Members theseamoose Posted October 28, 2010 Members Share Posted October 28, 2010 A close friend of mine was (is?) an incredible guitarist. In the early eighties he was tall, slim, good looking with long black hair. He had more talent in his little finger than I had in my entire body! However, he spent his time in rock bands always "trying to make it". In 1982 we suffered the tragic loss of the genius Randy Rhodes. I begged my friend to send a tape and photo in to apply for the gig as Ozzy was openly recruiting. Despite being easily good enough he never even tried. I've since heard the Zakk Wylde audition tape and my friend was easily as good. A few years ago we lost touch. I simply cannot understand why someone with such talent did not try to get the gig. If I'd been good enough .............!!! I understand people with immense talent who cannot hack playing publicly. But this guy was a real showman!!? Do any of you know someone like this or can you explain? In case anyone in the UK knows where he is, his name is Ashley Limer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Kevman Posted October 28, 2010 Members Share Posted October 28, 2010 This forum is full of guys like you describe. Life Happens and not everyone can be a rock star, pro ball player, lotto winner etc.. I was able to find some stuff on youtube and google re: your buddy. Hope y'all hook up again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitarman3001 Posted October 28, 2010 Members Share Posted October 28, 2010 A close friend of mine was (is?) an incredible guitarist. In the early eighties he was tall, slim, good looking with long black hair. He had more talent in his little finger than I had in my entire body! However, he spent his time in rock bands always "trying to make it". In 1982 we suffered the tragic loss of the genius Randy Rhodes. I begged my friend to send a tape and photo in to apply for the gig as Ozzy was openly recruiting. Despite being easily good enough he never even tried. I've since heard the Zakk Wylde audition tape and my friend was easily as good. A few years ago we lost touch. I simply cannot understand why someone with such talent did not try to get the gig. If I'd been good enough .............!!! I understand people with immense talent who cannot hack playing publicly. But this guy was a real showman!!? Do any of you know someone like this or can you explain? In case anyone in the UK knows where he is, his name is Ashley Limer. well, me in a sense. Not that I had anywhere near that kind of talent but looking back on things I feel like I wasted the little talent I did have by spending way too much time in bands that had no real potential simply because we were all friends. And when those bands fell apart, instead of looking for the right band that had some genuine potential, I settled for pretty much whatever band would take me and then ended up wasting way too much time in those bands. I was also skinny, long hair (although I was ugly as sin...and still am), had decent chops (at least decent enough to hang with most bands that weren't looking for a virtuoso), etc... So here I am 20 years later, still skinny but now bald, playing margaritaville in bar bands to 7 drunks and the bar staff and wondering what might have happened if I had had the common sense to recognize that the bands I was spending my time in were not really going to get me anywhere. And that's my life story....not that you asked for it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BoneNut Posted October 28, 2010 Members Share Posted October 28, 2010 This forum is full of guys like you describe. Life Happens and not everyone can be a rock star, pro ball player, lotto winner etc.. Not everyone wants to either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Task Posted October 28, 2010 Members Share Posted October 28, 2010 I think that some incredibly talented people inherently know that if they landed a gig like that and had unlimited financial resources, could go anywhere they want and do anything they want to within reason, would push the boundaries of reason and self destruct. We have all seen that story play out countless times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members theseamoose Posted October 28, 2010 Author Members Share Posted October 28, 2010 This guy really was the real deal though. I joined a band and ended up playing on the continent and headlining gigs of up to 10000 fans. He should have done way better than me and I just find it bewildering! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frets99 Posted October 28, 2010 Share Posted October 28, 2010 [YOUTUBE]l0waNRaz6wU[/YOUTUBE] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frets99 Posted October 28, 2010 Share Posted October 28, 2010 Or The hot chicks version... [YOUTUBE]PFG35lg0F6A&NR=1&feature=fvwp[/YOUTUBE] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ModernSaloon Posted October 28, 2010 Members Share Posted October 28, 2010 Luckily I have no talent, so ... nothing wasted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members theseamoose Posted October 28, 2010 Author Members Share Posted October 28, 2010 Luckily I have no talent, so ... nothing wasted. I like it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members TmPn Posted October 28, 2010 Members Share Posted October 28, 2010 Where I live. If you shake a tree. 4 guitar players with talent like that fall out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members theseamoose Posted October 28, 2010 Author Members Share Posted October 28, 2010 Where I live. If you shake a tree. 4 guitar players with talent like that fall out. Ahh! You see I live in a backwood {censored}hole that still hasn't had anyone that good round here since 1982!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Kevman Posted October 28, 2010 Members Share Posted October 28, 2010 Not everyone wants to either. That is for sure. So I did another search and it looks as if your friend was close a couple times or at least had other band members who had brushes with super rockstardom. http://www.musicmight.com/person/gbr/limer/ashley+jon Never really mentioned as the prominent member of any of the bands this site lists. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members espec10001 Posted October 28, 2010 Members Share Posted October 28, 2010 I dunno guitar is just such a popular instrument because it's really fun to play. Since it's so much fun to play there are a lot of great guitar players out there, thousands of which none of us will ever hear or know. I never consider talent wasted if the player still has fun playing whether it's by himself or in front of thousands of people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Hubert Stumblin Posted October 28, 2010 Members Share Posted October 28, 2010 Not everyone wants to either. This. It might be hard for a lot of guitar players to believe but not everyone wants to go down that path. Not only that but even for the ones who want to "make it", most don't have an understanding of the odds. After 20 some years in the music biz it wouldn't surprise me if for every guitarist who makes it there was at least a thousand who don't. And not for lack of trying. Anyway, I'm glad I didn't try to make it. I wouldn't have wanted anything to happen that would have changed my present family situation. Plus, if I had actually made it in my 20's or 30's I'd be embarrassed by how and what I played then. I think I play a lot better now. I've aquired a little more appreciation for more styles/music since that time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wimpy77 Posted October 28, 2010 Members Share Posted October 28, 2010 Not everyone wants to be a rock star. Me personally all I every wanted to was play sessions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members billybilly Posted October 28, 2010 Members Share Posted October 28, 2010 I would hate to be famous and in a big rockband although it was ironic that your buddy was a showman. Jamming with mates is just fine for me, don't even think about playing live but I am 43. If I was 23, it might be different. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ExiledCrow Posted October 28, 2010 Members Share Posted October 28, 2010 It seems sometimes that the music biz is almost random. There's guitar techs all over the place that play in small local bands but have amazing chops. Then there's guys that "make it" who really aren't that good. Maybe one night the label talent scout got a hold of some killer blow and got laid just before the show and BAM! someone gets a shot. Next night he gets a flat on the way to the gig, gets there pissed off and cranky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Crisco Posted October 28, 2010 Members Share Posted October 28, 2010 He's probably wondering the same thing himself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Scott Abene Posted October 28, 2010 Members Share Posted October 28, 2010 I wasted my prime years with bands that were on the edge of deals. I ended up whoring myself as a sideman and learned that self preservation/promotion was the true path... By the time I was getting the big $$$ gigs I hated myself and most musicians. There are probably what? 3,000 people signed up to this forum with the same type of story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ashasha Posted October 28, 2010 Members Share Posted October 28, 2010 Not everyone wants to be a rock star. Me personally all I every wanted to was play sessions. That's me. My dream was to just walk into a studio and lay down some tracks and get a paycheck and maybe some royalties later on. Frickin lack of talent kind of derailed that plan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ArpeggiateTHIS Posted October 28, 2010 Members Share Posted October 28, 2010 Not everybody has the talent to become a rock star either, or the need. I play guitar because I enjoy it; it's a nice way to relax/go crazy at the end of a long day. It's something to muse over, or even do whilst you're musing over something else! My biggest guitar aspiration is to play bars on a friday night and enjoy the experience, not even make original songs. Covers man, just covers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Scott Abene Posted October 28, 2010 Members Share Posted October 28, 2010 That's me. My dream was to just walk into a studio and lay down some tracks and get a paycheck and maybe some royalties later on. In most cases that turns into... Sign a Waiver... Ghost play on an album and get a flat fee. Then hear your playing on the radio and see someone else get the credit and the fame Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ExiledCrow Posted October 28, 2010 Members Share Posted October 28, 2010 Well, hell, we all know what Hunter S. Thompson said about the biz ... And was he wrong? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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