The Innocent Abroad (Musician 1984): Difference between revisions
From Allan Holdsworth Information Center
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A guitar giant who fled techno-trendy persecution in his native U.K. comes to America and finds a new lease on life - and new problems. | A guitar giant who fled techno-trendy persecution in his native U.K. comes to America and finds a new lease on life - and new problems. | ||
"Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched guitar refugees from your teeming, techno-trendy shore; send these, the homeless haircutless, tempest-toss't to me." | ''"Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched guitar refugees from your teeming, techno-trendy shore; send these, the homeless haircutless, tempest-toss't to me."'' | ||
Thus did America beckon to one Allan Holdsworth, legendary electro-jazz guitar stylist who, by 1980, was unable to find gainful employment in his U.K. homeland, either as a guitarist or leader/composer of his own appropriately named trio, I.O.U. Holdsworth was even preparing to hang up his guitar strap forever: "I was broke, couldn't make any living at all in music. I would've had to retire; in fact, I was just about to take a job in a music store. I had accumulated a lot of equipment over the years, and I basically paid the rent by selling a few things each month. Eventually, when we came to mix the I.O.U. album, I sold the last guitar I had. Then I came over to America on vacation and met someone who said she could get us gigs, so we all came over." | Thus did America beckon to one Allan Holdsworth, legendary electro-jazz guitar stylist who, by 1980, was unable to find gainful employment in his U.K. homeland, either as a guitarist or leader/composer of his own appropriately named trio, I.O.U. Holdsworth was even preparing to hang up his guitar strap forever: "I was broke, couldn't make any living at all in music. I would've had to retire; in fact, I was just about to take a job in a music store. I had accumulated a lot of equipment over the years, and I basically paid the rent by selling a few things each month. Eventually, when we came to mix the I.O.U. album, I sold the last guitar I had. Then I came over to America on vacation and met someone who said she could get us gigs, so we all came over." | ||
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"You make decisions at certain points in your life as to what you want to do. Things have been offered me where I could've done something commercial and and (sic) earned a lot more money - and been really miserable. I'd rather be broke and happy than miserable and rich. So all I'm trying to do is get by, just the musician's dream really: to be able to play what I'd like to play and be able to survive. That's my dream." | "You make decisions at certain points in your life as to what you want to do. Things have been offered me where I could've done something commercial and and (sic) earned a lot more money - and been really miserable. I'd rather be broke and happy than miserable and rich. So all I'm trying to do is get by, just the musician's dream really: to be able to play what I'd like to play and be able to survive. That's my dream." | ||
''[Editor's note: It's interesting to compare this account to the ones given by [[Ted Templeman]] and [[Eddie Van Halen]]. See also the entry for [[Road Games|Road Games | ''[Editor's note: It's interesting to compare this account to the ones given by [[Ted Templeman]] and [[Eddie Van Halen]]. See also the entry for [[Road Games (album)|Road Games]] for more details.]'' | ||
[[Category:Press]] | [[Category:Press]] | ||
