By Slim Man
I left Palm Springs on Father’s Day.
When I left it was 100 degrees, and that was at 9 AM. It would go all the way up to 120. Not a bad time to get out of town. My destination? Laguna.
When I walked into Marc Antoine’s house, he was sitting on the couch playing guitar. Full disclosure—Marc is one of my closest amigos. I’m also a big fan of his music.
Marc played guitar on the couch for 2 ½ hours. He was playing an old 1950 L7C Gibson electric guitar (think George Benson on “Breezin’”) that he had just bought. It’s not that Marc needed another guitar—he has dozens.
He just wanted that specific guitar. He was sitting there playing complicated jazz chords, then he did some scales, then he played some runs and licks—some of which were at the speed of light, all with deadly accuracy.
He took a rest for 15 minutes. Then he picked up his nylon-string guitar and started playing classical music, mostly Bach. I could have put a microphone in front of him, recorded it, and released a CD. It was that good. He played for another 2 hours. Then he rested for 15 minutes.
And then? He picked up a souped-up Fender Stratocaster (think Jimi Hendrix) and started playing for another hour.
I’ve been in the music biz for a while, but I’ve met only a few guys who put in that much time. Marc Antoine looks more comfortable with a guitar than without.
He started playing when he was 11. He got a scholarship to the Paris Conservatory at 14. He’s played guitar with Sting, Rod Stewart, Celine Dion and tons of others. He’s played on lots of movie soundtracks, including one of my favorites “Get Shorty.”
He released his first solo CD, Classical Soul, in 1994. If you took jazz, pop, and Latin and put them all in a blender, you’d have a good idea of what that first CD sounded like. Marc has gone on to release more than 10 CDs. He’s sold close to a million CDs (total).
I met Marc in 1997 when we did a tour together. We became fast friends as soon as we met, and have remained close since.
It ain’t easy interviewing someone you know so well. For instance, if I were to ask Marc where he was born (Paris), he might bounce a frog leg off my forehead. He’s a feisty guy, and it shows in his music—it’s full of fire and passion. And I once saw him get in a fistfight with a drummer over how to play a song.
This past Sunday night, I asked Marc what he’d like me to make for his Father’s Day dinner. Shrimp Scampi. Full disclosure—the recipe is in my new cookbook, Slim Man Cooks. Fuller disclosure—you need to go to slimman.com and buy a copy. There’s a funny story about Marc in there.
After dinner we watched the NBA Finals. Marc sat on the couch and played guitar for most of the game.
The next morning, I walked downstairs (7 AM) and where was Marc? Sitting on the couch, playing guitar! I grabbed the guitar and smacked him over the head with it.
Just kidding! Listening to someone who has such complete mastery of an instrument is truly inspiring. It made me want to jump off a cliff! I could practice all day for the rest of my life and never get that good.
I spoke with Marc about his new CD. He’s been sending me demos of the songs for the past couple of years. Slim People, I have to tell you this…It’s one of the best he’s done. His working title is Twice Upon a Time. I’ve been offering him money to change the title to Laguna. Why? The music he’s played for me sounds like a day at the beach. Which ain’t so bad when it’s 124 degrees in Palm Springs!
Go to Marc’s site, marcantoine.com for the latest on his new CD—we’ll see if he takes my title suggestion—and make sure you sign up for his mailing list.
www.slimman.com – slim@sliman.com
