John 5 Plays ‘Wikipedia: Fact or Fiction?’
We were really excited about this one! At this year’s Chicago Open Air festival, Rob Zombie / ex-Marilyn Manson guitar icon John 5 joined us to prove and disprove what’s written about him on Wikipedia.
John 5 is a born storyteller, whether he’s weaving together guitar parts or conveying some of his career’s most memorable tales. One of John’s big breaks came while he was playing in an L.A. band called Alligator Soup. One night, Quiet Riot / Ozzy Osbourne / Dio / Whitesnake bass legend Rudy Sarzo happened to be in the crowd. During Alligator Soup’s performance, the band’s singer smashed his head and started gushing blood. As he ran offstage, the vocalist quickly called on John to fill time with a guitar solo. Sarzo was so impressed with John’s playing that he invited the guitarist to join his band Sun King, which gave John 5 his first break.
We dug up some fiction revolving around John 5’s initial bid to become Marilyn Manson’s guitarist. Wikipedia reads that John was late to his audition, effectively disqualifying him before he even stepped foot in a rehearsal space. However, the true story is much simpler. “I just called the studio that I heard they were in,” John explains. “I said, ‘Are you guys looking for a guitar player?’ and they said, ‘We found somebody’ and hung up the phone.”
We all know David Lee Roth is an eccentric character, so when John 5 was auditioning to become a member of the DLR Band, Roth gave him a few tests to pass. One test was telling John that if he couldn’t nail a recording session in two takes, he simply wasn’t up to par, but John shared another example you won’t find on Wikipedia. To prove John’s commitment to the DLR Band, Roth would have John 5 show up for rehearsals at 6AM. Barely able to function that early in the morning, John 5 rose to the occasion and got the gig.
Watch John 5 play ‘Wikipedia: Fact or Fiction?’ above! John 5’s newest solo album, Season of the Witch, is now available, so click here to grab a copy!
Rob Zombie - Wikipedia: Fact or Fiction?
Nickelback - Wikipedia: Fact or Fiction?