You got that right. Zero pretense. Seems the interviewer has no clue.. starting off with "all these famous guitar players say you are the best", he starts explaining where he stands and what is important to him, then she repeats "is this the best jazz or rock has to offer ?" how dumb can you be really..
Had a few beers with Allan. Hate it when interviewers say hes shy. Hes NOT shy and knows how to take the piss with deadpan delivery. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with him and he made me laugh at myself. Thank you, Allan. There will never be another. R.I.P ( Return if Possible ).
Asking the general public to appreciate Allan is like asking an infant to spell his name. We just have accept these things and make sure we support the greats the best we can.
And as usual he was neither understood nor appreciated by the 'general public'. His music is unique and as difficult to get used to it as learning a new language. It takes lots of time and effort. Of course, many musicians together with the more educated audience loved his musical talent but that is hardly enough to shine in the music industry by large.
There aren't many interviews out there by Allan - which is understandable. But every time you do hear him speak, you instantly understand why his music sounds the way it does: He's full of honesty, integrity and a genuine interest in nothing but the music.
It’s almost futile to justly describe Allan’s contribution to art and humanity. After thinking about it for a day, I realized, in his field, Allan’s equivalent to Michelangelo and Leonardo Di Vinci in theirs. He achieved what no other human could’ve hoped to. He changed the scale of 10. Listening to his peers on hours of interviews, I’m sure they’d agree, now, there are no 10’s. And Allan was a 12. Just beyond. I love Bill Bruford’s description, “his talent was astronomical.” I had the privilege of meeting Allan, shaking his huge hand, and thanking him for all his music (I was going to say ‘incredible music,’ but that futilely doesn’t really do him justice). Thank you, Allan. RIP.
You just can't stop Allan Holdsworth from being Allan Holdsworth. I love these interviews. He wasn't rude but he answered every question with complete honesty. Did you notice the body English of the interviewer? I don't think she was expecting the answers. He was 100% straight up Allan Holdsworth. You couldn't brainwash the guy, he was just too strong in his own beliefs. He didn't want the praise or the money. He just wanted to keep doing what he's doing. The last time I saw Allan he was doing a Vick Firth promotion and they paid his band to travel with them (Chad Wackerman). They played in a local music store and luckily I went. I got to talk to Allan briefly and told him how glad I was to see him play live because he hadn't been touring. His reaction. Like I was talking to one of my friends, he replies "I know, I'm just glad to be able to play". I was floored. This guy was one of a kind and miss him immensely. Also got to ask him a question during Q&A about his time signatures. His answer is he plays in 1. Oh man, I was floored. Loved this guy. By the way Gary Husband was the same way (I spoke to him before the gig when Allan was on tour. He was just walking around). He talked to you as an equal. There was no ego in this guy. Probably why they were such good friends.
Oh that is SOO friggin cool watching him play that Synthaxe. That wonderful piece of musical equipment gave me some of my favorite AH music on Wardenclyffe Tower.
I just WISH some company out there would make something inspired by it with updated technology. Can you imagine? Way cheaper, and way more reliable. I'm astonished that there is nothing like it out on the market.
I has at that concert with my late buddy. Huge fans of Alan I have seen him with Bruford band at Elmo and missed him in London with soft machine Own all his lps Really miss his original music.
Was blessed to see him perform live in Philadelphia once. He was truly a unique musician and sadly his impressive technique and gear often overshadowed his talents as a musician in that folks paid way too much attention to his gear and not enough to what he was trying to say as a musician and story teller.
There's a higher quality version of the same clip that has been uploaded recently. Probably just search "holdsworth diamond club" to find it. Brings tears to my eyes.
The best (and a really nice guy in person as well as had been said by many before) and a good deal of it "over my head". But much of it DID reach my brain cells and heart and there is just nothing like it for the enjoyment it gave and gives me.
He always reminds of what Jerry Garcia once said...he knew that the music of the Dead had only limited appeal and that it had no commercial value ...but it had meaning to the people in their world and that was enough for them
@@josephskuse9115 Try spending 1 month trying to play like Holdsworth. You have to ACTIVELY PRACTICE trying to nail both the technical and the theoretical aspects of his playing. You'd improve SOOO much
I think Allan wouldn't want anyone to copy his style but come up with or create their own sound. It was said as a story during his memorial one guy actually was trying to do just that and Allan insisted that he find his own sound for him.
@@mindthreatx I just think it would suck to have people hear you play, and immediate they know you're just trying to sound exactly like Holdsworth (and like a Fisher-Price version at that). Seen plenty of guitarists like that and I just cringe, because it sounds *sorta* like his tone and some of his phrasing, but their playing is nowhere even near the same dimension as Allan, and it's super cheesy. Sounds like a cheap knock-off.
I red somewhere in this youtube field that there was a guy that really imitates his sound and Allan met him and said something like: If i can't achieve a life doing this how can you?
I think Holdsworth could have done pretty well doing stuff that's more pop-oriented like he did on the Metal Fatigue album or particularly Level 42 Guaranteed. There's something I've always loved about taking a simple form of music and then adding something that just kind of hovers above it. Level 42's music was fairly jazz/funk-inspired pop but there's something enigmatic about what Holdsworth added to those tracks. Also Scott Henderson's post-2000 style which is more bluesy but there's always that element of surprise with a complex enigmatic jazz thing that comes out of nowhere.
He was a victim of the industry. The industry should have been promoting his type of music to improve the world, but they responded to consumer demand, giving us tasteless drivel instead.
I hear this suicide inducing drivel (Hip Hop, Rap, EDM etc) pounding through my house walls every day for many years. One day in the distant future, all the morons creating this terrible nonsense will have been removed from the gene pool by natural selection, leaving only the very best and authentic visionary musicians like the incredible Allan Holdsworth.
Autodidactus Plays JRPGs The music industry is the business of selling music, so it sells whatever music people actually want to buy. Business people are not concerned with taste and they are not trying to educate consumers, they are trying to make money. I don’t see Allan Holdsworth as someone who was victimised, just a genius whose music was anything but mainstream. If he had chosen to wear the rock guitarist uniform and play those rock licks like a good boy then he would have been rich and famous but his integrity got in the way....
"If you want to play like him, you need to take 10 years out of your life". Uhh, no. Even 10 lifetimes won't be enough for most people. There are single digit number of people that can imitate him well.
I think Allan had some serious problems with the SynthAxe due to it malfunctioning a few times during live performances but it does have a very synthetic sound. As cool or unique of a guitar it is, him playing a real guitar is definitely preferred.
Allan was an amazing guitar player (despite the fact that he stated that he doesn't even like the guitar). He developed an amazing approach to the instrument, and looks like he is super hard to imitate. But one thing I'm noticing is, if you take any uptempo song by Holdsworth, take his solo out of that song, and place some other solo that he played elsewhere instead of the original solo, it wouldn't sound odd at all. You can easily swap his solos between different tracks, and it will all fit. Ain't that strange?
I don't think that's true. Yes he plays outside the chord/key, for effect, in many instances. But I don't think there's a single solo of his that isn't based on the chord changes of the song. He was a scientist in that regard. If it all sounds like random notes to you, are you really hearing the harmonies, man?
Blake Markle that's my problem with him. Man.i wanna get into him like most guitarists but I try and try again but all.I hear ar3 random notes. It's structureless, free form. His legato is impressive as hell from my view but I can't feel.it. I feel left out :(
as great as he is, I'd rather watch a virtuoso with a little more slop and balls to the sound. Someone like Chris Duarte is relatively unknown and can play so many styles even though he sticks with that Texas SRV Hendrix sound mostly. This too clean stuff bores me even though hes incredible. Side note, what the hell is he playing at the end of this clip?
Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love Allan...but he wasn't helping himself at all by playing those grotesque guitars. If he was playing that shit on a gorgeous Les Paul, and with much better tone, he would have been much more popular.
This is one of the dumbest things I've ever read. Yeah, he would have sold soooooo many more records and made it big time if only he played a Les Paul.
@@lex.cordis I can't say how many more but yes of course he would have been much more marketable if he played a nice guitar. Just basic marketing I don't expect you to understand though.
@@anatomyconspiracy9416 I'm sure you know a lot about it. Buddy, if people are in the realm of the fusion niche and that's the music they want, that fan-base is not going to give a fuck about whether the artist plays a Les Paul or not. This is not pop music. "I would like John McLaughlin's music, but he isn't wearing leather pants, and his hair is too short". - No one ever.
@@anatomyconspiracy9416 He couldn't make it mainstream because his music is so profoundly genius, that it is simply above the heads of the masses. Has nothing to do with looks. Things of this level of beauty and profundity go unappreciated by the majority. It's just the way of the world. People wouldn't suddenly like his music if he dressed like Eddie Van Halen and played a "beautiful" guitar.
Allan had more integrity than the music industry could handle.
You got that right. Zero pretense. Seems the interviewer has no clue.. starting off with "all these famous guitar players say you are the best", he starts explaining where he stands and what is important to him, then she repeats "is this the best jazz or rock has to offer ?" how dumb can you be really..
He held a lot of worth.
@@andym28 heh
and most people
Also, absolutely horrible business advice
Had a few beers with Allan. Hate it when interviewers say hes shy. Hes NOT shy and knows how to take the piss with deadpan delivery. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with him and he made me laugh at myself. Thank you, Allan. There will never be another. R.I.P ( Return if Possible ).
I know what you mean about Allan! BTW people use the word 'shy' very loosely.
I think by "shy" they're just referring to his self-deprecating, modest proclivities when it came to his playing.
100... 1000 years from now, people will still be studying Allan Holdsworth. He will be revered as an exceptional artist long into the future.
Asking the general public to appreciate Allan is like asking an infant to spell his name. We just have accept these things and make sure we support the greats the best we can.
I never knew Allan personally, but this interview shows him to be a good person with a good heart. I admire him for his integrity.
Man, if music like that came out of him, he HAD to have been a good heart. He just had to have been.
One of the few defining artists in human history
And as usual he was neither understood nor appreciated by the 'general public'. His music is unique and as difficult to get used to it as learning a new language. It takes lots of time and effort. Of course, many musicians together with the more educated audience loved his musical talent but that is hardly enough to shine in the music industry by large.
There aren't many interviews out there by Allan - which is understandable.
But every time you do hear him speak, you instantly understand why his music sounds the way it does:
He's full of honesty, integrity and a genuine interest in nothing but the music.
It’s almost futile to justly describe Allan’s contribution to art and
humanity. After thinking about it for a day, I realized, in his field,
Allan’s equivalent to Michelangelo and Leonardo Di Vinci in theirs. He
achieved what no other human could’ve hoped to. He changed the scale of
10. Listening to his peers on hours of interviews, I’m sure they’d
agree, now, there are no 10’s. And Allan was a 12. Just beyond. I
love Bill Bruford’s description, “his talent was astronomical.” I had
the privilege of meeting Allan, shaking his huge hand, and thanking him
for all his music (I was going to say ‘incredible music,’ but that
futilely doesn’t really do him justice). Thank you, Allan. RIP.
Damn shame, was lucky enough to see him play twice at band on the wall! absolute brilliance! god bless!
simply put Alan Holdsworth was the greatest electric guitar player ever, the John Coltrane of guitar and there will never be another like him!
watch it again; you missed something
he was a great musician and such a nice person. rare combination.
No... all the really top musians are really generous and humble
@@davidscott1052 "too many Buddy Richs out there" was a direct quote from him 😆
You just can't stop Allan Holdsworth from being Allan Holdsworth. I love these interviews. He wasn't rude but he answered every question with complete honesty. Did you notice the body English of the interviewer? I don't think she was expecting the answers. He was 100% straight up Allan Holdsworth. You couldn't brainwash the guy, he was just too strong in his own beliefs. He didn't want the praise or the money. He just wanted to keep doing what he's doing. The last time I saw Allan he was doing a Vick Firth promotion and they paid his band to travel with them (Chad Wackerman). They played in a local music store and luckily I went. I got to talk to Allan briefly and told him how glad I was to see him play live because he hadn't been touring. His reaction. Like I was talking to one of my friends, he replies "I know, I'm just glad to be able to play". I was floored. This guy was one of a kind and miss him immensely. Also got to ask him a question during Q&A about his time signatures. His answer is he plays in 1. Oh man, I was floored. Loved this guy. By the way Gary Husband was the same way (I spoke to him before the gig when Allan was on tour. He was just walking around). He talked to you as an equal. There was no ego in this guy. Probably why they were such good friends.
Oh that is SOO friggin cool watching him play that Synthaxe. That wonderful piece of musical equipment gave me some of my favorite AH music on Wardenclyffe Tower.
I just WISH some company out there would make something inspired by it with updated technology. Can you imagine? Way cheaper, and way more reliable. I'm astonished that there is nothing like it out on the market.
A true legend, first heard his music when I was 15 and the uniqueness of his sound still blows me away. Also cool that he was a fellow Yorkshireman 😎
Damn man, is that Gary Husband on drums there? That guy is one hell of a musician
Yes.
What a brilliant musician, a true genius.
Judging by the way people look in this video I'd have to say it was shot around 1986-87
Nah, that's just Canada. This was shot last week.
;)
daryl howard it’s late 80/early 90s because Allan is playing Steinbergers here and was transitioning to Carvin
Except for Allan, who basically never changed since I knew him in '69. RIP, timeless master.
I has at that concert with my late buddy.
Huge fans of Alan
I have seen him with Bruford band at Elmo and missed him in London with soft machine
Own all his lps
Really miss his original music.
Was blessed to see him perform live in Philadelphia once. He was truly a unique musician and sadly his impressive technique and gear often overshadowed his talents as a musician in that folks paid way too much attention to his gear and not enough to what he was trying to say as a musician and story teller.
One of the more intelligent Holdsworth interviewERs.
Thanks for the memories , the music , and your time . This is brutal ! Rest in peace friend
The world’s greatest and humblest guitarist all in one! 🎸🔥🔥🔥
holy fuck white line sounds so good here
There's a higher quality version of the same clip that has been uploaded recently. Probably just search "holdsworth diamond club" to find it. Brings tears to my eyes.
The best thing you can do for Allan is to show others his music.
The best (and a really nice guy in person as well as had been said by many before) and a good deal of it "over my head". But much of it DID reach my brain cells and heart and there is just nothing like it for the enjoyment it gave and gives me.
He always reminds of what Jerry Garcia once said...he knew that the music of the Dead had only limited appeal and that it had no commercial value ...but it had meaning to the people in their world and that was enough for them
and Tony Williams Lifetime. Great answer by Holdsworth at the end. He kept to himself and didn't need to do any pop music.
3:28 - that's orange juice he's sipping through that straw.
No brain ale!
Pure lsd!!
One of Holdsworth's best solos: Level 42: She Can't Help Herself
"10 years of your life"
I understand the guy's sentiment, but that was honestly kind of funny.
@@josephskuse9115 Try spending 1 month trying to play like Holdsworth. You have to ACTIVELY PRACTICE trying to nail both the technical and the theoretical aspects of his playing. You'd improve SOOO much
I think Allan wouldn't want anyone to copy his style but come up with or create their own sound. It was said as a story during his memorial one guy actually was trying to do just that and Allan insisted that he find his own sound for him.
@@mindthreatx I just think it would suck to have people hear you play, and immediate they know you're just trying to sound exactly like Holdsworth (and like a Fisher-Price version at that). Seen plenty of guitarists like that and I just cringe, because it sounds *sorta* like his tone and some of his phrasing, but their playing is nowhere even near the same dimension as Allan, and it's super cheesy. Sounds like a cheap knock-off.
I red somewhere in this youtube field that there was a guy that really imitates his sound and Allan met him and said something like: If i can't achieve a life doing this how can you?
@@erenanidem3479 Probably Bill Connors.
BRILLIANT INTERVIEW actually!
Rest in peace, Allan! :(
What's the tune starting at 1:28? Beautiful.
White line
The instrumental version, originally with vocals (Paul Williams) released on the "IOU" album.
That White Line version should sound in DUNE!
when I get tired of the norm I listen to Alan with reverence
Watching this video makes me want to cry....
What is that song in the intro of this video? amazing!
Was that Husbands on drums?? We miss you Allan
yep
I think Holdsworth could have done pretty well doing stuff that's more pop-oriented like he did on the Metal Fatigue album or particularly Level 42 Guaranteed. There's something I've always loved about taking a simple form of music and then adding something that just kind of hovers above it. Level 42's music was fairly jazz/funk-inspired pop but there's something enigmatic about what Holdsworth added to those tracks. Also Scott Henderson's post-2000 style which is more bluesy but there's always that element of surprise with a complex enigmatic jazz thing that comes out of nowhere.
Holdsworth RIP.
0:54 is that Dann Huff?
Classic Holdsworth
Just A legend
Humble GENIUS!!!
fantastic
whats the song at 1:30
" 10 years of my life " ? LOL , how about 5 incarnations ha ha
EXACTLY, LOL‼️😆👍
He was a victim of the industry. The industry should have been promoting his type of music to improve the world, but they responded to consumer demand, giving us tasteless drivel instead.
Autodidactus Plays JRPGs what a wonderful point.
I hear this suicide inducing drivel (Hip Hop, Rap, EDM etc) pounding through my house walls every day for many years. One day in the distant future, all the morons creating this terrible nonsense will have been removed from the gene pool by natural selection, leaving only the very best and authentic visionary musicians like the incredible Allan Holdsworth.
@Turnip Townshend And you just painted a picture more scary than anything I have seen or heard.
Autodidactus Plays JRPGs The music industry is the business of selling music, so it sells whatever music people actually want to buy. Business people are not concerned with taste and they are not trying to educate consumers, they are trying to make money. I don’t see Allan Holdsworth as someone who was victimised, just a genius whose music was anything but mainstream. If he had chosen to wear the rock guitarist uniform and play those rock licks like a good boy then he would have been rich and famous but his integrity got in the way....
So true. And nice profile picture!
Is Zoey and Emily Deschamel's mom interviewing him?
1:35 can someone tell me what song this is
'White Line' from the IOU album (1982).
4:25
"If you want to play like him, you need to take 10 years out of your life".
Uhh, no. Even 10 lifetimes won't be enough for most people.
There are single digit number of people that can imitate him well.
The clothes at the beginning makes the whole segment...haha...who's idea was that?
Gary Husband on Drums
Master!
Many thought that Allan was an Alien but the fact is that he was human, too human for this sick world unfortunately.
He spits facts in the end.. why Pop now in the day don't use the SynthAxe? Or In another genre... it's a waste of machine!
I think Allan had some serious problems with the SynthAxe due to it malfunctioning a few times during live performances but it does have a very synthetic sound. As cool or unique of a guitar it is, him playing a real guitar is definitely preferred.
10 years lol ,,try 1000 years!
Allan was an amazing guitar player (despite the fact that he stated that he doesn't even like the guitar). He developed an amazing approach to the instrument, and looks like he is super hard to imitate. But one thing I'm noticing is, if you take any uptempo song by Holdsworth, take his solo out of that song, and place some other solo that he played elsewhere instead of the original solo, it wouldn't sound odd at all. You can easily swap his solos between different tracks, and it will all fit.
Ain't that strange?
I don't think that's true. Yes he plays outside the chord/key, for effect, in many instances. But I don't think there's a single solo of his that isn't based on the chord changes of the song. He was a scientist in that regard. If it all sounds like random notes to you, are you really hearing the harmonies, man?
Blake Markle that's my problem with him. Man.i wanna get into him like most guitarists but I try and try again but all.I hear ar3 random notes. It's structureless, free form. His legato is impressive as hell from my view but I can't feel.it. I feel left out :(
Yngsatchvai listen to I.O.U
The guy at 0:52 looks exactly like Frito from the movie Idiocracy
I like money.... AND sex!
as great as he is, I'd rather watch a virtuoso with a little more slop and balls to the sound. Someone like Chris Duarte is relatively unknown and can play so many styles even though he sticks with that Texas SRV Hendrix sound mostly. This too clean stuff bores me even though hes incredible. Side note, what the hell is he playing at the end of this clip?
Agree. Too polished for my liking. Give me some one and a half step bends over this any day.
If he had blonde hair...he'd look like the guy from The Inbetweeners
Sorry I cant take that synthax shit, its like Allan Partridge does Starwars.
Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love Allan...but he wasn't helping himself at all by playing those grotesque guitars. If he was playing that shit on a gorgeous Les Paul, and with much better tone, he would have been much more popular.
What is this - a fucking fashion show? Boy oh boy I'm so so glad you did not manage him!!!!!!!!
This is one of the dumbest things I've ever read. Yeah, he would have sold soooooo many more records and made it big time if only he played a Les Paul.
@@lex.cordis I can't say how many more but yes of course he would have been much more marketable if he played a nice guitar. Just basic marketing I don't expect you to understand though.
@@anatomyconspiracy9416 I'm sure you know a lot about it.
Buddy, if people are in the realm of the fusion niche and that's the music they want, that fan-base is not going to give a fuck about whether the artist plays a Les Paul or not. This is not pop music.
"I would like John McLaughlin's music, but he isn't wearing leather pants, and his hair is too short". - No one ever.
@@anatomyconspiracy9416 He couldn't make it mainstream because his music is so profoundly genius, that it is simply above the heads of the masses. Has nothing to do with looks. Things of this level of beauty and profundity go unappreciated by the majority. It's just the way of the world. People wouldn't suddenly like his music if he dressed like Eddie Van Halen and played a "beautiful" guitar.
The 80s were truly awful.
B Mike78 - No they weren't.
I had the pleasure of having this guitar genius as a customer at my Restaurant. A humble talented musical genius.
Allan Holdsworth is a true musical genius.
Clearly you weren’t there!
No way,....the clean poon was insane....
meh..
This music is horrible!!!!
You're horrible
A Van Halen fan. . No doubt.
@@wholeworld399 What's funny, is Van Halen would even tell this guy to fuck off for saying that.