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Lightnin Hopkins was something of a fixture on the Houston coffee house scene so we were witness to eccentric blues brilliance close up. Then, believe it or not, along came the wave of the English cats like John Mayall, Eric Clapton and the Stones embracing the great American art form - the blues.
Billy Gibbons ZZ Top -
There's not a single genre that is hard to find or hard to get.
Billy Gibbons ZZ Top
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Turn on, tune up, rock out.
Billy Gibbons ZZ Top -
Lightnin' Hopkins taught us, "the rubber on a wheel is faster than the rubber on a heel" and Muddy Waters taught us "you don't have to be the best one; just be a good 'un" .. that just about says it all, always strive to be a good 'un.
Billy Gibbons ZZ Top -
Ever since I was a little kid and first heard Jimmy Reed's 'Honey, Don't Let Me Go,' the blues has been in my blood.
Billy Gibbons ZZ Top -
My discussion with Keith Richards about the creative process led me to believe that there's an invisible presence of a stream of ever-flowing creativity that we overhear-all you have to do is pull up the antenna and dial it in. This presence allows you to maintain your sense of origin and move forward.
Billy Gibbons ZZ Top -
When I was around 7 or 8 my Dad took me to a B.B. King recording session, well, that really did it. Huge and lasting impressions. After all that I pretty much knew playing guitar was something I was going to do because I just had to do it. And I did.
Billy Gibbons ZZ Top -
It's important to collect unusual characters. It keeps you sharp.
Billy Gibbons ZZ Top
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Brian Eno and Robert Fripp's foray into some artful excursions into some ethereal electric experiments. There was a lot curious activities emerging in London, Amsterdam, and Berlin back then developing some fiercely fuzzy of synth-like effects way outside the norm which really blew the lid off things.
Billy Gibbons ZZ Top -
White people get nervous and speed things up. You don't have to be in a hurry because you ain't got nothing to gain and you ain't got nothin' to lose. And that's where the groove lies.
Billy Gibbons ZZ Top -
The band is tight enough. Quit practicing!
Billy Gibbons ZZ Top -
Experience is definitely the high road once driven. It actually enhances the songwriting and song sourcing process.
Billy Gibbons ZZ Top -
Sounds like the blues are composed of feeling, finesse, and fear.
Billy Gibbons ZZ Top -
The blues is life itself.
Billy Gibbons ZZ Top
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Our skin colours may vary, but what's upstairs - there's certain things we've all got in common.
Billy Gibbons ZZ Top -
One springs to mind: one of our very first gigs in a small East Texas town was not well promoted. At least, that was our conclusion. After the band loaded in and the curtain opened, we realized there was exactly one paying customer in the audience. We kind of made the best of it playing through the first set, took a break and bought him a Coke and then went on to perform for the remainder of the night. It wasn't exactly a catastrophe but it certainly stands as legendary.
Billy Gibbons ZZ Top -
I've been touted for my guacamole. I'll stand by my method. People have asked me to come to their home and prepare it. Restaurants have asked me about it.
Billy Gibbons ZZ Top -
It's a real uphill challenge to battle the white-guyness.
Billy Gibbons ZZ Top -
The blues is a mighty long road. Or it could be a river, one that twists and turns and flows into a sea of limitless musical potential.
Billy Gibbons ZZ Top -
Can't do it, simply cause underneath 'em is too ugly.
Billy Gibbons ZZ Top
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The rawness and the richness of music on vinyl almost went away, but it still seems to be on a lot of people's radar, and for good reason. It does something different than more accessible means of music playing, like MP3 players and downloads and whatnot. You get in front of these archaic contraptions that go 'round and 'round.
Billy Gibbons ZZ Top -
Every once in awhile I'll call up Eddie (Van Halen) and ask, Found that fourth chord yet?
Billy Gibbons ZZ Top -
Having a visual element to your band is a good thing.
Billy Gibbons ZZ Top -
Sooner rather than later, any other form other than digital media will be a thing of the past. It won't vanish, but let's face it, this is seemingly the way of the future.
Billy Gibbons ZZ Top