FEATURE
more than anything, but I got through it and it
turned out just great.”
“It’s going to be tough at first, and you’ve got
to have thick skin and take your lumps,” says
Thal. “You have to stop reading your email and
stop Googling your name. My advice is always,
‘Don’t do it for the people that don’t like it.
You have to do it for the people who do.’”
persistence, you can change people’s minds
and win over fans.”
Dedication pays off, says Jon Levin, who
cranks out sizzling leads associated with
George Lynch for Dokken. “With time and
It’s a Rock Thing
The argument can be made that the audience’s
obsession over the guitarist in the spotlight
and his approach to trademark tunes is unique-
ly tied to the rock and heavy metal genres.
Few hepcats in a jazz club are going to sneer,
“He didn’t play that Miles Davis solo note.”
Since that initial introduction in the silver
platform boots, Thayer has performed hun-
dreds of Kiss gigs across the globe. In some
ways, he is arguably one of the most con-
troversial guitar players in rock music. Any
reference to him and Kiss on the Internet
elicits a stream of comments from people
who either criticize the slightest difference
between his work and Frehley’s or write him
off as a carbon copy.
“I have so much respect for that guy,” says
Guns N’ Roses guitarist Ron Thal. “Because
to be in the most legendary band, to be in
such a situation, and have the strength of
character he must have to be able to do it.”
Ultimately, all replacement rockers have to
soldier on, shred as much as possible, and
just keep working to win over the audience.
Ignoring internet trolls, playing as well as
possible, and remaining committed to the gig
are the prescribed tasks for guitarists taking
over for a departed legend.
www.premierguitar.com
PREMIER GUITAR JULY 2010 147
