Graeme Park - Profile Interview

How long have you been playing Music? 

A long, long time – 39 years. 

How long have you been living in Dubai?

Seven years.

What do you honestly think of Dubai Lime?

In one word – fantastic. It’s about time that the musicians of Dubai had a chance to play their stuff and it’s for other art forms too – I’m not a painter, shutterbug or sculptor but I know people who are and are good and they deserve a chance to be seen and heard.  Lime , er – Rocks, man!   

Can you remember the first time you picked up a guitar?

Oh yes! It was made from a kit. A 13 year old me glued and nailed it together and when I managed to get a recognizable tune out of it; my Mum bought me a real one.

What was the first song you learnt to play?

‘Sleepy Joe’ by Herman’s Hermits. I played this at a Butlin’s Holiday Camp Junior Talent Show – a complete and unmitigated disaster.  Thank you, young man – get off!   

What’s your normal day job? What does it involve?  

 I’m a Marine Engineer and I used to work on ships, working away for months on end in hot and dirty engine rooms, crawling through oily crankcases and boiler flues.   Now I am a shore bound desk operator – I help the guys on the ships fix the machinery when it doesn’t work.  This is a better job as I get home every night and I don’t get my hands dirty anymore.     

What musical influences do you have, who is your favorite artist or band and why?  

Music is a way to express your inner thoughts and feelings. It can make you happy or feel sad. Events in my life have prompted me to pick up a guitar or sit at my piano and let my feelings come out.  As for favourite artist/band – throughout my life I’ve wanted to be Jimi Hendrix/Julian Bream/ Eric Clapton/Richie Blackmore/Earl Scruggs/Les Paul/David Gilmour/ Doyle Dykes/ – now I just want to be me. Like many guitarists, I pinched little riffs from each of the famous guys and mixed them into my own style. There is nothing really new in music so I try to be different.   

If you were not doing your day job, and were not a pro musician what job would you do? 

Wow – what a choice. To be honest, I would turn down a job as Kylie’s Torso Oiling Assistant to work 9 to 5 in a large London music shop like Rose Morris, Soho Soundhouse or the US Musicians Planet. Weird, but true.   And why ;-)  To be surrounded by beautifully crafted instruments; to pass on advice to people who want to learn; to see and play the latest musical equipment and gadgets; to advise kids how to restring or fingerpick and lastly to get staff discount on things like Elixir strings – they’re expensive.    

What is the most important lesson of your life that you can share with readers of your profile?  

The lesson I have learned is that Life Is Too Short.  It’s too short for hatred and violence, too short not to tell someone you care about that you love them. Do it now – there might be no tomorrow for you or them.Never hurt anyone or any thing; never do anything that would make someone cry.  If there is someone on this planet you care about – make sure that they know how you feel.  

What are the most important things in your life? 

Number One - Music and the Woman I’m with – they go hand in hand.  Music eases my soul.  Four years ago I wanted to crawl in a corner and die – now I want another 30 years.   Number Two - The happiness of the people I love and the people who love me.   Number Three – my job. It pays the mortgage, keeps my feet on the ground and my head out of the clouds.   

Ok, we all want to know, what is the list of music toys you have. 

Toys? My guitars are not toys – they are like gorgeous ladies, slinky and curvy and comforting.  If handled correctly then they sing beautifully.   As a genuine “older person” I have had a lot of time to build up a reasonable collection.    1969 Shaftesbury Les Paul copy with genuine 70’s Gibson pickups. Ovation deep bowl electro acoustic – a deep voiced jumbo. 1981 USA Standard Stratocaster – my curvy Californian blonde. Gibson SG Special – my red headed biker chick. Yamaha APX5N electro nylon string - for those classical moments Yamaha APX5 electro steel string – my Lime workhorse guitar. Variax 600 – my main No Big Deal band guitar. Gibson Les Paul Custom 1957 – a really sultry piece of work. Hohner G3T Steinberger headless guitar (my old traveling guitar).Squier Precision Bass guitar.Antoria 5 String G banjo  For amplifiers I have a Marshall 2x12 50watt valve combo amp I bought brand new in 1972; a Marshall 50watt DFX solid state amp (not as heavy as the 2x12); a Marshall 410 40 watt valve combo amp; a Casio Privia piano; Alesis QS6.2 synthesizer; POD XT Live floor effects.

I won’t bore you with a list of the recording equipment but I can mix and record 32 physical channels to stereo. I’ve had 30 years to build this lot up and am proud to say I can use all of it as it’s supposed to be used.    What’s the best one and why?   They all have their own merits and specialties.  The Ovation has the best tone but the round back is annoying when playing sitting down. The 2 Yamahas sound okay acoustically, but really shine when plugged in. The Strat is a masterpiece of design and playability. The Variax can sound like a chiming Telecaster and then at a turn of a switch change into a 12 string Martin jumbo.  The SG is an in-your-face bare knuckled rock guitar.   The Shaftsbury was made at the peak of the Japanese cheeky copy guitar business and it has the best neck action I’ve ever played. The Gibson Les Paul is a beautiful beast of a guitar and when teamed up with the Marshall 40 watt combo it can rip out a fully grown man’s heart from 50 paces.   They are all my favourites.  

What’s the best thing about living in Dubai? 

BBQs and garden bonfires to keep warm during the winter months. 

How many languages do you speak? 

Just one - English with a Durham accent - why aye man.    I can curse in Cantonese, ask the time in Hindi and ask for beer in four other languages. Dos cerveza, por favor – pet!  

When you write your original music, what gets your creative juices flowing? 

I like the quiet solitude of my house where my thoughts can pool together. I’m a guitarist more than a poet so I tend to think up the music first and find words that fit around a word hook.  Unfortunately tragedy forces creativity – the Blues. How could Eric Clapton have written Tears in Heaven if his son hadn’t died?  The day my Mother died I sat at my piano and found a tune that just aches to be recorded. It’s not in Eric’s league but it’s my Mum’s tune. 

 Do you have any other hidden talents?  

When I was at sea I used to make ships in bottles and write short stories.   I have a UK qualification for Sound Recording and have built my own digital studio.  I can fix many electronic and mechanical things that get broken.  I can cook, (including the shopping and cleaning up afterwards- essential skills most male chefs lack). I made a lot of the electronics for my band lighting, I also made every PC that I’ve ever owned. Finally, I’m incredibly modest.  

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