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Scott Gorham
HE MADE HIS NAME IN THE 70S AS PART OF THIN LIZZY’S FABLED TWIN-GUITAR ATTACK. NOW, HE CARRIES THE SPIRIT OF LIZZY IN BLACK STAR RIDERS. GORHAM’S LICKS AND HARMONIES INSPIRED MAIDEN AND METALLICA, AND HIS TONE IS A ROCK BENCHMARK. AS HE SAYS: “IF IT DON’T SOUND RIGHT, IT AIN’T RIGHT.”
Interview Jonny Scaramanga
Get a groove first.
I never start writing with the actual riffs or harmonies or lyrics. For me, the start to a song is the groove itself. If I can make myself nod my head in time and make my foot tap I know I’m onto something. You need that base right off the bat so everybody can cling onto it and start adding their parts. I don’t have drum machines or anything in my office, so it’s all in my head.
You don’t need to work face to face anymore.
For the latest Black Star Riders album, Another State of Grace, we couldn’t get together to write because we live so far apart. Christian (Martucci, guitarist) was on tour with Stone Sour, and he always carries around a recording system with him on the bus. He said, ‘Listen, why don’t all you guys send me your ideas, your riffs and your chord patterns, and while I’m out on the road I’ll try to glue these things together.’ I was like, ‘That’s not gonna f*ckin’ work! We gotta be eyeballing each other.’ But I sent him over 10 ideas. I have to admit, he came back with some really cool ideas with all of our parts put together.
Don’t work with jerks.
I’ve got this mantra of ‘no assholes’, and no assholes get onto the same stage that I’m on. All these guys that I’ve played with are just great players with great personalities. When you talk about Thin Lizzy, they have a great respect for what they’re getting into, so make sure they get it absolutely right. I don’t think I’ve ever had to tell any of those guys, ‘Hey man, you’re playing that wrong.’ It wrecks the whole chemistry of everything on stage if you’re always worried about one guy. If they’re a total jerk but ‘oh my god can he play the hell out of his instrument,’ after a while that’s going to detract. You know at some point he’s probably gonna start giving up on the song. You have to be able to trust everybody up on the stage to do what they say they’re going to do.