In a recent interview with the Neil Jones Rock Show of TotalRock, acclaimed hard rock guitarist John 5 spoke about his approach to working with iconic artists like MĂ–TLEY CRĂśE, Rob Zombie and Marilyn Manson.
When asked if he finds that he has to keep his performances of those artists' classic songs as faithful to the originals or if he can put the 'John 5 stamp' on them, the guitarist said: "Well, with MĂ–TLEY CRĂśE, it's very, very important to me because I grew up loving them, loving, loving, and I wanna keep that as pure as possible.
And they've never said, 'Oh, do it like this,' but they knew I had such a respect for it, and I'm such a weird perfectionist, that I wanna play it exactly, exactly like how it was recorded." He continued to explain his approach: "Same that I did with Rob Zombie, same that I did with Marilyn Manson.
It's just exactly how it was written.
And I think that's why I've played with so many artists, because I look at it as if someone gave you a sheet of music, and someone going, 'Mm, this doesn't really work, does it?' And scribble it out and write your own stuff.
To me, that really doesn't make sense.
If someone worked on a song for so long and so hard, you should play it how it was written and recorded.",John 5 discussed his approach to playing iconic artists' material in an interview with TotalRock's Neil Jones Rock Show.
When asked about balancing staying true to the original performance while also bringing his own unique style to the table, John 5 emphasized the importance of preserving the integrity of the song as originally intended by its creators.
He explained that this approach stems from his desire to give the songs the respect they deserve and to honor the artists who created them.
The guitarist has played with numerous iconic bands over the years, including MĂ–TLEY CRĂśE, Rob Zombie, Marilyn Manson and more.
He has also released a dozen solo albums highlighting his unique style of playing.\ When asked if it feels like "freedom" to be able to pursue his solo career on the side and create music with his own stamp and his own sound, John 5 said: "It's really wild.
When I do my John 5 shows, we — I should say 'me'; I am looking for such perfection, and it's a game I play.
I love STEELY DAN more than anything in the world, and I'm looking for that perfection beyond perfection." He continued to discuss his solo work: "So yeah, it's a lot of fun.",John 5 has been one of the most in-demand guitar players on the planet for over 30 years.
Since joining MĂ–TLEY CRĂśE as their guitarist following Mick Mars's decision to retire from the road, John 5 continues to tour with the band and pursue his solo career.\ Slash has called John 5 "one of the most mind-blowing guitarists around," and Rob Zombie has dubbed him "a fucking shredder.