As promised last issue, the full video of my interview with Adrian Belew (Frank Zappa, King Crimson, Talking Heads, David Bowie, NIN, and many others) is now available online. Adrian was here for two days, debuting and demonstrating his new signature model Parker guitar, which combines a stellar Parker Fly with a built-in Line 6 Variax system; a built-in Sustainer pickup; and a 13-pin hex pickup for driving a Roland-compatible guitar synth and/or modeling processor, such as the VG-99. The Adrian Belew guitar can literally do anything, as Adrian ably demonstrated when he took the stage in the Sweetwater Performance Theatre for both an early morning concert for Sweetwater employees and for a free clinic/concert for the public later that evening (in both cases accompanied by the other members of his enormously talented “Power Trio,” Eric and Julie Slick).
I was able to spend quite a bit of time with Adrian, and I picked his brain about a variety of guitar-related topics – check out the videos of the interview to see what he had to say! You’re sure to learn something from this talented, super-eclectic musician – I know I sure did! Special thanks to Adrian for so generously sharing his time, knowledge, and experience with all of us.
You can view all 15 questions and Adrian’s answers from the interview at the Adrian Belew feature on the Sweetwater site, or jump over to YouTube, where some highlights are presented in two parts. Here’s part one: