2012.06.16 - La Boite Noire - Interview with Tommy at Hellfest

Transcript:

Cyril Le Groux: So Tommy, thanks a lot for being here with.

Tommy: Well, thanks for coming out. Thanks for giving me guitars.

CLG: [?] We're at the very heart of the Hellfest Festival. Big festival.

Tommy: There's a reason they don't call it Heavenfest, right?

CLG: And so few questions, just maybe, just at the beginning, why, you have some really impressive musical skills so-

Tommy: Thank you.

CLG: How many instruments you play on? Is theirs-

Tommy: -I play guitar-

CLG: What's the story about your musical beginnings?

Tommy: You know, I first learned how to play bass. That's my first instrument but then I quickly picked up guitar, picked up drums, I play I'll pretty much play anything you put in front of me. [chuckles] Not that I can, I just-

CLG: Musician-

Tommy: Yeah.

CLG: Complete musician.

Tommy: I play whatever. Whatever they let me play, I'll play.

CLG: Okay. You turned to the Guns N' Roses more than 10 years after their debut, beginning-

Tommy: Yeah.

CLG: How did it happen to you? What's the story of this job?

Tommy: A friend of mine was playing drums for Guns when they were making Chinese Democracy and he said that Duff had quit and I...and he asked me just jokingly if I want to come try out and I said, "Nah, not so much," and then he kept... we were doing a session together for a woman named Joan Jones and he kept asking me if I wanna come out and try so I [?] "I can fucking play with you" - he's a really good friend of mine - so I thought, "If anything, I just go play with my friend Josh," you know, and they called me back and asked me if I want to be in the band. I said, "Yeah, sure." It was a good time for me to join a band. I was sick of trying to do what I was doing. It's worked out well. It's been 15 years, you know, Axl's been very good to me... so whatever.

CLG: So you play on the bass guitar made by ESP.

Tommy: Yep.

CLG: Could you explain what they do to this choice particularly on this brand, this famous brand?

Tommy: Oh yeah. Well that's kind of a sad story, really. I had a bass tech that was working with Guns N' Roses, Armand Crump, Armand Butts Crump, who turned me on to them. He said he could get me a deal and they'd make a signature model and that I should try them out. So I tried a couple of them out and they sounded great. Like, I just... and they sent them to me for free. I tried them out because I was hand picking Fender, you know, Fender basses from the music stores, trying to find good ones that would work good for me because Fender wasn't able to give me an endorsement back then and after trying I fell in love with them and now they're making a signature series model for me. They play great, they sound great, they use really good wood and I'm in love with them, sounds great. And sadly my friend who turned me on to them, Armand, he passed away a couple months ago. So... we miss him.

CLG: I hope of course that you will enjoy the show tonight and the people here. Could you say, just to conclude, few words for this French Hellfest community? Few words for all the people here on this camera?

Tommy: I look forward to playing Hellfest... or not. I'm kidding, I'm kidding. I've had a great time in France. I have good friends here in France. To all my good friends in France: je t'aime! Good?

CLG: Thank you very much.

Just transcribed this. This was just a few months after Armand Butt Crumps III died.