DAD INTENTIONS
‘Papa Gates’ to the fans, Syn’s dad is an A7X legend in his own right. We talk to Brian Haner Sr. about his son, his own career as a musician and jamming with the lads
YOUR SON IS KNOWN FOR HIS GUITAR SKILLS, BUT YOU’RE QUITE THE ACCOMPLISHED GUITARIST YOURSELF!
“Yeah, I’ve been a session musician for about 40 years. I did a lot of session work back in the 70s with R&B bands like Rose Royce. I played on the song Car Wash, which is still kind of a famous song. I also played guitar on the Animal House soundtrack, on all of the stuff with Otis Day And The Knights.”
WITH ALL OF YOUR EXPERIENCE IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY, WHAT KIND OF ADVICE DID YOU SHARE WITH YOUR SON WHEN HE TOLD YOU HE WANTED TO BECOME A FULL-TIME MUSICIAN?
“I told him that he needed to find a way to make a living, but that if you’re in it to make money, then you’re in the wrong business. I was always honest with him and I told him that if he worked hard, he’d get a shot at it, but even if you have a lot of talent, it’s not a given that you’ll make it.”
WHAT WAS SYN LIKE AS A LITTLE KID?
“He was a precocious little bastard! Wild as hell. He was a sweet kid, but he was wild. He had a mind of his own and he was going to do what he was going to do. He wanted to learn guitar, so I got him a little guitar and he demanded that I teach him Black Dog by Led Zeppelin.”
NOT A BAD FIRST CHOICE…
“I said, ‘Even as far as Zeppelin goes, that’s a really difficult song,’ but he said, ‘I don’t care.’ I said, ‘Well, let’s start with an E chord,’ and he said, ‘Let’s start with Black Dog.’ Ha ha ha! He was like eight years old at the time, so I said, ‘OK, here’s how you play Black Dog.’ I just went after it and I could hear him in the other room doing the lick over and over and over until he finally got it.”
WHEN DID YOU FIRST NOTICE HE’D DEVELOPED HIS OWN STYLE?
“Way later than you’d imagine. When he was a teenager, he didn’t practise much. In high school he played a little, but at that point he just didn’t seem like he was that into it.”
WHAT CHANGED?
“He started hanging with Jimmy – The Rev – and that’s when it all changed. Jimmy was monstrous at 12 years old. He could have played with just about anybody. He was that kind of a phenom and he started demanding more of Brian. He said, ‘Look, if you’re going to play with me, you’re gonna have to get your shit together.’ So Brian did. Obviously as a dad, I’m very proud, and as a professional, it’s just mindboggling how proficient he is. There’s just a handful of guys on the planet that can do what he does. He’s got technique, he’s got style and he’s flawless – it’s always perfect.”
WHAT’S YOUR PROUDEST MOMENT AS HIS DAD?
“I’m obviously proud that he’s on the front covers of magazines and that he’s lauded as one of the greatest guitar players ever.
But I know, as we all do, a lot of great guitar players that are assholes. If he were just a great guitar player and a jerk, then I wouldn’t be very proud of him. But he’s just the coolest guy. He’s just normal and fun and he’s good to the fans, too.”
HOW SO?
“Like this Internet guitar school we started
– the Synyster Gates School. It’s free even though he could easily be charging $9.99 a month or $19.99 a month and pocket some serious money. But when he started it, he was like, ‘No, this is my legacy. I want to share what I know. I want to give something back and show these kids that they can do this, too.’ Those are the kinds of things that speak to his character, and as a dad, that’s what makes me the most proud.”
“SYN WAS A PRECOCIOUS LITTLE BASTARD” BUT THERE’S NO DENYING IT SERVED HIM WELL...