By now, everyone in Hideo has spoken about their passions. I largely have been the guy who cheerfully jokes around and tries to get people to laugh and not take themselves so seriously. But today, I have decided it’s time to speak up about something that is very near and dear to me in this crazy life. I can tell you without hesitation that it is the one material object I would NEED to save if my house were to catch on fire. It is none other than my heritage cherry, mahogany body, dual humbucker, rosewood fingerboard, 22 trapezoid fret inlay Gibson SG Standard!
The Gibson SG Standard
I L.O.V.E. this beast more than one could ever imagine. Back when I was just a young lad in high school, my priorities were simple. I was 16, and just like all my other (older) friends before me, it was clear that I needed to take all my hard earned cash and buy a car. But every time I saw Angus Young play Thunderstruck, or Toni Iommi play Paranoid, I was pulled into another world! Still, it was clear I needed a car so I could do the important things in life like… impress the ladies in my new pimp ride, right? Wrong. I knew very clearly what I needed to do. I took all the money I earned from bagging groceries at Safeway and marched over to 9th and Mission in San Francisco to buy the greatest piece of heavy metal technology ever created—the fearless and immortal Gibson SG Standard—and when I held it in my hands for the first time, I can’t even begin to describe in words the incredible feeling I experienced.
I was convinced in high school that I was going to be a famous rock star. Despite everyone telling me to get real and put my head on straight, I told everyone I was going to make it happen. I practiced every day, determined to create the greatest music known to mankind! In my bloody high school yearbook, when everyone else was saying “Go Panthers!” I still recall clearly saying in my senior write-up, “Thank you rock and roll… a big part of my life. I will be seeing a lot of you in the future.” That’s love. That’s love from a team of two. I didn’t need a band, damnit! All I needed was my Gibson SG. We would be an army of two and revolutionize the world of metal together! Was it a total teenage “pie in the sky” fantasy? You bet your ass it was, but who was to say I wouldn’t turn it into a reality?
Now let’s fast-forward to the present day. Am I Angus Young, rocking venues with 50,000 fans? No. But then again, I’m not sure I can pull off the schoolboy outfit, or those devilish good looks. Now I’m 12 years older, a hell of a lot wiser, and guess what? I find myself here with these amazing musicians in Hideo with the same 16-year old dreams. I find myself determined to bring the greatest music imaginable to the world, but this time there is clear difference. My red SG and I are still inseparable. We are an army of two until the day I die—but this time around, we join the ranks of over 30 other musicians to create something that is truly amazing. We WILL create music that will revolutionize our entire genre. Nobody can stop our destiny. We are a team. We are passionate about our music, and—no matter what comes our way—we will overcome it. MY SG and I have a new home. It is with Hideo. I’m here with my SG, pick in hand, volume cranked up to 11, and the 1962 vintage humbuckers reflecting the light of generations of immortal rock wisdom… now let’s F@#$%&* do this!
