The People Vs. Myles Kennedy: Alter Bridge’s singer on challenging songs, ’80s movies, and playing a guitar solo next to Slash

You can’t actually imagine Myles Kennedy vs. anyone. He’s far too nice for that. Not for nothing does the Alter Bridge frontman and Slash jam-buddy have a longstanding reputation as one of rock’s most gentlemanly gents.

But anyway, ahead of the release of his fabulous new solo album, The Art Of Letting Go – incidentally, his heaviest solo work to date – we put out the call for your questions to set to the great man. Here, then, is everything you ever wanted to know about Myles Kennedy, as interrogated by those most important of interviewers: his own fans.

John asks... Between your solo work, Alter Bridge and playing with Slash, are there some things you feel more comfortable putting into one band than another?
“Well, definitely between this and Alter Bridge, there could be more similarities in a theme sense, because it tends to be more personal. With Slash, I'm leaning more towards telling stories. It allows me to put that hat on, which I really enjoy. But if I'm gonna make a solo record, I do want it to be personal. I don't want to sing about things that I can't relate to. It's the opportunity to get some things off my chest and work through stuff, or write something I want to put to a melody to help me evolve as a human being.

“I'm really freaking lucky, man, because I have these three things now that I can explore. When I spend a year writing and touring and recording one thing, I get to shift gears and go to something different. It's always fresh. I feel like it's helped me improve a lot as a creative person – I get to continue to put on these different hats and shift gears.”

Sarah asks... What’s your favourite song off your new album?
“Behind The Veil. There's just something about that riff. And there’s also a long, extended guitar solo in the middle. In a lot of ways, these solo records, especially this record, are kind of an excuse for me to play lead guitar. I love playing lead, and I'm looking forward to playing that one live, because I want to stretch it out even longer than it already is.

“Playing lead… I don’t get to do that with Slash! That job's done. But, actually, he came through town recently with his Blues Festival, and he was kind enough to invite me up for a cover of Crossroads, to do the lead. And I was like, ‘Whoa, I'm actually playing a lead standing next to Slash!’ But I spent 15 years listening to him play lead, so I feel like having him standing to my left for all that time has certainly helped me and my own solos!”

Will asks... I’m a singer who’s about to play a really big venue and I’m nervous. What tips do you have for not letting that affect my show?
“What I've discovered is: practice makes perfect. It’s that simple. So, if you have any sort of issue with nerves, make sure that you're so well-rehearsed that everything is second nature. That way, when you step on the stage and the adrenaline kicks in, it's not going to throw you off. I'm doing that right now, preparing for tour. Every day I'm basically just woodshedding, playing the new songs over and over and over. I kind of learned that from playing with Slash – that's what he does. It’s repetition, to the point where it's so ingrained you don't have to think about it. That's the way you want it, so it’s just automatic.”

Amy asks... Is there a song that’s a difficult one to perform live?
“With Alter Bridge it’s Blackbird, just because of the gravity of that particular track. There's a song on the first solo record, The Great Beyond, and I don't even know if we're gonna do it in the set at this point, that one's really tough. That song is basically about the night that my biological father passed away. It’s got so much gravity, where even talking about it is difficult sometimes. But writing that song was so therapeutic. It healed so much. It was the epitome of a heavy-duty therapy session that helped me move forward. But if I were to play that night after night it could be emotionally exhausting.”

David asks... I’ve heard that Slash is the most punctual man in rock. Is that true?
“(Laughs) He's pretty punctual. Impressively punctual, actually. Occasionally, the traffic in LA might trip him up. But for the most part you can count on him to arrive on time.”

Rachael asks... Other than music, what’s your special skill?
“Oh, jeez, I'm an idiot! There's nothing. I've absolutely no ability to do anything other than strum a guitar and do some singing. Um, what can I do? I'm pretty mean with a leaf blower. We live in this strange wind tunnel. So I have to be very skilled at the leaf blower, because there's always a mess in the lawn. I can do that. I can’t cook – I’m horrible as a chef. I make eggs every morning, and oatmeal, and then chop up some fruit, but that's about the extent of my cooking. But if you need your yard cleaned up, I’m your guy.”

Phil asks... If you were making a mixtape as a teenager, what three songs would definitely be on there?
“In my junior high years, I would have said… Wow, this is hard! Probably Rime Of The Ancient Mariner by Iron Maiden, the live version from Live After Death. I love that version. I’d put When The Levee Breaks by Led Zeppelin on there. And I would have to say Van Halen’s Eruption into You Really Got Me from Van Halen I. That was a big one for me.

“I tried and tried and tried to play Eruption. There was a magazine in America called Circus, and you could order this thing called the Metal Method from it. That's kind of how I learned to play rock’n’roll guitar. It had a more advanced section, where you could learn to play like [late Ozzy guitarist] Randy Rhoads and Eddie Van Halen. I remember spending a whole summer trying to figure Eruption out, but the only thing I could really get consistently was the finger-tapping part at the end, which you hear at every music store to this day. Let me put it this way, I would never play that in front of Wolfgang [Van Halen, Eddie’s son and Mammoth WVH frontman].”

Claire asks... What the start of writing a song for you?
“Usually I’ll pick up the guitar and something will just happen. I'll just kind of noodle around and a chord progression will happen, or a riff will just happen. Occasionally I'll dream something. I'll be sleeping, and the whole thing will kind of just happen, and then I’ve got to wake up and record it. But it usually it starts with the guitar, with the riff or with the chord progression, and then the melody will pop out. And then the last thing is usually the lyrics.

“To me, songwriting is like fishing. You just sit there and you keep casting the line, see what comes back in. For me, my average is about one out of every 10 times I cast a line, I'll catch something that I think is worthy of building on. I am pretty hard on myself. I'm not going to start working on something if I'm not really excited about it. I just don't see the point. Life's too short. So there are some days when I don't catch any fish and I just put the guitar away and move on. But then there are the days where you can have a few different ideas that happen. And those are the days when there's nothing better. It's such a high.”

Mike asks... If you could jam with anyone, dead or alive, who would it be?
“Stevie Wonder. That's how I learned to sing. Although I guess technically I did. We were at some thing, me and Slash, and they were singing Happy Birthday Muhammad Ali. He was playing piano and Slash and I were there on the stage with him. So, technically, I jammed with Stevie Wonder.

“Other than that, I’d really love to do something with Devin Townsend. He’s brilliant. There’s a lot of music to work with there, and I think that's why I find him so compelling. He’s able to do so many different things. It's such a rare talent. And he’s just a sweetheart. He doesn't know how good he is. It's like, ‘Do you understand how amazing you are?’ ‘No…’”

Sami asks... Does pineapple go on pizza?
“Back when I still ate pizza, I would say yes. When I was a kid I liked pineapple and Canadian bacon on there, so yes, it does. I am not opposed to that.”

Matt asks... You seem like a very mellow dude. True?
“Yeah, I think I'm pretty mellow. There was a time when if you cut me off in traffic, sometimes that would trigger me, and sometimes I get a little worked up, but I'm a human. The beauty of being able to be in a rock band is you can get any sort of frustration you have out. Having all those outlets allows me to be pretty chill day to day. My blood pressure is pretty good, so I'm proud of that!”

Lawrence asks... You're offered $2 million to play a party for Donald Trump. Do you do it?
“Oh, man… You know, since I totally shy away from all things politics, with music, I wouldn't do it. That's the line I won't cross.”

Hans asks... Do you prefer playing the heavier stuff or quieter stuff live?
“As a guitar player, I love to play the heavier stuff. As a singer, I like the mellower stuff because it's easier to emote. It's easier to cut through and really explore the essence of a song. But as a nerdy guitar guy, yeah, I love the loud, heavy stuff. Someone, I can’t remember who, said: ‘The power of the riff compels me.’ And that really is true. A good riff will do something to you. There's nothing like it.”

Steve asks... What’s your favourite ’80s film?
“That's easy: National Lampoon’s Vacation, with Chevy Chase. I kind of have this thing with that movie where there’s parts I try to remember [in normal life]. There's a key moment where the dog pees on the picnic basket. Everyone's like, ‘Oh, gross,’ and the Aunt Edna character, she looks at the sandwich, and just shrugs her shoulders and keeps eating it. For me, that represents just going with the flow. Plus, every scene in it is just super-funny, and really quotable. Every time me and my wife go somewhere and it’s closed I’ll be like John Candy at the end: ‘Sorry folks, park’s closed!’”

Jess asks... After being in Alter Bridge and playing with Slash, is it nice to have your own thing where the set-up is a little more relaxed, you’re making all the decisions, and it’s all on you to decide how it all goes?
“It's interesting. It's almost the reverse in some ways. With the solo thing, because we go out as a three-piece it's so much more exposed. My manager told me recently I’m a lot harder on myself in that than in Alter Bridge or with Slash. But when you're a three-piece, there is no hiding behind anything in terms of the sonic density, right? I like that challenge, though. I think that's part of why I want to keep doing it: because it keeps me on my toes. I also like exploring different styles of music. The first record was more country. Second was more like Americana, Southern rock. And this one is just a hard rock record. I like having that, the ability to pivot within that realm.”

Myles Kennedy's album The Art Of Letting Go is out now via Napalm

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