The Electricity Of Rock And Roll

The Tooners had a recent show in a local bar and our lead singer, Greg Piper, kept getting shocked every time his lips got too close to the microphone. We had a soundman supplied by the venue but he didn’t seem to be able, or willing, to do anything about it. In this day and age this is unacceptable.

The Yardbird’s lead singer, Keith Relf, was electrocuted while playing an electric guitar while sitting in a metal lawn chair in his yard. Other musicians have actually died on stage from electrocution. My worst experience was when I was a kid and my friend and I dragged an amp and our electric guitars into his bathroom in order to make use of the echo. I sat on the toilet seat playing my blue Saint George electric guitar when my elbow touched the metal handle of the toilet. I got a shock that hit my funny bone, traveled down my arm into my hand and literally threw me off the toilet.

It always bothers me when I see these big outdoor rock festivals where the bands keep playng even though it’s raining on the stage. I suppose if you know what you’re doing you can ground all the electrical equipment so you won’t get electrocuted if it gets wet but you’re really trusting the roadies and soundman who may have gotten that job just because he’s the promoter’s brother and doesn’t really have a clue. I get real nervous when I’m onstage, under the hot lights, nervous and sweating like a pig and I watch these huge drops of sweat dropping off my nose, falling down to my electric guitar and splashing over the pickups. That can’t be good.

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