Left: Ron Thal took on the daunting task of filling Slash’s shoes in Guns N’ Roses. Photo by Chad Batka Right: Jon Levin and his Charvel now take care of the duties once executed by George
“Mr. Scary” Lynch in Dokken. Photo by Jeff Findley
And no classical fan is going to go the other
direction and accuse the third chair violin
player of being a Paganini clone.
“It’s so bombastic and there are so many
variations, as far as rock artists go. I think
it’s the whole package thing,” Blades says
in regards to the passion with which fans
view their favorite guitarists. “That’s why
people hold it so dear and debate band
combinations as opposed to a symphony
or orchestra.” Few things are more hotly
debated among fans than replacement
band members.
An orchestra can have as many as 100 musicians, all dressed similarly, all sitting down,
partially hidden behind music stands and
instruments. And jazz outfits frequently feature guest artists, change lineups, and have
other musicians jam on different songs.
“In rock, you have a more personal connection to the artists and who the artist is as a
person,” Thal says. “It’s about the person.
And because of that, you start feeling a relationship and a loyalty to that person.” The
music and the licks are connected to that
guitarist, the image of them performing is
burned into the fans’ memories.
Thayer expresses a similar sentiment. “It just
seems that, with rock and roll bands in particular, people just seem to care that much more
about what goes on,” he says. “It’s a very
emotional thing, really. It’s almost a religious
thing or a cultish thing to a lot of people, and
they live their lives by a band like Kiss. I can
understand why people feel that way.”
To Cop or Not to Cop? That is the Question
In spite of the audience’s fear that new axe
slingers will trash all the licks and leads they
hold dear, the consensus amongst replacement
guitar players themselves seems to be that they
should remain true to the original recordings.
“Primarily, the approach I take is to play the
songs the way they were originally written
and recorded,” says Thayer as Kiss prepares
to depart for a sold-out European tour.
“That’s the way I like it and the way I want to
hear it if I’m seeing another band that had a
new guitarist come in.”
While most the guitar players we talked to
for this article prefer to honor the originals,
each musician does have varying degrees of
alterations they’re willing to make. In short,
it’s about being respectful without being slavish. A few slight changes are acceptable, if
judiciously applied.
“You want to show respect to the song as it
was written, as it was successful, in the way
