THE LONG AND WINDING RHOADS
THAT’S NOT JUST a semi-clever (and horribly overused) headline! It also happens to perfectly describe this issue’s sprawling, multi-part tribute to Randy Rhoads, who tragically left us 40 years ago. Most of our Rhoads tribute was penned by Nick Bowcott of Grim Reaper fame, a man (and damn-talented guitarist!) who actually got to meet Rhoads in the U.K. in 1981. But let me also call your attention to another piece of the oversized Rhoads pie — “Passing It On” (page 47) by Alan di Perna, who follows up on the Sean Michael Clegg/Jackson RR3 story he wrote for the April 2007 issue of GW. It’s one of those cool full-circle moments that happen so rarely in Guitar World land.
BTW, Rhoads is seen as one of those guitarists who’s “always on the cover,” but this issue marks his very first cover appearance since July 2011. I remember it well; it was the first issue to come out after I’d started working here that April.
NEW-LOOK TUNE-UPS: Technically speaking, the only real change to this month’s Tune-Ups section is the return of Introducing (page 18), but that mini addition heralds a few more changes that are loitering in the wings, including the return of 60 Minutes. I’ve always thought a magazine’s “front of book” section should be lively and fun, and I believe we’re getting there. Hey, I’m having fun!
CORRECTIONS: The Frank Zappa feature in the March 2022 issue had a few, um, issues. Zappa’s private studio was/is known as Utility Muffin Research Kitchen, but we called it United Muffin Research Kitchen. We also said Lady Gaga owns Zappa’s old Hollywood Hills home, but — as bad luck would have it — she sold the house literally between the time the story was submitted and the time it was published. Lastly, although we said Zappa’s appearance at the Sports Hall in Prague in 1991 was his last recorded guitar performance, it actually was his penultimate recorded guitar performance. The Prague date was June 24, 1991, followed by his show in Budapest at the “Farewell
Festival” on June 30, 1991.