Big interview

Guitar legend Carl Verheyen turns 70

Only 70 on paper: US blues and rock guitarist Carl Verheyen still sparks youthful enthusiasm when playing guitar for himself and others.

(Bild: Lance Lerman)

For more than 40 years, the US-American Carl Verheyen has been an integral part of the world of blues and rock guitarists. Today, the long-time Supertramp guitarist celebrates his 70th birthday. We spoke to him about the cult band, his Hollywood work and his friendship with Karl Ratzer.

When the American guitarist Carl Verheyen released his first album in 1988, he was already 34 years old and had been touring stadiums and large arenas with Supertramp for a year. For years, Verheyen practiced and rehearsed his way from bar guitarist to jazz, blues and rock'n'roll and never rushed into anything. The fact that he came into the limelight comparatively late, despite his colorful skills, did not detract from his career. He played regularly with Rick Davies' Supertramp from 1996 until the end of 2012 and was allowed to improvise his solos. He released countless albums solo or with a band and also made a name for himself in the film industry.

He recorded the music for films such as "The Crow", "The Usual Suspects", "Ratatouille" and "Mission: Impossible" as well as guitar tracks for hit series such as "A Terribly Nice Family", "Seinfeld", "Frasier" and "Scrubs". The passionate guitarist still draws on the royalties from these successful products today. Through his friendship with Peter Infeld, Verheyen also came into contact with Austria's top guitarist Karl Ratzer around 25 years ago. The connection between the two resulted in the famous album "Real To Reel" in 2000. In an extensive "Krone" interview, Verheyen spoke about his love for Austria, why he gained so much self-confidence as a session and studio musician and how he manages to never lose his enthusiasm.

"Krone": Carl, you've already played some big shows in Austria in your career. Doyou remember any in particular?
Carl Verheyen: There have been many great concerts. First and foremost, I was here on vacation because I love the country so much. I brought my wife with me and explored Vienna, Graz, Salzburg and Admont. I used to be associated with a string company called Thomastik-Infeld, which is based here in Vienna. They are a big brand, but more in the orchestral and not so much in the rock area. When Peter Infeld was still alive, we were very good friends and he was a fan of my music. He invited me to play a concert with Karl Ratzer. I was here in 2009 and 2010, but unfortunately we don't have that much contact anymore. I was also here a few times with Supertramp.

Karl Ratzer and you are both great guitarists. Is there room for a healthy form of rivalry alongside a friendship?
There are two types of musicians. On the one hand, those who are extremely competitive. They don't give, they just take and if you play something for them, it's all about outbidding. On the other hand, there are supportive and comfortable guitarists - in my opinion, these are also the best. They're all about making sure everyone has the best possible musical experience. Karl is definitely part of that.

When you were last at the Vienna Reigen in the fall of 2022, you were celebrating 25 years of your solo debut album "No Borders".
I never really toured until my third album. I played at the Long Beach California Blues Festival, where Walter Trout was performing. He asked me if I had a distribution company in Europe. I said no, so he asked me for a CD to play for his record company. I gave him 50 CDs, but they all hated them. (laughs) That was on a Monday. But on Friday his record company called me and I had a contract in my pocket. That was in 1997 for "Slang Justice". "No Borders" and "Garage Sale" never came out in Europe. Around 2009, I went into business for myself, because in a nutshell, a record company is nothing more than someone with a phone. (laughs) Nowadays you have to have all business areas under one roof and when I started doing everything myself, I started making money. Nowadays, I advance my production costs and I get everything in on tour. That was a late but important realization for me.

On the one hand, a lot of things are done via streaming these days, but on the other, artists can work more independently and autonomously than ever before. Does that benefit you on the whole?
The social media platforms are a necessary evil, but I've hired a professional for them and she makes sure that the product and the person Carl Verheyen use these platforms perfectly. There are three or four posts every week that fit well with me and my music. Without her, I would probably post twice a month. I'm not the type of person to cannibalize my dinner as an Instagram story. (laughs) If I did everything myself, it would be more of a mixture of guitar lessons and a travel blog.

Carl Verheyen in conversation with "Krone" editor Robert Fröwein.

(Bild: Alfred Pulletz)

Many different hearts beat in your chest. That of Supertramp, that of the Carl Verheyen Band, that of film music and soundtracks and that of solo work. How do all these different projects inspire each other?
That's the best question I've heard in a long time, because all these things inspire each other. I was practicing Chet Atkins stuff once, pretty difficult, and then I got called in to do a soundtrack. The guy in charge wanted my electric guitar to sound more like an acoustic guitar and tuned it completely differently. I left it at that because I liked it, and a few days later I wrote a song in exactly that tuning. Supertramp boss Rick Davies is an important mentor for me and taught me the right values. Whether you're playing a stadium in Paris, the O2 in London or the Muncton field hockey stadium in New Brunswick, it's always the same show and you always have to give 100 percent. No matter where, no matter how, no matter under what circumstances. I'm like that anyway, but what surprised me was that Rick Davies sees it that way too. He could easily have shortened the setlist in small venues or saved on the lighting system - but he never did. Every night has to run as perfectly as possible. I love that attitude.

With Supertramp, you're also on the surface of Rick's musical vision, which oscillates somewhere between pop, rock and prog. When I was younger, I wanted to impose my style on everyone, but I quickly learned that it was wiser to follow the musical vision of others. As a bandleader, I've always brought in musicians who have that mentality. Everyone should be able to live out their personal identity in music, but there is an overarching vision. I'm very colorful myself. I love country, rock'n'roll, blues, jazz - simply everything.

Because you've already mentioned it - did you have to put your personal ego on the back burner with Supertramp? Did you have to learn to be a team player and not the captain of a team?
I joined the band in 1985 after the album "Brother Where You Bound". The title track had a very long solo that was reminiscent of David Gilmour. Normally you have to play something like that note for note, but copying six minutes is not easy. I suggested that I learn the beginning and the end, but improvise my style in between. Surprisingly, they let me try and it worked. I was also allowed to play my version of the song "Goodbye Stranger" and so it went on from one song to the next. So I became a member of the band and was able to develop relatively freely.

Rick Davies has had extreme health problems in recent years, but the worst seems to be over for now ...
He's doing quite well at the moment. But I don't think we'll be doing another big tour with Supertramp. He could imagine going to a residency and playing there for three weeks. But he hates Las Vegas, so we'd probably have to go somewhere else. It would be fine with me, I'd be there in just under five hours by car. (laughs) But I seriously doubt Rick would be happy with that.

Can you imagine a new album or a few new songs?
I don't think so. Financially, of course, he's taken care of himself because he wrote all the songs with Roger Hodgson. Rick is a real rock'n'roller, you can tell from his keyboard playing. I love his musicianship and what most people don't know about Supertramp is that Rick and John Helliwell are very much anchored in the blues or blue note jazz. They love American music that shows a lot of soul. There's an organist called Bill Doggett who Rick loves more than anything. Roger likes the pop stuff, Rick just the opposite. That's what has always defined this band.

You are one of the best booked rock guitarists in the USA. What are the most important characteristics and traits you need for this job?
To be hired willingly and often, it is essential that you learn as much as possible from as many styles of music as possible. I'm considered a blues guitarist, but I can also play all other styles. That's the only way you can get into as many areas as possible and get asked to play regularly. This ranges from gyspy jazz to country and heavy metal. With a lot of practice, your self-confidence automatically increases. I sometimes had ten recording sessions a week. At 1 pm here, at 6 pm there, a night session in the third studio - that was and is completely normal for me. The good thing is that I sleep in my own bed every night, meet different people every day and am always connected with everyone. But I also lost the fear of not being enough with these jobs. I realized that I can actually do anything and could be used anywhere.

Film composers usually know exactly what they want, but you can't put your ego on the back burner. I like to offer the counter-proposal of how I see things as a guitarist, i.e. as a man of the trade. You have to be careful of course, but it usually helps everyone. A good example is the cult film "The Crow", whose sound Graeme Revell put together. I came into the studio and he showed me the scene where the main character plays a heavy metal guitar on a skyscraper and then throws it down. He wrote me an incredibly slow, peaceful composition, but I told him that, with all due respect to his idea, you have to put the pedal to the metal a lot more. He let me improvise and we took my take. This scene called for heavy metal and the use of tremolo. After that, I got an hourly wage as a ghostwriter and accompanied the whole movie. (laughs)

You were even involved in the sound of the unforgotten cult series "A terribly nice family" ...
I was involved everywhere. On "Scrubs", "Seinfeld", "Frasier" and whatever they're all called. Financially, they were always very rewarding jobs, because if you're broadcast on airplanes, streaming or in other countries as well as on TV, you're constantly getting royalties for it. A sixth season of "Seinfeld" will earn me a few hundred dollars a year for the rest of my life. If you extrapolate that to all series, it gives me a nice financial security.

Have you always appreciated and loved so many different styles of music? Or did that only come with time?
It was pretty obvious early on. When I was young, I was playing acoustic guitar in a bar. A guy came in and liked the way I played. He wanted me to jam in his house and that suited me just fine when I was 18. It was important to me to keep learning and the guy showed me how to play a chord in x different ways. So I quickly got on the jazz highway and really threw myself into it. I practiced and learned eight hours a day for five years. That went on until around 1977.

At one point I was driving around in my car and turned on the radio. I heard Joe Walsh's guitar solo in the Eagles song "Those Shoes" and immediately had to park the car on the side of the road. Rock'n'roll guitar had changed so much in the five years I'd had my jazz blinders on that a voice told me I had to catch up. I played licks by Albert Lee and Chet Atkins and brought myself back to the blues and rock. My approach back then was: if I like something, I want to be able to play it. That's still the case today. If I hear a song in the car that excites me, then I have to learn it. My curiosity for new sounds and harmonies has always motivated me.

How much time do you still spend playing the guitar today?
At home? I play every single day, without exception. Some days an hour, others four. But writing new songs is different from practicing and playing. Looking at my calendar is important for my flow of practicing. If I can see when, where and in what way I'll be performing next, I can practice in a targeted way. For example, I played with Stewart Copeland in the Police Deranged For Orchestra project, where we recorded classic songs by The Police with a symphony orchestra. That was really cool. Every kind of practice follows a mantra from my mother, who always said: "I will not fail". (laughs)

After all these years, do you still find it easy to surprise yourself with your music or your ideas?
Absolutely. I played a few shows in England and Scotland all by myself and acoustically. Then I'm on the road again for a few weeks with a band and it sounds totally different. On tour I stick to the songs that work, of course, but I always play them a little differently every night. I don't stick to something that goes down well, I'm always looking for new approaches and variations. Neither for me nor for my audience should there be too much predictability. It's also fun when you're always moving out of your comfort zone.

Twice live in Austria
Carl Verheyen is also busy on tour again this spring and will also be making two appearances in Austria. On May 4, he will play at the Hotel Die Traube in Admont and on May 13, he will conclude his European tour with a performance at the Rockhouse in Salzburg. And who knows? Maybe he'll add a few more vacation days to his schedule ... You can find all the dates and tickets for the top concerts at www.carlverheyen.com.