JOHN 5 & BLASKO - A Pair Of Talking Zombies Page 2
by Martin Popoff

"Rob is very creative musically," says John, asked about Rob's contribution to the actual riffs and such. "He would say, 'You should put this here and this here.' He'll probably disagree on this, but he seems to be very educated in music. It's like he can hear it in his head and tell me something and it will work. Which is really rare. He'll have a melody for something, and he'll spit it out, and nine out of ten times it will work. And that one time is... he doesn't like it. He's very involved in every little sound, even. He's very hands-on with everything."

What the heck does Educated Horses mean?

"I think that was something when he was a child, like, I'm not positive, because I talked to him about it once, and I think it was something to do with, he went to a carnival and there were these educated horses, and it kicked one of his relatives and killed him or something like that. Something really kind of out there. I could be wrong though (laughs)."

Bassist Blasko adds a few words on the making of Educated Horses, expressing enthusiasm for John 5's crucial role. "It came together because all of us worked together, more so than on any album in the past. John 5 had a lot to do with this record, and we all collectively did our shares more so than on albums in the past. We got in there and we just jammed out stuff. Which really never happened before. There's a lot less of the electronic element and way more of the guitar elements, which John 5 brought in, because he's such a great player. He's able to do a lot of stuff, and he's able to layer and create a lot of atmospheres with his guitar. And because, he's able to do that, you require a lot less of the electronic element. I think Rob definitely went in with the attitude of wanting it to sound the way that it sounds. It's just big and heavy, really guitar-driven, a lot less, for lack of a better term, filler stuff, stuff that fills the spaces. It's all guitar, big drums, big tones, more in-your-face. It all came together quickly. Rob doesn't f**k around in the studio, man. He gets in there and he gets it done. There's not a whole lot of horsing around."

But Blasko couldn't be around for much of the writing. He had to play a Beatles song for the Queen Of England.

JOHN 5 & BLASKO - A Pair Of Talking Zombies Page 3