Barrie Cadogan (also known as “Little Barrie”) is one of the world’s first call electric guitarists when it comes to classic soul, rock, punk, and rhythm & blues. He has worked with some of the biggest indie artists performing today including Morrissey, Paul Weller, Edwyn Collins, Liam Gallagher, and Primal Scream.
That’s a hell of a CV by anyone’s standards, but Barrie is perhaps best known for the theme music from the Netflix show ‘Better Call Saul.’ That glorious guitar intro? That was him!
Quite simply, he is very cool. He inhabits a world of pristine big E vintage Levis, Cuban heels, and 1960s Jazzmasters; bespoke hatmakers name their latest designs after him; and, if you are planning a global stadium tour and you need a guitarist that will bring the goods, then you had better make sure that you have Little Barrie on speed dial.
I caught up with him at the private, by-appointment-only premises of Guncotton Guitars in London. (More from them later as they have generously sponsored this episode!)
We talked about our shared love of seminal Manchester band The Stone Roses and watching ‘Sounds of The Sixties’ on British TV which for many musicians of our generation had a similar impact as that of the Ed Sullivan show in the USA.
Barrie shares his experiences as a young musician moving to London some 20 years ago, his realization that a Marshall half stack may not be the ideal bedroom practice amp, the dangers of applying a Jackson Pollock-style paint job to a guitar, and Bobby Gillespie’s eccentric hiding place for demo CDs.
He also shares his love of Japanese architecture and his recent reunion with a guitar that got away from him years previously. I think we can all relate to that.
This interview was recorded on a hot summer’s day in London. As I sank into the vintage Charles Eames furniture and pressed record, I remember feeling very happy to be there. I hope it shows…and I’m glad to be able to share this with you.
Barrie Cadogan
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVn9XB03wI5dM4d0Vbl-i2A
https://open.spotify.com/artist/5ozUXaDjc4mfVyDIWCJH4E?autoplay=true
https://www.instagram.com/littlebarrie/
This episode is brought to you by the kind sponsorship of Guncotton Guitars in London
https://www.guncottonguitars.com
https://www.instagram.com/guncottonguitars/
and Microtech Gefell Microphones https://www.microtechgefell.de
Your Host Michael Watts
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