Do you remember which guitar and amp
you used for that track?
I used the Rickenbacker and WEM amp, as
well as a little handheld Radio Shack amp
that John Hill had brought in. I also used
the Ibanez Spud guitar.
Mothersbaugh and his storied Ibanez “Spud” guitar. Photo by Natalie Montgomery
The riff on “Mind Games” is awesome, too.
I really like “Mind Games” because I play
a guitar part all the way through it. After
recording it I thought, “I know what would
really make this cool.” So I took another
track and doubled the whole part an octave
higher. I’m pleased every time I hear it.
Care to comment on some older songs?
Sure.
“Girl U Want”—great riff. How did you
get the guitar sound on that track?
The meat of the sound is the Ibanez Spud
guitar, which has active electronics. I
cranked up the midrange on the guitar, as
well as the amp, which was an Acoustic that
was sort of a Mesa/Boogie clone with a
graphic EQ. I did weird things with the EQ,
like making designs and patterns with the
EQ sliders.
The turnaround following the solo is killer.
It reminds me of George Harrison, in that
it isn’t flashy but it serves the song.
I’ll take that as a big compliment—I’m a fan
of George Harrison.
On “Freedom of Choice,” you double
the synth line. Was it written on guitar
or keyboard?
I remember Alan [Myers, former Devo
drummer] had a phrase he played on guitar
[
sings guitar part], and he wanted to jam
with me on it, so I learned it. At some point
while we were working on
Freedom of
Choice, I said, “Hey, I think Alan’s bit would
fit in there.” I love that album, because it
represents a period where I really was into
getting every kind of tortured noise from
the guitar I could. But I think the songs
from that album sound better live now,
because my sound has more growl to it.
With all the technology being dangled
in your face when you hit it big, did you
ever use a guitar synthesizer?
Back in 1979, I used a device made by 360
Systems. It was a big box that sat next to
your amp and required a special pickup. The
360 Systems people recommended I use a
Les Paul, and at the time I was horrified—I
thought Les Pauls represented arena rock,
long hair, and Puka shells. But I got a Les
Paul and took a jigsaw to it with the intention
of making it look like a skull. I cut the little
horn off at the cutaway and flipped it over
backwards and thought it looked a lot better.
The 360 was a horrible synth and really didn’t
sound good. I only used it for one tour.
And here you are, some 30 years later,
playing a Les Paul in an arena.
That’s de-evolution for you.
You perform onstage with synchronized
video. Do you have to rehearse endlessly
to get your music to sync to the video?
No, because we have a click track that goes
to the drummer.
Does that leave you any room for
improvisation?
Very little. For example, onstage last night I
was thinking, “I should use the other channel
of the Fractal Audio for the first part
of ‘Jocko Homo.’” But I have a guitar tech
[Ed Marshall] who
is always watching the box to make sure
it’s on the right setting. I tried to change it
to the setting I wanted, but he changed it
back. I thought, “Okay, we’ll have to discuss
this after the show.”
Has touring become a grind?
I miss my family, but that’s about the only
thing. I can deal with all the crappy hotels
and overnight bus rides. It’s all good once
we get onstage—that hour and a half—
because I just love playing.
Bob Mothersbaugh's Gearbox
Guitars
Gibson Custom Shop Mike Bloomfield Les Paul,
1964 SG Standard with P-90s and a Gibson Vibrola,
multiple G&L SC-2s, Ibanez Spud guitar with Ibanez
active pickup system, 1967 La Baye 2x4
Amps and Effects Processors
WEM Dominator combo, Line 6 PODxt,
Fractal Audio Axe-Fx, Ibanez Tube Screamer
Strings and Picks
GHS strings GBXL .009–.042 (Les Paul and La Baye),
GHS GBL .010–.046 (G&L SC-2s), Dunlop Gator Grip picks
Miscellaneous
Brace Audio DWG-1000x wireless system,
custom medium-gauge picks printed with “Bob 1 DEVO”