THE ARISTOCRATS Guitarist GUTHRIE GOVAN - "The Aristocrats Wouldn't Be Able To Do What We Do If RUSH Hadn't Paved The Way Before Us"
May 9, 2021, 3 years ago
During a conversation with Ultimate Guitar's David Slavković, The Aristocrats guitarist Guthrie Govan talked about Rush, gear, cheap pedals, and more. An excerpt from the interview is avaialable below.
UG: You've dedicated "Get It Like That" to Rush's Neil Peart, who passed away while you were on this tour (Live In Europe 2020). Although you're a guitar player, is there a way that Neil Peart impacted you as a musician and an artist?
Govan: "I have to confess that Rush never really had much of a direct influence on my musical trajectory. I went down something of a Zappa rabbit hole in my teenage years, which probably distracted me from various other significant influences in the field of 'muso'-orientated rock - so Bryan (Beller / bass) and Marco (Minnemann / drums) would both make me look very bad indeed in a Rush-themed pub quiz...
I do, however, have enormous respect for everything which those guys have contributed. During his onstage introduction to 'Get It Like That,' Bryan frequently made the observation that a band like The Aristocrats wouldn't even be able to exist in its current form and do what we do if Rush hadn't 'paved the way' before us, by stretching the boundaries of what's considered possible and acceptable within the genre- whilst managing to reach millions of listeners without making any musical compromises whatsoever! I think there's a lot of truth in that so... RIP, Neil, and thank you."
Read the complete interview here.
The Aristocrats are an instrumental power trio formed in 2011 consisting of Guthrie Govan, Bryan Beller, and Marco Minnemann. They have released four studio albums and four live albums in the last 10 years. Studio Albums: The Aristocrats (2011) Culture Clash (2013) Tres Caballeros (2015) You Know What...? (2019) Live albums: Boing, We'll Do It Live! (2012) Culture Clash Live! (2015) Secret Show: Live in Osaka (2015) FREEZE! Live In Europe 2020 (2021)
