The Chris Bonney Interview Series, Part I

Chris at the DT & the Shakes reunion show June 26, 2010

Chris Bonney, my first guitar hero, has graciously agreed to be interviewed for Xmastime; I'll be posting his answers over the next several weeks. Your job is to start pestering your Congressman to make DT and the Shakes legally hafta get back together and R  O  C  K!!!  :)

Thanks to Chris for doing this!

***********************************************
1) You grew up in the age of oldies and classic rock, back when popular radio really meant something as a musical center for entire sections of the country; what effect did the radio have on you growing up? What were the earliest bands or songs you liked?
Um, you DO realise that they didn't actually call it "classic rock" at the time, right? But, as you point out, rock radio was the focal point for kids of my generation.  You know that scene in "Almost Famous" where the Cameron Crowe character's older sister says, "Someday you'll be cool"? Well, that's what rock music was to the 15 year old me. I vividly remember looking at my older cousin's yearbook where there was a photo of a guitarist playing in the school gym, a leather thong of feathers attached to the headstock of his guitar by a roachclip, and thinking, "I want to be that guy." (It wasn't until later in HS that I realised that my gneration wasn't heading in the direction of dope smoking, music inspired liberation, but in that of money grubbing rightwing asshole-ness.) The first recording I ever owned was "Indian Reservation" by Paul Revere and the Raiders.  And the first LP I ever got was Aerosmith "Toys in the Attic," which I still love.  And there was the usual assortment of embarrassing AOR -- Boston, Kansas, Ted Nugent, Van Halen, etc.  Before discovering punk rock I spent a lamentable period listening to Rush, Yes and such, and a not nearly as lamentable period as a fan of Hot Tuna.

2) When did you learn to play guitar, and why? Who would you say you styled yourself after as a guitar player, if anyone? Was the Red Peavey your first guitar? :)
I got an Aspen Strat copy for Christmas when I was 15.  I had bought a no-name amp at a neighbour's garage sale the previous summer and was adamant that I didn't want an acoustic guitar. My parents paid for lessons with the cool local guitar teacher.  I remember him teaching me "Highway to Hell" and "Ain't Talking 'Bout Love." I guess insofar as I had the ability to style myself after anyone it would have been Jorma Kaukonen from Hot Tuna.  It wasn't until much later that I discovered that he played fingerstyle guitar and was not up my alley at all (skill or style-wise). And I bought the Peavey the year before college with money I saved from my job working at my grandfather's hardware store.

3) Obviously DT was greatly influenced by punk/new wave; were you aware of those bands before you went to college, or joined the band?
The Ramones, Pretenders, and Dead Boys saved my life in high school.  I had always been the class nerd and the first time I heard "Road to Ruin" I knew it was what I wanted from this life.  And the LOOK of it as well seemed perfectly fitted to the cartoonishness of life in high school in 1979.  I actually invited the Pretenders to my high school graduation (they didn't come), and the percussive chk-a-chk guitar on "The Wait" is still one of my favourite guitar parts.  and when Will and I first met we bonded over a shared love of Dead Boys and Birthday Party.

***********************************************

Stay tuned for Part II of Chris' interview!

Here's DT live at the Little Grill a "few" years ago  :)