THE LINEUP
Nuno Bettencourt tells us about the “torture” of recording Six, the return of rock ’n’ roll mythology, and the solo that set the guitar world ablaze
Artist: Extreme
Nuno Bettencourt is bracing himself for the inevitable. Having turned in arguably the most dazzling solo of the post-millennium on Extreme’s recent single Rise – an unfeasible thrill-ride of scalded tremolo picking, whammy abuse and palmmuted undulations – the 56-year-old virtuoso must now face a global guitar press that demands to know how the magic trick is done.
He’ll take the plaudits. But if there’s just a hint of amiable impatience in Bettencourt’s interview manner, perhaps that’s because the guitarist has been raising the technical bar since Extreme started out in mid-80s Boston, and new album, Six, is far from a one-trick pony.
Do you enjoy being in the studio these days?
“No, I fucking hate recording albums. There’s nothing more torturous to me. Why? Because I see and hear things from the day that I write them. It’s like a painter that already sees the painting. And now I’ve got to go through the fucking pain of realising that vision.”
What subjects did you write about for Six?
“The Mask was inspired by the Japanese philosophy that we all wear three faces. There’s the one we show the world. There’s the one we only show to loved ones.
Then there’s the third face we keep for ourselves and the secrets we never share with anybody. Rebel is about social media and how people can have a cup of coffee in one hand, write #BlackLivesMatter then go to work. And they’re part of a movement! They changed the world!”
Did you expect Rise to be such a talked about solo?
“I had zero idea. A part of me was like, ‘Wow, this is great.’ And a part of me was confused. I’ll take it. I’m definitely not looking down on it and it’s super exciting. Especially when your peers and people you really admire, y’know – Brian May, Steve Vai, Zakk Wylde, Steve Lukather – are all texting me. But the Virgo in me is always trying to analyse things and ask why. Why is that solo getting this reaction? Because for me, yeah, it’s a decent guitar solo, but I feel like I’ve been playing solos like that for 35 years. And a lot of the fans from back in the day, from their comments, I think they agree with me. They’re like, ‘Oh, you guys only noticed now that he did this kind of thing in Peacemaker Die?’”
What’s your theory on why that Rise solo has been so feted?
“If you
