Story by Chris Gill l Photography by Danny Clinch
Richard Gere (born August 31, 1949) For more than four decades, actor Richard Gere has been quietly accumulating a collection of desirably rare guitars. This fall, he’ll auction off more than 100 of them for the greater good of building hospitals, clinics, and schools in the Himalayas.
The public and press have viewed Richard Gere’s life under a microscope ever since the actor had his first major starring role, in Days of Heaven, Terrence Malick’s landmark 1978 film. He earned sex-symbol status from leading roles in films like American Gigolo, An Officer and a Gentleman, and Breathless, and his real-life marriages to a supermodel (Cindy Crawford) and a Bond girl (Carey Lowell). But a contrary image emerged in the Eighties as Gere came to prominence as a humanitarian and devout Buddhist. Unintentionally, he has consistently fascinated Hollywood observers, who follow the off-screen pursuits of actors as much as they analyze their onscreen personas.
But because Gere tends to avoid the spotlight when he’s not standing in front of the camera, he’s managed to enjoy a level of privacy and maintain some mystery. Since the mid Eighties he’s maintained residence in the green rolling hills and densely wooded environs of the northwestern area of New York’s Westchester County, about an hour’s drive outside the heart of Manhattan and a world away from Hollywood. Occasionally he pops up at the nearby Bedford Post Inn, a former 18th-century house and barn that Gere and his wife, Lowell, renovated in 2009 and transformed into a world-class boutique hotel, restaurant, and yoga loft. At the inn he sometimes plays the low-key role of hotel manager, quietly encouraging the staff to make sure that customers are comfortable and content.
Relaxing on the inn’s patio while tucking into a plate of vegetarian eggs Benedict, his dog Billy playfully rolling at his feet, Gere is unusually enthusiastic, forthcoming, and passionate when discussing an aspect of his private life that he’s rarely mentioned before: his extensive guitar collection. While Gere’s musical background is no mystery—he played trumpet in The Cotton Club and sang and danced onscreen in Chicago—only a handful of vintage dealers and collectors have known about his intense fascination with guitars. Gere hesitates to call himself a collector, but the guitars that he has acquired over the past 25 years are quite impressive, including several landmark historical firsts and iconic instruments directly associated with influential artists.
“I never set out to be a collector,” Gere admits. “Whenever I was in a new town shooting a film, it was always fun for me to find the local guitar shops. I enjoyed being surrounded by guys who don’t give a shit about anything but music and guitars. There’s a generosity of spirit amongst guitarists. Almost every city I’ve ever been in has at least one shop that sells old guitars and has a guy who works there who loves them and has the right vibe. You can just sit there for hours and play with no hurry.
“Whenever I was in one of those shops I would always find that one guitar that just talked to me,” he continues. “I would spend a bit of time with it and maybe come back to the store two or three times before I bought it. It’s like falling in love. You’ve got to bond with it and hear what it’s saying to you. Each guitar makes you play differently. It’s like touching a woman. How does she like it?” He laughs. “I’d always manage to find something that I liked, and the next thing I knew, I had over a hundred guitars.”
To read the rest of this story, pick up the September/October issue of Guitar Aficionado.
Stay tuned to www.GuitarAficionado.com for exclusive photos and video content of the guitars in Gere’s collection.
Story by Joe Bosso | Photography by Kevin Scanlon
James Hugh Calum Laurie (born June 11, 1959) Hugh Laurie, originally from Oxford, England, isn’t just the star of one of television’s most popular shows (HOUSE), he’s also a lifelong blues fanatic and musician who burns up the frets on his rootsy major-label debut.
Hugh Laurie does not walk with a limp. He’s light on his feet, gliding across the room with Fred Astaire–like grace. Nor does he speak with a gruff American accent. Rather, his voice is proper British and vaguely stentorian, but not stuffy; imagine Jeremy Irons unwinding at a cocktail party and you get the picture. Lastly, the actor doesn’t come across as particularly misanthropic. In fact, he’s downright gentle and courteous, oozing an easy charm and wit.
So there you have it. The 51-year-old, two-time Golden Globe winner has been at Milk Studios in Los Angeles for all of one minute, and the differences between Laurie and Dr. Gregory House, the emotionally tortured protagonist he plays in the smash Fox TV series House, couldn’t be more apparent.
But there is one striking similarity between the two: both are known for their propensity for strumming the guitar and tinkling the ivories. And the Hugh Laurie at Milk Studios today inhabits a real-life character that requires no sense memory preparation or Method: Hugh Laurie, musician.
Dressed in a snazzy suit that fits his wiry six-foot-two frame to a T, and sporting a porkpie hat, Laurie radiates an elegant hipster vibe. It doesn’t hurt that he’s wielding a guitar case, but it’s hardly a prop. Before delivering himself to wardrobe and makeup artists, he sits down, flips open the case, and pulls out a 1942 Martin 0-17. The guitar’s mahogany body is well worn, but the instrument is rich in tone. Laurie puts an ear to the air to absorb the Robert Johnson emanating from the studio’s sound system, nods appreciatively and starts playing along. He’s not showing off, however; he’s just doing what comes naturally.
To read the rest of this story, pick up the May/June issue of Guitar Aficionado. You can buy the issue online here.
Kevin Bacon (born July 8, 1958) - American actor known for his versatility in portraying various movie roles. He plays the guitar and is part of The Bacon Brothers along with his brother Michael.
It kinda feels weird like I’m playing a game when stating his name, but did you know that Kevin Bacon (yes, THE Kevin Bacon) is also a famous guitarist? Kevin Bacon is an American actor and star of dozens of blockbuster hit films including Animal House, Flat Liners, A Few Good Men and Apollo 13. But that’s not all, he’s also a song writer, singer and guitarist with his brother Michael in the musical duo Beacon Bros!
Check out the video below of The Bacon Brothers in action with guitar and song!
Andy Griffith (born on June 1, 1926) - Best known for his role as Andy Taylor on The Andy Griffith Show. He has a B.A. in music from the University of North Carolina. Griffith plays the guitar . . .
Steve Martin (born August 14, 1945) - American comedian, actor, producer, director and writer. He is also a brilliant musician who plays the banjo and is an excellent bluegrass picker. He has a bluegrass band called Steep Canyon Rangers & Steve Martin.
John Stamos (born August 19, 1963) - Known for his portrayal of Jesse Katsopolis in the show Full House where he played the guitar and the drums. He also played the drums with The Beach Boys on a few episodes as well as on their USA tour. He started playing the drums when he was in high school.
Jack Black (born August 28, 1969) – American comedian, actor and musician. Although his early career involved him portraying that explorer kid in the Activision video game commercial for Pit Fall (man I loved that game when I was a kid!) Jack Black is not only a famous actor but also a guitar rock god as the lead singer and guitar playing front man of the rock band… Tenacious D! JB and Kyle Gass know how to shred the tasty grooves and this all culminated together nicely into a guitar player cult classic in the film Tenacious D and the Pick of Destiny. The film is based on the classic good versus evil motif where Satan himself is portrayed by Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters.
Check out the clip below from Pick of Destiny of a song entitled “Master Exploder”, and you might never be the same!
Adam Richard Sandler (born September 9, 1966) is an American actor, comedian, singer, screenwriter, musician, and film producer. Adam Sandler is a an American actor and comedian who aside from his overall fame is well know for playing guitar and singing funny songs in his films and various comedy records. I can first remember seeing Sandler on MTV’s “Remote Control,” where you may remember him from such characters as “Stud Boy,” and the “Trivia Delinquent.” Around this same time I can remember catching Adam Sandler’s stand-up on Comedy Central and was pleasantly surprised to find him playing guitar during some of his funniest comedy routines. Sandler has scored big with audiences through funny songs, stand-up comedy, classic TV characters and blockbuster films. Throughout his career, the guitar has been at his side for the ride.
Check out Sandler below, playing guitar with Don Cheadle from a jam Session during the filming of the film “Reign Over Me.”
I’m sure there are many other actors and actresses who play the guitar and also play professionally in addition to their acting careers, but these are all I was able to locate today. I will keep searching for more and as soon as I gather a few, I will publish a follow-up POST to this one.
I hope you enjoyed this, and keep following my blog. I am trying to make it interesting to everyone, not just to guitarists, so I hope you like the variety in my posts. Anyway, it’s Saturday morning, and I also hope you are enjoying the start to your weekend. We have to get started on the clean-up of our lawn after Hurricane Irene and the heavy rain storms we’ve been having these past 2 weeks. Don’t forget to give your kids a big hug to let them know you love them.
Until next time;
Musician By Night
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