SPOTLIGHT ON MIKE
CAMPBELL!
(November 18, 1999 -- Please note: Mike looked over the questions
and answered the ones he
could. Since many of the general ideas of the questions were
duplicated, some of them were edited
or compiled together. Remember, there was no guarantee that Mike
would be able to answer every
individual question.)
1. Amanda in NC, Ruth in NY, Kristin in TX, Tara from Canada and
Lisa asked: How old
were you when you started playing the guitar and what kind of
guitar was it?
Mike: I was 16 and it was a cheap Harmony
from a pawnshop. My first electric guitar was a $60
Goya from Okinawa.
2. Marcia in MI, Gary in LA
and Tracey in PA asked: How did you learn to play - take
lessons or self-taught?
Mike: I am self taught -- got chords from a book and learned by
ear from records.
3. CJ and Charlie in CA
asked: Where were you born and what high school did you
graduate from?
Mike: I was born in Panama City, Florida. I graduated from
Ribault High School in Jacksonville,
Florida.
4. Susan and Sean asked: Do
you have any brothers or sisters? Older or younger than you?
Mike: I have a brother, sister and half sister all younger than
me.
5. Beth in IL and Juli
asked: How did you get talked into quitting college to join
Mudcrutch?
Mike: I was convinced I wasn't exactly Army material. Tom
threatened to break my fingers if I didn't
join his band...so I quit school to play music. What were your
parents' reactions to your
decision? My parents didn't complain too much especially after I
got my first royalty check.
6. Suzanne in NY and Juli
asked: Are your kids musically inclined? Would you be
enthusiastic about them pursuing music careers?
Mike: All my kids are musically inclined but not that interested
in pursuing it. I would be glad if they
did.
7. Melissa asked: What was
the first song you learned to play, and what is the first song
you
ever wrote?
Mike: The first song I ever learned on the guitar was " Baby
Let Me Follow You Down" from a Bob
Dylan record....The first song I ever wrote was "Purple
Sand" --- kind of a Beach Boys tune.
8. Mike in Washington, DC,
Adam in Canada, Jonathan in TN, Tara in Canada, Steve, Daria,
Andrew and Eric asked: Which guitarists influenced you as you
were learning to play?
Mike: I was influenced by many guitarists: Scotty Moore, Luther
Perkins, George Harrison, Carl
Wilson, Jerry Garcia, Roger McGuinn, Keith Richards, Brian Jones,
Jimmy Page, Mick Taylor, on
and on.......
9. Charlie and Sue asked:
When was the first time you recorded something in the studio
and can you describe the experience?
Mike: Mudcrutch recorded some demos in Miami. It was way cool
being in a studio, we were
instantly addicted......I remember pulling a tube out of the amp
to get it to distort.
10. CJ and Noelle asked:
What bands were you in prior to Mudcrutch?
Mike: I was only in one band before Mudcrutch. It was a
jam--blues type three-piece...we called
ourselves Dead or Alive.
11. Jo and Charlie asked:
Please describe your first meeting with Tom Petty at yours and
Randall's place.
Mike: I was in the back bedroom when Mudcrutch auditioned Randall
Marsh. They asked me to sit
in. We played "Johnny B Goode" and I never left. From
then on everything was different
there was
guitar and nothing else.
12. Ruth in NY and CJ
asked: How did you come up with the name Heartbreakers; is it
accurate?
Mike: Tom came in with the name Heartbreakers. I think he nicked
it from the Stones' song....we
liked it---not to be taken literally.
13. Brittany in FL, Becky
in MA and Tara in Canada asked: What do you enjoy most about
playing with the same group of people for so many years?
Mike: The telepathy is the best part of being in one group so
long....it gets comfortable---things just
flow.
14. Theresa asked: Can you
tell us a prank that one band member has pulled on another
band member at some point on the road or in the studio???
Mike: I once had a sampler for a guitar effect on stage but when
I stepped on it I realized someone
had replaced it with a guy yelling, "GO
GATORS".....most of our pranks aren't repeatable here.
15. Becky of MA and Wilma
asked: What is your most memorable or embarrassing moment
live on stage?
Mike: My most memorable moment is probably playing with George
Harrison at Albert Hall. THAT
was a spiritual night----My most embarrassing moment was when my
knee ripped in Atlanta and I hit
the deck....I kinda blacked out from the pain but kept playing.
16. Suzanne of NY,
Blackjack in PA, Brigitte from The Netherlands, Tara from Canada,
Irina
and Lena from St. Petersburg, Russia, JUKES37, Daria, CaptainP80,
Steve, Susan and
Debbie asked: How does it feel to finally SING in front of your
fans on tour and do you plan
on releasing any other songs with your lead vocal on future
Heartbreaker albums?
Mike: I love singing with the band. I hope I get to do more in
the future.
17. Tara from Canada, JR
and Daria asked: Surf 'n' Burn by the Blue Stingrays is great!
What individual musicians other than you play on it?
Mike: I heard a rumor that Ron Blair and Randall Marsh were at
the legendary sessions of the Blue
Stingrays---but this is not confirmed---however they have been
seen lately in the breaks at Zuma
beach.
18. Roxanne in New York,
Tara from Canada, Jeanne, Scott, and Jessica asked: Who are
your favorite musicians?
Mike: I have so many favorite musicians. Right now I am really
deep into Jerry Garcia.....
19. Joe and Emily asked: Do
you have anyone you would describe as your mentor?
Mike: I don't really have a mentor although I have learned
something from everyone I have ever met
or played with.
20. Tere in TX, Roxanne in
NY, Ron in MA, Tim in FL, Jeremy, Cecilyn in CA, Daria and
Christine asked: How many guitars do you have and what are your
favorites in your
collection?
Mike: I'm ashamed that I don't know exactly how many guitars I
have. I just got three this month ----
near 200 I guess. I'm starting to give some of them away --- no
room. My favorite is my Fender
Broadcaster......I'm designing one right now with a guy from
Detroit. It will be a cross between
Garcia's tiger and a Fender Jaguar.
21. Tim in FL asked: Is there a guitar out there you are still
hoping to own?
Mike: I was trying to buy Garcia's spare but the guy who has it
is kind of elusive.
22. Scott asked: If you
could choose one of your guitars to represent you (like a Mike
Campbell signature model) which one would it be?
Mike: Probably the double neck I was using on "Good to be
King" --- made for me by Danny
Ferrington.
23. Hubert in Germany
asked: Which pick-up do you use on your "Black & Gold
Custom
Rickenbacker" at the Treble position? Is that guitar a
unique one? I was told it's not
available.
Mike: We changed that pick-up so many times that I forget what
ended up in there....something hot,
THAT I'm sure of.
24. Mark in GA asked: What
kind of guitar, pick-ups, amps, any effects pedals, etc. did you
use to get the sound for "Don't Come Around Here No
More?"
Mike: On "Don't Come Around Here No More" I used a gold
top Les Paul through a rat distortion
pedal with a boss octaver and a wah wah pedal through an Ampeg
rocket amp.....also used a slide
bottle.
25. John asked: Do you
design your guitars' setups to feel similar from one to the next,
or
for best individual action?
Mike: I usually leave guitars the way I buy them.
26. Hank asked: I saw that
you use those Danelectro pedals. Can you tell me your settings
on the Daddy-O?
Mike: For settings on the Danelectro pedal consult
geetartec@aol.com.
27. Randy in NC and Greg
asked: What is your stage amp setup and what pedals do you
use? I saw what looked like several Vox AC-30's. Are your AC-30's
top Boosted?
Mike: I use a vintage AC-30 (with top boost I think) with wah wah
Roland delays, Danelectro
Daddy-O --- also a Kustom200 and sometimes a Bassman amp. Also on
the last tour the soundman
had a feed from a Groove Tube preamp for the PA only.
28. Mike asked: What are
some of the amps and effects you use besides Vox AC-30s?
Mike: In the studio we use every amp imaginable.
29. Jim in OH asked: Are
there any particular Gretsch model guitars that you like to play?
Mike: I like a Tenessean that I keep at home and I have a Firejet
from '56 that is really nice.
30. Greg and Charlie asked:
What was the double-neck guitar you used this tour?
Mike: Designed by Danny Ferrington here in L.A. --- based on the
shape of an old Gibson played by
Robert Johnson.
31. Mike asked: Is the
Telecaster you've been playing on this tour the Broadcaster that
you
used to play in the '70s and '80s? If it is, what made you decide
to take a guitar of that
value back out on the road?
Mike: I brought the Broadcaster out for two reasons: It sounds
amazing and I figured why not share
the tone?
32. Lorraine in MI, Steve
and Joe asked: What is your favorite song to perform live and
why?
Mike: This tour I liked "I Don't Wanna Fight" 'cause I
got to be king.........I always enjoy "Runnin'
Down a Dream" 'cause I get to go off.
33. Tara in Canada,
Charlotte and Adrian asked: Is there a song or album that you've
worked on that has special significance to you or that you are
most fond/proud of?
Mike: I really like "Lonesome Sundown" just because I
was really feeling that take when we did
it....it really got to me.
34. Cate in CA and Suzanne
in NY asked: What CDs are in your CD player now at home?
Mike: Right now in my CD player are Macy Gray --- Broken Arrow
(Neil Young) --- Run Devil Run
(McCartney) --- Fiona Apple's new one --- Mule Variations (Tom
Waits).
35. Cecilyn of CA and
Jeanne asked: What do you do to prepare for a gig? Any preshow
rituals?
Mike: Before a gig I may have a fear nap --- some expresso --- a
little alcohol --- pace a lot --- make
sure my fly is zipped --- look for Howie --- pray that the set is
different from the last gig, etc.....
36. Kim in CA, Beth in IL
and Kellyholck asked: How much of the audience can you see
from the stage and what do you think when you see the same fans
over and over again?
Mike: Sometimes you can see a lot of crowd easily, other times
it's just a big headlight in your
eyes.......familiar faces are always welcome.....
37. Josh of CO, Beth of KY,
Emma and Billy asked: What advice would you give a young kid
trying to make it in a good ol' rock n' roll band?
Mike: My advice to a beginner is --- HAVE FUN.
38. Ruth in NY asked:
February 1st is your birthday - what does turning 50 mean to you,
and
when you were a kid what did you think about yourself turning
half a century old?
Mike: Turning 50 will be strange. Didn't think I ever would
really but it's actually great being where I
am. It has been worth the journey...and what's surprising is I
feel really good --- physically and
mentally. Music heals all.
39. Mary in ND asked: If it
were possible for you to attend any concert (festival, etc.) from
the past, which one would it be? And why?
Mike: Bob Marley at the Roxy --- 1976. There was a presence, a
feeling of bliss that I have never
felt since.
40. Cecilyn in CA and
Charlotte asked: What are your non-music hobbies or interests?
Mike: I don't really have hobbies --- no time....I read and I do
things with my Family....that's my
greatest joy.
41. Sean and CJ asked: Name
5 things none of your fans know about you.
Mike: 1. What side of the bed I like best. 2. All my pets' names.
3. How much booty I've got in the
bank. 4. How much I really love this band. 5. How much I really
love all our fans.... 6. That I was a
killer sax player in my last lifetime...
www.tompetty.com, November 18, 1999