Ritchie Blackmore, along with Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck, forms my trio of most beloved guitarists (with the due clarification that, for me, Hendrix is beyond any evaluation or comparison with anyone, his talent is too immense)... that's how one of my first writings here on Debaser began.
I too forgot, in that moment, about Him. I who have always loved this guy. How infuriating! Rory has always perfectly embodied "my" Blues and the figure of the Bluesman as I understand it (also Moore, Vaughan, Winter, Campbell, and others... but He much more).
Let's say I could write for hours about Him, so I'll try to spare you endless ramblings.
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"It's dated November 1961...... It's the best, it's my life, my best friend. It's almost like knowing that its weak points are its strong points. I don't like being sentimental about such things, but when you spend thirty years of your life with the same instrument, it's as if part of your memories is there in your arms." (About his Fender).
"He had a shy air, he seemed like a kid and made me feel tender. He was polite and spoke in a low voice. On stage, however, he transformed into a different person, a real fury, he had an incredible drive, and, if we want to use a soccer term, unparalleled competitive aggression."
"His proverbial endurance in playing all night without ever tiring dates back to the period of the showbands. His energy was so immense that sometimes his fingers ended up bleeding."
"In a concert in Germany in 1986, the supporting band didn't show up, so Rory simply played in their place and then performed his headlining show."
"Everything is locked in my memory like a video. I can plug it in at any time and play it in my head. I just wish I could do it now with my experience because Muddy taught me a lot during those sessions and because I became a better musician than when I was there. A couple of times we gave him a ride back to his hotel. I've kept that car ever since, like a sort of shrine, because Muddy sat there. It's an old Ford Executive, it's in front of our house in Cork. The car is falling apart but I refuse to scrap it. I can still see Muddy smoking cigars... It's a nice memory for me."
"Rory was one of the few rock artists in the world capable of creating a strong bond with his audience in shows where there was no room for special effects, light shows, grandiose sets, or enormous stages, etc. In the videos, you can easily see that he didn't even shy away from physical contact with his people. He lived solely to play in front of an audience and would have continued to do so until the end of his days. After all, it is for this reason that the three live albums represent the best of his discography. He loved his fans so much that he made sure to persuade the organizers to keep concert prices at an acceptable level."
"I find the work of a manager superfluous for my band. I don't need to be elevated to superstar status, and my genre always attracts people connected to the music world and therefore approachable. It's enough for a guy to come to me at the end of an evening to finalize a gig."
"For me, singles are the beginning of the end. Okay, I know singles can significantly increase your fan base, but what worries me is everything that surrounds the success of a single. Stupid TV shows, servant newspapers asking what car you drive, how many cigarettes you smoke, or asking you to sign the cancer campaign. No, that success does not interest me."
"I don't believe the synthesizer is really an instrument. It can't give those emotions that I feel come out of 'real' instruments. In my next album, I think I'll use the harpsichord and a bit of organ, but it will stop there. There's no better instrument than the guitar." Absolute idoooooooooooooooooool (sorry, the blues strain started).
"We had a tight schedule, he never stopped and demanded the best from himself. When we saw him exhausted from excessive efforts, the only way to convince him to cancel a date was to tell him that one of us was ill."
"Gallagher is truly a natural talent.... Gallagher plays as if there is no tomorrow...."
"See... I love what I do, I don't see it as a job; it's more of a compulsive hobby. Even if I want to go on vacation, I always end up preparing the guitar and the recorder."
"Gallagher didn't care much about notoriety and had no intention of submitting to the hated laws of the record market, not even under torture."
"Most musicians were afraid to perform in Belfast, but Rory, who loved to define himself as the people's guitarist and who didn't take political sides, had no intention of depriving the boys of that unfortunate city of his performances, uniting them all, at least for one evening, regardless of different ideologies."
"To become a star you have to start planning everything, how you present yourself, what music you play, who you need around you, you also have to listen to too many people who plan your career for you. I only wanted to focus on my music and kept my distance from the big business, so I missed the train: but I don't mind, after all, I do the things I want and I'm happy. And then I have my popularity too: on the American tour I just finished, the kids sang all my songs... it's a great satisfaction!"
"It seems a waste to work and work for years just to transform into some sort of character."
"I know we will never use smoke machines/dry ice (in live shows) and that we will never come up with ridiculous publicity stunts." But haven't they made this MAN the President of the World yet?!!!
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"The Blues is bad for your health. It's simple. Look at the list: Jimmy Reed was epileptic, Howlin' Wolf needed a kidney machine, many of the other greats were alcoholics. Muddy Waters was one of those who managed to control himself. People like Skip James never managed. When Howlin' was on dialysis, he stopped drinking and it influenced his performances. Therefore, drinking and Blues are closely connected, one fuels the other."
"That unfortunate day (June 14, 1995) the Irish state television interrupted all programs to make the announcement. The BBC aired a ten-hour special on his life. The pride of that nation, he who reinvented the blues passed away without having married and without having children. On June 19, he returned to his Cork to be buried, and his funeral was broadcast live nationwide by the BBC."
I close with Clapton talking about Rory: "Thanks to Him I returned to the Blues" and his "similar" Gary Moore: "He was such a purist, he would never have sold himself. How many people do you know, in the world of music, who prefer that kind of position? If there weren't people like Rory Gallagher around to set that kind of example, it could be the end of quality music."
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I adore this guy. His true and sincere soul, his being gruff and keeping to himself, and his giving his all until the last drop of sweat to convey emotions with his music.
And I add... He's perhaps the only one I know who has never made a mistake with an album. For those who love Blues and Rock, an absolute guarantee.
Without (intended) great commercial success, Rory has admirers everywhere, fanzines, sites, musical events dedicated to Him. In Ireland, he is a national "hero" and is honored like no other.
A musician and a man in antithesis to the mere vanity of rockstars; people love him so much, not only for his music, but also for this.
In 1975 he tried and refused to join the Stones, where, in my opinion, he would have lasted, to exaggerate, perhaps two months. In 1972 he ranked Clapton, Page, and Howe as the best guitarist of the year.
And naturally, besides the statue and the corner near Temple Bar, we cannot forget, in his Cork, the mural that recalls the famous response of Hendrix to the question about what it felt like to be the best guitarist in the world....
And thank you, noble Fabio Rossi for your heartfelt tribute to Rory. When you say you "hope to open the dusty chest of memories of all those who have loved him".... and especially "my effort is mainly directed at young people who ..... deserve to discover and admire the extraordinariness of Rory Gallagher, the antidivo par excellence, who always placed music before anything else, relegating himself to the role of simple link between the music itself and the heart of the people."
You succeeded because these hundred pages of yours are intense and without frills, like Rory.
Happy reading.
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