For Those About to Rock…
It was late-1992 and Rock music had definitely changed.
Unlike with Hip-Hop and the emerging G-funk era, seemingly overnight, the center of the Rock universe travelled north on I-5, from L.A. to Seattle. With the exception of a handful of remaining musical goliaths and headliners like AC/DC, Megadeth, Metallica, Ozzy Osbourne band, and Van Halen, a few Alternative Rock bands from southern California, namely RHCP, RATM, and STP, and a Metal band from Texas (Pantera), almost all attention was squarely focused on the “Big 4” from Seattle. Their faces, sound, and style were literally everywhere.
At first, I bristled at the changes occurring on my FM dial. In fact, I didn’t like change, period. After all, the “familiar” was safe and I felt that I had enough turmoil in my life. Around this time, my friend acquired an electric guitar and quickly learned the main riff to “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana. I was intrigued. We talked about the current state of music, as he slowly fingerpicked the first few notes to “Under the Bridge” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. “Their guitarist (Frusciante) is awesome. This is a tough riff. There is nothing like it on the radio.”, he remarked. He was right. That song also seemed to reflect how I was feeling at the time, as did a few songs from Alice In Chains and Soundgarden.
However, with respect to the other Rock music from that era, I initially didn’t connect with it, as I was looking in the rear-view mirror at the previous decade; I was focused on a closing stage door. Today, looking back, it was mostly because I so revered the precise performance of music, as much as the music itself. Neo-Classical-inspired solos and guitar playing focused on speed, technical prowess, and virtuosity, greatly influenced [still do to some extent] my perception of what a “lead guitarist” was, what a “rockstar” was.
As 1992 became 1993, my inner musicologist began to see a connection to the past, perhaps spurred along by the often sapient and seemingly ethereal words found in the songs of Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin. Society’s fascination with one musical style or genre was replaced by another. What was old, became new again. No matter the genre, current bands were influenced by past bands, and so on, and so on. I ultimately discovered (and rediscovered) the sounds of yesteryear, while also becoming receptive to the “now”. In turn, my CD collection began to grow exponentially.
“Then as it was, then again it will be…
And though the course may change sometimes, Rivers always reach the sea...”
- Led Zeppelin
...and sometimes you just gotta smash a guitar and break some s@#%!
This is the cover art for the studio album London Calling by the artist The Clash. The cover art copyright is believed to belong to the label, Epic Records, or the graphic artist(s), Ray Lowry.
Source: wikipedia.org
Later that Winter, I again had the urge to learn how to play the guitar. Being that I didn’t have an electric guitar, I reached for the only axe in my shed, my student-size acoustic guitar; the little instrument that brought with it memories of my past “performance” in ‘82. Coincidentally, since those early days of MTV, there was a certain video, a concert video that captured my attention. The video began with a shirtless guitarist under the spotlight, rhythmically marching in place while playing one of the most haunting, bad a$$ opening riffs in Rock history; Angus Young and AC/DC performing “For Those About To Rock (We Salute You)”.
In retrospect, perhaps it was fitting that this was the first riff that I learned how to play on the guitar. I initially could only play it using the B string and the high E string. Something didn’t sound quite right though and unfortunately, I didn’t have sheet music or guitar tab for reference, nor did I have a copy of the music video. Eventually, my friend and I figured it out; I needed to also include some notes on the G string. After a few more tries, I had it down. Next up was the main riff to “Iron Man” by Black Sabbath (although at the time, I was listening to the Randy Rhoads’ version from the “Tribute” album by Ozzy Osbourne). It was happening...
By chance, a couple of months later, while I was waiting in between classes at the student center of our local community college, I met a girl that I remembered from high school. She had an acoustic guitar [go figure...] and as we conversed, we naturally began to talk about music a little. She then showed me how to pluck the main riff to “Plush” by Stone Temple Pilots. Yes Tony, girls can play guitars. Whoa...
As the days grew warmer, there were two concert announcements that grabbed my attention, one was for Def Leppard and the other was for Van Halen. Despite the changing musical landscape, both of these bands continued to have a large fan base, myself included. Like that of Van Halen, the music of Def Leppard was tied to a plethora of memories for me. To this day, when I hear songs from the “Hysteria” album, especially the title track, I am immediately taken back to my first two years of high school. Arguably, only music has this ability to defy the restraints of space and time.
The Def Leppard show in mid-July was my first Rock concert, with Van Halen following nine days later. Both concerts were stellar. In addition to the planned pyrotechnics at the Van Halen show, nature provided its own fireworks in the form of cloud-to-cloud lighting from storms fifty or so miles away to our North and West. The lightning formed a memorable backdrop for the stage and perhaps was also foreshadowing the band’s future contribution to the “Twister” soundtrack, possibly even its eventual (second) stormy breakup.
Gotta ticket in my hand…
Photo Credit: Anthony Woodard
After experiencing those two shows, I was definitely hooked. I also knew two things; (1) I really had to learn how to play the guitar and (2) I preferred live performances/recordings over studio recordings. And so, about two months later, I arrived at my local music store with $500 and a plan, or so I thought.
Crossing the threshold, I noticed the music store was filled with all sorts of instruments and equipment, more than I had ever seen.
It was a Saturday afternoon and there were several customers, some seemingly new to music like me and some much further along on their respective journeys. As with most music stores, there was a wall of guitars, with many different types, brands, and models on display; Fender, Gibson, Ibanez, Jackson, and several others. Looking at all of the instruments was a little overwhelming, as I had no idea what I needed or what to look for in a guitar. For a moment, I felt like that little fourth-grader all over again, standing in front of the audience, completely clueless. As I held the instruments in my hands, I also couldn’t help but notice their price tags; most cost more than I could afford. The best-laid plans...
An employee eventually made his way through the crowd to see how he could be of assistance. I introduced myself, letting him know that my friend’s older brother had recommended that I come by. It turned out that the “employee” was one of the owners and he knew my friend’s brother really well. After a few chuckles, I let him know that I wanted to learn how to play the guitar and was there to buy one, along with an amp. He asked me to name some of my favorite bands and guitarists. “Oh, I don’t know. I like all kinds of music… I really like and listen to a lot of Van Halen, Ozzy, Megadeth, …some AC/DC, some Zeppelin, …and I know how to play the opening to Plush”, I ultimately responded. The store owner smiled and remarked, “Diving right into the deep-end. I like it. I figured you were going to say Nirvana or Pearl Jam, like everyone else does.”
Over the next few minutes, I received a crash course on guitars. “You want to shred and play stuff by Eddie or Randy, you really need more of a “Strat-style” body, a slim neck with 24 frets, good pickups (at least two humbuckers), and a “Floyd Rose” with a locking tremolo”, he said. I just nodded my head, while displaying a somewhat clueless, Clark Griswold-like expression. Honestly, it was like he was speaking a foreign language.
There was another part of the store, towards the back, that I didn’t previously notice, where the used equipment was kept, and ultimately from where I would receive my “Excalibur”. Actually, it was a Hamer “Chaparral” and it was awesome! The store owner told me that the Chaparral is a great guitar and that Hamer guitars were played by Vernon Reid of Living Colour and Glenn Tipton of Judas Priest. [Ok, I’m in good company here...]
After choosing a tiny Fender practice amp and picking up some .009-.042-gauge strings [I still prefer these today], the store owner handed me a business card with someone else’s name printed on it. As he pointed over to the other side of the store, he said, “Give this guy a call. He is an awesome teacher and gives lessons right over there.” A couple of minutes later, the purchase was complete; I held my first electric guitar and had a plan.
I was about to rock...
“This is Toxic…” Toxic A$$ets rockin’ in 2022 (…and me playing an epic solo)
Photo Credit: Josh Stolberg (photo filtered by Anthony Woodard)
To be continued…
Tony’s Takeaways
“Businesses must embrace change” is a widely espoused saying. Whether it occurs when a radio station abruptly changes its format, when a restaurant removes a favorite dish from its menu, when an athlete suffers a knee injury, or when a person needs to make lifestyle changes due to health issues, change comes to us in many different forms, from different directions, and often concurrently, whether we realize it or not. This is mostly because our world, our universe, is said to be in a “constant” state of flux; “always” in motion. The Greek philosopher Heraclitus long ago said, "change is the only constant in life." Or, to quote Alanis, “Isn’t it ironic, don’t you think...?”
That being said, we also know that most people instinctively resist change. The opposite of change can be viewed as consistency, which Merriam-Webster defines as an “agreement or harmony of parts or features to one another or a whole.” In psychology, cognitive dissonance theory is based on the human need for consistency. Specifically, the American Psychological Association defines cognitive dissonance as "an unpleasant psychological state resulting from inconsistency between two or more elements in a cognitive system." Perhaps, the human desire for consistency is also a way of coming to terms with the incomprehensible, ever-changing nature of the universe. Whatever the reason, we want consistency.
So, you may be asking yourself why businesses need to embrace change when nearly everyone, including customers and employees, want consistency? Is this a conundrum? Were Heraclitus and Alanis correct?
Right, wrong, or indifferent, when looking through a business lens, which is focused on people, more specifically, human interaction, consistency becomes more salient. Concordantly, as the co-Founder of LinkedIn, Reid Hoffman, once said, “Trust equals consistency over time...”.
Hoffman is correct. However, as illustrated in my previous post, when establishing and maintaining a relationship in order to have an interchange of ideas, opinions, or sentiments (i.e., to conduct business), we must address both change and consistency; organizations and leaders must be both resilient and agile, in order to consistently meet expectations, in a changing environment. “Isn’t it ironic, don’t you think...?” While it will evolve over time, to do this, we need a plan, a process.
And, what are we to make of those unexpected and seemingly unexplained, often brief, interactions and interchanges with others, or of “meaningful coincidences”, which Carl Jung defined as “synchronicity”? Are such items and events glimpses of a higher order or a greater plan? Are they the result of confirmation bias? Are they gentle nudges or unconscious reminders from the universe, ourselves, or both, that guide us from one place to another? Are you experienced?
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