Best known as the guitarist for the Platinum selling 80 s rock band Dokken and fronting his own band Lynch Mob for the last 30 years, George Lynch and the current line up of Lynch Mob stroll into the Virginia Street Brewhouse for a show Friday July 12 in Reno Nevada.
We had chance to talk to George about Lynch Mob, Mr Scary Guitars, producers, and what we can expect at the show here in Reno. Plus what future projects are around the corner for one of the most influential guitarist to come out of 80's. The decade of decadence, big hair and the guitar hero.
07/02/19
RnR: Did you ever imagine in 1989 that we would be talking Lynch Mob or let alone the first album "Wicked Sensation" 30 years after its release ?
GL: I never thought it wouldn't happen. Making that album was a pretty monumental effort and we were planning on owning the universe. There was a grand design behind all of it having just come out of Dokken. I had a lot of fire power and resources. So there was a plan to cement ourselves into the books.
RnR: You are bringing the band here to the Virginia Street Brewhouse on July 12. Who is in the current line up we will be seeing here in Reno ?
GL: Sean Mcnabb (Bass) whos been in the band for the last five years, Jimmy D' Anda (Drums), and I are the core group. Jimmy has another commitment so we have Matt Star sitting in for the Reno show. We rotate singers more than anything and we have Andrew Freeman from "The Last In Line" right now on vocals....
RnR: Now what did that take to pull Andrew away from "TLIL" ?
GL: I didn't pulled him away per say. I think all of us at this level in this business work together to some respect. It a big circle of friends and we share resources. Its like musical chairs. I can't even think of how many singers we have had in Lynch Mob. (Laughing)
RnR: What will be hearing ? Will we be getting a good dose off of "Wicked Sensation" for its 30th anniversary ?
GL: Definitely a good dose of "Wicked Sensation" plus a few others along with a few Dokken songs.
RnR: Its been almost two years since Lynch Mobs last album "The Brotherhood" was released. Which spawned two video's. Anything in the works for possibly a new record in the foreseeable future ?
GL: Funny you should ask that because I just talked with Oni about that and we are talking about gearing up and getting back into the studio. It's in the discussion stage. Lynch Mob can be a lot of different things at this point. It could be close to the original band or something completely different. I did a record that wasn't well received called "Smoke This" which had nothing to do with traditional Lynch Mob it was more a rap/metal thing. I love that record but the band has always been a ever changing metamorphosis of sound and people.
RnR: (Laughing) The list of folks is pretty long.....
GL: Its a rule here in town that you got to be in Lynch Mob for awhile before you can play elsewhere (Laughing)
RnR: What producer from your past do you feel found and brought out the true George Lynch sound ?
GL: Michael Wagner. I was the most comfortable with him on every level. Personally and with the sounds he was getting out of me and capturing. I don't know why I haven't worked with him again. Probably because he lives in Nashville (Laughing)
RnR: You did a project with Robert Mason (Warrant) Mick Brown and Jeff Pilson from your Dokken days called "The End Machine". Any plans on that project touring ?
GL: Like with all these projects we all want to tour and perform the thing we created live because its really gratifying to do but there are logistical issues with the guys in the bigger bands like Korn, Foreigner, or Warrant. Their probably not going to accomadate our needs to book a tour.." Ummm...Hey Korn can you sit home for three months while we go out and tour" (Laughing)
RnR: The guitars you are building are beautiful. How is Mr .Scary Guitar's going and what got you to the point of making your own guitars ?
GL: I'm actually working on one while we speak. It evolved over time. It really goes back to when I was real young and started tinkering with my guitar in my dad's garage. I was trying to improve them which usually meant I destroyed them in the attempt.(Laughing) I had a 61' Les Paul special that I tried to turn into a fretless wonder with a metal file and a vice. Just primitive stuff at that time because I really didn't know what I was doing. Then about 8 yeas ago I was having some back trouble and in a wheelchair for a few months and was going crazy. I needed to do something with my hands. I was frustrated so I got some ESP guitars and just started doing things to them from carving them up and adding/removing hardware just having fun with them. Then after I got better health wise I got my own shop at ESP slapping them together. I've been doing now for 8 years self taught on a slow learning curve (Laughing) making mistakes and looking stuff up on youtube.
RnR: I heard about a incident with you that involved chickens on fire on a freeway. What was the story ?
GL: Ummm Ok ? (Like how did you hear about that) We where playing up in the Northeast back in the mid 2000's and the next day after the end of the tour I had to fly home then to China. So after the final show I met up with my tour manager who informs me he's had to much to drink and can't drive me to the airport. Im like "what !". It gets better as he tells me he's got these two hillbilly fan's though that will drive you. I had no choice so we take off down the freeway and I'm like hey we got go get my stuff at the hotel but I didn't know what the address of the hotel was so back to the club to get the address. We get my stuff from the hotel and get a mile or two down the freeway and in front of us we see a huge explosion. A tanker truck crashed in front of us blocking the whole road and setting other vehicles on fire. We got stuck in traffic right at the front. No where to go for hours. There where Fire Engines, Police, cranes. A few of these trucks on fire were hauling chickens so there were chickens running around on fire. I'M sitting there and got to pee so I jump out and saved a chicken. I jump back into the truck and it got worse. The two guys had a battery powered guitar with a speaker in it and one of them starts asking me to show him how to play Mr Scary. His buddy starts yelling at him to leave Mr Scary alone he doesn't want to do that right now. So they start fighting, I got burning vehicles and chickens all around me and I can't go anywhere cuz where stuck for hours. These guys are still fighting. It was a nightmare. I'm thinking I'm never getting to China. So I get to Jersey, I missed my flight, I got a shit load of equipment, my wife thinks I'm at the strip club. It was miserable. So the next day I'm at the airport to fly to China and they hand me a newspaper and there's the story about the crash. I cut it out and when I got home I couldn't wait to show my wife the article to prove I wasn't lying. (Laughing)
RnR: That's funny ! Well thank you for your time George. Very much appreciated.
GL: My pleasure. I enjoyed it. See you in Reno.
Talking shop with
George Lynch
