Charliemander

You magnificent rapscallion!

Hey Joe, Where ya goin' with that gun in your hand?

But seriously... I've been a huge fan of Kirk Hammett for years, and I know that it's been documented that he took lessons from you. Can you describe your relationship with Kirk as his teacher/instructor, and and other well know guitarists, and how it seems that those individuals come to develop there own sound within their respective genres of music. Do you find yourself "aww inspired" that so many people have found such inspiration in your own techniques and style, that it has spilled over into other musical genres?

I don't know if you're still responding to this thread but i do have at least two questions that come to mind...

1- Because you describe yourself as a sort of hobbyist, operating outside your borders of the formal education you've had in creativie writing, how often do you receive criticism from elitist asshats who say things like "you don't know what your talking about... you don't even have a degree... you're just a glorified LARPer", and how do you defend against that?

2- I've recently dabbled in some chainmaille jewelry designs for necklaces and bracelets. Nothing fancy, just simple byzantine patterns. However I do take pride in making my own rings, and I desire to make larger pieces such as head coif, or a hauberk. Basically for the calming aspects of it. I call it my "man knitting"... But anyway, what sort of materials and styles should I start out with for the sake of "learning as I go"? Are patterns more definitive of different regions, i.e. English, Norse, French, etc, and what are some good sources of your personal recommendation to look into for accuracy?

Awesome, thank you for the reply!

Emmy, I am a HUGE fan of "The Phantom of the Opera", and subsequently my 5 year old daughter is absolutely in love with your portrayal of Christine from the movie (Even dressed the part for Halloween with me as the Phantom). So much in fact that she can sing every word of "Think Of Me", and says she wants to be just like her when she grows up. As an accomplished vocalist yourself, can you offer any advice or guidance to her at such a young age?