That time I asked Billy Gibbons what the glue was that kept ZZ Top together for so long
By Steve Newton
Being a teenaged devotee of guitar-driven boogie in the seventies put me directly in line with what was required to be a hardcore ZZ Top fan. I have vivid memories of the band, like that time I walked into the Chilliwack Second Hand Store and found a near-mint copy of the Tres Hombres LP at a helluva bargain price. Or that time a bunch of my high-school buddies and me made the momentous trek from the Fraser Valley to the Big City to see ZZ Top at Vancouver’s Pacific Coliseum on the Fandango! tour.
As I write this, ZZ Top is still going strong with the same three members after 50 years or something, and I’m still kickin’ ass at 62. Still kickin’, at least.
These days I get my jollies by digitizing the hundreds of interviews I’ve done with rock legends since 1982, and posting them in their entirety on my Patreon page, hoping wealthy millionaires will cough up $5 (U.S.) to hear them. One of those legends is ZZ Top guitarist Billy Gibbons, who I chatted with in 1994 when the band was on its Antenna Tour.
At one point in the conversation I mentioned that Billy and the boys had opened for Jimi Hendrix in 1968, which led to talk about how long the band has managed to stick together. Even way back in ’94 it seemed like ZZ Top had been around forever.
At one point I asked Mr. Gibbons what the glue was that kept him and Dusty and Frank together for so long.
Have a listen:
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