Guitar News Weekly reproduces this interview here in full, with the expressed written permission of Dave Roberts (June 1999)

"...It's not just a game of notes, It's the sound inside your soul."
-Rik Emmett, "HOLD ON" 1979.

Rik Emmett is unquestionably one of Canada's greatest musical gifts. Born in Toronto in 1953, he took his first guitar lesson at age 12. His diverse playing styles of today could have been predicted in his childhood, with a wide array of influences, including The Beatles, Zeppelin, and Jimi, as well as blues, jazz, flamenco and classical.

With the release of his "RAW QUARTET" CD in February 1999, guitar virtuoso and Canadian Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Rik Emmett puts in place the final piece of his Trilogy project. Rik Emmett, former guitarist and vocalist of the 70's & 80s multi gold and platinum selling rock trio TRIMUPH, began his Trilogy undertaking in 1997 which would ultimately consist of 3 CD releases containing numerous compositions focusing on each facet of his many varying guitar playing styles, roots and techniques.

Trilogy's initial phase began in 1997 with the release of TEN INVENTIONS FROM THE MISTRESS OF MR. E. . TEN INVENTIONS is a combination of Emmett's nylon-stringed classical guitar compositions covering Rik's soft-jazz, flamenco and folk guitar roots. In early 1998, Rik followed up TEN INVENTIONS with the second installment of his Trilogy by releasing SWING SHIFT. Once again Rik demonstrates his guitar mastery, songwriting/producing skills and artistic range through a diversity of complex instrumental compositions, as well as 3 vocal pieces. On SWING SHIFT, Emmett accentuates traditional arch-top jazz electric guitars and steel string flattop acoustics rendering a melange of blues/swing, jazz, Latin and fusion based melodies.

Trilogy's finale, Raw Quartet, was released earlier this year. Raw Quartet accentuates Emmett's blues/rock roots with raw, high-energy jams strongly influenced by fellow Axe-gods including Hendrix, Beck, Clapton, Page & Stevie Ray Vaughan. Trilogy and additional Emmett releases are currently available on Rik's label OPEN HOUSE RECORDS located at www.rikemmett.com. Due to public demand and Rik's phenomenal skills and talent the EMI label was persuaded to provide national distribution with their prominent ARTISAN label. While in the midst of his "Raw Tour 1999" supporting his Trilogy releases, I had the privilege of talking with Rik about his Trilogy, Guitars and Life in general.

GRM: Hello Mr. Emmett, thank you for your time; how are you & your family?

R.E.: Fine, thank you. My mom has been fighting a tough battle with cancer lately, though, and it's not much fun, but these kinds of struggles are also a part of life, and so we're all coping the best we can. My mom is showing us a lot of courage and resilience.

GRM: I'm sorry to hear about your mom and I wish her the best. Your family always seemed to be your main focus. I've always had respect for your strong family devotion as you work in an industry that often puts many relationships to the test. You not only find time to peruse your many musical endeavors but you also Make time to be the devoted family man, father of four, coach of neighborhood youth sport leagues among your many other activities such as writing your 4 volume set of guitar instructional books, heading OPEN HOUSE RECORDS and your position on the Board of Directors for the Songwriters Association of Canada. This brings me to my next question; It must be a task in itself trying to find time to use the bathroom let alone putting your Trilogy projects, supporting tour and many other tasks together. How do you do it?

R.E.: It's not easy, and there are always little compromises and tensions that have to be dealt with. But it's a question of trying to remain focused on priorities, and I rely heavily on my wife, my family, my friend Rick Wharton, my "inner circle" of web site gurus, Nicole Doughty and Greg Taylor, and Jeanine Leech for artwork & graphics. It is a tiny little cottage industry, really, and relies heavily on a volunteer spirit at this point. I have not been there as a baseball coach as much as I would have liked this season: but there are other dads who are more than capable of picking up the slack. When my career starts to eat into the family commitment of time & energy, the kids & Jeannette are very understanding about their weirdo dad. I could really use a 36 hour day, though.

GRM: I enjoyed your columns in Guitar Player Magazine and your Rocktoons in Hit Parader; besides your instructional books, do you still do any cartooning or write?

R.E.: The columns have been revised and edited into a four volume series of books called "For the Love of Guitar" (available off the web site, or by mail order)...There are some sketches and cartoons in there, as well.

GRM: You seem to have conquered many different tasks and jobs; if you weren't a musician, what would you be?

R.E.: A writer. Maybe a sports writer, maybe a novelist. Maybe a coach. Maybe a cartoonist. Maybe a teacher.

GRM: How about your worst job?

R.E.: Did a full Saturday at a car wash once, in winter, vacuuming out the front & back left seats, in order to get some extra dough to take a girl out on a date (grade 11 crush). My left hand & arm was cramped for 2 days after.

GRM: I think you made the right career change! Now back to music; As with all your other releases, TRIUMPH and solo alike, TRILOGY displays your virtuosity as both a guitarist and vocalist on an amazingly diverse range of musical stylings. Do you have any favorite tracks from your Trilogy?

R.E.: Well....the reason that I record such wide-ranging material, both stylistically and dynamically, is that different moods and emotions require different kinds of musical expression, for me. So, for example, if I'm feeling somewhat introspective and emotional, the SOUVENIRS track from "Invitations" might have a profound effect on me. If I'm feeling peppy, I might lean towards "Three Clouds" from Swing Shift, or "Walkin'" from RAW QUARTET. The other night in Detroit, I really nailed a live acoustic version of Mr. Bebop....and that was a hoot and a half. So --- my favourites change, like my moods, like the weather, like Dennis Rodman's hair colour.

GRM: (laugh) Change is good; I personally feel that too many artists fear change holding on to the 'ol "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" attitude resulting in later regrets of missing out on doing what feels good. Speaking of change; How would you describe Rik Emmett today as opposed to Rik Emmett 15 years ago?

R.E.: Older. Not as mercurial, but still an emotion-fuelled guy. Different priorities. More painfully aware of his limitations. More satisfied with the content and shape of his professional career, if not necessarily with the remuneration generated from it... More in love with his wife, and children, and more aware of what that means. A better musician, a better writer, but even more aware of how infinite those pursuits are. A bigger gut. More hair growing in my ears and on my back. Somehow, though, more accepting and content with the asshole staring back out of the mirror every morning.

GRM: (laugh) As I listen to your work I often wondered if your songwriting process is nearly as labored and complex as I imagine; could you briefly describe your songwriting process.

R.E.: I use cassette tapes in the old ghetto blaster to record little snippets of ideas: and spiral notebooks to jot down all the little bric a brac that wanders through my head. Then, I go through intense periods of trying to develop these little inspirations into bigger concepts, and maybe tie a few together. Then I start demoing, and the demoing turns into master recording after a while. You asked earlier about finding time to do everything, which is impossible...and I should mention that, when I go into an intense creative period, pretty much everything else has to become low priority. I write and create little bits all the time, but I don't get into the heavy donkey work until the desktop is clear and the phones are turned off.

GRM: What's the story behind one of my favorite TRIUMPH tracks, "Suitcase Blues"?

R.E.: A Joe Pass chord exercise started morphing into a song with a melody, and a lyric theme straight from the empty, lonely hotel room on the road. Pretty literal, really. One of the great moments in my life was playing that song with Ed Bickert on a couple of occasions.

GRM: Let's now focus on your beginnings as a guitarist, what first inspired you to pick up the guitar?

R.E.: Probably the Beatles, and the resultant wave of pop mania. My grandpa gave me an old acoustic when I was about 11 (1964). I won 8 free lessons from the Regency School of Music in the west end of Toronto the next year. The teacher was a left-handed guy named Jack Arsenault, and he taught me (also a southpaw) to play the conventional right-handed way, because he insisted it would someday be an advantage for me (and the guitars would be cheaper and easier to find...).

GRM: What was your first guitar?

R.E.: First acoustic - a catalogue special that my grandpa gave me, very old, very high action, with a palm tree and a hula girl stenciled on the front. First electric - A Kay, one pickup, similar body shape to a Telly, kind of, but with a 3 & 3 peghead. One day, a friend and I cut it into a teardrop, and butchered it badly. I still have them both up on my Wall of Shame.

GRM:: What was your first concert?

R.E.: Probably a Christmas concert in a church. My first concert performance? Probably the same kind of event. I also sang in the May Festival School Choirs at Massey Hall as a kid in grade 5 and 6.

GRM: Do You still remember the first song you ever learned to play?

R.E.: The melody from an ALKA-SELTZER TV commercial. After I had learned a first position C and A minor chord, I wrote my own song, and I've been turning THAT same trick ever since.

GRM: As you matured as a guitarist, what other guitarists influenced you?

R.E.: Hendrix, the Yardbirds alumni (Clapton, Beck, Page), Blackmore, Steve Howe, Jan Akkerman, Segovia, Bream, Joe Pass, Wes Montgomery...Lately, Metheny, Tuck Andress, Robben Ford.......I love anybody who plays it like their life depends on it....like the music that they're making on it is closer to a universal truth than anything else they would recognize, or know how to express.

GRM: How about an example. Do you have any 1 favorite song or solo from another guitarist?

R.E.: Not fair to be so restrictive! I nearly came unglued the first time I heard "September Fifteenth" by Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays on the ECM LP, "As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls". Same thing when I first heard "Where Were You?" on Jeff Beck's "Guitar Shop" CD.

GRM: How about your music. Is there a favorite song or solo of yours that comes to mind?

R.E.: Suitcase has got to be up there, for sure. I still love to play Hold On. On my new stuff, I'm quite enjoying playing "The Last Goodbye" from Raw Quartet, and, for a direct contrast, "Head Case". I'm not sure what will emerge over time, but Mr. Bebop, Taste of Steel and Three Clouds are all good fun, from the SWING SHIFT CD.

GRM: What CDs do you have in your stereo right now?

R.E.: Julian Bream Plays Granados and Albeniz.....one of my absolute favorites.

GRM: Is there any certain type of music you are completely into at the moment?

R.E.: I don't have much time for recreational music listening. I try to keep up with Metheny's new stuff, and I like Sting....I also dig out the old Steely Dan and the old jazz stuff like Wes and Pass sometimes. Sometimes I do research, stylistically, but as far as bands go, I simply don't have the time to let anything grow on me....and first impressions have not been very, um, impressive, most of the time.

GRM: (laugh) The complexity of the chord progressions present in your compositions leads me to believe that you probably use some pretty versatile tunings on your guitars. What type of strings and tunings do you normally use?

R.E.: Electric? Light top heavy bottom, 10 to 54 - I prefer D'addario. Acoustic - John Pearce medium gauge. I use standard tuning, mostly, occasionally a dropped D, and very occasionally I have recorded with an open C tuning - C,G,C,G,C,E. (Buggy Ride and Lickity Bit).

GRM: Let's talk about equipment, what does your current rig consist of?

R.E. Line 6 Flextone, with the pedal board, and a YAMAHA Pacifica USA-1. Sometimes I'm using the Line 6 POD on small gigs when I don't cart an amp.

GRM: How about your guitars; which is your favorite; why?

R.E.: Acoustic - new Compass from YAMAHA. Gives me a lot of stylistic flexibility, live.

GRM: Besides your guitar & amp, what is the one piece of your rig that you cannot live without?

R.E.: There's nothing else IN my rig. Actually, I could live without an electric guitar & amp, but I couldn't live without an acoustic of some description.

GRM: What do you think was the greatest invention for guitars?

R.E.: Slinky strings for bending (shall we thank James Burton for that?) Pickups, which led to amps, which led to distortion, which led to solid bodies like the Telly and the Les Paul, which led to SUSTAINNNNNN?

GRM: AHH....distortion. Do you ever have one of those days where you feel the need for turning up the amp and add some screaming distortion, just for old times sake?

R.E.: Have you heard RAW QUARTET? Perpetual motion? Gasoline? Head Case? I have not forgotten how to rock: the next trilogy, or whatever I end up making, will have some progressive, melodic, hard rockin' stuff - you can count on it.

GRM: So it sounds like you are already planning your next move; anything specific?

R.E.: Another collection of wide-ranging stylistically diverse material. More touring. And I'm currently working up a traditional Christmas album with a Celtic twist, along with Sam Reid, the keyboard guy from Glass Tiger (another S.A.C. Board member).

GRM: What advise would you give beginning guitarists?

R.E.: Play like your life depends on it....like the music that you're making is closer to a universal truth than anything else you would recognize, or know how to express. Love to play. Pick and grin. If it's not fun, don't do it. If it's not better than sex, (sometimes), find another hobby. If it's an avocation, it is the most rewarding thing you can do, because it's the only thing that you must do, isn't it?

GRM: We can't forget to let your fans know where they can find and purchase Rik Emmett Trilogy (and other solo) releases?

R.E.: Web surf to www.rikemmett.com. Or call 1-800-563-7234 and get out your credit card. Or write to P.O. Box 111, Port Credit, Ontario, Canada, L5G 4L5.

GRM: As you are out touring quite constantly, I'm sure not everything goes as planned; can you tell use about some embarrassing moments on tour?

R.E.: Well, I went ass over tea kettle, spilling backwards over a monitor only a few weeks ago at an outdoor show in Windsor, Ontario. But it wasn't too embarrassing. I'm getting used to making a fool out of myself. I once split my zipper in a pair of extremely tight white pants, onstage at the Philadelphia Spectrum, with an electric blue t-shirt tucked in and sticking out like a flag through the zipper. THAT had the chicks in the front row screaming, I can tell you...but they were also laughing, uproariously. And they sent photos later to the p.o. box, just to add to the humiliation.

GRM: (Laugh) If you weren't doing this interview, what would you be doing right now?

R.E.: Doing the NEXT interview, which is already overdue...

GRM: Well, I saved the best question for last: What is the meaning of life?

RE.: Enjoy the process. Enjoy the moment. It ain't the destinations, it's the journeys. You get a short little dance on this rock, spinning 'round the sun: and you've been put into a soft machine that was made to love. So love as much and as best as you can.

GRM: Perfectly said. Thank you very much for your time. Best of luck on "RAW QUARTET" and Trilogy as a whole. We'll all be looking forward to your Christmas as well as all your future projects. Thanks again; and I hope it wasn't too painful.

R.E.: You're welcome

members.aol.com/cc6string/index.html is the web home of articles written by Dave "CC6string" Roberts. All articles are available for use or reprint ONLY by Permission. All materials are Copyright Dave Roberts, All Rights Reserved.

Guitar News Weekly reproduces this interview here in full, with the expressed written permission of Dave Roberts (June 1999)

The Rik Emmett Homepage
www.rikemmett.com
covers the solo career of one of Canada's most respected musician:

"Three and a half decades ago I picked up a guitar and began a journey. You're welcome to check the map of it out here - where and how it started, where it's been, where it's at, and where it might be headed..." - RE

Visit The Canadian Music Webring and read a bio on Rik:
www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Villa/8767/emmettpage.html

Rik Emmett is beyond a shadow of a doubt one of the greatest guitarists ever to plug in an amp. He was a cornerstone of Triumph while penning some of Canada's greatest rock anthems, and has now recorded his sixth solo disc, completing the GUITAR TRILOGY. Whether it's the blues, classical, acoustic or balls-grabbing metal, he's done it all. Aside from music, he's an accomplished cartoonist

20 QUESTIONS FOR A GUITAR-GOD
www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Villa/8767/emmettbug.html online interview with Rik

Q - Would you prefer to be remembered as a song-writing genius or are you content being a guitar-god?

A - I am neither genius nor deity. I'm a writer and a musician with plenty of limitations and frustrations. I may be a little more ambitious than the next guy, some might say strong-willed, or simply a thick-headed egotist: but my strength, I think, is my versatility - which deceives a lot of people into thinking I am more than the sum of my parts: jack of many trades, master of none. If I'm a God, what does that make Danny Gatton? Or Tuck Andress? Or Steve Morse ... or John Williams ... or Jim Hall ... or pat Metheny? Or ... or ... or ...

Q - What inspires you nowadays when it comes to songwriting?

A - Same stuff that always did - a combination of chords, a phrase of lyric, a little snatch of melody, a mood that sits in a groove that starts suggesting a set of changes that breeds a melody line. ...

Q & A continues...
www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Villa/8767/emmettbug.html

Rik Emmett discography @ All-Music Guide
or search @ www.allmusic.com