That is the worst advice I've seen on how to scallop a neck. I've done this a couple of times and it is best performed with rat tailed files and half round bastard files.....then various grits of sandpaper after carefully filing out the grooves..........Hack Saws. Ridiculous. I think you should remove that posting as it is not the best advice on how to do this.
Ray
Jim comments "A bastard file? LOL, very good, you prankster. What you need is a course cut file of course!"
From Hermit 1967: (commenting on our scalloping advice from Guitar Tek)
Well, that was some of the worst fret scalloping advice I've ever heard! Hacksaws? Are you on acid?! Why not just tell the kids to use sledge-hammers? All you really need are 1) 1/4 Round Files 2) a Dremel Contour Sander 3) an assortment of sandpaper in different grits 4) Nitrocellulose Lacquer or Tung Oil {for maple or rosewood fingerboards} and finally 5) Masking tape TO PROTECT THE FRETS. Godofguitar? I DON'T THINK SO!
Moritz adds: "What's the matter Hermit? If you are CAREFUL with the Hacksaw you can get quite a good result actually. I tried it on a Gibson 5G and had a really good result 3rd time lucky (the first two were a bit of a disaster I admit). Try it again man! Oh, and as for Dremel Contour Sanders, what the flippin eck are you on about, get real man. I bet you just made that crap up!"
Also Reg Banquet asks the following question
Following your helpful advice on the 'How to scallop a fretboard' article, I have a follow up question. Should you scallop a fretboard with the strings still attached? I tend to get conflicting responses on this.
Jim comments "Of course you should keep the strings on. You need the strings to be attached in order to test the results of the scallloping for immediate effect. I normally detune by one semitone only, and I can them stretch them at will if i need to get by them in order to proceed with the scalloping. Also, keep the guitar plugged in. The vibration from the rasping as the hacksaw grinds against the wood sounds incredible through a Marshall. We'll be using that as a sound effect on the next album"
Actually this is just a Q, we don't have an answer to this one, can someone out there suggest one?
One of our sources within the industry recently introduced a theory that Rory Gallagher (the late, great) was once invited to join the Rolling Stones. Apparently this wasn't during due to Brian Jones requireing a replacement, but during one of Mick Jaggers occasional sulks withKeith Richards. We don't know what the reaction was from the Gallagher camp. Can anyone out there verify if this is true?
From Garrick Schmitt:
Hi there, I was reading your articles about famous guitarists, and I have come to the conclusion that you are all goddamn idiots. First of all, being an avid Pink Floyd fan, I noted several...inconsistencies with your biography of David "Gilmore." First of all, you freaking idiots need to get some spell check all up ins, because this crap makes no sense. Seriously. G-I-L-M-O-U-R. Come on. David Gilmour did NOT play for the Who, you guys. Ever. And he never will. David Gilmour was a replacement for the deteriorating Syd Barret of Pink Floyd in 1969, because Syd was suffering from various mental complications of LSD use. LSD, otherwise known as acid, was used by Barret before various concerts. You guys would probably know a helluva lot about it, seeing as you probably wrote these biographies while under the influence of it. Since he left Pink Floyd in 1970, Syd Barret did not take Pink Floyd to Live Aid in 1985. To the best of my knowledge, Pink Floyd didn't even make an appearance at that concert. David Gilmour also didn't go to any college named " Humberside College of Higher Education." He went to Cambridge, where he met Roger Waters. Not "Roger Adultery." Who in the hell is Roger Adultery? Seriously, I want to know.
Taff responds: We'll check out these facts Garrick, thanks. Hey didn't you appear on DS9? I would point out that the bit about the Homeless Charity towards the end of the review is certainly true as we at GOG were involved. Indeed the Charity now have a wonderful multi-million pound new headquarters in the West End. The actual charity in question is one which assists with funding for minor celebrities (such as Jim and Moritz indeed) to be able to afford Prada shoes, and until recently didn't actually have an organisational HQ.
Since announcing the "Top Guitar solos of all time" (see news News and Site Updates) we have been inundated by requests to find out who exactly was the guitarist on Eddy Grants "I Don't wanna dance". We have insider information that it was in fact a very famous guitarist who was having to remain anonymous in order not to upset his record company. If anyone has any information about who may have played this emotional and blistering solo please contact us. Kaz Dooneburg has proposed the following:
Thanks for posting the Great Guitar solos of all time piece. I don't necessarily agree with all of the findings, although these polls are only really done so we can argue about them on websites like this! Anyway I was curious that the classic solo on Eddy Grants track "I don't wanna dance" isn't attributed to anyone. I believe it was in fact Jimmy Page. First of all you can clearly hear his style on the record (well, I think so anyway), great fluency and sound. Also I'm sure he was around Easter Island at the time of the recording. I believe Eddy recorded the track at the "DeeLaneaLeeDee Studios" there and I've no doubt if Jimmy was passing at the time he would have lent a hand. Maybe you can post this idea on the site and see if anyone can verify this?
Joe C pointed out the following, :
LAST I CHECKED DUANE ALLMAN WAS IN THE ALLMAN BROS..NOT THE EAGLES. JOE WALSH IS IN THE EAGLES.IF THAT WAS WHAT YOU MEANT TO CORRECT? AND DOUG ALDRICH HEARD A VERY LARGE FELLOW NAMED VAN DENBERG IS BACK IN THE FOLD IN THE SNAKE? MUSICAL CHAIRS,ANYONE.
Taff Haddocks responds:
Thank to Joe C who correctly pointed out that Duane Allman was, in fact, in the Allman Bros, not the Eagles.
We would also like to confirm that Doug Aldrich is in no way related to his namesake Buzz who was one of the first men on the moon. Oddly enougth we remember staying at the same hotel with Matt and Luke once, they hadn't heard of our band Adelangst and taunted us singing "When will I be famous", cheeky sods.
Update 15.04.06: Mike in Worceseter MA mentions that Duane Allman did actually play in the Eagles but in 2003 he left them due to musical differences to form the Allman Bros with a few of his old high school friends.
Update 21.04.06: There is currently an intensive on-site debate taking place with regard to how long Duane Allman actually played in the Eagles. Tony has written in saying that, Duane did not appear in the Eagles at all, while Oswaldo in Rio reports that Duane definitely played with the Eagles up to the late 1980's. We are currently checking into Duane's career details and as soon as we get this clarified we'll confirm.
Hello Mr. Brodie and Mr. von der Weide. I am in a terrible state of tension and anxiety at the moment. I was going to write into a problem page in one of the national newspapers such as the ‘Daily Mirror’ or the ‘News of the World‘, however a friend of mine has recommended that I write in to you, seeing as though my problem involves a musical matter, as it were. I have been happily married to my husband for 27 years and we live in the UK. My husband is a very musical person and plays lead guitar in a local rock band. Personally, I think his guitar technique is dreadful, however I feel it is important to support my husband, especially as these musical activities seem to bring him great joy and satisfaction.
My problem started to occur about three months ago; now perhaps you are thinking here that there will be some other woman involved, however the situation is much worse - there is, in fact, another man involved in our relationship. This man is Mr. Joe Satriani and I would like your advice on how I can handle this. I have noticed my husband is becoming more and more involved with the music of Mr Satriani. The situation has gradually worsened in recent weeks; at first I would hear the odd track on the CD player in the car, then my husband would start to purchase his DVD’s; then I see my husband has purchased a Mr Satriani signature guitar, an instrument that looks frighteningly appalling in taste, if you ask my opinion. Matters finally came to a head when I returned from shopping last week and instead of going straight into the kitchen I went into the living room to ask my husband to assist with the unpacking. The living room door was fully closed and when I walked in, the sight that beheld me was one of sheer immorality and debauchery. My husband was sitting in his leather easy chair, with his back half turned to me. He was semi facing the hi-fi system but he had his head back with his eyes closed. I noticed, rather irritatingly that my husband was listening to ‘Surfin with the Alien’ by Joe Satriani; well I thought he was listening, but when I looked more closely, I noticed my loving husband of 27 years, was masturbating. I could clearly see that his actions were mirroring the timings of the song, even the bridge in the middle which would result in frenetic wrist movements. As the song was coming to its’ final few bars, and to a crescendo of grunts and moans, my husband reached his own climax. Within seconds he appeared to have returned to normal as he swung round in the easy chair, noticed I was home and smiled lovingly saying “Oh you’re home luv, sorry, I was just listening to a little music”. I now even have the situation where last night he asked me to wear in bed a Joe Satriani UK tour T-Shirt, so, as my husband put it, it could get him “in the right mood”.
Now, you may call me paranoid, however this current state of affairs does not seem natural to me. I could understand if my husband was masturbating while watching a pornographic DVD, however not while listening to Joe Satriani! Please, please, please, can you help me? A friend of mine has recommended that I get rid of my husbands’ entire Joe Satriani CD and DVD collection (not to mention the awful looking guitar) and replace them with Steve Vai’s music and signature model. Can you tell me if this will improve the situation? Your support would be greatly appreciated.
Jim responds as follows:
“Well, you do have a problem. I know that some people do refer to Joe Satriani as “wank music”, however this is taking it a little too far. Quite clearly your husband has an addiction problem. This has built up over time, at first listening to the odd CD, then on to DVDs, then he purchases the signature guitar, and before long his whole life revolves around Joe Sat. I don’t think things will improve by replacing Mr Sat with Steve Vai either. Old Steve isn’t any better, in my opinion; in fact, if your husband starts to listen to SV, then I would fear he’ll be ‘wristing one off ’ every 10 minutes. In that case, I wouldn’t give your marriage much longer than a few months. I would propose a twofold approach to this problem. First off, try to act as though nothing is wrong as you don’t want to put too much pressure on your husband. Continue to provide support to him, saying to him that you’re his wife and you’ll be there for him at all times, whether good or bad. Secondly, I would try to introduce a little more variety in the music that is played in the house. I would suggest three specific CD’s to start things off: Black Sabbath ‘Heaven and Hell’, Whitesnake ‘1987’ and AC/DC ‘Back in Black’. These 3 CD’s will begin to assist your husband with the reorientation of his senses, so that he’ll start to appreciate music for the enjoyment it gives, rather than the current situation he finds himself in with having to achieve physical pleasure from the music, which is a very dangerous extreme indeed. Over a period of a few months, you should notice improvements in your husbands behaviour. His desire to masturbate to the music should diminish and you should find that his fetishes for Joe Satriani t-shirts as a type of lingerie, will also calm down. As a purely optional matter, you should consider introducing pornographic material discretely into the household, as if your husband does find himself in the desperate situation where he urgently needs to abuse himself, he may not feel so ashamed if he were to admit that he’d performed an immoral act on himself while reading ‘Fiesta Readers Wives‘, rather than the totally embarrassing situation of ‘glopping one off ’ to ‘Satch Boogie’.
I do hope this advice helps you and your husband and that over time your husband will be able to look back on these desperate days and see that even though Mr Satriani’s music brought on these dark times, the loving support of his wife (with a little help from Black Sabbath, Whitesnake and AC/DC) saved his soul, as it were“.
We've had the following email from "BOYS" which reads
Your text about Zeppelin is complete bs!! Deep Purple is 10000000000000000000 times better than zeppelin! Take Europe Blackmore would be considered more well-known than damn Page! Especially in Russia!! Blackmore is the GOD OF GUITAR!!!! You are probably deaf if you say that Sometimes I feel like screaming sounds like Black Dog!! I respect Zeppelin, but they are kinda boring to listen!
Jim replies: You are referring to our Led Zeppelin vs Deep Purple debate which was posted last year. First of all I would point out that this wasn't actually our own text but a contributor, however reading it again I don't necessarily disagree with some of the points listed, particularly Blackmore sticking to the key of G. Our band Adelangst plays in lots of keys, even F sharp. I believe Ritchie originally recorded Mistreated in the key of G, but then got the engineer to slow the track down a bit to make it sound more laid back! What a con!
Pierre Schulze from Stuhr asks the following:
I want to know, how did Ritchie Blackmore scalloped his Fender guitar in natural during his phase MK3 (Burn tour)??? Had he scalloped all frets and how deep??? Thanks for the info in advance.
Moritz answers: I've heard Ritchie Blackmore uses scalloped necks, but really I'm one of the pioneers in this technique, I've been using my own scalloping technique for years which you can read about here.
Geoff Boldroom from NY says:
Listen you guys, get the name of the guitarist right for starters, it's Peter Townshend not Townsend.
Please excuse the spelling of the name Pete Townshend. As you know I am German and I, of course, was using the German phonetic where the "h" is silent and this is why it was spelt Townsend. May I also say that you are, in fact, incorrect regarding Pete being the instigator of the "power chord". Back in Muenster, Germany in the early sixties (I think it was a gig at the Fachhochscule, if I recall), I was playing a gig in front of some drunken british squadies (well, have you ever met a sober one?.....I don't think so), where I did this outrageous G chord, while tripping over a misplaced military boot, and the result was this incredible Kerrrrangggggg sound. I immediately trademarked this sound to which, over the years I have been paid many thousands of Marks, Pound, Dollars and Euros by most named guitar players.
Mark Bofenkamp emailed us with feedback on our Greatest Guitarists careers review page
I just read your bio of Jeff Beck; I'm glad you included him as he certainly deserves mention. However, it would be best to do your homework first. I suggest his website, jeffbeck.com, or a fantastic unofficial website, ainian.com. They have the basic info and so much more
Hi Mark. Thanks for the enthusiastic comments. As you know we're big fans of Jeff. He has had such a major impact on the "New Metal" scene in recent years. It's just disappointing to us that all you here about is the Page, Clapton and Blackmore trilogy, and why is this so, we hear you ask; of course , it's the old Yardbirds connection. Personally, I think these three are pretty much overrated, and Jeff has always maintained a technical superiority over them all, particularly with his "Thrash" experimentation in the mid-late 1990's.
From Oliver in New Zealand,
'I've heard about this US band Slipknot, who go around wearing masks and makeup so no-one knows who they are. I was reading that Slipknot are really a Supergroup put together by older rockers who, in public, like to give the impression they hate eachother, but in reality are best of mates. Is there any truth in the rumour the 2 guitarists in Slipknot are Jimmy Page and Ritchie Blackmore wearing masks.' The reason I ask this is that, to my knowledge, Blackmore and Page have never appeared on the same stage as Slipknot.
Moritz replies "Oh come on. Do you expect to find Bert Weedon and Les Paul inside the Slipknot masks. Don't forget, the music sounds bloody awful, so it can't be anyone any good playing can it!
From Anonymous.....(???????).
Some people may have heard of me, and this is the reason for my low key mail. I've been wearing a hair attachment for god knows how long. I feel deep down that I should "come out " and let people get to know the real me. As I am a name player what do you suggest. I don't want it to harm my reputation. Let's say for safety reasons that I'm a ................vocalist!!
Jim says
"Well Ri....... er sorry Mr Anonymous. Your main problem will be the stage lights. All that shining and reflection from your bald patch will be extremely embarrassing. You could wear a knotted hankie, however I doubt that will appeal to the more fashion conscious media. Just imagine if your band used lasers on stage, someone could have an eye out. I would strongly recommend you maintain your full artificial thatch. I suppose when the tours finish and you can relax on your holiday home away from prying eyes, then you'll have every opportunity to "come out", as it were."
'Hi guys, Great site, by the way. Can you tell me what a "Ryder" is? The band I'm in are due to play a gig in Bedford in the next few weeks and the venue has contacted us saying do we have any specific requirements for our Ryder? I have no idea what they are talking about. Can you help? I play lead guitar,
by the way.'
Taff responds
'The rider is the security guy, normally employed by the band who will visit the venue beforehand to check it out, to make sure it's a safe place for the artist to play. When the rider arrives he should check the stagedoor and backstage area, as you don't want any nutters getting in there. The number of times I've had obsessed fans running around the stagedoor area trying to pass you packages saying "give this to the bands' manager, I'm not obsessed
honestly. I tell you, we throw this garbage straight in the bin. At one gig last year, this German guy came over to me demanding I give him one of Moritzs' guitars saying he was such a fanatic, it was the minimum he deserved. No, when you respond to the venue just say the Riders' requirements will be as follows:
- to see a clatter free stage door and backstage area
- make sure the dressing rooms have a shower, toilet and running water
- have lots of room to hang signs on the walls and doors clearly stating - Achtung, obsessed German fans will be shot!
Hi Jim and Moritz. I've only just found this site. I can't believe my two guitar heroes can actually be on the net like this, it is fantastic. I wondered if you could help. I'm a computer technician at work at come across loads of acronyms for all sorts of computer terms. I've always struggled with acronyms for music. The music press always quotes them like you're supposed to know them all, but I don't. My question is, what does MOR and AOR mean?
Jim replies "Hi Nootih, fuck what a strange name. Anyway MOR stands for "More of Rock" and AOR means "Any old Rock". They were coined in the late 70's when the punk era were trying to "down" the whole hard rock industry. They hated our popularity, and also the fact that we could actually play our instruments and not just wear fucking stupid clothes with holes in and spiky hairstyles to get popular. In particular Moritz hated being called a AOR band, it was really quite an insult to us.
Paul Whiteless from Bedford writes with a couple of questions:
Will Moritz be using the vintage white Cath on the upcoming tour?
I've finally got round to replacing some of my old scratched Adelangst records (this time on CD rather than the
usual 180 gram imported Japanese vinyl) so it was with dismay that I saw yesterday's posting on the website about a 28 bit CD version of Mallard... bloody typical! Anyway, I've finally got round to updating my hi-fi with a
brand new DVD player from Ritcher Sounds (lets face it for £30 you can't go wrong!) So with the Linn Sondek discarded to the dustbin I was looking forward to hearing your back catalogue in a new light on my new superior
equipment, and it was with great anticipation, trepidation and a bottle of rioja that I sat down to listen to Mallard last night. However, apart from hearing much more detail and an overall warmer sound (something to do with
the weather I guess) I was somewhat surprised when I got to Eyed Her Down. I was sat with the lyric sheet in front of me and it read 'Thank you for saving your cash, now all I want to do is raid your piggy bank' but hearing
it on my new CD player it sounded like 'Thank you for shaving your gash, now all I want to do is ride you piggy back'. How can this be? To say I was surprised is an understatement as I thought you didn't bother with all that
'from her arse down to her bent knee' stuff, so some kind of explanation would be appreciated.
No, Moritz uses an Olympic White Cath whilst on tour.
On the subject of Mallard and the track "Eyed her down". I think you've ended up with one of the rare Zambian versions of the album that mistakenly credited the 2nd track on side 2 of the original album as "Eyed her down" whereas in fact it is called "Fake Tan". As for the word changes, your imagination is getting the better of you!
April 2005 Wrangz Hartkopfz from Ostend posed the following question:
On the web chat last month, Moritz mentioned he plays an Eric Clapton Signature model which has been customised to resemble a Ritchie Blackmore Signature Model. Where can I obtain such a guitar? Fender USA are providing me with no details whatsoever!'
Moritz responds: We believe Fender Japan are in negotiation with all parties on this matter. Details to follow in the next few months.
March 2005 From Pete in Oxfordshire
Would you believe it? Today I got an apology from Madame Tussauds, and do you want to know why? Well I went down to the old waxwork museum and as you will probably know, they've opened up a new exhibit which specialises in posing while playing air guitar. I'd heard in the press that you could choose from a list of 8 rock songs, but they didn't say what these songs were. Well, when I get there, would you believe it but on the list I see, 'He's looking out (for me)' by, of all people, Steve Vai. I immediately called over the manager and said 'I think this song is by Adelangst.' The manager would have none of it, so anyway I gave the track a blast just to prove this guy wrong and, of course, the beautiful piece of music resonating around the place was pure classic Adelangst. I immediately complained to the senior management and after they had checked further, they immediately took Adelangst of the list, for, as they said, legal and copyright reasons. I can't believe they could have made such a mistake! Anyway, as I was leaving the guy in charge asked me to recommend a classic guitar track to replace your song, so without hesitation I chose my all time, guitar hero track: 'The Mule' from Deep Purple Made in Japan. This guitar solo by Steve Morse is, to me, one of the greatest moments in rock history. I can't wait to come back and 'air guitar' away to old Morsey!
Jim responds:
Adelangst lawyers have already been in touch with Madame Tussauds, and we can confirm that, due to copyright reasons, He's Looking Out (For Me) will definitely not appear on the choice of 8 tracks that budding air guitarists can peruse, before trying to emulate Jim and Moritz.
Paul Whiteless from Bedford writes in with some interesting observations:
Looking forward to the Adelangst UK tour but until then a couple of observations/questions:
I've only recently discovered your website, and going back over some of the previous comments, Mr Toss sounds like a top man - I agree with his observations, and I too have to constrain the excitement, although I find flowered curtains (great track and as for the long drawn out solo...) work better than wasser.
Given that you were in Abenburg last year [see our Pose page pointing poses section] it seems I may well have made the wrong decision in terms of which concert to attend. As it happened I ended up at some castle and watched a bloke (who was very good - in fact brilliant, although he was 59 years old so can't have been either yourself or Moritz) play until about 4.30 a.m. (a track called Woolly Bully was the highlight). As someone of the same age, Eric Clapton would have applied far more common sense and just attended the televised charity concert in the afternoon.
Thanks for posting the review of the Joshua Tree [Rameesh's classic review] - it was quite inciteful and whilst I felt true justice was not given to the unique abilities of the Edge it provided an accurate review of such a seminal album and goes some way to explaining why the Edge is such a leg end. But what most people do not know is that the album title is incorrect. What actually happened was that prior to the album's imminent release the band had not informed the record company as to what the title was. So just before going to press, Boner telephoned the record company to tell them, and for some bizarre reason something got lost in the translation and the album ended up being released as the Joshua Tree; it should in fact have been called the 'Joshua Three'. Apparently the Edge was so angry when he found out he demanded that 'Gates of Babylon' be included in the live set, but the other band members refused as they didn't think introducing a less challenging style of guitar playing would appeal to the mainstream U2 fans, and it would of course have involved getting someone to scallop his neck.
Is it true that given your affection for the Monkees [mentioned on our Who are Jim and Moritz page,] there will be a 'monk' theme for the upcoming tour, and that some dates will be recorded for a future live album to be called 'Monstrosities In Ten Monastries'?
To finish on a technical note, I was wondering whether Moritz has ever tried Brush picking - I read somewhere that the technique originated in Switzerland (possibly Basel?).
Jim replies "I can't believe there was anyone else playing a gig in Adenburg that night, you're taking the mick yeh? It was a great night, we all gathered around the barbeque afterwards and sang lots of the old classics, including lots of Deep Purple stuff like Smoke on the Water, Black Night and all that. Don't know what your guy was playing, but it doesn't sound as good to me. Make sure next time you sound us out. Oh, you have to be registered on our "famous fan always gets backstage pass" listing and to have written books about us to be there. Y'know the sort of thing "A diary of every gig Adelangst played from 1983 to 1988" with appendices about every song we ever played each night (even though most nights we played the same set) and every girl we slept with and every bar we drank at, and then every bleedin bootleg that is available celebrating that night, etc etc. Hell, if I want to know what I was doing when, I often look it up in one of their books to find out! Indeed one guy was virtually documenting every event we did on the last tour as we did it, it was like passing a train station with a load of trainspotters. If we played a couple of songs in a different order one night you could see the notebooks fly open and lots of amazed faces amongst the famous fan brigade. In those days we always made sure we played one of our longest songs at around 45minutes into the set, so they'd always lose a bit on turning over their C90 tape machines.
I've never considered doing a Monkees song although on our famous 20 minute version of "Toe Grabber" from the Summer 1987 Jam set I managed to get a bit of the riff from "Good Clean Fun" in, although whether anyone has ever noticed is anyones bet. As for wearing a habit, well after Moritz's recent admission anything is possible. Heaven knows how far back they will have to put his backline on the forthcoming tour!
I don't know about Moritz but I've not heard of brush picking, no. It sounds far too technical for me.
Llano from Nepal asks the following question:
I'm currently accessing the site illegally, hiding in in my cellar, whilst listening to The Who Live at Leeds. I am very worried that I may be the reason for the suspension of internet services in Nepal as I tried to illegally download the guitar tab to Renegade Nuns. Can you help me claim asylum in UK if the persecution continues?"
Jim replies… “First of all, I should point out that many people have commented that the Renegade Nuns tab is incorrect, so I hope this incorrect tab didn't bring down any internet sites or governments. I can't understand what governments are worried about with this kind of music. Are we really saying that a bit of heavy rock can bring down a country? Surely not. Good luck Llano with your asylum request
. Chris has the following question concerning our great guitarist debate
How the hell can you define 'best' without considering technical ability. The players who will be able to play absolutely anything. If a player is considered who does not have the ability to use a successful technique, such as sweep picking, they clearly are not the best. The best is just an opinion. The only way to settle it (because everyone has the right to their own opinions), is by technical ability, so Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton, can't even be half decent. The only people considerable are Joe Satriani and Steve Vai. Oh and me. Personally i love Slash and Jimmy Page!
Moritz replies..."well Chris, first of all we can define best because Jim and I are the best, simply. Technical ability is all very well in the studio but on stage you need style, stage presence and stamina. We don't use sweep picking, but Jim uses Sooty picking which is where you use double strings but dampen one all the time. This can be tricky but is rewarding when you pull it off.
Don't mention Jimmy Page. If you buy a Led Zep double CD of greatest hits they're a few good tunes on, but nothing that warrants the ridiculous obsequiousness of the music press over Led Zep all these years. Why is it that Deep Purple were treated as crap, but Led Zep could release a fart on record and get a 5 star review. God, don't mention Jimmy Page to me."
Paul Kankula from New Zealand has suggested the following set list for our 2005 tour
Hi guys, I don’t supposed I’ve a cat in hells chance of actually seeing the tour, it will all be “virtual” for me being so far away, however I will enjoy the CD’s and DVD’s (hopefully official) of the tour afterwards. Hopefully instead of being there I can actually make a difference by putting forward a set list, as you have suggested.
Suggested set list for Adelangst 2005 tour
Flowered Curtains (you can’t possibly open with anything else surely)
The Road (good one to get the crowd singing, keep on down the RROOOAAADDDDD!)
Donner und Blitzen
Treason
Hard Times (this could incorporate Jim’s blitzkrieg solo, is he going to change it, after so many years it would be a shame. It’s a bit like Micky Moodys slide solo in Whitesnake, it didn’t matter what year or where you were, you got the same solo every time, just the song it introduced changed)
The Mole (if Steele is still up to it could he incorporate his usual drum solo into this one?)
To reach the moon. I’ve really enjoyed the version of this off the website, I realize it’s actually a Skid Dogs track, but why not guys?
The Good the bad and the Ugly I remember you doing a take of this film music off the last tour along with a boogie version of The Pink Panther… more please.
Fake Tan (with Moritz’s classic solo off the “Dumbo” bootleg please)
Finish the main set with a 25 minute (please) version of Toe Grabber. This was always a brilliant song and ace live where Jim would go into a frenzy with his axe, also I would suggest you bring in the bongos and other jungle type equipment as you did on the last tour, as this went down so well)
Encore 1: Smoke on the water (why not put something new in guys, I know it’s not your song, but I bet you’d do a good version of it?!?)
Encore 2:He’s looking out (for me)
Encore 3: Renegade Nuns (the “teen spirit” anthem of Adelangst)
I reckon that’s around 2 hours in total. Is that OK?
Moritz comments "Thanks Paul. Well done for being the first fan to suggest a set list. Some good suggestions here, but you'll have to wait until the tour to really find out. Mind you, the soddin Internet means that everyone knows the setlist as soon as we've played it these days. We should be able to alter it, but Jim gets a bit confused if we do. I remember playing He's looking out (for me) once and half way through noticed that Jim was singing about some Flowered Curtains, which is (of course) the wrong song. Still sounded OK though, oddly enough. Oh, and I imagine there's more chance of us gigging in Baghdad than New Zealand, sorry Paul.
Hello everyone. I'm writing this email from the deep south of the great US of A, that is the greatest Southern state, Alabama. My name is Issac and I've been a fan of Jim and Moritz for around 10 years now since my sister purchased the classic "Inserted Gently" LP. I read recently that fellow Guitar God Jimi Hendrix never really let his guitar out of his sight, he even slept with it in his bed! Apparently this kind of dedication is needed to really become a guitar "God" that I aspire to. What do you think? Is this really necessary?
Jim replies "Hello Isaac, I am also in the deep south, Croydon, that is. If you think that just having your guitar in bed is a way of becoming a guitar God then think again mate. Moritz and I never let our guitar leave our sides. Hell it's even been known that we keep it on all day, even during mundane domestic activity. The pictures shown here demonstrate this.
OK these images don't appear to be very "Rock'n'roll" do they, but to be a God of Guitar, this level of dedication will be needed. You should never put the guitar down, just in case you fancy practicing the odd scale, or more importantly, in case your own "Smoke on the water" or "He's looking out for me" riff suddenly comes to mind. Imagine if Ritchie Blackmore had been doing the bloody laundry without his strat whilst thinking up the Smoke on the Water riff! The world would be a completely different place to live without the Smoke on the Water riff. I gather Ritchie also keeps his guitar close to hand which is probably why this never occured.
Always bear in mind that you could have a classic right there in your head, but without a guitar in hand to put it to practice immediate you won't be able to remember it (unless you are into those stupid TAB thingies). So my advice is quite simple, keep the guitar with you all the time. And yes chaps, this also applies to love making.
Moritz and I did consider demonstrating our Karma Sutra of "love making with guitar attachment" however our girlfriends wouldn't have of it (the pictures I mean), which is why you got the domestic pictures instead (actually Moritz didn't even know where the bloody washing machine was in his posh new apartment! Tisk!). If you try making love to your lady with your guitar still attached to your body for heavens sake remember to turn the volume down on the guitar and amp or else the vibrations will be detected on those wonderful Kinman or Seymour Duncan pickups, amplified and make the house sound like a bloody great 1970's reverb unit and your girl will probably get a bit put off by the din.
Xiogi from China has this query:
Hi. I saw article in a recent copy of Magazine about this site. I’m new to Adelangst, but I think you were Heavy Metals. I was then surprised when I tried your Measuring Time Intervals download and found that the music was not heavy metals. Where is the heavy metals I like?
Moritz explains: Hi Xiogi. I’ve no idea how to pronounce your name, I guess it’s a bit like Zeeogi (pronounced like Yogi the Bear, I guess). Anyway, you need to read up on our history to understand what the Measuring Time intervals track is about. It was done during a “long lost weekend” that Jim and I had in 1988 or thereabouts. If you want Heavy Metals try Zinc, Copper and all that. No no, I guess you mean heavy metal music, in which case try the other two downloads that are available. These are flowered curtains and To reach the moon. There ARE heavy, man. By the way we have a new mp3 available in January, which is a blues track from 1986. We have also had loads of requests for more sessions from the “Measuring Time Intervals” tapes, but it takes loads of time to licence them even for inclusion on this website, so please be patient. Hopefully some of the classic Adelangst stuff will be available via Apples wonderful Itunes shortly, although Jim thinks this is some kind of cough sweet, tisk!
Eve from Copenhagen writes
Fantastic news about the reunion guys, but will you be playing any gigs local to Copenhagen? Last time you were in the area as Adelangst I had to travel over 400 miles just to see you. Also please play Renegade Nuns and He's looking out (for me). Any chance of a new album?
Moritz answers "we've had loads of emails exactly like this one. We will obvoiusly confirm dates and locations for the tour, however at the moment we are still considering band members and the like, so you may have to be a bit patient. We would indeed love to release a new album, although there some issues to sort out first."
Manager Vim adds "we won't be posting anymore of this type of query on the website untill there is something new to add. Many thanks for all your support and encouragement though"
Geoff Párt from Luton has concerns about the Renegade Nuns tab posted recently
Are you quite sure the Renegade Nuns guitar tab you posted on your site recently is actually anything to do with the Adelangst classic Renegade Nuns? I tried it and it sounded a bit like Silent Night! Are you sure your contributor actually played the guitar? Surely any Tab for Renegade Nuns would have the main riff in it for starters, but that certainly isn't in this version and the words don't fit either. Sorry guys but your quality control needs a bit of checking on this one.
Jim answers: As we said, neither Moritz or I can read music, and yes that includes these bloody tab thingies. I can't believe there are people out there who are sad enough to spend ages and ages picking out the riff to "Stairway to Heaven" reading little numbers on lines printed after downloading attempts at a tab on the internet. It must take for ever! Just listen to the music and play, man! If you can't just listen to the song and play this way then you aint ever going to really get it, so give up. That apart, I've checked with Frank Witherspoon who wrote the tab and apparently it follows just the the bass part from Adelangst's ill fated last tour, so that's why it doesn't have the main riff. Also on that last tour we were using a drum and bass machine which did tend to play it's own thing anyway. You can read all about this on our history page. To all of you who have been wasting your time on this, sorry, but get a life for F**ks sake!
Moritz, fantastic news to hear about the Adelangst reunion. I sure would love you to play Bingo Man during the tour, or maybe you and Jim could play something from the Skid Dogs days? What about a new CD by the way, any chance of getting into the studio?
Colin from wales
Jim answers "Bingo Man isn't one of our songs so I've no idea what you're on about there. Skid Dogs songs, well I don't think so as I don't own any of the copyright so if we play any of them and there is a live LP released then we'll have to pay royalties to some people who'd I'd rather not get any money. Sour grapes? Sure is, sorry. Regards a CD, we spend lots of time every day in my home studio laying down tracks for potential CD's Colin however we haven't got a record deal at the moment although most of the majors have shown lots of interest since the reunion was announced (money grabbing bastards) however we are waiting it out so we get as much of the cash as possible in our accounts rather than theirs (you can't blame us for that!).
In the early 80's I went to a solo concert you did at Orchestra Hall in Essen. You performed a song I think was called "Measuring Time" or something like that and I have never heard it since. It was beautiful, as I recall. Where is that song from and do you still do it?
James Bowen from Essen
Jim answers: We did indeed do a gig in Essen although you’re timing is a bit out, it was actually 1988. However it wasn’t as Adelangst or ourselves but as Fog(3)B. I’m surprised you have got the connection between the acts actually. This was done during our year off, or long weekend. We actually released some music during that year as Fog(3)B which is very hard to come by now. You can hear a small part of this on our website at http://www.godofguitar.com/fog3b1.htm We do have a recording of the Essen concert although the quality is marred somewhat by the fact that the audience did have a few Adelangst fans within it who had realised who were and shouting for “Renegade Nuns” and the like. Ahem.
Jim and Moritz
Well, your web site is much improved. I am still thinking about the details of "Hand surgery", since my own was recently re-attached after many months in the cryogenic chamber. At last I can knock out the old tunes, plus a few of my own. Tongue in cheek. no reference to the backstage blowjob...but what happened to my vote in your "Unlawful polls" ?? 19% of the popular vote implies that there could be some hanging "Chad" in this election" and a recount in order. Perhaps a lawsuit. I should have won hands down. I also hear that the wigs were not on display during the previous convention at Crewe last week. I call this deception. for the fans that came along to see you. What is going on ??
Best regards,
P. Crab Hendrix
Moritz answers: I suspect an alias has been used here and we don't reply to them as a rule, although I have to make a comment about the "wigs at Crewe" . We didn't actually attend the Crewe gig because of Moritz's injury. Take a bit more attention of what's going on please! Anyway, what wigs are you talking about. Cheeky sod!
Can you tell me what key Moritz plays his guitar in. Its just out of interest, as I'd like to play in the same key as my hero.
Leaky
Hi Leaky,
I'm not much of a muso to be honest so I asked Jim on this one. He says I usually play in the following keys: G, Ab, H, Ab, Q and C. To be honest when you're up there on stage it doesn't really matter that much, you just shove your hand on the guitar any old way and make a noise. This is rock'n'roll mate!
By the way, are you called "Leaky" because you have a similar medical condition to my own?
>From Hal Zimmerman in Fenton, Missouri, USA
You guys should be ashamed of yourselves. Do you understand the word responsibility? You want to know the reason for this mail? Well Ill tell you. About three months ago I bought my 14-year-old son a 25-watt practise amplifier. He’s a fairly good player and I thought in a year or two he’d be good enough to play lead guitar in a local club band. I don’t try to push him on this, and I just thought I’d let him learn at his own pace. Well thanks to you guys I have a pretty much confused kid. Why do you ask? Well last night I cam home early and when I go upstairs and open the door to see how old Rodney is getting on, I get the shock of my life. What do I see but my beloved son Rodney lying on the bed trying to perform unprotected sex with his practise amp. I say what the hell are you doing and he tells me he was reading your site about when you had sex with a Marshall amp, so he was trying to copy you.
I have a good mind to sue the asses off you guys, not to mention get you to pay for his counselling. What do you say to that?
Jim and Moritz's manager Vim Jefferies has this to say.
All of us at Godofguitar.com do not suggest in any way that people should have intimate relationships with Marshall amps, or any other manufacturer of amp for that matter. I would also point out that all employees of Godofguitar.com are not responsible for acts of this nature unless through their direct negligence.
From Marco in Porta Alegra, South America
In the history of Adelangst you write about an ill fated tour of South America, however I think you have not mentioned the story of the Satanic references in the lyrics to ‘Renegade Nuns’ and the problems you had with the Catholic church in South America. I think it is important that your fans hear the full story. Can you please ejaculate on this story
Jim comments:
I’ve ejaculated on many things, but never a story; that will be a first. Instead, I’ll tell the story of what happened. Both Moritz and myself are shocked, first of all that some slightly ‘blue’ lyrics can cause such an uproar, however as you will know that in ‘Renegade Nuns’ there is a line that goes ‘I’m gonna drink your juices from a Chalice, babe!’ To Moritz, and me, these are pretty harmless lyrics; look at David Coverdale, he’s been getting away with it for twenty five years, however when we hit South America, it appeared the Catholic Church was out to get us. Things came to head in Chile, where the Archibishop of Montivideo personally came to the concert and rushed the stage as we played ‘Renegade Nuns’. He got on stage, did a quick sign of the cross and five generalflections, and then proceeded to put Moritz in a judo hold. The atmosphere was incredibly tense so we decided to do a runner. When I look back on it now, the funny thin about the Archibishop that night was that he was wearing a ‘Sabbath Bloody Sabbath’ T-shirt, so what does that say? Anyway I can confirm that our lyrics are in no way associated with the Satan, (however Moritz jokes that may be the case, but what about the references to Beelzebub?). Keep on rocking Marco and we look forward to touring South America in the next eighteen months
From Patrick in Marseilles, France
I hear from a response to a recent letter that you actually made love to a Marshall amplifier while on stage. Of course, I am French and I am naturally a very passionate person, but to hear of someone actually making love to his amplifier is a very courageous thing to do. May I ask did you actually practise this in your hotel room or what it a natural response as the concert reached its climax (and so did you from what I understand). I would love to hear more about this story
Moritz responds:
Patrick, I think there is a great misunderstanding here. I can confirm I have never made love to a Marshall amplifier or any other named amplifier, come to think of it. Please refer to the attached photo where I re-enact what occurred at that frightful concert in Istanbul. When I ran on stage (after the sex and brandy back stage) I had the shock of my life to see that the roadie, Taff Haddock, had attached a four-inch lead to my Fender. There was nothing else available so I had to literally stand on top of the Marshall with my legs wrapped round it. I was very embarrassed and this was where people think I was having sex with the amp. I deny categorically that any penetration took place with the Marshall in question and I think DNA testing would support this, if requested.
Hello my name is Janek and I live in Estonia.
Moritz comments as follows:
Janek, I think I can help you on this. First of all, you can’t be any worse than Taff Haddock; he was a totally shit roadie. The number of times Jim and myself used to dash on stage immediately after sex and half a bottle of brandy (not with each other I add at this point) and find our guitars completely out of tune, it was just ridiculous! I once found that Taff had messed up my guitar leads and the only one available to me was one of these guitar effect-joining leads that are about 4 inches long. I had to spend the entire concert leaning against my amp, I couldn’t move; I had my back to the crowd; in fact one reporter commented that he thought I was trying to shag my Marshall! It was pretty embarrasing, if I recall.
I think I digress here, however Janek, I do have good news for you. A course does exist that should suit your requirement just fine. At the University of Hannover, Germany in the Abteilung Musik (music dept) you will find a two-year course entitled – Diplom Studium Roadie-Technologieslehre. At the end of the course you will receive a globally recognised Diploma in Guitar Roadie Management. If you contact the Music department and speak to Fraulein Koch (very appropriately titled, if you ask my opinion), she should be able to point you in the right direction. I do, however, think your friend is partly correct, as I hear the initial interview process lasts only a few minutes with priority being placed on the type of wool found in your woolly hat and the extent of the overhang of your Bierbauch (beer gut). The course is split into various study phases, with emphasis being placed on the following disciplines:
-Beer Gut Definition and Maximisation
-Woolly Hat Maintanence
-Blow Job Optimisation - How to filter out and streamline the best offers of a Blow Job from eager groupies desperate to meet the band
-Identification of geeks; i.e. fanatical followers of the guitarist, who have no personality whatsoever and who try to brag to their mates that they are ‘in with the band. Anyone called Jerry is usually a prime candidate.’
At least 10 minutes of this two-year course will be spent on guitar tuning techniques. Janek – I wish you well in your studies. It is critical to get this Diploma, however. To become a guitar roadie is very hard to break into. A recognised qualification will lay down the foundation, on which you can then build your career. Good Luck with your studies and, one day, I hope to see you on the Estonian Tour
From Wim in Venlo, Holland
"I have recently seen the poll results into who is the greatest guitarist of all time. I notice that you have had over 16,000 responses.
Could you please confirm what method of polling you have undertaken? Was it 'First passed the post' or Proportional Representation'? Whichever method you have used will give a totally different result if the alternative had been used. I am a big Neil Young fan and I think if you used Proportional
Representation then he could end up in the top 5. Keep up the good work - I really enjoy your site
Jim responds - 'For Gods sake please don't mention the voting method to Taff Haddock. I've had to put up with his political ramblings for the last 10 years. All I hear is the Lib Dems want Proportional Representation but New
Labour won't budge on the issue. What a load of old rubbish! Listen Wim - we have just held a straightforward snap poll on this issue. We've had a great response and it is suprising to see how popular Ritchie Blackmore really is, especially as he is very rarely mentioned in the music press.
Next time we may alter the poll in that you may be allowed to vote for your top ten favourite guitarists, and this may alter the overall results slightly. You may even find Joe Satriani getting more than a token gesture of votes from his one fan! No I'm only joking. All the best. Jim
From Frank in Bakersfield, California
Hi Guys,
I thought I’d send a note to you from this side of “the pond”. I am a very frustrated guitarist and I like to think I am a fairly even-tempered type of person, but I cannot think otherwise that you have a problem with American guitarists, or is it to do with America itself? I listen to many players from all over the world and I can honestly say that, when it comes to rock guitar, I have no bias whatsoever. Please tell me what the problem is with you guys. I read that one of you is still banned from entering the US. Is this where your discrimination lies? Did you have a bad ‘Ice Tea’ over here? Come on guys, open up a little and let us know what your big problem is. By the way I play in a small club band here at home. My main guitar is a Gibson SG and my amp set-up is Marshall 50 watt combo, while I use my Zoom multi-effect as a pre-amp. Your site is great but please cut out the comments about American players.
Jim responds
“Frank, listen to me. I think the US is great country. I have toured there extensively in the last 25 years, and, yes, I have picked up a few diseases on my travels there and I’ve been thrown in your very friendly prisons on two separate occasions. The fact that I am not allowed back into the US has no bearing whatsoever on my regards for American guitarists. The fact remains that they are mostly pretty hopeless. Listen to Steve Vai and Joe Satriani. Take away their multi effects, and their lack of ability is obvious. Anyone can play a wah-wah and if you have the cash you can even purchase a dazzling guitar synth, multi effect thingamijig and sound even more dreadful. The fact is the European players have a little bit of style, finesse, skill and above all, taste. This is what sets them apart from the American nonsense we have to listen to all day on the Kerrang show, or whatever it’s called. The fact remains that players like Ritchie Blackmore came to the States in the early-mid 1970’s and blew away the audiences there. Young Americans, at that time, knew they had no chance to match the skill of Blackmore so they decided to camouflage their limited talent with a fuzz box, wah-wah and ridiculous sounding guitar synths. Don’t get me wrong, I can listen to Eddie van Halen for about…. 12 seconds before I get bored, so there is hope somewhere. May I also clarify that the diseases I picked up in the US were the result of activities involving consenting adults (in various numbers, depending on the US state, hotel and proliferation of young lady fans). Keep up the good work Frank and please keep in touch. If you come to the UK give us a call and we’ll take you to a gig over here where you can see some ‘real’ guitarists in action. By the way, don’t give me that rubbish about ice tea. What the hell is that anyway? Give me a nice cup of Tetley Tea any day – preferably hot!”
Frodo (presumably not his real name) from Bath asks the following question:
I bought an electric guitar and amp kit from Argos just recently ready to emulate my hero Jim Brodie. I was particularly interested in getting feedback noises from the guitar, a bit like Ted Nugent used to back in his glory days. I can’t actually play guitar, I just wanted to “feel the noise” if you know what I mean. Trouble is, the only noise my guitar makes is… well… “bling”. If I hit the notes it just sounds really tinny and a bit puny. Moving the pickup selector back and forth makes no noise at all, yet when Jim Brodie does this a wonderful “click” noise is heard. What am I doing wrong?
Jim replies… “You could try cranking up the volume, although some amps can remain clear at high volume even. You need a fuzz box or distortion pedal really to make the sounds you need. When you get this working try laying the guitar right on top of the amp, this usually makes an awful din. I used this to good effect on the live version of Renegade Nuns
Denzia Pentuis from Croatia had the following question:
How you said me please how you play a G in the song Snipin Grouser, it seems me of as if you really play an A with a seventh one by over the summit, nevertheless I am not sure. I really want to play this track with my band but my low player disputes itself with me of if the song has a G or A for this party if I need knowledge please is said me how this works.
Jim replies… “Good grief! No Denzia you don’t use the seventh one over the summit. Sounds good though, more like a song title. Snipin Grouser is in E so I’m not sure what your Low player, or you, are talking about. Good luck with it though.”
Sylvia from Reading gets wound up about our recently announced project for 2005
"You have already been accused of taking the piss, but this really takes the biscuit. You've ripped off that Title for Intensity from Kinzie Kenner's classic film. Your Intensities in 10 sitting rooms tour for 2005 is actually named after the film Intensities in 10 Cities. Yet you didn't mention this in your description. Own up time is nigh chaps!"
Moritz replies "Well I don't know about Jim but I've never heard of Kinzie Kenner or the film. Mind you, after looking at the poster for the film I wouldn't find doing so! What a gal"
Jim "nope, never heard of it either. Must be just coincidence. Good title though eh!"
Pat Clarke from Sheffield left us with this question
I've viewed your site. I’m sorry guys, but your site is full of shit. For example, that picture on the home page is actually of Ritchie Blackmore circa 1974, not Moritz. Also I remember seeing Adelangst back in 1992 at Wembley. You guys have said that this last UK tour was disastrous and that the name of Adelagngst suffered as a result. Rubbish! You were at your best at this stage. Anyone who hasn't got a bootleg of that last tour (Brighton actually is the best one I've heard) should get one ASAP [Pat left details here of how to get bootlegs, which obviously we cannot allow on this web site] Please can you get an official CD out of this tour ASAP. At Wembley I remember the version of Flowered Curtains which you did for the first encore was the best I've ever heard. Also I remember you playing the "mystery" Adelangst track "Leaving up" which was never on an album but which often got played as an encore track.
One other thing about that gig, I remember a bass player sitting behind Moritz's amps, so you guys are not really telling the truth about the bass/drum machine that you were using. I'd have hoped that the web site (about bloody time too you guys) would have at least tried to be honest about some of the facts about Adelangst and some good historical pictures, so why the piccy of Blackmore? I must admit though the mp3 of "To reach the moon" is a corker, more please! Come on guys, be honest!
Jim replies: "Look smart arse, you are wrong. Here is the picture of Moritz that we used for the home page, Gosh it isn't Ritchie Blackmore at all! Also the "bass player" was probably my roadie tuning up the next guitar for me behind the back line stacks, not a mystery bass player.
Onto your other comments. Moritz and I still find it difficult to listen to the last UK tour. We would rather get something out from the previous tours first, however not so many good quality tapes exist. Maybe one of them might have a copy of "leaving up" which we could then finally get down on an official CD.
And as for more mp3's, look on our home page for details of releases in September and October 2004."
Reinhard in Germany asks the following:
I don't feed appreciated at encore time. How do you recommend I should play the perfect encore?
Jim says: "No-one wants to do encores do they. I mean what’s the bloody point of them. You might as well do a good complete set in one go and go home rather than do this silly pretending. Make this know to your fellow bandmembers and only do an encore if you can be arsed or if you think things have been really special. If forced by management to do an encore make it really short and crap."
Hi my name is Nyu. I live in South Korea. I hope you understand my English
I am sure I saw Adelangst on a tour of Japan in 1983. You were the support act to Judas Priest, if I recall. I was on a student swap in Japan at the time, and apart from the terribly humid weather I have very fond memories of the concert
Well the reason I remember you was because of your incredible dual guitar work. I am not sure which of you is which, as you both looked very similar. I am not a fan of support acts but that night definitely rocked
I think the track Renegade Nun (or Nuns) really stuck out. I can only describe it as frenzied in a very technical and controlled manner. It remind of Iron Maiden type guitar work. Do you know where I can pick up the tableture for this song as my band is very eager to play it
I like to play in a band with twin guitars. Keyboards I am not a big fan of. I also play Fender Strat which I have painted in the colours of the United Nations to signify world peace
Anyway I just wanted to say that in your best days, you were a very good band. I hope the albums are rereleased in the near future. The second album Mallard was just pure classic rock. I'll be following the site on a regular basis to see if you have any far eastern tour dates set up.
Best of luck with the farming Moritz, but please, please strap the guitar back on and get on down here.
If there is any further news on bringing the rock opera to Seoul, i think there would be huge demand
By the way I have posted Viagra to UK today as I hear that yesterday there were election problems in UK. Something to do with Lib Dems and Labour - anyway I hope the Viagra helps
The site rocks - many thanks
Nyu - Seoul
Moritz writes... "Thanks for the comments Nyu. Hey I get you're not very OLD are you Nyu, yo ho! God sorry I bet you get lots of stick back home for having such a crap name. Ah well. We have no plans for an eastern tour, well at least not past Boston Lincolnshire anyway. I've never heard of a tablature of the classic Renegade Nuns track, however if you find it please send it on in case anyone wants us to play again as Adelangst in the near future, you never know!. We have got a promoter interested in performing "Tummy" in Seoul in early 2007 however there is some concern over the poor performance of the show in Skegness last year as it only lasted for one week, however my opinion on this is well known as the promoter there never gave the show a chance. I thought that having a similar name to the classic rock opera "Tommy" was a good promotional idea, however too many people got confused and kept ringing up the promoter complaining about a spelling mistake. Some of these same people turned up and were pissed off when there was no "see me feel me" and all that but instead "legs open, legs open, red cucumber, up and under, up and under" which maybe lacks some subtlety, however we are rockers you know!
Thanks for your comments Nyu, you are a Seoul man, yo! (Actually no, you must be a rocker, but I thought it was a bit funny, you know)
I love the site, and I think I will benefit from it greatly
My question is I have no friends whatsoever. I listen to rock music in the
privacy of my bedsit and I also play guitar (A Yamaha - les paul copy) .
I get great satisfaction from my music, however I have to admit
the rest of my life is a complete waste.
Do you have any ideas as to how my music will be able to enhance my totally
miserable non-worthwhile life.
Thanks and all the best. Good luck with the site
Jim answers: You really need to give up your day job and get rocking! Never mind about messing around in your bedsit, that's a bit like musical masterbation. Come on, strap the guitar on and get rocking outside. I would strongly reccomend going up to London and busking on the bottom of the tube station steps. Pick a particularly deep tube station where the passengers will be forced to listen to you. The acoustics are usually fantastic and you can get loads of feedback if you crank it up, although the oldies and young "dance/rap" tossers will probably complain if you do. If you can't play particularly well just take along a delay effects pedal and mess about with it, you are bound to get some trance or ambient nut cases throwing money at you. Enjoy!
Angela from Bucks
"Mr" Angela from Bucks is having trouble with his knees. Well Moritz has come up with a useful answer for you here.
Do you have a bad knee and have problems with getting that classic 'down on one knee pose'. I have the same problem however I have conquered this particular query. For a few years now I've used Adidas multi purpose knee support - available in all good sport shops. Notice how it is used here in conjunction with a fairly typical pose. Good eh?
Harry in Leicester says:
My wife says I treat the rest of the band members like dirt. What am I doing wrong?
Moritz offers the following advice:
Really this advice falls into two categories
How to treat your band members whilst on stage.
If you are on tour with them, do not travel in the same couch or even plane if you can help it. Travel separately. Tell them you don’t trust the vehicle. Arrive late at the venue, but with the guitar virtually strapped on you, ready to take to the stage, then you can blame them in the end for being late in with the first song.
Always try to play the first few bars of the song without being seen by the audience, it increases the tension. Do not acknowledge the rest of the band unless they have done a particularly brilliant solo spot or something, and then just give them a polite hand clap.
If you get introduced by the singer or leader of the bank, completely ignore him and the introduction.
How to treat your band members whilst not on stage.
Well, the best thing is to sack one or two of them every year to keep everyone constantly guessing. If you don’t have that kind of power then choose the member who has been annoying you the most and get the rest of the band to agree to kick him out. Never be seen with your band members off stage unless for official photographs, and even then you shouldn’t turn up to all these kind of events.
Trevor in Cockermouth also has an issue:
I feel that I burn out with ideas during the first few numbers. How would you recommend I chill out to play a more consistent concert for its' entire duration?
Jim remembers:
Rule 1. Always, always make the audience want more. Don’t pull out all the stops on the first solo, just twiddle a bit and put the odd good run in, but make it simple. Then as the set goes on do some other good bits, but not all at one go. The audience will keep thinking that you’re really going to play a blinder at some point, and you might, or you won’t. The main thing is to keep them guessing. Every 9 gigs or so you must play an absolutely brilliant and long set that will have the fanbase talking for years. “Hey remember Stafford Bingley Hall 1980” and all that sort of thing. The internet sites will be full of this, but remember not do this very often, the rest of the time you must simply tease the audience into expectation. The more the expectation of the audience, the more they will remember you afterwards. I always remember Ronaldo Philips who was the lead guitarist in Stunk Pink, the amazing Brazilian rock/garage crossover band in Brazil in the early 1990’s, being brilliant at this. Hey anyone remember Ronaldo at Bradford St Georges Hall in 1993?
Mark in Essex is having trouble with the wife!
My wife says I am a sad git. Miming away to rock music in the privacy of my mini studio. What would you recommend that I do to have her look at me in a less demeaning manner?
Jim answers "she's probably listening to your playing and is therefore aware that you are getting so good you are likely to hit the big time any moment. Then you are almost bound to dump her, what with all of the crumpet that will be after you backstage. So just put up and keep up the good work"
Hello God of Guitar.
Anyway my question concerns my ear. I have a truly awful ear for listening to vocalists. It is so bad I honestly don't think I could tell the difference between David Coverdale and David Copperfield!! I have sacked so many singers thinking they are rubbish, but when I think about it, my ear is so bad, maybe it's just me that is crap and the vocalists are decent.
What do you recommend I do to improve my ear, and also to improve relationships with vocalists?
Moritz answers "Well, I don't think it's your ear for vocalists that's the problem, you have probably destroyed your ear by listening so much to Joe Satriani. Try listening to the playing of Jim Brodie, especially from the Mallard LP. He doesn't just know how to go from A to B quickly, he has subtlety and finesse. You can't expect vocalists to sound like a guitar you know. Also bear in mind that Joe wasn't even good enough for Deep Purple and they had to put up with Steve Morse. Even I'm better than Steve Morse! Anyway our very own Ritchie Blackmore can beat the shit out of any of these guys with one single note. Oh yes he can!
Hello Moritz and Jim from Michael Bloss in Germany.
Michael Bloss
Wow - I can't believe it's you.
bits ands bats on the Liberal SDP alliance, and out of nowhere I get your
site coming up.
I think I entered something like David Steel God of Rapor or something.
Anyway how are you keeping. For anyone reading this, I used to be Jim's
roadie from 1985 to the big split in 1992. The things we used to get up to
in those days. I tell you that when I look back on those days, I wish I'd
used a sheath. I'm getting chased by the CSA almost on a daily basis.
Do you remember when we went on that Austrian tour and you got thrown into
prison for beating up a bouncer on stage supporting the Scorpions? Oh my,
the things we did.
I recall you setting fire to Moritz's spandex trousers at Donnington 1986.
He wasn't the slimmest person around and what a sight!!!!! I think at the
time you were furious that you weren't allowed to play. I don't know how you
thought that you could just turn and play. The funniest part of that day was
you running up and down outside the promoters office shouting 'You've got to
let me play,I'm Ritchie Blackmore'. The security guys frogmarching you off
site is a memory I will always treasure.
I can't wait for the bio to come out on you two guys. We had a great time
together and I will always have very special memories of that period of our
lives.
If you need any more info on the Liberal Democrats please let me know
All the best
Taff Haddock - former guitar roadie to Jim
'My name is Rameesh
Rameesh'
'My name is David
My question is, as a vocalist what do you recommend I do to try to control /outdo the egotistical antics of our guitarist?
Jim answers "Don't worry about being truly awful but being more popular than ever. I mean, look at Ozzy Ozbourne. The mind boggles. I hate guitarists who think they are great. Very very few deserve to have the word "great" against their name. Jim Brodie and myself do deserve it, I think, along with such luminaries as Hendrix, Blackmore and Rheinhardt. I can never understand why people rate guitarists like Jeff Beck. What the bloody hell has Jeff Beck ever done to deserve such credit as a God of Guitar? Can you remember the guitar solo in "Hi Ho silver lining" no? Well neither can I. And as for all the jazz bollocks with Jan Hammer, well you can buy any porn movie and get guitar solos which are just as good as that (there's a really good one on "Glory Whole 6" when the guy gets caught in the telephone box with the waitress). Hell even after all these years people come up to me to talk about Jerkoff Jenkins from Adelangst. And the guy was such a tosser, it's untrue. So my recommendation would be to continue with the Status Quo (no no, not them!) and let your guitarist think he's great. You know the truth, and by the sound of it, so do your audience.