That time Fu Manchu’s Bob Balch told me about the jerk who stole a fuzz pedal right off their stage

By Steve Newton

Back in June of 2002 I interviewed 24-year-old Fu Manchu guitarist Bob Balch, whose So-Cal stoner-rock quartet was touring behind its seventh album, California Crossing.

The band had opted for a cleaner, sharper guitar sound on that disc–partly because singer-guitarist Scott Hill had had his favourite fuzz pedal ripped off before they went into the studio–so I asked Balch about that.

Have a listen:

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