“I Play So British?”
In the ten years that I ran my “Guitar Heroes” show I gained an enormous number of experiences and a lifetime of memories.
I haven’t gotten around to counting up the number of guest guitarists that participated in recording or playing live with me but there were certainly a lot and each of them had a really big story behind them.
One of the last gigs I did with the “Guitar Heroes” was at Windsor or somewhere near there.
The venue was packed and even Glenn A. Baker was in the audience!
I remember him introducing himself to me at the end of the night saying “you play so British, you must be British“? I said no… I’m Australian.
He followed up with “Your parents must be British then”?
So I said “no I’m 7th generation Australian”.
I really appreciated the compliment and coming from Glenn A. Baker it was quite something.
I really enjoyed talking with him and that’s what the “Guitar Heroes” was about, getting people together, enjoying the music and meeting people.
The guest guitarists that night were Dennis Wilson from Khavis Jute, Brad Carr from the Choirboys, “Fess” Parker from the Radiators and Dom Turner from the Backsliders.
It was a stella lineup and an incredible night!
Interestingly the sound man that brought the P.A. and did sound for us was Shane Loadsman who had been tour manager for “Midnight Oil” and also managed “Spy v Spy”.
I hadn’t met him before but he was a really nice and an instantly likeable person, he just had a pleasant energy about him.
When he told me that he managed “Spy v Spy” he asked if he could arrange an interview with Michael Weiley the Spy’s guitarist.
Shane said he would so we worked at organising a date.
Since I live at Cronnulla we settled on a Friday night when the Spy’s would play at the Engadine Hotel.
“Ronnie” From FACES.
I interviewed Mike before the show and as the interview unfolded it was clear that Mick had quite a unique story, it was a great interview.
Mike invited me to get up and play some slide guitar with the band.
I wasn’t familiar with their songs but it was great checking them out and I really enjoyed playing with Spy v Spy.
During the interview Mike gave an account of the only guitar lesson he’d had in his life.
He described how before migrating to Australia with his mother that there was a man in his village back in England that everyone knew as Ronnie.
He was really popular and quite a colourful character and dresser.
He was a guitar player so “Ronnie” kindly gave Mike his one and only guitar lesson.
Years later Mike saw a picture of The Rolling Stones and he exclaimed to his mother “hey mum there’s Ronnie“!
Ronnie, the colourful character and dresser from Mick’s village was Ron Lane from FACES
I don’t think too many people could claim to have been taught by the guitar player from the Stones…
I also enjoyed hearing how Spy v Spy became popular in Brazil, it was a fascinating interview and it was great playing with them.
Shane talked about maybe having me play slide on certain songs with them regularly to give the band a different sound and dimension.
Sadly Mike passed away.
I often wonder what may have come of it?
The interview originally appeared In Australian Guitar Magazine,
I covered over 200 interviews for the magazine and I’m really enjoying revisiting them, I actually never watched them back then and it’s curious watching them because I don’t remember a lot of those conversations.