“Technique is building muscle memory so you can execute your ideas clearly. All those hours of practice are done to allow the emotional component of your playing to come through effortlessly and, more importantly, fearlessly.”

Greg Douglass: Guitarist For The Stars!

Guitarist, songwriter, sideman, band leader, and teacher Greg Douglass has been playing guitar since 1968. Greg's "acid-rock" band, COUNTRY WEATHER, shared the stage at the Fillmore & Avalon Ballrooms. Greg Douglass has been a professional musician for over 55 years, playing both acoustic and electric guitar. He has toured and recorded with Steve Miller, Van Morrison, Hot Tuna, Greg Kihn, Paul Butterfield, and many others. When Greg & Hot Tuna parted company, he became a founding member of TERRY & THE PIRATES, including Quicksilver guitar legend John Cippolina. He made a lot of friends in this band and ended up in THE STEVE MILLER BAND. Greg had co-written the song "Jungle Love" with Miller bassist Lonnie Turner while in Terry and the Pirates. The song was a smash hit and Greg stayed with Steve for four years, touring, recording, earning 5 platinum albums designating sales of 12 million units and a BMI award.

(Greg Douglass / Photo by Mike Reardon)

The first song he recorded with THE GREG KIHN BAND was "Jeopardy", which became a number one single on both the pop and black/dance charts. Greg fulfilled a longtime dream when harmonica virtuoso PAUL BUTTERFIELD requested his presence on all his Northern California appearances. They became friends and remained so until the time of Paul's untimely demise. Greg joined THE FORMER MEMBERS, a group consisting of members of Country Joe & the Fish and the Blues Project. They spend several weeks in Europe every year. A few years ago, Greg got a phone call from blues legend Nick Gravenites asking him to step into the shoes of the founder and original guitarist of THE ELECTRIC FLAG, Mike Bloomfield. Greg formed his own band GREG DOUGLASS AND THE SIDEWINDERS, a frighteningly good group.

Interview by Michael Limnios

How has the Rock Counterculture influenced your views of the world? What moment changed your music life the most? 

First, you have to understand what an amazing historical period I grew up in. America was on top of the world. It was stable, it was relatively safe and there was a sense that we had freedom to instigate change. One day the radio was playing "How Much is that Doggie in the Window". The next day Elvis was shaking his hips on national television and playing what my parents called "that crazy negro music". For the first time, teenagers became a force both socially and financially. By the time the Beatles hit the world like an atom bomb, young people owned the airwaves. 

Those garage band musicians became aware that they could possibly change the world. We were a force,  united by both the music and the threat of being forced to serve in the Vietnam war, a useless, meaningless, hopeless military exercise. and we knew it. I learned to question authority as an adult with the same passion I did as a teenager. I was a part of something significant and powerful and it changed me forever.

Personally, what changed me was hearing Dick Dale's "Misirlou" on the radio at the age of 13. I heard it and thought, "That's it. If I can find a way to make that amazing sound I'll be a happy guy."

I'm still working on it.

“Movies have been a huge part of my life. I love watching them, I love reading about how they're made. I still try to watch one movie a day. I love art as well. I aspired to be a graphic artist and I'm a pretty good cartoonist. In the end, I just didn't have the talent or the discipline.” (Photos: Greg Douglass in the late 1970s, holding his beautiful Epiphone Riviera, the same guitar he played on "Jungle Love" and many, many other track / Greg Douglass wth his wife Jerilyn Douglass)

How do you describe your sound and songbook? What's the balance in music between technique/skills and soul/emotions?

I'm a musical polyglot, the combination of all sorts of music. Folk music, bluegrass, rock, fingerstyle guitar (John Fahey & Leo Kottke), blues, funk, Jeff Beck, some jazz, reggae, slide guitar...I've tried it all. I've never said "No!" to a session. I got a call from an African percussionist named Prince Johnny Haastrup to do a session. He asked if I was familiar with African music. "Of course!", I lied. I ran down to Tower Records and bought two records by King Sunny Adé, a huge star in Africa, There was a ton of slide guitar on the songs and that's what I played at the session. The African musicians were very happy and I did many more dates with Prince Johnny. I borrow from everything I hear.

Technique is building muscle memory so you can execute your ideas clearly. All those hours of practice are done to allow the emotional component of your playing to come through effortlessly and, more importantly, fearlessly. "If I don't practice for a day, I know it. Two days, the critics know it. Three days, the public knows it."-Jascha Heifetz

What are some of the most important lessons you have learned from your experience in the music paths?

First and foremost, when someone says, "Would you like some heroin?", say "No!" That drug almost ruined my career and nearly killed me. Second, do your homework. Show up to rehearsal knowing the songs thoroughly. Third, it's the music business. Once you agree to take money for what you do, be a professional. And be careful. Don't sign anything that hasn't been reviewed by a lawyer. I signed some stupid deals that cost me hundreds of thousands of dollars. I was young, inexperienced and gullible and I have no one to blame but myself.

Last, and probably most important, be aware of your strengths and limitations. Someone will always be better or faster or better looking than you. Use what you've got to the fullest.

“My first objective is to make sounds that please the ear. Once I grab people by the heart, then I hope they listen to the lyrics. If the musical track on a song sounds like crap, people are going to turn it off. Some bands have the ability to make large groups of people respond emotionally and intellectually, people like U2, Bruce Springsteen and, yes, Taylor Swift, a fine songwriter who has also become a political force.” (Photos: Greg Douglass, CA 1978 / Greg Douglass with Steve Miller and Norton Bufallo)

Are there any memories from gigs, jams, open acts and studio sessions which you’d like to share with us?

Oh man, what a question! I have so many recollections of amazing musical moments that I could fill a book. Here are a couple of quick moments that changed me as a musician and a man.

#1- I had been called to jam with the blues great John Lee Hooker while in the grip of a particularly crazy LSD trip. I was in a tree trying to de-evolve into an ape  It was not a good time to meet a hero of mine. A month later I sat backstage listening to Hooker do a solo set to a crowd of upscale hipsters. I walked onstage and John took one look at my lily white skin and shag haircut and I could see him thinking, "Oh Jesus! Another honky douchenozzle who wants to play the blues. Lord help me!" He kicked into a slow blues  and I jumped in with perfectly placed guitar fills. I felt the power and depth of this man's soul. I turned my mind off and let my heart make my choices.Hooker glanced at me and actually smiled . John started the next tune using his famous "boogie chillun'". It was like grabbing onto a moving freight train. Our planned half hour set turned into a two hour marathon. After we finished to a  wild ovation John offered me a steady gig 

Alas. I was too busy with my acid rock band, Country Weather, a band that was on its way down after a wild five year ride. I have no regrets. I had connected on a deep musical level with a legend. A white kid and an older black blues master knew one another. It was a privilege to be in that magical place. 

#2-The great guitarist Peter Green was due to play at the Tuesday night Fillmore West jam session. I went to see him play with my friends. I didn't know my friends had "borrowed" my guitar and taken it to the Fillmore. "You're playing with Peter Green!" they told me. They literally pushed me onstage. I played only rhythm. (I'd been listening to nothing but the "Then Play On" album for weeks.) After ten minutes of listening to Peter play solos right next to me (it was glorious), he started yelling at me. I was terrified. Finally, he gotup in my ear and screamed, "PLAY SOME LEAD FOR FUCK'S SAKE!" Boom. I started playing every lickI knew. After we left the stage, he took me aside and told me, "You're a good guitar player. When it's your turn to stand in the light, go for it!" He walked away a few steps and said, "And I was getting really tired up there."A nice man, a nice moment.

“The next day Elvis was shaking his hips on national television and playing what my parents called "that crazy negro music". For the first time, teenagers became a force both socially and financially. By the time the Beatles hit the world like an atom bomb, young people owned the airwaves.” (Photos: Greg Douglass with Paul Butterfield and King Perkoff at the Grant & Green in San Francisco CA)

What do you miss most nowadays from the music of the past? What are your hopes and fears for the future of?

I was born into a remarkable explosion of musical creativity and while there are many newer artists that I like (Kasey Chambers, Jack White, for example), I think much of what they do has a direct connection with that period from 1963 to the early 1970s. My main fear is A.I. One of my guitar students who is crippled with rheumatoid arthritis came and played me an amazing blues song with great guitar work and soulful vocals. I asked if he had done that before he was hit with arthritis. He replied, "No, I did that last week using A.I." If he can make something that good that easily using a robot, it means that all musicians are going to become obsolete. Any 12 year old kid can make an album without knowing anything about playing. I've worked my ass off for 60 years to be a good player. I despair for the future of all art.

What were the reasons that made the 60s to be the center of Psychedelic Rock researches and experiments?

Freedom. Many of the old barriers disappeared and with the advent of garage bands and psychedelic drugs, it was the perfect storm.

What is the impact of music on the socio-cultural implications? How do you want the music to affect people?

My first objective is to make sounds that please the ear. Once I grab people by the heart, then I hope they listen to the lyrics. If the musical track on a song sounds like crap, people are going to turn it off. Some bands have the ability to make large groups of people respond emotionally and intellectually, people like U2, Bruce Springsteen and, yes, Taylor Swift, a fine songwriter who has also become a political force.

“Freedom. Many of the old barriers disappeared and with the advent of garage bands and psychedelic drugs, it was the perfect storm.” (Photo: Greg Douglass with Terry & The Pirates, including John Cippolina, Terry Dolan, Jeff Meyer, and David Hayes. Guitarist, songwriter, sideman, band leader, and teacher Greg Douglass has been playing guitar since 1968)

Life is more than just music, is there any other field that has influence on your life and music?

Movies have been a huge part of my life. I love watching them, I love reading about how they're made. I still try to watch one movie a day. I love art as well. I aspired to be a graphic artist and I'm a pretty good cartoonist. In the end, I just didn't have the talent or the discipline. 

And it was easier to meet girls playing guitar.

Why do you think that horror movies continue to generate such a devoted following?

I fell in love with horror at a very young age after seeing a movie called "Forbidden Planet". After watching a second film called "The Werewolf", I was hooked. I think horror helps people cope with things they are frightened of in reality. Do you have a bad boss at work who yells at you? When you watch a monster get killed at the end of a movie, that's a safe way to watch your boss get his ass kicked in a fantasy world. Movies about zombies mirror what's happening in America right now. Those brainless flesh eaters could very well be on their way to the polling booth to vote for Donald Trump. It is a very scary time in the U.S. right now. Millions of people voted for a truly monstrous set of soulless bloodsucking fiends. I wake up some nights at 3:00 am wondering, "How can it get any worse?" I go out and watch a great horror movie like "They Live", "The Thing" or even "Smile 2" and somehow feel better. Apparently, a lot of other people feel the same way. 

P.S.-  I have a huge collection of movie posters from primarily horror films. I also have material from very old black films and a poster from "Marihuana", a terrible 1935 anti-drug movie. I spend way too much money on them and it's worth every penny.

(Greg Douglass / Photo by Mike Reardon)