Audio Interview: A Conversation with Billy Morrison

Guitarist, songwriter, vocalist, and media Renaissance man, Billy Morrison, spends an hour with Modern Guitars news editor Tom Watson talking about a variety of topics including: Camp Freddy; Billy's new group, Circus Diablo; guitar and amp gear; his ventures into a wide variety of media; and scuba diving. The telephone conversation took place on October 26, 2006.

Five days after emigrating from the U.K. to the U.S., Billy joined The Cult on bass and toured with the group for a year. Since then, he's been involved in a number of music, radio, video, television, Internet and movie projects. Early this year he formed Circus Diablo and is putting the finishing touches on a label deal that should result in the release of the group's first CD early next year.

Meanwhile, he continues to perform with the ultimate cover band, Camp Freddy, that features an all-star lineup of Billy Morrison (The Cult/Circus Diablo), Dave Navarro (Janes Addiction/The Panic Channel), Matt Sorum (Guns N Roses/Velvet Revolver), Scott Weiland (Stone Temple Pilots/Velvet Revolver), Donovan Leitch (son of legendary folk singer Donovan), and Chris Chaney (Janes Addiction/Alanis Morrisette), Actually, Camp Freddy is more of an "un-band", or, as Billy says on the Camp Freddy website, an "...'Occasional Happening', a freak of Hollywood nature..."

A Camp Freddy gig will see the core members of the band joined on stage by celebrities such as Moby, Robbie Williams, Ronnie Wood, Stephen Jenkins, Billie Joe Armstrong, Mark McGrath, Slash, Brett Scallions, Macy Gray, Perry Farrell, Wes Scantlin, Billy Duffy, Fabrizio Moretti, Lou Reed, Stephen Perkins, Twiggy Ramirez, Duff McKagan, Sebastian Bach, Kid Rock, Melissa Etheridge, Gina Gershon, Dee Snider, Gavin Rossdale, Steven Tyler, Juliette Lewis, Chad Smith, Jerry Cantrell, Shelby Lynne, Jonathan Davis, Cypress Hill, and many more, for the simple purpose of revisiting what attracted them to the music business in the first place - fun.

Enjoy the audio interview.

Click to stream Billy Morrison interview (63:10)

To see, hear, and learn more about Billy Morrison:

Billy Morrison
Camp Freddy
Billy Morrison on YouTube
Billy Morrison Podcasts
Billy Morrison column on Modern Guitars
Billy Morrison December, 2004, interview (text) on Modern Guitars

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