Playing guitar, owning guitars and that kind of stuff.
I come from a (weird) family that isn't interested
in music at all.
Despite of that disadvantage, as a kid,
I always wanted my birthday presents to be musical instruments.
So my machinery consisted of harmonicas,
xylophones, flutes etc. and a single drum mostly hidden somewhere
high in a cupboard so I couldn't make a
noise.
As most people who play music, play guitar,
I didn't really feel like doing so until at 15 I discovered that guitarists
had something plenty that I didn't have:............
GIRLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So I just had to buy one. (Not a
girl!... A guitar!)
From my first earned money that summer I
bought me a cheap spanish one and taught myself 'The house of the Rising
Sun' in two days and started listening to players like Alex Lifeson, Rory
Gallagher and Jimmy Paige.
All the practicing went great and there
I was...suddenly 30 years old wiping my head with a towel on stage at beer
break during a gig and this little smart ass 14 yr. old boy comes up to
me and says:"WHERE'S YA WHAMMY????".
I said whammy? whammy? wot do ya mean???
He said "A Whammy bar man! haven't you ever
heard of Steve Vai?? Where have you been man!!!"
Then the crowd woke up and I heard them
mumbling "HE HAS GOT NO WHAAAAAMMY, HE HAS GOT NO WHAAAAAMMY"!!
So after vanishing ashamed, embarrassed
and humiliated through the backdoor of that pub I decided to buy me an
axe with a Whammy.
All the practicing went shit and here I
am...Suddenly 35 years old and deciding to keep my playing low profile
to give Steve the chance to be the best(and he is...).
coming: my guitars,