Vernon Reid

So question three is what's Vivid more important musically or culturally?

I think it was both, and I say both because musically when you're listening to those sounds both from Vernon Reid and just his mastery of the guitar as well as Corey Glover and just the whole band, what that whole band brought to the table, it, it, it gives me a fam- it feels familiar, but it's like the first time familiarity.

So when you talk about other bands like the Red Hot Chili Peppers, uh, just that era of the '90s.

So for me, MTV when it came out I was still younger, so I would say for me about middle school going to high school that sound was still prevalent, and it was already refined.

[laughs]

And that's down, that's down the line and stuff like that.

So what role did Vernon Reid play in reshaping rock guitar culture?

Oof.

'Cause, you know, when I, when I think about my Mount Rushmore of Black guitars, you know what I mean? Even though they're older than me, you know, of course it starts with Jimmy, but then it comes to Ed- Eddie, then, you know, it, it's Michael Hampton and Blackbird and Billy and Boogie and Laj and Skeet.

Then, you know, I have my contemporaries, you know, like Vernon Vernon, Vernon Reid, and then of course Jimmy, you know, Jimmy Hazel.

You know, you, I saw him when he did, you did the interview with Jimmy.

Yeah.

You know what I'm saying? But to do it-

Yeah

... with cats right now That would be a bucket list to have, you know, being on, 'cause I call him Vernon Vernon, you know, but that's Vernon Reid, that's my dude.

Um, you know, and of course Jimmy, you know, Jimmy Hazel with the Spies.

That-

... that you inject Vernon Reid into something it's like, okay, here we go.

[laughs]

We got Vernon and Ronnie on one song.

Yeah.

Oh, yeah.

Vernon Reid and Ronnie Drayton on one song.

Oh, my God.

And they had a couple of the guys from Living Color come out and play on stage.

So that's not, like the virtue signal, but it's like, if Phil really hated Black people that much, do you really think Vernon Reid would be going out-

[laughs]

... on stage to hang out with Down?

Yeah, so Ver-

And they did get, yeah, they got Vernon Reid.

Vernon Reid plays the guitar.

Mm.

And there's a great story about that that made me really think about the song 'cause he wasn't aware of what the song was about, and they took his guitar part.

...

I really enjoy Living Colour, and, uh, Vernon Reid is one of, like, my favorite, like, s- weird little sicko guitar man out there.

Um, that dude's crazy.

He's also got one of my favorite all-time, like, signature models, which is the, uh, uh, Cult 86 by ESP.

It's so fucking cool.

[laughs] Living Colour is such a fun band.

Uh, Vernon Reid's an incredible guitar player and, uh, yeah, more people should listen to Living Colour.

Um, you know, here's the thing is when it comes to Guitar Hero, Rock Band, stuff like that, like I don't think I've played one of those games since I was in undergrad, so that's-

David A. Lant, programming.

David Barry, Jellybean Johnson, Jesse Johnson, John McClain, Nuno Bettencourt, Vernon Reid, guitar.

Terry Lewis, bass.

Jimmy Jam, bass synthesizer, organ.

Mm-hmm

... with Jack Bruce, John Medeski, so sick, Vernon Reid.

But what, it, it's so crazy 'cause here you are as a Tony fan, and you've played so much with John McLaughlin, right? And you've played...

Now you're, you're playing with Jack Bruce.

You have Kirk Hammett on it.

Whoo, yeah.

You have Vernon Reid on it.

It, it could be called Cindy Gives the Guitar Player Some.

And there's another track that he's on that we did that with as well.

Um, Vernon Reid is on, on the record, which is, you know, uh, great because, you know, he, he just is an amazing guitar player.

Tell him about it, Vernon.

Hit it, hit it, hit it.

Yeah.

Well, and, yeah, I like that you mentioned the fact that there's also some carryover in terms of the musicians.

Uh, and just for example, earlier today I was listening to part of your, uh, Tony Williams tribute, particularly the track Wildlife, which, uh, I love from Tony Williams Lifetime, and it was really cool to hear Vernon Reid playing the Holdsworth part-

[laughs]