PLAYERS| JOHN 5

In his most personal and revealing interview ever, John 5 explains how fear of flying, OCD and a string of personal tragedies shaped him to become the guitar virtuoso he is today.

BY JOE BOSSO PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEN ROSENSTEIN GUITAR CAPTIONS BY KEN SHARP

“THE GUITAR TURNED OUT TO BE MY SAVIOR”

ONE MIGHT NOT think that Dolly Parton, Rob Zombie, k.d. lang and Nikki Sixx would share any kind of common ground, but there is something they all emphatically agree on: John 5 is one of the most creative and exciting guitar players they have ever encountered. They’re just some of the music stars who sing the praises of the Telecaster-toting axe ace in the new documentary I Am John 5. The film also includes glowing testimonials from the likes of Joe Satriani, Rob Halford, the late Gary Rossington, Peter Criss, Michael Anthony and Rudy Sarzo, among others.

All of which has the subject of the movie feeling vaguely verklempt. “It’s so strange and unbelievable to me,” John 5 says. “Everything that’s happened to me has exceeded all of my wildest dreams. When I was starting out, I was just hoping to make a living as a session player. I never thought I’d sign an autograph, let alone have Dolly Parton talking about me. I still have a hard time trying to fathom where life has taken me.”

As success stories go, John 5’s tale is pretty spectacular stuff. Arriving in Los Angeles in the late ’80s from his hometown of Grosse Pointe, Michigan, the 17-year-old guitarist (born John Lowery) quickly found work playing on movie and TV soundtracks, followed by album sessions for Rick Springfield and David Lee Roth. He played live dates with his friend Lita Ford, but owing to a long-standing fear of planes, he preferred studio dates and travel that didn’t involve flying, until he signed on with k.d. lang for a world trek from 1996 to ’97. Enthralled by Marilyn Manson, he reached out to the shock rocker, who hired him and rechristened him John 5. Donning elaborate costumes and gothhorror makeup that suited his new moniker, John 5 became Manson’s onstage foil and right-hand man. A pair of studio albums (2000’s Holy Wood and 2003’s The Golden Age of Grotesque) and several world tours followed before they parted company in 2004.

John 5’s next longtime gig — with heavy-metal/horror star and sometime filmmaker Rob Zombie — took him even higher. In addition to his blitzing guitar chops, John 5 served as a significant writing partner on a series of Zombie’s albums and even wrote the score to the singer’s supernatural thriller, The Lords of Salem. Their mutually beneficial professional relationship seemed destined to continue, but in 2022, John 5 received the kind of offer he couldn’t — and didn’t — refuse: taking over for Mick Mars in Mötley Crüe.

I Am John 5 traces the broad strokes of his career in a fast-paced and highly entertaining film directed by Chantal Savage, and produced by the guitarist, Mike Savage and Barry Pointer. But some of its most illuminating segments recount the earliest chapters of John 5’s life, particularly how, as a preternaturally gifted teenaged guitarist, already versed in country and bluegrass (thanks to the TV comedy show Hee Haw) as well as rock (thanks to Kiss), he struck a deal with his mother to play nightclubs — none of which he could legally patronize — as long as his schoolwork didn’t suffer.

FENDER ESQUIRE

This 1966 Esquire sports Fender’s spaghetti logo, which by this year had been almost completely phased out in favor of the company’s thicker gold-and-black transition logo. “This Esquire is very close to me because it was the first vintage guitar I owned and served as my introduction to vintage guitars,” John explains. “I bought it from Norman’s Rare Guitars in Tarzana, California, and I used it on my first two instrumental records. It’s very precious to me, and even though I’ve used it a lot, I’ve taken good care of it.”