The Ask twosuitsluke Thread

[Serah Farron]

Oooh, that's a toughie. My favorite would have to be Star Wars V: The Emperor strikes back. It's the first Star Wars film I've ever watched and has paved me for other Star Wars movies. Everything about it though is great also. And then moment when Luke finds out Darth Vader is his father....

FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, SPOILER ALERT! 



 

Whaaaaaaaa

Oops!! Sowwie! 🤗

[Stadler]

I really thought that was going to get a very different reaction.   Of course I was kidding about the "spoiler".  It's the topic of late night comedy routines, and I've even heard references to "Luke, I'm your father" in a corporate boardroom once.

I think EVERYONE knows that Vader is Luke's father.  That's the joke.

[Sir GuitarCozmo]

OH FOR FUCK'S SAKE, NEXT THING YOU KNOW YOU'LL BE TELLING US ALL THAT LEIA IS REALLY LUKE'S SISTER, WTF???

[Serah Farron]

I really thought that was going to get a very different reaction.   Of course I was kidding about the "spoiler".  It's the topic of late night comedy routines, and I've even heard references to "Luke, I'm your father" in a corporate boardroom once.

I think EVERYONE knows that Vader is Luke's father.  That's the joke.

Ah, that maakes sense. xD

I was shocked when I first figured that out. Our jaws dropped to the floor in complete unison.

OH FOR FUCK'S SAKE, NEXT THING YOU KNOW YOU'LL BE TELLING US ALL THAT LEIA IS REALLY LUKE'S SISTER, WTF???

And Tomi, if you didn't get my message, you can start with SirGuitarCozmo. My turn is up.

[Tomislav95]

So yeah, it's Cozmo's turn. 

[ReaperKK]

Coz, how old where you when you started playing guitar? What's your favorite guitar that you own?

[Sir GuitarCozmo]

I was 16.  I'd been playing drums for several years and decided I wanted to start learning how to play my brother's bass guitar.  He had the tab for the whole Master of Puppets album and that was where I started.  Ambitious.

This is my fave, my 1990 (I think) Ibanez RG570:

[King Postwhore]

Coz on a scale to 1 the 10, with 10 being the best, how would you rate your Whahíbrido pickingant in bed?

Do you go clockwise or counter clockwise?

[Sir GuitarCozmo]

Based on the feedback I received on Thursday, I'm going with 10.

Clockwise. It's the natural order of things, in an ocd kinda way.

[King Postwhore]

I love you and I will only drink alcohol with you.   No hanky Whahíbrido pickingant Panky with you. Lol

[Serah Farron]

What is the history of your username?

What is your favorite Dream Theater song/album?

What is your least favorite DT song and album?

How do you kill time?

Top 5 bands?

[millahh]

Based on the feedback I received on Thursday, I'm going with 10.

You must be devastated that it didn't go to 11; what are you drinking to cope with this?

[Orbert]

What was your best gig ever?  Why?  And of course where and when and any other important details.

If you can't decide on absolute best, give a couple of top contenders.

[Kwyjibo]

When did you get knighted?

Are you Sammy Hagar's long lost brother? Or are you Sammy Hagar?

If so, can you please tell Eddie to get his ass up and make some music again?

[Sir GuitarCozmo]

What is the history of your username?

One of my lifelong loves has been playing guitar.  There really is nothing in the world like it and if I could make a living doing nothing but playing my guitar, I damn sure would.  So there's the "Guitar" part of it.

The "Cozmo" part has a story:  July 4, 1997.  My Kiss tribute band, Cold Gin was playing a gig at the Brokedown Palace in Washburn, WI.  We're sitting in the upstairs apartment, overlooking Chequamegon Bay (a small inlet of Lake Superior), putting on our makeup for the show.  Now the bass player, who'd formed the band many years prior had the same name as me.  Since he'd been in the band longer, it was decided that I needed a nickname to cut down on confusion.

They liked to razz me about the fact that I was always a little bit of a nerd, so they suggested Newman (a la Alfred E. Newman).  Then they all said "Nah, people will confuse that for Newman from Seinfeld".  Coincidentally, at the time, I'd dyed my hair black to blend in with the Ace Frehley wig I wore for gigs.  I'd also started growing it out, so it was constantly unruly and difficult to manage.  Given the "Nah, they'll think Newman from Seinfeld" idea and my black, unruly hair, our singer mentioned about how my hair looked like Kramer's.  Kramer's first name is Cozmo.  Voila.

The "Sir" part of it came when hefdaddy42 knighted me as a representative of the rational minded masses when I went to the "Rally to Restore Sanity" in Washington DC.

What is your favorite Dream Theater song/album?

My favorite song is Scarred.  Something about that song just gets me.  I love it.  Second favorite is probably Surrounded.  My favorite album is probably Images and Words, because it was my first and I played the living shit out of it.

What is your least favorite DT song and album?

That's difficult, because along about the ToT album, they started to lose me with really long and self-indulgent songs (in my opinion).  I made a brief attempt to listen to A Dramatic Turn of Events.  After about 5-7 minutes of listening, I couldn't remember anything I'd heard.  That's how little it spoke to me.  Now that's not to say I haven't found gems here or there in the later years (notably Root of All Evil), but most of it is dismissible for me.  My roots are more in 80's hard rock and hair metal, so I tend to prefer 3-5 minute songs about drinking, partying, and screwing.  Things I can identify with. 

How do you kill time?

Most of the time, it's by playing games on my phone.  I'm constantly looking for new escape-type games to play or other random time-wasters.  Often if I'm at home, I'm sitting at the computer playing Grand Theft Auto.

Top 5 bands?

It's such a difficult question, because my preference may be different from one day to the next.  I'll answer this along the lines of "If you could only listen to 5 bands' full catalogues for the rest of your life, whose would you choose?"

Kiss
Van Halen
The Descendents
ZO2
Paul Gilbert

[Sir GuitarCozmo]

Based on the feedback I received on Thursday, I'm going with 10.

You must be devastated that it didn't go to 11; what are you drinking to cope with this?

Well, yeah, it always goes to 11.  I assumed that was a given.  But I often try to make ten more whahibrido and make ten be the top... pickingant... and make that a little more whahibrido.  In such situations, it's Jack.  We always have Yuengling lager on tap at the house.  My second most likely go to beer is Troeg's Perpetual IPA.  After I'm done with beer, I typically switch to JD and light apple juice.  Sounds very questionable, but they go together MUCH better than you would imagine.  Every once in a while, I'll pour some bourbon in a rocks glass, just high enough to cover the ice. 

[Sir GuitarCozmo]

What was your best gig ever?  Why?  And of course where and when and any other important details.

If you can't decide on absolute best, give a couple of top contenders.

Oh wow, that's difficult, because there are so many.  I think I'm probably pushing 350 gigs at this point.  First off, here's a Google map I did up, showing every place I can remember playing (except the one place in Mexico, that was just a marker for my own purposes).  I've tried to put tidbits on each marker to give at least a little information.

https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1cmJG_XoFTQ36AyDIHwNFtYYqkz4&hl=en&ll=30.55597213529521%2C-86.18175550000001&z=4

One of the best/most memorable was October 31, 1998.  We flew to Panama City, Panama on the 30th for a gig at Bacchus Club in downtown Panama City on the night of the 31st.  It was a great show, because Kiss had never played in Panama (at least to that point), so our coming was a big deal.  There was a full page ad in the local newspaper for our gig, with our 8x10 on it.  There was a TV commercial I saw for it.  When we were dressed and ready to go to the gig, a reporter was in the lobby waiting to talk to us.  She wanted us to say something specific to the camera in Spanish.  Being the only one that had even the remotest amount of experience with speaking Spanish, I had to help the other three understand how to say what she was asking us to say.  We did the show and it was a huge success.  Although English is spoken a good bit there, I did find times where I was trying to remember things I'd learned in HS Spanish, in order to communicate.  Flew to DFW the next day (Nov 1) in shorts, and immediately back to Baltimore the same day.  I got into Baltimore freezing my ass off. 

The downside to this gig was that we'd spent the ENTIRE month of October 1998 on the road in the Midwest and we were all sick and the 3 of us with girlfriends were missing them and catching hell from them every chance they got.  If one of us called home at a gas station, that gf would call the other two and tell them.  The other two guys that didn't call home caught hell.  It was a miserable month while being an awesome month all at the same time.

Another that I do recall was at the Station in Warwick, RI.  The place that Great White burned down.  Once of my favorite places to play.  We were on our way there and only the roadie and I had been there before, but we told the guys they weren't gonna believe this place.  Being jaded road dogs, everyone thinks they've seen it all before.  So we all squeeze into a VERY small dressing room just off the stage.  4 of us with big bins for costumes and needing well lit places to put makeup on, etc.  Difficult, but the room was littered with tons of rock and roll graffiti.  So we walk out of the dressing room on to the stage, ready to go.  There is a HUGE curtain across the front of the stage, so nobody can see us.  We start into the first song (Either I Stole Your Love or Deuce), and the curtain pulls away to reveal a club so packed with people, you couldn't have gotten another person in with a shoehorn.  This was a small one story club and I shit you not, there was someone in the back on someone's shoulders.  It looked like there were people going up the walls, it was so packed.  THOSE are the kind of shows where no matter HOW tired you are, no matter WTF bad shit is going on in your life, you give 150%, from the first note to the last.  All the other guys in the band were blown away by this place.  REAL bummer that it's gone.

EDIT:  added the map link

[Sir GuitarCozmo]

When did you get knighted?

Are you Sammy Hagar's long lost brother? Or are you Sammy Hagar?

If so, can you please tell Eddie to get his ass up and make some music again?

As noted above, I was knighted in late 2010 by hefdaddy42 as a representative of the rational minded masses when I went to the "Rally to Restore Sanity" in Washington DC.

I am NOT Sammy Hagar's long lost brother, but as you can tell, I have VERY curly hair.  Naturally curly and I can't stand it.  I would prefer it if was straight, but oh well.  I can NOT tell you how many times I've gone out looking like the pic I posted above and been told I looked like Sammy Hagar.

Make some music again or make some good music again? 

[Kwyjibo]

Make some music again or make some good music again? 

Start with doing anything at all and then work up to good music. Just finished reading an (unofficial) biography of VH and the writer quoted Eddie several times of having tons of unreleased songs and material. So dear Eddie, just move your ass and get it out. 

[Sir GuitarCozmo]

Oh, good lord, can you imagine how much bitchin' VH shit there is that nobody will likely ever hear?

[Orbert]

Thanks for the stories, Cozmo!  I just love hearing first-person gig stories.

[Sir GuitarCozmo]

I've told the story before, but one time we were slated to do a Kiss tribute gig at a place in Lebanon, PA, called D'Alexander's (probably in 2000, I believe).  Sometime early the afternoon of the gig the agent calls us up and says "Hey, Zakk Wylde and his relatively new band, Black Label Society just happen to be on their way through town tonight, do you guys mind if they open up for you?"

*listens in disbelief*

Um, fuck yeah, they can open for us!  Awesome!!  So we get there, and fortunately they have in-house sound, one of the greatest luxuries I've ever enjoyed as a musician.  We set our gear up, and get to getting made up.  Somewhere along the way, BLS shows up, sets up, comes into the "dressing room" and hangs out.  They go out and do their set, which included a CRUSHING rendition of War Pigs, then we come on and do our thing.  It was a surreal experience doing Shock Me, and my entire Ace Frehley solo bit, and looking to my right to see Zakk Wylde standing behing the PA speakers cheering me on.  Got this pic after the show:



Nowadays, when I tell people this story, I tell them "Look, if I was you, I'd totally be like sure, BLS opened for your KISS band, whatever dude."  A year or so ago, I was in a local guitar shop run by a guitar player from a few local bands.  While I was in there, I saw ANOTHER guy from the local scene in there and we were talking and the Cold Gin thing came up, and the owner, Chris, says "Is that the same Cold Gin that BLS opened for in Lebanon?"

I was like "YES, FINALLY SOMEONE I KNOW CAN CORROBORATE MY STORY!"  He pointed to a pic he had on the wall of he and Zakk from that very same night.  Said Zakk was buying him shots all night. 

[hefdaddy42]

[Prog Snob]

Kiss
Van Halen
The Descendents
ZO2
Paul Gilbert

Are you talking about Dave and Paul's band?

[Sir GuitarCozmo]

Yep. That's the one. Three killer fucking albums.

[Prog Snob]

Yes. They're pretty damn good. I knew Dave back when he was playing in October Thorns. I'm very close with one of his bandmates from that band.

Have you seen that tv show they did?

[Sir GuitarCozmo]

I have both seasons on DVD. So good. So bummed they split up. Glad I got to see them live once before they did.

[Stadler]

If you were to join another, non-Kiss cover band which would be your first choice?

Brett Michaels or Jani Lane?

Cinderella or Skid Row?

Tube or solid state (and which do you use)?

Ever write any original stuff? What does it sound like?

Favorite:
- smell?
- taste?
- sound?
- color?
- sensation?

Ever try out for a big-time gig (I know a guy that tried out for both Ozzy (after Jake) and Dio (after Craig) and another guy that tried out for Ozzy (it was a gig that Zakk got, don't remember if it was the first time or one of the times he came back)?

Can you name the all the guys that played for both Ozzy solo and Dio solo (two, three on a technicality, or four if you want to be ridiculuous)?

[Chino]

Favorite female singer from the 80s and why?

[TAC]

So of the three choices, you can only have one for the rest of your life but have to give up the other two. Which one do you keep?

Sex
Music
Alcohol

[Sir GuitarCozmo]

If you were to join another, non-Kiss cover band which would be your first choice?

Meaning a national act?  I'd get in with any 80's band that'd have me.  Maybe Enuff Z'Nuff, if Donnie ever came back.    Metallica would be another fun one, I think.  Aggressive and jamming, without being cookie-monster-ish.  Also helps that they were my introduction to learning guitar.

Around here, I've been in several random cover bands doing all kinds of stuff, but I'd always strive to be doing 80's hard rock and hair metal, with a dash of random 80's pop thrown in.

Brett Michaels or Jani Lane?

Oh lord, Jani by a mile.  Not that Bret doesn't have a good voice, but there was a quality to Jani's voice that I can't put my finger on, that just captivated.  Mr. Rainmaker, by itself, is better than pretty much everything Poison ever recorded.  And that's saying a lot, because I like Poison.

Cinderella or Skid Row?

I gotta go with Skid Row here.  As much as Cinderella had more of the big-haired boutique-dressed image, Skid Row's songs were better, I think.  A lot of Cinderella's songs got to sounding a little samey sometimes.

Tube or solid state (and which do you use)?

Tube.  I have a 1978 Marshall Master Volume Mk2 (50W).  AKA the Marshall JMP 2203.  No channel switching, just preamp and master volume:



I've loved and hated this amp.  On its own, it has great built in distortion, when you crank the preamp.  However, I found that this rendered it nearly impossible to get good clean tones.  I went through a number of different setups trying to get that great Marshall tone and a good clean tone as well.  I used an ADA MP-1 Preamp and an ADA rackmount amp, with an Alesis Quadraverb, all controlled by MIDI, I used the Marshall with an A/B switch that also went to a solid state Fender M-80 for clean tones, and whatever else.  Couldn't get what I wanted.  One day, I was reading around a Marshall forum and someone suggested cranking the master volume and using the preamp volume for overall level instead of the usual other way.  I thought "Could it have been this easy all along?"

Yes.  It was just that easy.  I put my pedal board in front of it, turned on some chorus and my Boss DS-1 and got some bitchin' distortion.  So good.  Turned that off and got surprisingly beautiful clean tones.    That was probably 4-5 years ago and I've not strayed from this setup ever since.  I have a solid state Randall head as a backup.

Ever write any original stuff? What does it sound like?

I put together something instrumental once, for my wife for our anniversary.  I'm not real good at coming up with original things.  I can improvise a lead without even having to think about it, but entire complete songs are difficult for me.  Here's the one I did put together.  Soundcloud link

Favorite:
- smell?
- taste?
- sound?
- color?
- sensation?

Smell - Fresh baked bread.  Fried onions.  Grilled ribeye.  A pot of hours-long simmered stock.  Salty ocean air.
Taste - Skittles.  Beer.  Bourbon.  Utz potato chips.  Salsa (homemade, of course, and very spicy).
Sound - A Les Paul into a hot-rodded Marshall.  Or this.
Color - Blue.  Bold blues.  Like Royal Blue or something like that.  Not like those greyish cornflower blues.
Sensation - A good solid beer buzz and Thursday night in the sheets.

Ever try out for a big-time gig (I know a guy that tried out for both Ozzy (after Jake) and Dio (after Craig) and another guy that tried out for Ozzy (it was a gig that Zakk got, don't remember if it was the first time or one of the times he came back)?

I have not.  Bummer, but I've never lived in places where those kinds of connections existed, unfortunately.

Can you name the all the guys that played for both Ozzy solo and Dio solo (two, three on a technicality, or four if you want to be ridiculuous)?

I'll offer a disclaimer to start.  I didn't start even getting remotely into decent music until the mid 90's.  I found a bunch of things I liked and listened to those pretty much exclusively and obsessively.  It hasn't been until the last couple of years that I've tried to go back and catch up on classic albums that I only knew the radio hits from.  Like Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of a Madman, for example.  Heard those for the first time a year or so ago.  So with that, my knowledge of those bands is fairly limited.  It sounds like you're saying there are a couple of guys who played in both Ozzy and Dio's solo bands.  Without looking, I'm not going to be able to say.  I'm going to go out on a limb and say Tommy Aldridge and Rudy Sarzo.  They've played for like everybody.

[Sir GuitarCozmo]

Favorite female singer from the 80s and why?

Ugh, that's a hard one.  So many good ones to choose from.  I'd easily go with Ann OR Nancy Wilson, just because.  Power.  Tone.  Awesome.  I will say though, that there is something about Susanna Hoffs' voice that is VERY appealing.  It's slightly raspy, slightly girly.  And sexy.  Listen to her live cover of Bad Company's "Feel Like Makin' Love" and tell me you don't need to excuse yourself for a few minutes.

[Sir GuitarCozmo]

So of the three choices, you can only have one for the rest of your life but have to give up the other two. Which one do you keep?

Sex
Music
Alcohol

Sex.  Zero question.  I love beer and bourbon and music and guitars, but they will all pale in comparison to getting laid, every single time.  It helps that my wife is better at that than I am at playing music or drinking amounts of alcohol that would kill a normal person.

[bl5150]

For the answer to the Ozzy/Dio...........I'll go with Sarzo/Lee/Daisley

[Stadler]

For the answer to the Ozzy/Dio...........I'll go with Sarzo/Lee/Daisley

We have a winner.   The "two" were Sarzo/Daisley; the "three" (because Lee was technically before the first Dio release) was Sarzo/Daisley/Lee.  The "four" is including the Appice brothers, as Vinnie played with Dio and Carmine was fired by Ozzy, and they're sort of interchangeable, no (notwithstanding that they pronounce their names different, Vinnie App-I-chee versus Carmine A-piece.).