Loved your story, thank you from Maui! While setting up a bunch of new wireless mics last week, was just telling a friend about my "Today Show" wireless experience from that morning... Load in late the night before, sound check at 5AM. Walter's Bogner, Mesa, and rack rig were running perfectly (I was guitar tech). Sound check was killer. But the city was just waking up. It was showtime very soon, and out of nowhere, radio interference began blaring out of WB's amps from his wireless guitar rig! Director yells "fix the noise, you're on in one". I freaked, but rapidly scrambled through channels on the rack, finding mostly taxi chatter! Walter kind of froze. Other tech, Skip Guildersleeve, grabbed an emergency cable (which would really affect our sound). It was so close. But BAM, a clean channel was found, noise gone. Walter shredded a warmup, and we were ready to rock, God Is Good!... So grateful to see the youtube again. Happy 25! Dave Russell
Dave! Thanks for sharing your POV that morning. It reminded me of the classic scene from the film Broadcast News with Joan Cusack rushing to get a tape to live air. Can't believe you guys were able to maintain your head in that moment. I would've collapsed into a puddle!
Evan, To me, 90% of the time Walter was an absolute angel! Yes, we worked hard in the studio, harder than anyone I've ever met. Nitpicky doesn't even cover it... But on the road, he was not demanding, at all. The Bradshaw rig and guitars had to be right, this is true. But in my "Steely" years, (from Kamakiriad to Everything Must Go), we'd tour with only a handful of guitars, and make only one or two guitar changes, per set. I was Blessed! WB had about 50 guitars at that time. But things changed big time after we closed Hyperbolic Sound in 2005 (and I left). His equipment Jones hit the roof, I heard about 1000 guitars! I bet you Nitebob had his hands full during those years
Loved your story, thank you from Maui! While setting up a bunch of new wireless mics last week, was just telling a friend about my "Today Show" wireless experience from that morning... Load in late the night before, sound check at 5AM. Walter's Bogner, Mesa, and rack rig were running perfectly (I was guitar tech). Sound check was killer. But the city was just waking up. It was showtime very soon, and out of nowhere, radio interference began blaring out of WB's amps from his wireless guitar rig! Director yells "fix the noise, you're on in one". I freaked, but rapidly scrambled through channels on the rack, finding mostly taxi chatter! Walter kind of froze. Other tech, Skip Guildersleeve, grabbed an emergency cable (which would really affect our sound). It was so close. But BAM, a clean channel was found, noise gone. Walter shredded a warmup, and we were ready to rock, God Is Good!... So grateful to see the youtube again. Happy 25! Dave Russell
Dave! Thanks for sharing your POV that morning. It reminded me of the classic scene from the film Broadcast News with Joan Cusack rushing to get a tape to live air. Can't believe you guys were able to maintain your head in that moment. I would've collapsed into a puddle!
This is awesome, thanks for sharing, Dave. What was it like working for Walter? He was famously nitpicky about his guitars...
Evan, To me, 90% of the time Walter was an absolute angel! Yes, we worked hard in the studio, harder than anyone I've ever met. Nitpicky doesn't even cover it... But on the road, he was not demanding, at all. The Bradshaw rig and guitars had to be right, this is true. But in my "Steely" years, (from Kamakiriad to Everything Must Go), we'd tour with only a handful of guitars, and make only one or two guitar changes, per set. I was Blessed! WB had about 50 guitars at that time. But things changed big time after we closed Hyperbolic Sound in 2005 (and I left). His equipment Jones hit the roof, I heard about 1000 guitars! I bet you Nitebob had his hands full during those years
Jake should interview you —
About your times on the road. What a story and thanks for sharing it!
Dave and I went deep on 11 Tracks of Whack. Stay tuned for that piece. It’s gonna be epic!
Can't wait for this one...
Very nice piece, thanks Jake and Evan.