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Doug Manring Interviews From a 1995 interview: What is your strongest feature? As far as a straight ahead answer would go, I would say the strongest feature of my music is my guitar playing. While I stylistically refer to some familiar players of the past (which perhaps helps to keep my playing commercially accessible), I truly feel that I’ve found a little niche, in-between all the prevalent rock styles. I’ve struck a balance in being able to provide connoisseurs of high-tech guitar playing with something to chew on, without relying on flashy tactics, or alienating the average listener. But there’s a lot happening beneath the surface of my playing, indeed, in every aspect of my music, and maybe that is the strongest feature of my music. These undercurrents—subtlety…I don’t know—really something about the way I assemble sound…a texture, that is both unique and distinctive. What makes your act unique? You can’t really put a label on me or my music (or at least keep one attatched), it almost is a lot of things (but not quite…). I have this built-in automatic desire…a reflex…to be a little bit different, to stick out in the crowd, but without being Vaudeville…that in itself insures that just about everything I do in life has a little signiture on it. It’s kind of an artform to be, as the Japanese would say, KATA-YABURI, “unconventional, one who tears up ways of doing things”, and for me it is a way of life…being something that I’ve grown up with, uniqueness comes natually to me…I guess it’s just a long way of saying simplly, “What makes my act unique…it just is...” Could you give 5 descriptive adjectives about your music or songwriting? Intriguing…deep…intricate…earthy…kinetic. © 2001 Doug Manring |
