THE GUITAR INTERVIEW: GUTHRIE GOVAN
The title of ‘best guitarist on the planet’ is a contentious and subjective one, but whatever your inclinations, the chances are that Guthrie Govan’s name will come up in the discussion. For over 20 years, the Essex-born musical polymath has been wowing audiences with his mind-bending technique, feel and command of the instrument that seems to fit in any genre he chooses to step into. For now, however, the 47-year-old returns with his band, The Aristocrats, who have stormed back with their first new album in four years. We chat to Guthrie about upping his aggression, playing well with others, and why guitar solos aren’t integral…
When Guthrie Govan and his cohorts Marco Minneman and Bryan Beller released Tres Caballeros back in 2015–The Aristocrats’ third full-length in four years–it wasn’t unreasonable to expect the band would more or less follow the two-year album/tour cycle that’s become almost standard in the music industry.
But Guthrie has never been one to do what’s expected and the four-year gap since that album–with him spending a great portion of those years working with composer Hans Zimmer and contributing to movie scores for such films as –led many to ponder if we might ever see another release from the
