George Kooymans (Golden Earring) - Songs, Snaren en Gitaren Book NL

PLEASE NOTE: This book is in the Dutch Language

George Kooymans

The musical force behind Golden Earring's songs

In detailed interviews, George's development as a musician, band member, composer, and lyricist is described. It explores the creation of songs and albums over the years, which guitars were used and why, which amplifiers and recording techniques were used. For the connoisseurs: "Future," for example; "Examples of 'cut and paste' can be heard at 0:03, 1:08, and 1:51. But the song also has many strong guitar parts; you play some parts with your fingers (from 0:03), a "Superstition"-like lick (from 0:46), a kind of chord slide (from 1:09), a variation on the "No For An Answer" lick (3:35), a palm-muted "Every Breath You Take" lick (3:51-4:00)..." George and Henk are on the same wavelength. The stories about guitars and amplifiers run deep. As guitarist for the Golden Earring tribute band "Bloody Buccaneers," Henk knows the musical quality of George's work like no other. While there are also juicy anecdotes about travel experiences and drug use, discussing (their origins) the songs is the starting point for this publication. Learning the chords, collaborating with other band members. Buying their first amplifier. The release of the first single "Just Ear-rings" and the response to their own songs "Please Go" (a top 10 hit) and "Chunk Of Steel." George talks about what it was like to perform. He also talks about the nearly fatal power outage in Alkmaar. He also talks about their first international tour to Sweden. "We just drove there for the hell of it." He's unstoppable as a composer: "I have many musical interests and am therefore quite diverse in my songwriting." The first personal contact between George and Henk took place in 1980, when George handed him his brand-new BC Rich Bich guitar with the words: "Play this." Thirty listening and discussion sessions were needed to form the basis for the lyrics. Every track and song was listened to and commented on. This resulted in 125 hours of audio material. The first trip to America. "I smoked weed for the first time. One of my favorites was sticking a piece of hash on a beer coaster with a pin, lighting it briefly and waiting until it almost burned, then blowing it out and pouring a glass over it. When the glass was full, you put it to your mouth and inhaled." "In 1979, I was playing in Zevenhuizen on a Les Paul Junior with a large shell mounted on it. I had a switch on my guitar, and with a jolt of electricity, I turned on a huge flame. The thud was so hard it blew a hole in the tent canvas, the headstock of my guitar fell off and I was lying next to it.’ The album ‘Cut’ and the single ‘Twilight Zone’ were a huge success. ‘With “Cut” I played a lot through my old Roland JC200 guitar amplifier, but also through Barry’s Roland JC160 and I also used a Vox AC30 and a Fender Twin Reverb. About the video for ‘When The Lady Smiles’: ‘Nobody had screened that video. The commotion surrounding the video (with Barry as a raping psychopath, ed.) created extra attention’. 1990, ‘Bloody Buccaneers’; While the band was playing in the garage, John Sonneveld was recording everything in the control room of George’s studio. George: ‘… Before we started recording there, we first… did some carpentry. To prevent as much crosstalk as possible, we put screens around the drums. The amplifiers we used were quite small and you could pack them up pretty well to avoid as much crosstalk as possible…’ ‘Do you prefer a glass slide or a brass slide?’ ‘I use this!’ [George shows a sawn-off piece of metal pipe], the roadies would take that from toilet roll holders along the autobahn and saw it open so you could fit a finger in. Solid stuff!…’ George: ‘The album “The Naked Truth” including the later released “The Complete Naked Truth” are currently (mid 2014) good for about 700,000 CDs sold.’ About theatre performances: ‘… We started listening to each other much better and because of that we played better and better. You go back to the essence of the songs and your music…’ 1995. The band has been running a ‘double bill’ for a few years now, acoustic on weekdays and electric on the weekend. In April 2003, George's Custom BC Rich Warlock guitar was auctioned off for charity for 7,000 guilders; it was the guitar George used for the solo on the megahit "When The Lady Smiles." "On Location" 2010 with Frank Carillo. "Armageddon." Another great lyric by Erik Hazelhoff Roelfzema... About George's vocal problems: "You even went to a herbalist in Bali..." "... that was because of Marion (Bloem), who was working on a book and asked if I wanted to go with him to the herbalist. I would never have gone there myself, because I'm not into that kind of vague stuff." 2012. "Tits 'n Ass" was very well received, and sales figures were also excellent.