Which guitarist would you like to play in a movie?
Oliver Ackermann from A Place to Bury Strangers joins us to discuss which players we would choose to represent if we had our chance on the big screen. The plus: musical obsessions!
Question: If you could play any guitarist in a biopic, who would it be and why?
Oliver Ackermann – A place to bury strangers
Photo by Tyler Barclay
A: If I could play anyone in a biopic, it would be Kurt Cobain. I certainly don’t qualify as the most obsessed fan of all time. Maybe it goes to the runaway I drove in my 89 Caprice constantly asking to backtrack to “Drain You” over and over.
Kurt Cobain being interviewed on Boston’s WFNX radio, September 1991.
Photo by Julie Kramer
But Kurt definitely gave me the confidence that I could write a song and I dove into it and never looked back. I also think I could understand those guitar parts, so there wouldn’t be any weird mime on some complex solos. The real reason to do this, however, would be one of my favorite hobbies: jumping into drums.
Nirvana – Drain You (Live at Reading 1992) (Official Clip)
Oliver Ackermann’s current obsession:
Sounds beyond destruction. I guess it’s always been my obsession, so it’s more of a lifestyle. There’s a constant little fight going on in my head where I’m thinking “this is just too messed up – what about the fat pure sine waves, distinctive rhythms, beautiful harmonies and dreamy melodies ?” And then, ultimately, it’s just more exciting to swing a strobe light over your head and play a little AC interference. The other thing that is important is that there is no rigging. I better drill into my mic or throw my amp through the air. More high definition than 182kHz surround sound stands right next to me as I rip the strings off my guitar.
Sarah Gutierrez — Reader of the Month
A: Nancy Wilson. How could I miss the 70s and 80s – that’s why!!! I grew up listening to Heart and being in a girl band would be a dream. I absolutely loved his work on the film vanilla sky. I remember frantically looking for who was playing “Elevator Beat” in a movie that moved me. It certainly tugged at the heart strings.
Elevator Beat – Nancy Wilson
Sarah Gutierrez’s current obsession:
Royal Blood having Josh Homme as producer for “Boilermaker” on Typhoons blew me away, with Mike Kerr riffs. Hometown and young “Drown” self-produced. I love drums! These Gen Z boys are truly the future of music. Des Rocs made me cry to follow your dream when I saw them live in October. I like to ride Cleopatrick as hard and often as possible. Recently discovering the self-titled album by Nothing but Thieves (heavily influenced by Jeff Buckley) gave me life – I’m excited to see them in Chicago next year.
Royal Blood – Boilermaker (Official Video)
Tessa Jeffers — editor-in-chief
A: Kim Gordon. I don’t like Sonic Youth very much, but I love Kim’s solo stuff. She’s an excellent bass player, and her guitar playing is raw and powerful (as is her voice).
Years ago I read his biography, girl in a group, and it’s an extremely interesting look at an artistic life. She’s a bold designer who has come out of the shadows of men to claim her own space, and that’s what I’m here for.
Tessa Jeffers Current Obsession:
French music. Recently, I came across an awesome song by Les Artisans called “Théorème”, and it prompted me to search for other French artists. I was familiar with Edith Piaf and Savages, but new ones for me include La Femme, Christine and the Queens and Serge Gainsbourg, who is apparently “the Elvis of France”. I love!
Theorem – The Artisans (audio)
Joe Gore — Contributing Writer
A: Hector Berlioz, the great French composer of the 19th century. Unlike almost all classical composers, he did not compose on a keyboard. He wrote it all on guitar and a little whistle, including his groundbreaking Fantastic Symphony and massive opera The Trojans. Despite his humble tools, he is considered one of the greatest orchestrators of all time. (Unfortunately, he never composed for guitar – only with.) But the fun part would be portraying his larger-than-life personality. Talk about attitude! He was ambitious, hot-tempered, arrogant and incredibly funny. His prose is as amazing as his compositions, especially his Memoirs, my favorite book on classical music. (Free edition in English here.) On the first page, he writes: “I was brought up in the Catholic faith, the most charming of religions since it stopped burning people. And the snark never stops.
Joe Gore’s Current Obsession:
“Belle Bonne Sage” by Baude Cordier, a 14th century love song notated in the shape of a heart.
Medieval music! When I was a teenager, my plan was to enter academia, specializing in early music. Life has decided otherwise. But now, at the end of the Middle Ages, I go back to the end of the Middle Ages. I have just recorded my very first solo album: a compilation of pieces from the 14th century. I play the notes exactly as they are written, but using modern instruments, many of them electric guitar. To modern listeners unfamiliar with the style, it sounds like music from Mars: weird, beautiful, and totally bizarre. (Example: This love song by Baude Cordier, notated in the shape of a heart.)