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UG: Your sister, Debbi, is the drummer of your band - The Bangles. How did you two decide what instruments you wanted to play growing up, and did you always want to be in a band together or how did that come about?
With you, was there a definable, what most people would describe, as an “a-ha” moment - when you knew that you had to play guitar?
It seemed as though I had a natural attraction to the guitar. I was young, maybe 6, when I started bothering my parents (and Santa) for a guitar. I think my first true guitar lust was at the age of 9 when I convinced my parents to buy a Rickenbacker copy - my first electric.
Being in one of the most famous and greatest all girl bands to date, has there been any pressure to uphold that status?
I’m just curious as to why there aren’t more all-female bands trying to out-do us? I know you’re out there, ladies, and it’s not easy to be heard. Don’t give up!
One of your biggest hits, “Manic Monday” was written by an amazing guitar player and legend himself, Prince. Being a great guitarist yourself, what was it like to work with another brilliant player?
Prince is a natural, soulful musician. He plays from his gut. I remember happily handing him my Les Paul to play with us onstage - I was too intimidated to do anything but play rhythm behind him!
Do you have any specific rituals or routines that you adhere to before you play a show? If so, would you mind sharing?
I am thankful to Aimee Mann, because someone told us that she eats potato chips before a show - to coat the throat. I love that - it’s the only time I’ll eat chips guilt-free! I do also bash about on the guitar before a show, just to get the fingers moving.
What advice do you have for other aspiring female musicians?
Learn your stuff, know what you want and ask for it diplomatically. Don’t let anyone convince you to do something you don’t want to do.
"Since a very young age I'd always gravitated towards the guitar."
We don’t have groupies, we have stalkers. I’m kidding. Kind of. Men in general don’t behave like the traditional groupie - here’s where we run into true gender differences. Someone could do a whole dissertation on this subject.
Would you consider yourself a “gear head” or are you comfortable playing anything? If so, what specific gear do you favor?
I am most definitely not a “gear head,” although I do have faves and I know almost instantly whether an amp or guitar “fits” me. I have had most of my favorite guitars for years: Les Paul Custom, Fender Strat, Gretsch Country Classic Jr., and the new Bangles signature model Daisy Rock gets played every night.
There are a lot of different ways and approaches to learning an instrument, specifically guitar. For you, do you think it’s better to learn the basics, such as chords, notes, and scales, or to actually learn an entire song first…and why?
As painful as it can be, it’s important to learn some basics first.
There’s a wonderful moment when things start to click and you realize how many songs you can play with just those three chords! Learning a favorite song can be inspiring and may encourage a student to keep trying, but unless the basics are mastered, he or she isn’t going to get much more out of the instrument.
This is a question that every player is asked at some point: Are you primarily self-taught or did you take lessons, and are there any specific methods or techniques have made a significant impact on your style?
That Rickenbacker copy (Electro) guitar I mentioned earlier? That was part of a package deal with a local music store - instrument and lessons. I took guitar lessons for about six months before quitting, but in that time I learned the basics of notation, chords, major and minor scales, and…uh…”Lemon Tree.” I taught myself from then on, perhaps becoming most inspired when the Bangles started playing with other bands in LA and I began the just-make-noise approach to lead guitar.
What state of mind do you find most conducive to creating and performing great music?
Calm, with a shot of adrenaline. Either that or a shot of tequila...
During the time you started playing guitar, there weren’t very many female players to look up to. Who did you look up to, and was it only women or were there men, as well? What/who initially inspired you to pick up the guitar?
It was mainly male musicians at first - the Beatles, Bob Dylan, John Sebastian. I loved Joni Mitchell, but I wasn’t one of the girls at that time who tried to cop her style. I discovered Bonnie Raitt when I was in high school and she was absolutely an inspiration for me.
Do you think it’s a good thing that there are more women in music these days, and do you think it really matters that they’re female?
There have always been wonderful, successful women in music, sometimes behind the scenes, and it seems that every seven years or so, someone focuses on Women In Music, as though it’s an anomaly. That being said, it might be true that there are more women making a mark in music today and I say hurray for that. On some level, it doesn’t matter what the gender is, but it’s nice to have a female point of view expressed in music, isn’t it?
There are definitely more female guitarists in the music scene these days, but it still seems quite rare, do you have a theory on why this is?
It does strike me as odd that this very question was asked of me twenty-five years ago and I’d answered that in the near future it would be a moot point, because there would be so many female guitarists. But here we are. I’ve worked on several theories, but they all depress me. I like to focus on the amazing female guitar players I do know…
Do you ever get bored playing the same songs every night, and do you ever just decide to change some of the parts (for fun) when you’re on stage?
There are so many other distractions and elements going on during a live performance that I’m thrilled when my hands actually remember the parts they’re supposed to be playing. I do have moments in the show that are open to improvisation, and that keeps things interesting…
You have an artist signature series model with Daisy Rock Girl Guitars, what was the process in designing that?
The process was pretty simple actually, if you don’t take into account all the modifications that we’ve made after the first prototype was done. We sat on the floor of the Daisy Rock offices with Tish and some of the staff and sketched and discussed and played a few of the existing guitars. We wanted a guitar that looked great, played great and sounded great. We based the body off the Retro-H model and made changes to the bridge and electronics, designed a new pick-guard shape and went with a Mod black-and-white color scheme. Plugged into one of my stomp boxes, the Bangles’ Daisy Rock can give my Les Paul a run for the money.
"I know you're out there, ladies, and it's not easy to be heard. Don't give up!"
To be honest, I wasn’t sure what to think when I first heard of Daisy Rock Girl Guitars, for example. No one was there trying to make it easier for ME when I was nine…But then, of course, I realized that that’s the whole point. Why not be there with a community and an encouraging environment when a young girl first picks up a guitar? Why should she have to tough it out in the boys’ room? It’s music and that is for everyone. Learning an instrument doesn’t have to be a contest of physical strength, but a show of commitment, tenacity and inspiration.
What is the recipe for The Bangles success and why do you think your band has been able to stick around for so long? Do you have any advice on maintaining a successful career?
I think we were enormously fortunate to have experienced what can only be described as a confluence of good timing, marketing, and material. Which is not a very romantic way of explaining success in the music business, I know, but those seem to be the predominate elements. That, and the possibility that we possess what cannot be explained or deconstructed: chemistry. It just worked with Debbi, Susanna and me the first time we met, and then when Michael joined as our bass player. The fact that people still want to hear the music we made over twenty years ago (and indulge us to listen to newer songs) is nothing but a blessing to me.
What is Vicki Peterson up to these days, what projects are in the works that we should know about?
There is light at the end of the New Bangles’ Record tunnel - we hope to wrap up recording next month and have the new record out next year. We’ll be releasing some sneak listens, so I’d suggest sticking close to the Bangles’ website (www.thebangles.com) for more on that. I’m also going to be participating in the 30 A Songwriters’ Festival in January (www.30asongwritersfestival.com), and have plans to do one or two solo shows in the LA area that month. Oh, and I’m getting new carpeting.
You can get The Bangles' Signature Model Guitar at this location.
By Jennifer Farmer
Daisy Rock Artist Relations
