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>George Thorogood is a Rock and guitar legend. He has done just about everything a musician can over his thirty years on the road. He has done it all through a focused nature that lets him become a better musician with each performance. Along with his vintage 125, the only guitar he has ever played, cared to play, or even knows how to play, he has delighted audiences with a catalog like \u201cBad to the Bone\u201d and \u201cMove It On Over\u201d he can play every night that provides a familiar comfortable performance any audience can love. Amy spoke with Thorogood about the \u201cwild\u201d ride through Rock n Roll and his connection with his guitar. To see Thorogood and his prized guitar, he will be playing at Riverbend PNC Pavilion on Friday night with fellow legend Buddy Guy.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Amy: Do you ever get tired of playing your hits like \u201cBad to the Bone\u201d?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

George: I get tired yes, but I don\u2019t get tired of playing them. You see, we created those songs to play live. That was the whole purpose of them. I get asked that question a lot. I don\u2019t understand it. Do artists make songs up and not want to play them a lot?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Amy: I think it is over so many years. Most of the time they say they love to play them and most bands wish they had songs like that.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

George: It has always made me feel strange because I thought if you worked really hard and made an automobile like a BMW or something, would you get tired of selling BMWs? That is the whole purpose of making them isn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Amy: Yeah to share them.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

George: I don\u2019t get tired of playing them. What I would get freaked out about is if people didn\u2019t want to hear the songs.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Amy: You have been touring a lot this year. What is the biggest difference in touring now versus the 1980\u2019s when you started?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

George: Better cars, better seatbelts, better buses, better hotels, better accommodations, better food, better everything. That was 30 years ago. The world has changed.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Amy: It seemed more fun then though.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

George: Why would you think that?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Amy: I think artists now are so freaked out with social media and people seeing everything and having access to people and things can get out very quickly. I think people are less likely to have fun sometimes.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

George: That part of it yeah, but that part isn\u2019t going away if you are famous. You can lose your money but you can\u2019t lose your fame. That is going to be happening anyway. News just gets to people quicker now than it did 30 years ago. It\u2019s the yin and the yang of the whole thing when you become famous. You have to take what comes along with it. That part is not a lot of fun. But if you quit and you stop, it\u2019s still going to exist whether you play or not. If Harrison Ford retires tomorrow, people are going to be talking about it in some form or shape. The other part of it is a lot easier. We have better hotels. There is air conditioning. We have buses. The venues are better, better for the fans, better for the bands. It\u2019s a business now. It\u2019s a multi-billion dollar industry. They have put so much time and capital into the business to make it up on that level. In that way, I have survived that and I am part of it. That is something to be very proud of. Let\u2019s face it, the club owners and promoters and everybody are not going to be interested in you unless you are going to make a profit. We are a consideration and not an afterthought when it comes to that.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Amy: Are you working on any new music while you are out on the road?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

George: Not really. We are working on putting together a record that has a combination of all the originals we have done over the years and adding one or two new ones to it. It\u2019s a project on the table at this time.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Amy: I know you are a big baseball fan. I am actually surprised you are touring during baseball season. The Reds aren\u2019t going to be there on Friday. How are you feeling about baseball this summer?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

George: That\u2019s a fun question. I have never altered my work schedule. I don\u2019t know how that started. I took one summer off to play in a softball league and it was about 20 games but I was active the whole time. If I took off during baseball season, I\u2019d be broke. I wouldn\u2019t be able to put 15 years together. It\u2019s summertime. I have to go out and perform. There is no getting around it. I don\u2019t know any baseball players saying they are taking off the summer because Thorogood is touring.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Amy: What is your favorite guitar to play live?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

George: I only play one guitar, a 125. It\u2019s the only guitar I\u2019ve ever played. It\u2019s the only guitar I know how to play. Actually, I like to prance around on stage singing like Mick Jagger does but I can\u2019t sing as good as him. So the 125 is the only one I use. Please tell people not to steal it. They don\u2019t make them anymore and that is the only kind I can play.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Amy: Have you ever lost any gear or had it stolen?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

George: Yeah, it\u2019s been stolen a couple times but we got them back. We finally put up a sign saying, \u201cStop stealing George\u2019s guitars. They don\u2019t make them anymore and it\u2019s the only kind he can play.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Amy: I\u2019ll make a note in the article. You mention Mick Jagger and I saw the Stones live for the first time last month and it was pretty amazing. I know you toured with them and you have had many great tours over the years but what is your craziest tour story?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

George: Craziest? Like mental and I need a prescription from a psychiatrist?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Amy: Sure<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

George: None. What\u2019s your idea of crazy?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Amy: Crazy fans, crazy parties, anything?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

George: I\u2019ve never been to any crazy parties. There have never been any crazy fans ever. The Rolling Stones are 100% professional outfit ran by Bill Graham. There is no time for any craziness. There was too much money involved. The Three Stooges do crazy things. The Rolling Stones and Bill Graham do not. Everything is professional. Everything was in ship shape or they wouldn\u2019t still be in business now if they didn\u2019t do that. If they did anything crazy or wild, they did it while I was not around. Sorry but I do not know where all this comes from Rock n Roll and from the Rolling Stones but when I showed up, I am the only guy that can turn an orgy into a boy scout camp. When I show up, it is clean cut and above the board all the way.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Amy: No more fun when you arrive.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

George: It was total fun. It was all fun. It depends on what your idea of fun is. My idea of fun is playing on a stage and getting to see The Rolling Stones free every night. In that case, that was wild and crazy. That is as wild and crazy as I want to get.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Amy: They were amazing. I was blown away. I had waited so many years to see them. I am glad I finally got the chance.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

George: Yeah. They are better now than ever.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Amy: I have nothing to compare it to other than films.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

George: Well I do and you have to go see them now.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Amy: If you could trade places with anybody for a month, who would it be?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

George: Trade places with anybody? Probably Michelle Obama.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Amy: Why?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

George: I\u2019d like to know what it feels like to be the most powerful person in the world, even if it is only a couple of days.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Amy: What current music do you listen to? I know you have been inspired by many of the greats over the years. Do you listen to any current music?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

George: I am a little busy with my own. I haven\u2019t really had a chance to sit and relax and listen to any current music for the last 40 years because I have been busy with my own business.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Amy: What is your favorite guitar solo you have ever recorded?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

George: Oh please, come on, the favorite guitar solo I\u2019ve ever recorded. I\u2019ve recorded so many I can\u2019t even remember some of them.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Amy: I know but some people have an experience or something that stands out.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

George: Every one of them.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Amy: What is the hardest part about being on the road?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

George: Being away from my family.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Amy: What can the fans expect on Friday night?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

George: I\u2019m sure they aren\u2019t going to walk out there and say \u201cI hope George is OK tonight.\u201d You go see the Cincinnati Reds you expect them to win don\u2019t you.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Amy: Of course.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

George: Well there you go.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

George Thorogood is a Rock and guitar legend. He has done just about everything a musician can over his thirty years on the road. He has done it all through a focused nature that lets him become a better musician with each performance. Along with his vintage 125, the only guitar he has ever played, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3586,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1415],"tags":[1860],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/thefirst3songs.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2538"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/thefirst3songs.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/thefirst3songs.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thefirst3songs.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thefirst3songs.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2538"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"http:\/\/thefirst3songs.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2538\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3587,"href":"http:\/\/thefirst3songs.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2538\/revisions\/3587"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thefirst3songs.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3586"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/thefirst3songs.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2538"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thefirst3songs.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2538"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thefirst3songs.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2538"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}