Jerry Cantrell says he has “the worst gutter mouth in the world” when it comes to tracking guitar solos, and the making of his dark and brilliant new solo album, I Want Blood, was no exception.
The Alice in Chains man has previously stressed that he’s still committed to the grunge icons but is currently happily riding the wave of his solo career right now, having recently followed up 2021’s Brighten with a far grittier, electric guitar-littered affair.
He’s tapped Metallica’s bass player Robert Trujillo and Guns N’ Roses’ low-end bringer Duff McKagan for the record, which shares some closer sonic similarities to his Alice in Chains albums. It’s also one that he says features “some of my best songwriting and playing”.
McKagan has previously spoken about how “Jerry fights for his leads” and how he swears like a sailor while committing them to tape. Now, the guitarist has admitted to his explosively expletive approach to tracking solos.
“Making music is a really joyous thing in the end, and the process is enjoyable too, but it’s a battle, man,” Cantrell says in the new issue of Total Guitar. “You don’t have to travel very far to bump into the edge of your limitations. But that’s also part of the process and also part of the challenge.
“If you’ve ever been in the studio with me, you’d think I had Tourette’s,” he continues. “I’ve got the worst gutter mouth in the world. When I get frustrated or blow something, it erupts. It’s not at anybody, it’s just the situation.
“If you’re faint of heart and can’t stand some blue exclamations from time to time, it’s probably not very f*ckin’ peaceful to be with me in a studio. But it’s actually pretty funny.”
Earlier this year Cantrell made headlines when he announced his beloved ‘Blue Dress’ G&L had been stolen, only for him to later – and somewhat sheepishly – admit it had just been misplaced.
Cantrell's TG chat also find him, naturally, talking tone. While he isn't wholly convinced by amp modelers yet, he's now opened up about how he was suitably flabbergasted when he discovered the tonal benefits of digital amps via Metallica.
The new – and final – issue of Total Guitar is out now and features an in-depth conversation with Steve Cropper about his unlikely new guitar partnership with Billy Gibbons.
