Quote:
Originally Posted by NXC1978
So, tell the story... where were you, when was it, and how was it?!!  |
I grew up in Philadelphia, and in the years before moving to NYC I was a staff writer for a music magazine called Happy Times. It was a great gig - in the time I was there I interviewed a lot of my idols like Todd Rundgren, Tom Scholtz, Dave Hope from Kansas, and of course Mr. Gallagher.
It was in 1975, and Rory was touring behind
Against The Grain. Usually, I'd meet up with the artists in the hotel coffee shop or at the venue, but Rory's management said that Rory wanted to do the interview in his hotel room. I got to the room and he was sitting on the bed playing the Strat.
Rory and I got a cup of tea, I turned on the tape machine and we did the interview, talking about everything from his days in Taste and his current record to 'the problems' in Ireland at the time. He was an intelligent, gracious and open interview. I got plenty of material for the article.
When we finished up, I asked Rory if I could ask a favor, and he said 'Sure, what do you need?' I asked him if I could try the Strat, and he laughed and said I was the first interviewer he'd ever had that asked to play the guitar. Then he said 'Of course, go ahead' and handed it to me.
I was strictly a Strat guy at the time, and that guitar was the best Strat I'd ever played in my life. Perfectly worn in, really well set up and very easy to play. Needless to say, I was thrilled.
A funny side note - I work for Twisted Sister now doing their web site, and from time to time I talk to Eddie Ojeda. Eddie's a gearhead just like me, and we usually spend two minutes talking business and then an hour gabbing about gear.
One day we were talking about Eddie's Strats (he has about a dozen of them), and Rory's name came up. I told Eddie that I played Rory's guitar and he freaked out. Turns out Eddie bought a Rory Strat, and he insisted that I check his out and tell him how close it is to the original.
It hasn't happened yet, but I figure somtine this summer I'll get the chance to play another Rory Strat. I'm kind of interested in seeing how close Fender got with the repro myself.
- D