"Don't Meet Your Guitar Heroes!" Do they REALLY disappoint you??

[@nonemlinus]

Right on Kris! Great video. I love hearing about good, humble artists and craftsmen/women!

[@progresspedals]

I was playing with my young kids in a park in a Bay Area, CA town. I see this guy sitting on a picnic blanket playing a Fender Tele-acoustic USA model. I walk over to him just to see what he was playing and nerd out. He explains a Fender Rep gave him the guitar. He explains he is a professional musician. He lets me try the guitar. He explains to me that he is Tommy Emmanuel.

[@KrisBarocsi]

@@progresspedals That’s so awesome. Fun timing for your comment btw, I’ll meet Tommy next week (first time for me). He’s coming over for a live q&a and I can’t wait to see him doing his thing. 🙌

[@mortonwilson795]

I was a fan of King Crimson from the word go, and especially in the early '80s with the 'Discipline' line-up and also Fripp's work with Andy Summers and David Sylvian so in 1985 I signed up for a week in Charleston, Virginia (near Washington DC) with Fripp's new 'Guitar Craft' seminar / tuition, whatever you want to call it. Quite apart from being one of the wittiest and intelligent men I have ever met I found Robert to be a truly humble and 'giving' guitar 'enabler' (not a 'teacher' per se) if you will - a wonderful guy. Also, I interviewed Leo Kottke around 1980 in NZ for a music mag - terrific guy, open, friendly and one hell of a guitarist!

[@Nightjar726]

Andy Timmons is exactly that , a sweetheart. Such a genuine and nice guy. Killer guitar player to boot also I met him at one NAMM , such a great guy. Same with PhilX….well since I’m Greek we hung out at one NAMM and went to concerts. Super duper nice guy as well.

[@davidwright9550]

Love your stories Kris. I do have a wonderful one about the late Gary Rossington from 1997. Playing Bernice ( LP ) on Skynyrd’s sound check Gimme Three Steps. I was 12 in 1971 when I first fell in love with his playing and the Gibson Les Paul ! I still play every day! Unreal day I will never forget On that same day I sat in the Malaga Hotel courtyard in Downtown Mobile, AL for 15-20 minutes chatting with Paul Roger’s. Yes that Paul. I could go one and on about that day! So many superstars that were all so humble and so kind. Kris thank you so much for sharing your stories. So very much enjoyed Brother!

[@mylogify]

Haven't been to many concerts in my life, only a few electronic music years ago, but my first guitar related concert, Steve Vai signed our guitar's, and items we brought after the show before going to tour bus, took photos separately with us. I wasn't expecting and was thinking he wouldn't come, and just go to their hotel. Then new second guitarist Dante came to us, talked with us for about an hour, gave autographs, photos we were about 20-25 people. If I'd have him invited to our apartment and he'd maybe come. The bass player Phillip before show also signed my guitar, he also seemed very polite, chill guy. The tickets costed pretty good, for our country, it was not 500 Euro., and was about 20 Euros.

[@stahliwood8755]

I met Dickey Betts from the Allman brothers in Knoxville, Tennessee 1995. I was 18 and had already played guitar for 10 years. Dickey was an influence and was the nicest human he reached in his jeans pocket and gave me a pick that I still have.

[@KrisBarocsi]

@@stahliwood8755 That’s awesome!

[@olisaush6552]

Great fanboy channel, 😊love your passionate and humble aproach, Kris!

[@filipedelbel]

I second Andy TImmons and Phil X! They don't put themselves in a pedestal when talking to ordinary people like me

[@keschgelb]

I also was lucky enough to meet Steve Vai after a concert, when he went to the tour bus. He took some time for a smalltalk and he signed a CD cover that i had with me. I still get goosebumps when i think back at this moment. Such a friendly and generous guy, just unbelieveable. A true legend!

[@PooNinja]

@@keschgelb facts!!!

[@BrunodeSouzaLino]

Tbbh, while meeting some of the musicians I look forward to, I don't want to unless it happens by chance. I don't really have much interest in creating scenarios where I have to meet them. That might the complete opposite scenario of most people to say that I actually avoid these people. I don't know why but it is better that way.

[@chromebuoy]

Met Joe Satriani, John Petrucci, Uli Roth at a G3 meet and greet and had photos done. Absolutely grounded and lovely people. Joe asked me questions about my guitar and showed interest in me as a person. What a legend.

[@winceyV1]

Met uli John Roth at the hideaway he was at in Wales delivered an amp to him a wonderful gentleman and an absolute inovator in sound and playing ever

[@thamashu]

Thanks for the interesting and funny stories (and for the conclusion)! I like that you create such - how to say? - "human" videos as well! It is important I think! And I think that I'd be as excited and maybe nervous as You were in these situations if I had a chance to meet and have a chat with You! (While I know from your videos and comments/reactions that you are a kind and attentive person as well!) 🙂

[@MK-tj5bf]

Good job with all your interviews! You have your own style I like.

[@KrisBarocsi]

@@MK-tj5bf thank you so much!

[@SimpleManGuitars1973]

I've been fortunate to meet a lot of my heroes. Vince Gill is an absolutely OUTSTANDING human being. We ran into each other literally at a guitar show in Nashville and I sorta nerded out that we ran into each other and he stood and talked to me for probably a good 10 minutes and even let me play this 59 Strat that a dealer there had brought for him to check out! It was $21,000 and Vince passed on it and tried to get me to buy it and I told him my wife would divorce me and he laughed and said "you gotta learn to not tell her everything!" LOL! The guys I met that DIDN'T make a good impression on me was Jerry Cantrell during the Degradation Trip tour. He wanted to be anywhere but at that meet and greet but that was not too long after Layne had died and he was clearly struggling with addiction himself. He looked like he weighed about 80lbs soaking wet at that time. I also got backstage at A Perfect Circle show for a meet and greet once when they were touring for 13th Step and met everybody in the band but Maynard and man they were definitely not very engaging at all. You could just tell they really didn't wanna do it.

[@markinthemix6055]

😂🤣😂🤣 oh this is SO SO timely. I just visited Las Vegas and on my flight home the band Journey was on the plane. I’m not one to go star struck and lose my mind. I’ve met quite a few notable musicians. I’ve shared a beer with Cliff Burton and hung out with Metallica. So l get off the plane and surprised right there is Neil S. I walk up to him and l try to be discreet and not draw attention to l tell him l appreciate his music and l said… can l get a quick photo. He smiled and hid behind his girlfriend or wife that’s like a foot taller than him. That’s cool. I didn’t want to press. I just walked off. I live close to Nashville. I tend to find that country musicians are the best people.

[@ChristopherLightfoot-zu3kb]

Like many comments here, I was fortunate to get a backstage pass for a G3 concert. I hung out with Steve Vai after the show and we had a great conversation. Absolutely no ego just a great guy.

[@bluematrix5001]

The lesson is simple WE ALL ARE VIP ...they recognize that this is why they are humble.

[@patrickschilcher9386]

Came for the content. Stayed for the playing

[@rogerYT69]

cool video ...played my sg special with p90 and a marshall studio amp 5 minutes ago and think the same ...what an incredible sound p90 have 😉

[@mylogify]

Imo, P90 is what most people are looking for, but they can't find it on Humbuckers... They sleep on P90's...

[@sargelegg6679]

I met Reeves Gabrels from The Cure Yesterday. really nice guy.

[@panagiotiskaroutas6859]

Amazing 🎸 intro! very interesting episode!

[@KrisBarocsi]

I really appreciate that my dude!

[@markbois1713]

Saw Steve Vai at a smaller venue, and after the show, he came out to the edge of the stage and talked to the fans. He didn't have to do that but he did. It impressed me that he cared enough to do that. Gave me the feeling he is a great person.

[@MAX96MENDES]

Good video. Thank you. Hey, Kris, where did you get that cool T-Shirt ? I want one !

[@KrisBarocsi]

@@MAX96MENDES Thanks so much! The link for the shirt is in the „more“ section under this video. It’s one of my merchandise items and I’d greatly appreciate if you grabbed one. Cheers!

[@Guyker]

Interesting topic！

[@PooNinja]

I’ve Mr Vai a few times, he has always been a very generous and friendly person to be around, he was patient and respectful even to those who were quite obviously intoxicated. Such an amazing vibe resonates from him. He’s signed my Jem jr. Twice ( so far) He was open to my idea for a woody style pia and a sister guitar made of carbon fiber called the natural and synthetic pia’s . We’ll see if they become manifest in this reality.

[@KrisBarocsi]

@@PooNinja Aww man, such awesome stories. Steve is incredible. 💛

[@lmn0potts]

I think it goes both ways, I think artists shouldn't meet some of their fans, lol. Nuno Bettencourt was kind, polite, and funny when I've met him twice, Zakk Wylde probably my favorite, pulling me in for a hug, and a "how ya doing, brother?!"

[@JudgeFredd]

Met Steve Lukather as humble as he is talented - a very nice guy.

[@MRxr400]

yeah, that bloke from Slip Knot is massive. I feel that a true legend has to have their head on right to retain likeability. A certain bloke who i won't name, became massive, and made a video of himself playing live with back stage footage, and even the musicians accompanying him were blown away by his arrogance in his own video. we skipped every time he added a section where he'd be talking about himself. I think he's grown up now.

[@MRxr400]

P-90's fan, i didn't know that. I'm newish to them too. Just loaded a tele custom with JJ's P-90 humbucker sized pick ups in it. sounds amazing. ordering JJ's strat set P90's, simulcaster. Brett Kingman did a review of them and they sound P90, but roll of volume and they sound strat.

[@bradleyberdahl6148]

IT DOESNT COST ANYTHING to be NICE!

[@donkarnage6032]

Luckily, All of the musical heroes who I've met have been very nice. I've met the guys from Dream Theater, Dweezil Zappa, and Tom Hamilton and Joey Kramer from Aerosmith. I'm a big DT fan but meeting Tom Hamilton and Joey Kramer was the best for me. They were so cool. The only 'hero' that I've met that was disappointing was Kareem Abdul Jabbar who to be fair is known for his prickly personality but it sucked for me as a 5 year old kid who was obsessed with basketball at the time. I asked him for an autograph. He just looked at me, didn't say a word and then turned and walked away.

[@TheAxe4Ever]

Awesome stories! Thanks for sharing your experiences. Please excuse my long comment. But I want to tell my story about Steve Morse. He obviously is such a giant in the world of guitar music and I was a “fanboy” early on. He calls my hometown his. He uses the local airport to do his flying. Gifted pilot as well as a guitar player. I saw him at the annual carnival the school my wife worked at and my daughter went to. It was to raise money for tuition for underprivileged kids. I saw him walking around the kids art class projects. I couldn’t help myself. I went up to him and said “Hi Steve. I’m sure you’ve never heard this before but you are such a big inspiration to me on the guitar. Thank you!” He shook my hand, gave me a huge smile and said he was ALWAYS happy to hear that. He asked me about the gear I used. We talked for a few minutes and I found out his son Kevin went to the same school as my daughter. His son was in the high school band as well as my daughter. I got to meet him again at a few of the schools football games because he would go watch Kevin perform with the band at half time. Him and his wife and me and my wife would sit in the bleachers and talk during the game. It was surreal! But he talked to me and my wife like we were life long friends. Just a down to earth, very cool and surprisingly humble dude! Same thing at the schools band banquets. It’s been a few years since I’ve seen him, and I would almost bet he would remember me and my wife. As long as I live I’ll always remember I was actually more than just an acquaintance to one of my all time favorite guitar heroes.

[@KrisBarocsi]

@@TheAxe4Ever oh wow that is such a wonderful story. Thank you for sharing it with us. It really shows how humble and truly great he is as a person too. 🙌

[@TheAxe4Ever]

@@KrisBarocsiYessir! The saying “never meet your heroes because they will disappoint you” is not always true. All of your stories prove that. John Petrucci would be one of my guitar heroes I!d love to meet. Every interview I!ve ever seen of him, he always seems like one of the coolest, most chill guys in music.

[@attilacsaba]

🙂👍👌nice... keep on rockn

[@CorNigrum]

Most of these musicians have been so long in the business and worked with some many people, that karma would have kicked their ass if they would have been too much of a jerk. Undoubtedly they love music and can connect with others talking about it, and have learned to take some of the stress and inconvenience of their fame with it. It must not be easy to have to face hundreds of people on those days when you're not having a good day. I imagine we all have to learn to overcome our dark and bad sides and that the level of success (however you define it) you attain in life usually correlates heavily with how much energy you can put to good use.

[@hilla42]

Mike Dawes. Petterie Sariola. Jon Gomm. Sophie Chassee. Learn from them ❤.

[@7thString84]

Very cool video, Kris! :) Besides some very nice interactions with my heroes (e. g. Guthrie Govan, Marco Minnemann, Brian Beller (The Aristocrats), Mike Portnoy (at a gas station after a DT concert, buying a Magnum ice), Victor Smolksi, Mattias "IA" Eklund, Martin Miller, Tom Quayle etc. etc.), there was a quite disappointing one: Al di Meola. It was after a concert near my home and we wanted to get an autograph from him. And he somehow seemed quite arrogant/unfriendly. Like he was annoyed to give autographs. Which of course is what you really don't want to experience as a fan, as you probably can imagine. Maybe, he had a bad day or was tired or something?! I don't know. But this would be a not so cool experience for me. Btw: are you a the Guitar Summit this month? Would love to meet you (and test you, how nice YOU are in person! HAHAHA! :D). Da ich deine Videos seit Jahren gucke, fänd ich es cool, dir mal die Hand zu schütteln! :) Vielleicht bis dann! Markus

[@mylogify]

Kris is very bad, he smashes people's guitars, throws them on the amps, cabs... In his gigs, that's what you don't see on cameras, videos. He acts good here... He destroys everyone's pedalboards, when people reach him, even though he builds always on thomann streams... Hahahahah :D :D. joke ofc.

[@7thString84]

@@mylogify I knew it! :D

[@KrisBarocsi]

@@7thString84 All of that is actually true. I’m also a soul vampire. I suck out the kindness and life energy of people who approach me, that’s how I always appear to be kind and happy. 🤣 So yeah, G and I are at the Guitar Summit (Fr and Sat) if you dare come and say hi. 😜

[@7thString84]

@@KrisBarocsi I definitely will! See you there bud! :)

[@RicketyKrickett]

I’ve met Mick Thomson numbers on times. In public and at signings and he’s nothing but the nicest guy ever. Loves the raiders love cracking jokes loves talking gear. Super nice guy

[@michaelnugent9758]

I can totally vouch for everything you said about Devin and more. Super cool, personable gut. Super smart and funny as hell!

[@tubeworkshop]

Whenever I met one of my "Heroes", I was puzzled how "Normal" and "Down to Earth" they actually are. It was always a great time...

[@movus5]

I met Jimmy Page in London. He is an absolute sweet gentleman

[@jamesonpace726]

Conversely, at the wedding of a daughter of Bill Kreutzman, (the other Greatful Dead drummer) she, hubby & most guests didn't imbibe. Then, in comes Daddy, ripped on gawd knew what, with 1/2 dozen retinue, being a rock star. I shook his hand & he spit on me, he was so trashed. He made loud, cruel jokes about Jerry's diabetes & coma, then commandeered the wedding band's drums, fell off the throne, fell down & puked on the carpet. A real class act, let me tell you....

[@dasczwo]

ahhh, true legends.

[@NisGaarde]

I've met John Petrucci and Chris Shiflett. Both super nice guys. Shiflett I met when supporting him on his 2019 tour with my band. Got to gear nerd with him before showtime, talking about his P90s Telecasters and about renting amps when you're touring abroad. Also about the difference between playing stadiums with the Foo Fighters and then smaller clubs with his solo material. Very cool dude. Ironically my first ever rock concert was the Foo Fighters in 1995 in a small club. Before Chris joined the band though and before they got huge. Petrucci I literally bumped into inside a music store in Copenhagen. I don't know if that counts as a "meeting" per se. I just needed to buy some guitar strings. Went in to the store and it was packed. Apparently some big shot guitar player that I'd never heard of was going to do a meet & greet and autograph signing there. Make my way to the counter, buy the strings, and as I'm turning around to leave I walk straight into this bearded, long-haired dude who is making his way through the crowd. "So sorry!" he says to me and smiles. Everybody's staring at me. "No problem!" I reply, slowly starting add 2 and 2 together. I stick around for a while. I ask someone who he is. "Are you kidding? It's John Petrucci from Dream Theatre!" I remember having seen them at Roskilde Festival a few years prior, but it's not a band I - at the time - have much knowledge about. Didn't get an autograph, but I did get to exchange a couple of awkward but friendly words. It's only later I discover that I've just had a close encouter with a veritable guitar god!

[@andrewsantos3283]

Still dreaming on Meeting Steve Vai one day

[@MarkStearle]

Pat Metheny,Nils Lofgrin,Mike Stern,Joe Bonnamasa all humble

[@BrunodeSouzaLino]

Pat Metheny is nice unless you're Rick Beato.

[@MarkStearle]

@@BrunodeSouzaLino ?

[@MOAllDa]

Mick Thompson would be an amazing meet.

[@charlesb7831]

I met the Killer Dwarfs here in Canada back in the late 80's, right after a show and they signed a poster and we super nice guys. Best was meeting Zakk Wylde twice, he took a family photo with my wife and son, unbelievably super sweet guy. First time meeting him, he gave me upgraded seats for the show that night and backstage passes. Second time meeting him, took the family photo and signed my Marshall JCM800 4010 combo amp that isn't going anywhere lol. My son absolutely loved him. I think he became a roll model for my son and I. Met Paul Gilbert at a guitar clinic and again, unbelievably super nice guy. I think guys from that generation have something different about them, and a bigger appreciation for their fans.

[@no1beatsj]

I've come to believe that 'most' successful famous guitarists are genuinely nice people - but noone wants to work with a diva

[@dasczwo]

have you met blackmore or malmsteen?

[@KrisBarocsi]

@@dasczwo Nope but I’ve heard stories. 😅 Still, I‘d give it a go, who knows.

[@BrunodeSouzaLino]

Blackmore can be a nice person depending on circumstance. Malmsteen on the other hand... But you should cut the crap and go for Uli Roth instead.

[@nuendo2496]

Didn’t get a chance to meet Jeff Beck…….

[@Bienchen85]

Thanks Kris to share your experience! I wish other communities' 'celebs' would have similar mentalities, instead of the toxic, waste of oxygen as some of them are. Your encounters further prove that this community is blessed to have quality and humanity perfectly balanced, which is such a joy to experience (through you)❤.

[@MusicbyMaggie]

I've never met Dave Grohl, but given the recent news, he's disappointed me already 😅

[@mylogify]

What news?

[@michaelnugent9758]

​@mylogify He knocked up some chick. He's married and has been for years. At least hes gonna step up. Props to him 👊🏻

[@mylogify]

@@michaelnugent9758 I don't like people monitoring every single move of the famous people, when there is no privacy, anything is possible, I don't know what argument they had, I don't know their relationship, what happened, so no comment from me.

[@NintenDub]

Tim henson isnt s guitar hero😅 hes an influencer. Guitar heros dont exist anymore. The last remaining ones are 50 + years old

[@RodrigoRamirez-eq6gj]

Steve is a lovely person.

[@mylogify]

I just had regular feelings about Ozzy Osbourne, but then I found out his old stage incidents, not very animal friendly... So now he is not one I admire from the rest of the vocalists. I believe he is one of the most overrated guys in the music scene. He did though got really famous after those reality shows in MTV.

[@PooNinja]

@@mylogify on this point we disagree Oz has written lyrics that stand the test of time and he’s never claimed to be a role model, hes f’n crazy and that’s why I like him.

[@mylogify]

@@PooNinja There is no excuse for me to love anyone who abuses animals, even on purpose to get attention. For lyrics, and being vocalist, I always think people that play an instrument are one step further, either for themselves, and for the audience.

[@fronthorse]

Which lyrics do you mean? ​@@PooNinja

[@fronthorse]

Ask Rudy Sarzo or Lee Kerslake or others in the early 80s. Ozzy was an utter a-hole then.

[@PooNinja]

@@fronthorse old sabbath stuff and the stuff he co wrote with Lemmy was awesome.

[@michaelogden5093]

"Guitar Heros"... that's pathetic.

[@VanjaSpirin]

I could not watch this. This fanboying. Why is everybody so hystericaly amazed if some guitarist is not an asshole? I know some very nice people who don't even play guitar.