Shock ‘em Dead Resume Home

• In 1982, two close friends and I were driving from Vegas to L. A. while discussing possible mail-order ideas.  We were all guitar players.  One suggested that we make up some fictitious diet, incorporate it in a book with celebrity pictures, and call it, “The Hollywood Diet of the Stars.”  My other friend’s nephew suggested that we hire some hotshot guitar players to recreate those really cool licks we weren't able to learn and have them performed fast and slowly.  Since none of us knew anything about nutrition, not to mention malpractice suits, we choose the guitar idea.
  
  After some research, the only similar product we could find was Arlen Roth's Hot Licks.  Our initial reaction was to can the idea; however, after closer review, we found that Arlen was promoting himself more than the licks he was demonstrating.  This led us to believe that if people were interested in Arlen Roth licks, they would most certainly be interested in learning Clapton/Hendrix/Beck licks – hence, the company ‘Star’ Licks was started.
  
  One year later, we were shipping tens-of-thousands of audio cassettes with accompanying notation booklets worldwide. Our company produced additional product lines to compete with the myriad of newcomers saturating the marketplace. After several years of being at the forefront, sales began dropping; thus, it was time to rethink the product.

• The next logical step was to move from imitation to artist participation.  This would become our Master Series.  I took on the task of compiling a list of our favorite guitarists, searching through their albums, and stringing together their best solos.  Brian May would be our first celebrity to take part in this newfound concept, “Instructional Video.”
  
  After sending pitch proposals to several celebrity guitarists, in April of ‘84, we entered our office and heard the following message on our phone machine: “Hi, this is Brian May. I just wanted to let you know that I got the cassette and the letter and everything—thanks very much. I’m takin’ ‘em back to England, and I’ll have a go at doing them. You do realize it’s gonna cost a little bit in studio time don’t you?”
  
  I cannot speak highly enough about Brian May.  His generosity and input was second to none.  His playing was so smooth and his explanations so eloquent, it initially intimidated other artists from doing a video.  He told me later that he always wanted to do something instructional after seeing Eric Clapton on television showing an interviewer how he played some licks.
  
  Click the play button below to hear Brian’s actual phone message agreeing to participate.
  
  

Al McKay of Earth, Wind & Fire...

• I’d be remiss if I didn’t give vast recognition to Al McKay.  In 1977, I had the opportunity to be part of Earth Wind & Fire's “Spirit” tour, where I met Al. Surprisingly, I was a right-handed guitarist who had learned to play somewhat left-handed, and Al was a lefty who had learned to play somewhat right-handed. With this peculiarity in common, we hit it off and have been friends ever since.

  Though Brian May would be our first ‘video’ celebrity, Al McKay was our first ‘audio’ celebrity, as we had not yet considered instructional video.  For the recording session, Al prepared 10 EWF selections with the rhythm/bass accompaniment pre-programmed on a modified Oberheim drum computer (very cool in its day).  Like our previous products, I panned the rhythm sections left and the guitar performances right. In addition, Al preformed the guitar sections slowly—and for the first time—added verbal notes of interest between tracks.

  This product however, would never be released, as soon afterwards, we flew to London to record Brian May. It wasn’t until the night before the session that we asked if we could possibly videotape the session as well. Brian, who was no stranger to cameras, said certainly. 

  With this, StarLicks now became a ‘video’ instructional company - hence, we scrapped Al’s earlier audio project and begged him to do another one for video.  He agreed and did so with less emphasis on EWF and more emphasis on rhythm guitar in general. 

  When we debuted the new video series featuring May, Lukather, Iommi, and the others, Al McKay’s video received the most praise from many of our customers and was ranked #1 in Guitar Player Magazine.

  Thank you, Al! I’ll always be in your debt. –R

• Internet:
  
  My name is Mark—a guitar player from England. Just a quick message to say thanks for the great Star Licks videos you have produced. My main influence is Lukather. Did you have plans for a follow up version to his video? There should be a lot more videos/tab available for him as his playin' is up their with the greats!
  — All my best, Mark.
  
• RD:
  
  Steve Lukather was one of my top-ten picks when assembling the Master Series.  We contacted his management who was less than enthusiastic; therefore, we approached Steve personally—a common course of action back then.
  
  I loved Lukather's playing so much that it was an extra thrill finding licks in preparation for his session. I cut together 20+ classic licks from Toto, Boz Scaggs, etc., and as I recall, he performed them all.
  
  In my opinion, the majority of guitarists we recorded had roughly five to ten great licks in their arsenal—the rest was filler. Lukather, being the consummate session player, could play in a myriad of styles but felt awkward demonstrating them, as many of these styles were made famous by his friends—e.g., two-handed tapping by Eddie Van Halen.
  
  In conclusion, a “Lukather ll” video could have been produced with still, many licks to spare…

• After recording a multitude of artists that ran their guitars through an arsenal of amps and effects, there was a certain appreciation in seeing someone walk in with a guitar in one hand, a small amp in the other and ask, “Where's the nearest plug?”
  
  When we were producing the Original Series, we never knew that ‘country lead’ guitar even existed until someone played us Albert Lee’s “I'm a Country Boy.”  We loved his playing so much, Albert became our sole country guitarist. We were very fortunate to have Albert participate in the Masters Series, as he was being courted by many other companies who were jumping on the instructional video bandwagon.

• Internet:
  
  I bought Tony Iommi’s video eons ago but found it sparse in content.  I wasn’t a guitar player as much as a Black Sabbath fan and was hoping he’d talk more about the songs. What was he like to work with?
  —Kevin S., Québec, Canada
  
• RD:
  
  As to your sparseness question, even Guitar Player Magazine wrote, “Here they had the Godfather of heavy metal guitar in the studio and didn't ask him one question!”  In our defense, I would have to say that the majority of our artists’ hated being on camera—not to mention being interviewed.  Just getting them to say, “Welcome to Star Licks, I'm Joe Blow,” could take 15 minutes worth of takes.
  
  Not to say that Tony was this uneasy, but he was a bit on edge.  At the start of the session, a delivery of new guitars arrived strung with the wrong gage strings.  These guitars were to premier on his video.  With no time to spare, we had to replace the strings, find which guitar sounded best through his amps and which guitar Tony would ultimately feel comfortable playing/indorsing in the video.
  
  Later, we realized that Tony was a guitarist that shot from the hip when soloing; hence, the “20-licks — fast and slow” regimen really didn't work.   This delayed us even further, as we had to rethink his format.  All this, along with him being somewhat camera-shy, did result in a sparse video but all 'n all, it did sell well.

• Internet:
  
  I checked out Robert Johnson's video. Nice stage set! Did you do that and do you have a favorite video?
  —Sam M., Wichita Falls, TX.
  
• RD:
  
  Other than editing, I had nothing to do with that video. But it was a great set, which was designed and constructed by Mark Freed, the past/current owner of Star Licks. In addition, didn’t Scott Ainslie seem to fit right into the ‘look’ of that set?
  
  As to a favorite, early on, one of the better - yet most overlooked was Carlos Cavazo’s video.  Besides covering his own solos from the Metal Health album, Carlos did a section featuring all types of rock guitar styles, which he performed beautifully.  He’s a great player, instructor, and worked well with the camera.  So much so, he was the featured guitarist for our “Entertainment Tonight” segment, which aired in ‘84.   But, unfortunately - as the adage goes, “you're only as good as your last record,” Cavazo’s video sales began decreasing as Quiet Riot’s album sales began to slip - consequently, when his inventory ran out, the parent company to Star Licks chose not to rerun the product.

• Internet:
  
  What makes an artist want to do an instructional video?  Is it really for the sake of teaching or is mostly about the money?
  —Stephen W.
  
• RD:
  
  Both.  Some artists loved the idea of teaching.  Again, Brian May told me that he saw an interviewer ask Clapton to play a phase.  Brian said that Clapton turned his back to the camera then played a really cool lick.  “Oh, if I could have only seen him play that stuff,” Brian said.  I believe that Brian did the video for the sake of instruction – not for the money.  Whereas others, in my opinion, may have been more motivated by the money and/or the PR.   For a lesser-known artist, being on the same page with the likes of Brian May, Les Paul, Larry Carlton, etc., could only enhance one’s career.

• Internet:
  
  What happened to the heavy hitters like Page, Beck, and Clapton?
  —Lisa M.
  
• RD:
  
  I can’t respond on the behalf of the guitarists you mentioned, but I can tell you what Eddie Van Halen said, “If you can get Beck, Page, and Clapton to do a video, I'll do one too.”  Needless to say, this was Ed’s clever way of keeping us from pestering him—and it worked since the heavy hitters never really returned our calls.

• Internet:
  
  How did you come about creating this site and E-Chords the program? I've enjoyed perusing Chords Central.com
  —Dylan A., San Jose, CA.
  
• RD:
  
  In 1999, I was designing an e-commerce site focused on guitar-oriented products.  As an incentive, we were planning to offer E-Chords along with several other free downloads.  Latter, due to sorted miscommunications, I left the project with E-Chords about two thirds done. I finished it out and housed it at Chords Central.  Since Al McKay and Ralf Illenberger were friends of mine (that excelled in guitar chords), I thought the interviews would add a nice touch.  I'm glad you've enjoyed the site!

• Internet:
  
  Help!?  Are you the R.D. that produced GuitarTrax and if so, are they still in print? I can't even find ‘em on the internet. Thanks in advance.
  —Anderson T.
  
• RD:
  
  I recreated the music for that series but I have no idea whether they’re available.  Other than the DAT masters, I’m without the original products as well.  You might try Cherry Lane Music, Guitar for the Practicing Musician, or possibly eBay for leads.  Good Luck!

• Internet:
  
  How do your contracts work?  Kinda like a record deal - the bigger the name, the better the advance?
  —Benjamin J.
  
• RD:
  
  When we started the company, we drew up what’s called a “favored nations” contract—i.e., one that would guarantee all artists equal money, billing, perks, etc.  Solely due to the high-cost of video production in those days, we gave no advances.  However, we would pay for everything in relation to creating the product, and once it was completed, the artist had final right of refusal.  The artist would earn a royalty from both their video and audio sales paid quarterly - the actual percentages, I can’t recall.
  
  Today’s contacts may be completely different but for many years, our original contract was the staple that many companies used when negotiating instructional video agreements.

• Internet:
  
  Enjoyed your website.  I recently saw the question posted about what type of deals are negotiated with artists. I wanted to ask about a deal offered today.  I was wondering with today’s DVD technology, what would a standard contract be comparable to?  I have been approached by a company to write and perform in an instructional series, but am not sure what to compare the deal to. Should they follow a book publishing contract model, recording contract or neither?  They are giving a deal based on percentage of retail sales, with a small advance. Because of your experience, any advice would be greatly appreciated.
  —Sincerely, Drum Teacher
  
• RD:
  
  I don't believe there’s any one standard contract anymore.  Much of an artist’s negotiation power resides in how popular he/she is. Since you signed your name, “Drum Teacher,” I would assume that you are not a celebrity—hence, I would say that the small advance is a nice incentive.  DVD, Internet distribution, or any new technology coming down the pike isn't really negotiable, as you would be signing a non-union contract.  Bottom line, I’d do it for the exposure and look at the royalties as the icing on the cake.  Having your own instructional product(s) competing in the marketplace can be a nice feather in your cap and if you “work it,” you can make some great things happen from it. Look what it did for Wolf Marshall.

• Internet:
  
  Was StarLicks the first company to sell instructional guitar videos? Thanx...
  —Ian Z., Los Angeles, CA
  
• RD:
  
  I believe DCI was the first company that marketed an instructional music video.  I remember seeing a Jaco Pastorious video around the time we were in post production with Brian May.  DCI also got their first MTV commercial airing just before ours.  If there were anyone else selling music instructional videos, it never came to my attention.
  
  Thank you all! —Robert Decker

View a Start Licks demo via Flash video

• Featuring: Al Hendrix, Quincy Jones, Flea, River Phoenix, Les Paul, Davey Johnstone, Nancy Wilson, Steve Porcaro, Ted Nugent, John Jorgenson, Steve Lukather, Jeff Berlin, Joe Walsh, Red Hot Chile Peppers, Jeff Porcaro, Trevor Rabin, Stanley Jordan, Tony MacAlpine, John Hammond, Larry Carlton and Brian May.