This month’s Inquirer finds Guitar World in the company of Micki Free, and having administered the truth serum, he’s going to tell us all about his firsts – first gigs, first songs and first guitar he ever got – and share his most embarrassing moments.
Just don’t ask him to save only one guitar from burning building…
What was your first guitar?
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I made it out of a Cheer detergent box! I cut a hole in it and used a ruler as a neck and rubber bands as strings. I’d imitate Jimi Hendrix. Then one day, my Uncle Frank says to my mom, “You’ve got to buy Micki a guitar because he’s driving me crazy with that Cheer box!” So, he finally got me a guitar. It was an acoustic; I don’t remember what kind it was.
What was the first song you learned how to play?
Secret Agent Man by the Ventures because I loved them too. I played that as much as I could play it, and my mom would be like, “Would you shut up with that?” It was annoying because that’s all I could play – but I could play it well.
What was your first gig?
In the early 1970s, we had moved back from Germany to the Midwest. I had a little band there that I was playing with that had started in school. At the time, Grand Funk Railroad was my favorite band, so I thought I was Mark Farner. I even had really long hair. The first gig was playing in the school gym for a dance when I was 16.
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Have you ever had an embarrassing moment on stage?
When I was younger, the most embarrassing moment of all I had was when I was trying to look cool onstage as I was playing my guitar. I fell off the freaking stage! They had to help me get back on – and that was pretty embarrassing. After that, I started to get my footing, so I never did that again, thank God!
What’s your favorite piece of gear?
Since I dig Hendrix and Cream, I’m a Marshall purist because that’s what I grew up on. My go-to amp is my 18-watt Marshall 1974X with a 12-inch speaker. It’s like the Bluesbreaker amp.
They have a fantastic sound because their impedance is low, and, because it’s 18 watts, when you crank it up, it breaks up at the best time. It’s like money in the bank. [I can get] the tone I like to get, which is kind of like a cross between Hendrix and Eric Clapton.
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The building is burning down; what one guitar from your collection would you save?
That’s too hard. Can I take three? If it has to be one, it’d be my Teye guitar with the turquoise inlays. It’s so versatile. I can get sounds that are close enough to a Strat and to a Les Paul – and if you back it off a little bit, you can get anything you want with it. It has something called a Mojo button on it, and I can select the kind of vibe I want. It’s amazing. I love it so much.
When was the last time you practiced, and what did you play?
I don’t practice a lot. I’m not that kind of a guy that goes, “I’ve got to play my scales.” I pick it up when I feel like it. Billy Gibbons once told me, “Play the stuff you want to play, like, the stuff you hear,” and I got what he meant by that. So, when I’m practicing, I’ll play some Jimi, I’ll play some ZZ Top, I’ll play some funky stuff, some Santana. That’s how I practice. It’s not like a schedule.
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What aspect of the guitar would you like to be better at?
I’d like to know more about the scales since I’m mostly a blues-rock player. Technically I’d like to really get into scales and see how they do arpeggios and stuff like that, because that’s not in my lane. I play more like Billy Gibbons. Hendrix didn’t play scales, either – and I learned everything from those guys.
But as I listen to current players, there are some where I’ll go, “Wow, that sounds good.” Maybe I should investigate that, widen my style and go to some places where I’d normally not go.
What guitar-centric advice would you give your younger self if you could?
I’d tell myself to practice more and widen my range of music besides the greats, like Clapton, Hendrix and Jeff Beck. When I was young, I only listened to blues-rock. I’d tell myself to open my mind a little more.
