In this AMS interview Kelly and Ryan headed to the Iridium in New York City and got to chat with John 5 before his show. They got to talk all about John 5’s playing, touring, and whether or not Motley Crue should be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. But per usual, Kelly gets straight to business asking the important questions the people want to know. Check out the John 5 AMS Interivew now.
How is Churro?
For context, in February 2024 when AMS last interviewed John 5, we got to meet his hairless dog Churro! And since he is a dog, naturally we got attached and wanted to know how he was doing. And we were excited to hear that he’s doing great, though still very attached to his family. John 5’s wife, Rita Lowery, left for Japan recently, and he stayed by the window waiting for her to come home. When she finally got back, Churro pulled away from the window and unleashed his wild side. Other than his attachment to his mom and dad Churro is healthy and well.
On With The Show
In the music industry, most people get tired of touring with how much it takes out of you. Of course, nothing can slow John 5 down. John is having an amazing time touring! It’s something he never really gets tired of.
“It’s something I could do everyday,” says John. “B.B. King was touring constantly back in the day. He was playing all the time, and I can totally do that no problem.” Retirement from touring just isn’t in the cards for John.
“I am very health conscious. I will walk around a new city for about a few miles. On my way back, I'll play the guitar, maybe watch Netflix and do a soundtrack, and it's just such a good life.”
He also shared how he loves doing meet and greats, specifically because of all the stories people bring from all sorts of other places. He says, “I love being on the road. We have had so much fun so far.” He really seems to be living the life!
It’s All Just Instrumental
Kelly dives in with another spicy question: “You seem to have a level of humility that some people with your talent would not have. What keeps you so humble? Some people hate meet and greets!”
John says it's all about the fans! “If you want to take your phone out to record the show, there are a lot of other people in the world who would love to see this. They might not have the money for the show, so take that phone out and share it.”
The tour manager to Motley Crue came to the show the night before and John told him, “Here is what’s gonna happen: There is no singing, there is no bass player, there are not really any hit songs. But have a good time.” The manager loved it! When people don’t know anything about John 5’s show but they have a passion for music, they just love it because there’s always something happening.
The Omnivore of Music
If you didn’t know what genre of music John 5 played, you still might not know after the show! He dips into everything: country, funk, jazz, rock. And sometimes swaps genres mid-song!
“I love music! It’s like when someone says they enjoy food but ‘I only eat Italian…’ but we all enjoy food. There are so many different kinds of food, and that's how I am with music. It doesn’t matter what sound or kind. If it's done well, I appreciate it.” He really drives that ideology into his performances.
Leaving the Singing to the Pros
John 5 has clearly thought about singing on his own songs… and he isn’t gonna do it! “I’ll just stick to guitar. The tone of my voice sucks!”
Ryan and Kelly chime in saying his speaking voice has a good tone. Ryan added “Ace Frehley would be the first to say ‘I am a guitar player not a singer’ but he made it work.”
John 5 was immediately taken aback and talked about how great Ace’s voice was. His speaking voice and his singing voice were very similar to David Lee Roth’s voice. “A lot of that early Van Hallen's first album to 84 was in a lower register, like in ‘Running with the Devil’ the verse starts in a low register which is kinda his talking voice.” It’s amazing how some singers have that amazing tone, but John says he is leaving it to the pros!
Just like Every Other Musician
When it comes to finding inspiration for instrumental music, John 5 uses the same strategy as everyone else! He said he used to pull out his cassette recorder, but now he just pulls out his iPhone and opens up the voice memo’s app. He said, “ I bet every single musician has that voice memo packed with stuff.” Kelly asked if he sings his melodies into the phone. He responded, “No I always have a guitar with me, unless I am in an uber or the shower… But I do bring the guitar to the jacuzzi.”
Since he was 11 years old, he’s been using the same few boss pedals and gives them a lot of praise! He describes them as tanks, and he never needs to replace them. If he does get a new one, it’s only for the appearance of a fresh pedal.
The big question in the room was why his EVH cabinet was upside down? It turns out to make the output jack fit the case structure, they needed to flip the cabinet so they could still use the amp. They also thought it would be a good idea to flip the EVH logo around so it was still upright. John said “it’s pretty S-M-R-T”.
Motley Crue in the Hall of Fame?
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is clearly missing Motley Crue. So many bands have been influenced by Motley Crew that it’s odd they aren’t there. John thinks they deserve it, and he also said, “If it was up to me, I would have them in a day after 25 years… It’s a head scratcher.” Ryan mentioned that Hall & Oates also aren’t in the Hall of Fame, and John seemed surprised. It’s really interesting how some legends just aren’t there.
There are tons of artists John 5 loves and would like to work with in the future. He shared how he got a call from Prince once, but he just took this gig from Marilyn Manson and was busy! But he does find it an honor that Prince enjoyed his playing since he was such a musical genius.
“It's so odd that there are so many of these musical geniuses that are gone way too soon: Eddie Van Hallen, Prince, Michael Jackson. They left us at such a young age.” You might have not known them, but they’re always in your heart. It’s a wonder where all that talent seems to go!
‘Til Death Do Us Part
John seems to never stop honing his craft! “My daughter's wedding is Sunday, and I have to be there from Saturday to Monday and I am taking my guitar… It’s just a comfort thing”. When John doesn’t play guitar, his hands get stiff. He must feel really lucky because it's the opposite for most other guitar players who have been in the game for a while. He has never been more than 24 hours without a guitar in his hand for as long as he could remember!
“I told my wife I will never make you sad, I will never make you cry, but I will be playing guitar all the time. Initially you would think ‘yeah that's fine until it actually happens.’” John 5 says he plays guitar while a movie is on, and somehow his wife is able to just tune it out… Almost like she’s been dealing with it for so long it doesn’t affect her.
We All Do Bad Things
There is an opening quote “There is evil in everyone.” Kelly asked if John really believed that.
John 5 said, “Oh yeah… I feel like we all do bad things at some point and just don't say it. It's everyone, every single person has at least a little bad in them. We all just have our own level.”
“I fish bees out of the pool because I don’t want them to suffer. Like I care for people and animals and beings and maybe my level is low. But if you think about it, every billboard you see is with a gun or the most popular streamed movie is about serial killers.” He believes the reason is because we could never do something like that. “We go wow that guy's pulse didn’t raise when he was killing someone, but Hallmark movies aren’t so popular.”
John believes the best horror character is the old woman from Weapons. He says “Old people are scary, and if you see a woman in a night gown that was just standing there smiling, that is really scary! It’s one of those things that seems difficult to understand! Maybe that's why everyone's drawn to it!”
It's Always a Good Time Hangin' with John 5
Well, if you’re looking to escape the smiling old ladies in night gowns and want to check out any of the boss pedals or other gear pieces John 5 uses. You can shop for them right here at American Musical Supply.
Much thanks to John 5, his crew, and the Iridium Theater for letting us in so we could film! Keep up with the latest tour details on John 5’s website, and get that gear you’ve been dreaming of, especially if it’s the latest Boss pedal or a Fender Telecaster, just like John 5 uses. And don't forget to subscribe to the AMS YouTube channel for more exclusive artist content just like this.
