ROCK N ROLLED A Memoir by Jack Sonni

[Jules]

I thought about something better...

Why about ask Jack things we always wanted to know? If he doesnt came over here, we can use his facebook to let him know we are asking questions 

[jacksonni]

this is too funny!! and a welcome departure from always chatting about DS...but having said that, feel free to ask any questions about that time of my life....

OK....could be because I grew up with him in the role and as a kid thought there was NO ONE cooler...Sean Connery will always be James Bond to me...and the Bond Girls from that era were beyond superb especially to a 12 yr old girl crazy boy! I sat directly behind him at a Billy Connolly show in LA a few years back and his presence is incredible....even staring at the back of head was a thrill!!

Woody Allen is one of my all-time favorite directors/writers. So many great films but "Deconstructing Harry" is my fave. It's brilliant and I have to watch it once every 6 months.

And just for the record..."Fawlty Towers" "Fistful of Traveler's Checks" & "The Office" rank amongst my top five all time fave comedies.

[Jackal]

Hello Jack,

It's really cool that you take the time to come on here and share your personal thoughts on different subjects. Even that Dire Straits and Mark Knopfler were the obvious gateways for us to you, it is really precious to get to know the people who are and were in connection with that great band. Many of us in this forum also post questions to Guy Fletcher on his website, often related to DS and Mark, but often personal questions as well. That he, and now you, bother to answer is much appreciated. So, just wanted to say thank you.

I have two questions for you (not DS related). My first impression is that you are a blues/rock n roll guy. What other types of music do you listen to? When you pick up a guitar at home, what kind of music do you like to play?

[Fletch]

"..even staring at the back of his head was a thrill!".    Ha ha!

I REALLY love the British series The Office, I watch it at least once every year. Its brutally painful and funny at the same time and the characters are timeless. So many quotable moments.... " I don't do sloppy seconds..."

[Jules]

"The Office", english and original version, hmmm, I'm not sure if thats a comedy or a terror tv show... I have a very very bad time every time I watch one of the episodes. When you see whats he

[Love Expresso]

Jack, if you don't mind I would indeed ask you a question about MK today: Do you know his recent stuff and all his records that are called "solo albums" from Golden Heart on? What do you think of, let's say, Get Lucky, The Ragpicker's Dream and so on? Do you think they are great and find any development in them or is it a direction that you would not follow anymore? I wonder if you still like this direction of music and would indeed play on them if invited again, or is this folky style that comes up more and more not your cup of tea?

I can imagine Jack Sonni playing rhythm guitar on stuff like Speedway At Nazareth or Punish The Monkey or Junkie Doll very much indeed...  

LE

[koobaa]

LE, you stole my question! 
I'll just add another part to it. Jack, you played with MK during the times when DS was regarded the greatest band in the world. Could you, as a guitarist, share your opinion on whether MK has indeed developed or improved as an instrumentalist since 80's? This is what he claims in numerous interviews, however, many fans think that his playing has not improved but instead got slower, less precise, too relaxed etc. What do you think?

[jacksonni]

Greetings all...more traveling and just getting caught up here. Some interesting questions!!

@Jackal - That's pretty much me although I'd reverse the order! I am a rock n roll/blues influenced player. Although I spent a great deal of time studying/playing r &b, funk and disco as well as African & Latin music. I love rhythm guitar - locking in with the drummer, being part of the groove & creating a solid foundation for the band....whatever one I'm playing in - is where I get my kicks. I find the guitar playing on Motown, Stax & James brown recordings to be far more interesting than "rock" records. As Keith would say...they may have the rock but they forgot the roll. And it's the grooves on Howlin Wolf & Muddy Waters stuff I love rather than the soloing. Hendrix, Keith Richards, Pete Townshend, Jimmy Nolan (James Brown) Leo Nocentelli (Meters), Carlos Alomar (Bowie), Hubert Sumlin (Howlin Wolf) these are the players I love and return to time and time again to learn & be inspired. Jimi, Duane Allman & Jeff Beck top my list of "lead" players that have influenced me and my approach to soloing although Miles Davis - who I have listened to intensely for years - is in there as well.

These days I find myself listening to singers more than anything. Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin, Frank Sinatra, Joni Mitchell and believe it not Bob Dylan - who has turned into a great singer IMO...I've always wanted to be a soul singer more than anything really!! and listening to these greats inspires my approach to playing solos and how to serve the song as a player.

@Jbaent - I know exactly how you feel about the high discomfort level...at times it IS painful to watch...very similar to the Larry David show - "Curb Your Enthusiasm" here in the states....but Gervais is truly a comedic genius in his ability to make that character lovable & very human at the same time. I do love "Extras" - The Bowie episode is a classic!! and agree on the US version..I can't/don't watch it at all.

@LE & Kooba - your questions regarding MK's solo recordings/playing of late. First off, I will be honest and say I have not listened to any of his solo work in any real depth,  But that fact, in of itself, should suffice as a testament to how much interest what he's doing holds for me. The internet music station "Radio Paradise" which I listen to pretty much all-day plays MK's music with quite a high frequency so I'm not entirely unfamiliar with it. At that cursory level, I don't hear much that's for ME is exciting, fresh or interesting musically enough to dive any deeper.

As far as his playing goes - what could be interpreted as his being lazy and resting on his laurels - "slower, less precise, too relaxed" - can be seen as a player honing his voice and refining his style just as easily. He's "mellowing" into a subtler approach like Sinatra's singing did as he aged. I respect him as a fantastic player, he certainly taught me a great deal (there may be a thing or two that he picked up from me as well!) but outside of a few odds and ends (the groove on "Coyote" comes to mind - it's one thing I'd like to solo over actually!!) it's not my cuppa tea.

And LE I'm flattered at your comment about hearing me play of those tunes...so I'll check them out.

Now I'm off to read the thread & reviews about my what those other FMO's got up to at the Royal Albert!

all the best & let it rock!

jack

[Jules]

Jack, I was at the Royal Albert Hall and I enjoyed it. I guess that with you at the stage the show would had been far funnier for the fans!

The theatre was almost full and the audience was standing on their feet in many songs and clapping, singing, lots of happy faces, so I would say that was a great night for them, as it was for me.

The secret of happiness is just being happy, isnt it? 

[dustyvalentino]

Jack, I was at the Royal Albert Hall and I enjoyed it. I guess that with you at the stage the show would had been far funnier for the fans!

I certainly would have been more interested in seeing The Straits if JS was there (not just saying that to be sycophantic, Jack is my fave former DS guitar player, in the same way that Pick is my fave former drummer).

Jack, can I ask how your involvement with Line 6 came about? Nowadays the digital modelling stuff is embraced by all but a few dinosaurs, but it must have been a hard sell in the first instance.

[Love Expresso]

WOW, the great Jack Sonni answering my questions indeed...   what can I say? Thanks a lot man for doing it in such an open and precise, honest and
in no way huffy or bitter way! Have a good time and thanks again. Who knows, another querie might pop up soon!  

LE

[jacksonni]

@jbaent - by all accounts - and I've heard from Alan & Ed B - the show was really fun & was extremely well received by everyone there. And, yes, in the end, music is about having fun and sharing an experience that lifts the spirit...which is exactly why The Straits were formed.

@dusty - thank you very much for the kind words. who knows what the future holds!!

regarding Line 6 - I have always been an "early-adopter" of guitar technology. While I love classic tone & gear, I have always been inspired from listening to Jimi Hendrix to experiment and explore new sonic possibilities. I was seriously addicted to effects pedals in my early playing days and embraced guitar synthesizers in the early 80's, at one point refusing to play anything but on sessions & live gigs in NYC. My parts on "The Man's Too Strong" were done on guitar synth/synclavier. The Schecter Strat - purple metallic finish w/chrome mini-humbuckers that MK played live during the BIA tour had Roland Gtr synth electronics and was originally built for me. From my first exposure to what Line 6 was up to, I believed that while they hadn't nailed it at that time, digital technology would eventually get there and open new avenues of expression. I was working at Guitar Center as the Guitar & Amp buyer and was so intrigued & believed so strongly in the technology (and Line 6 team) that I quit GC and went to work for L6 as marketing manager. I was responsible for the early branding/marketing and was involved directly with the development of the POD (the name & shape was mine!). I left the company to go back to GC as VP of Marketing for the chain and stayed for 6 years....until I woke up one day and said.."enough" - time to go back to being a starving artist!

@LE - the pleasure is mine!

[jacksonni]

dusty - sorry I didn't actually answer your question!! YES, it was really difficult in the beginning...and while the technology is pretty much ubiquitous these days, I constantly run into players who still remain devout "solder sniffers" and "tube addicts"!! and I still rely on my tube amp & Pensa Strat for most gigs.

[Jackal]

Thanks, Jack, for telling about the Synth Strat. The geek in me rears its ugly head hehe. I always thought that was an early Pensa guitar. Then again, didn't you and the folks at Rudy's mostly put together Schecter parts-o-casters before Rudy and John started making the Pensa Suhrs?

By the way, what did you do at Rudy's? Did you actually build as craftsman or work more as repairman (including putting together the Schecters)? It seems to me there was like little clique of great builders back then - John Suhr, Tom Anderson, Wayne Charvel, Dave Schecter and of course all the electronics wizards (Seymour Duncan). Must have been an awesome time.

Editors: Maybe we should open a new thread where the tech factor can run riot? I'm afraid we lose a lot of people following this thread.

[Pottel]

Hi jack, this sure is starting to be great fun.
My question, and something i already quizzed guy about:
What was it like back in the days, all of the sudden sharing the stage with the likes of bob dylan, david sanborn, billy joel, hank marvin, and so on, and so on? Is it : busdiness as usual, let's get it over with, or do you tend to be sttarstruck?
Also, did you join mark back on sept 14th (as far as i could trace it) 1985 to play on stage with the awesome jj calen somewhere in the sunny state?
Sorry for the typos, am writing this from my bberry

P.s. Sure as hell hoping you are gonna stay on here for a while.