It’s a lowkey Wednesday morning for Rick Nielsen: the founding Cheap Trick-ster just wrapped up some chores, he has the house to himself, and aside from a few interviews he’ll do over Zoom, his schedule is kept notably bare. When he jumps on the line with Australian Guitar, he’s nestling a slick red ’62 Coronet – a Dwight model, though, not your typical Epiphone. He twiddles around on the fretboard, sharpening his chops on new material from the band’s forthcoming 20th studio album, In Another World, ahead of some monumental live shows Down Under in May (where Cheap Trick will co-headline Under The Southern Stars with Stone Temple Pilots and Bush).
Two minutes into our and we instantly assume our chat has been cut short by injury... But then Neilsen just™ Keeps playing. At 72, he couldn’t care less about a little string-split skin. He keeps noodling away on the “Truth” chorus, waxing lyrical about his love for Australian crowds and Coronets. Cheap Trick have never been too heavy with their shredding, but it’s undeniable that Nielsen is metal as f***.
