PHIL DEMMEL - "I Think SLAYER Saved My Musical Career In Some Way," Says Former MACHINE HEAD Guitarist
March 21, 2019, 5 years ago
In a new interview with MusicRadar, Phil Demmel discusses his new signature Jackson guitar, filling in for Gary Holt, and life after Machine Head.
Kerry King asked Demmel if he could join Slayer for a string of shows in Europe covering for Gary Holt, who was tending to a family emergency. Demmel had only played his last show with Machine Head the day prior.
“I think Slayer saved my musical career in some way,” he humbly admits. “In under 24 hours, I went from the last day of a tour, wondering whether I was even good enough to be bands any more, to this mind-blowing text from Kerry King asking if I could play in Slayer.
“I guess the reason I’m in this position now is because of the people I had met, almost from a networking standpoint. I knew the guys in Slayer before I got that text. If being a session player is the route you want to go down, I would say avoid getting too centrally focused on one style. Watch that Netflix movie Hired Gun: everyone they talk to explains how session players are there to do whatever the artist wants - you have to play what you are expected to...”
Read the full interview at MusicRadar.
