The Guitar Magazine – September 2019

‘70s rock’ vibe on that track, so I persevered! The
heavily overdubbed When We All Come Together
features all kinds of bizarre instruments, including
a baritone guitar and electric mandola made by
Duesenberg, plus an ancient ‘junk shop’ archtop
acoustic with no visible brand name.
“But the ‘lead’ guitar you hear on that track
was a Bilt Corvaire – one of the strangest-looking
instruments in the studio’s collection. It has certain
surf-style, Jazzmaster-esque characteristics, but then,
inexplicably, it also featured see-through f-holes
which ran all the way through the body. It looked
disconcertingly odd, but it sounded amazing – it had
plenty of the desired ‘twang’ without sounding thin.
“Having said all of that, my main setup for the
bulk of the album was still my Charvel signature
guitar (the ash-bodied version) running into a
Victory V30 MKII head and a 2x12 cabinet with
Celestion Vintage 30 speakers. The main effects
I can remember using were an Xotic wah, an Xotic
EP Booster, a Providence chorus, a Uni-Vibe that
I borrowed from the studio and the Synthonizer
algorithm from an Eventide H9 (mainly for the
weird noises on Burial At Sea).”

Given that you rarely replicate studio solos live,
is it safe to say you don’t view those studio solos
as necessarily integral to the song?
“Short answer: yes! Certain solos in the rock-guitar
canon have obviously attained absolute ‘scripture’
status and can never be changed, as they were clearly
composed and truly serve a ‘song within the song’
purpose – I’m pretty sure that nobody wants to hear
a ‘new and improved’ solo in Hotel California or
Bohemian Rhapsody!
“For the kind of thing I tend to do, however, my
instincts normally pull me towards more of a jazz
mindset. I find it reassuring to think of reference
points such as the mighty Jeff Beck, who of course
would never dream of playing the same solo from
one night to the next.
“Whenever I write something for The Aristocrats,
I typically try to incorporate both extremes so
there will be certain parts where every event is
very composed/defined and then there will be other
contrasting sections where we can tap into our more
loose, improvisational side: these sections can then
reflect however we might all be feeling on any given
night. I think improvisation is probably the area
where I feel the most comfortable and presumably
have the most to offer. I also like the general concept
of allowing a song to grow when you take it out
on tour, rather than trying to crystallise the perfect
version of the solo and then having to replicate that
every night.
“Taking risks can occasionally be very fruitful,
because you tend to remember the things which
worked particularly well and in some cases, those

ideas gradually become assimilated into your

general vocabulary. A present-day live version of an

older song like Furtive Jack will feature quite a few

elements which started out as cheeky experiments

during one particular gig, but then gradually came to

be accepted as permanent parts of the arrangement.

And all of this happened without any kind of formal

discussion: it almost felt like the song was telling us

how it wanted to be arranged, and all we had to do

was pay attention.”

Touring with artists such as Steven Wilson, your

pedalboards have been quite elaborate, but you

seem to strip things back for your own music...

“Some of that approach may well stem from my

formative years, when all I had was a guitar and an

amp; I grew up in an environment where there really

wasn’t any budget for acquiring and experimenting

with a variety of pedals, so I suppose I was compelled

to explore more affordable means of varying my tone,

by experimenting with different kinds of pick attack

and such like. To this day, my natural instinct each

time I play a note is to be very aware of every little

detail – timbrally, dynamically, et cetera – so part of

me probably wants to ensure that the listener can

really hear all those details, some of which might well

get lost if I enhanced them with too much soft-focus

processing. One additional factor is so many venues

present acoustic challenges: in a bad-sounding room,

the best way to ensure the maximum transmission

of nuance and detail to the listeners is to adopt an

unforgivingly dry tone on the stage...”

Even though you’re self-taught, what was the most

memorable advice you were given when learning?

“Way back when I was still learning my first few open

chord shapes, my dad somehow managed to explain

the nebulous concept of playing music ‘with feeling’

in a way which actually made sense to me: this

concept helped me to understand how it was possible

I could, at least occasionally, play an Elvis song with

100 per cent accuracy and yet still sound nothing like

the original recording I was trying to emulate. To this

day, that general concept of ‘playing like you mean it’

“TO THIS DAY, MY NATURAL

INSTINCT EACH TIME I PLAY A

NOTE IS TO BE VERY AWARE OF

EVERY LITTLE DETAIL – TIMBRALLY,

DYNAMICALLY, ET CETERA”

GUTHRIE GOVAN

GUITAR MAGAZINE 39