Bob Log III: Official Web Site

Press: Uptown Article

Review Bob Log III

Royal Albert

Log Jam

Fun-loving guitarist is a band unto himself

"When I turned 11 I got my first AC/DC record and that's when I stopped putting the guitar down, let's put it that way. I'm 33 now, my guitar playing's 22. That means last year it became old enough to drink in America," laughs the patently indescribable one-man-band Bob Log III.

The Tucson-based Log has just lobbed Log Bomb, his latest bundle of bluesy, boozey and breast-obsessed mayhem, into an unsuspecting world. His is a baffling but playful mix of talent and novelty, truth and fiction. Accompanied only by his guitar (played with one human hand and one fabled "monkey paw," allegedly transplanted onto his arm after a boating accident), he offers an almost ridiculous but somehow compelling musical ride, fuelled as much by his love of the guitar as his "appreciation" of the fairer sex.

To truly understand the phenomenon that is Log, one must attend one of his live shows, slightly surreal, must be seen-to-be-believed experiences where Log plays the guitar like the salvation of his soul depends on it, his face hidden under a requisite helmet. Log claims the helmet serves the dual purposes of housing a mic for his vocals ("If I fall over I can still play guitar and sing," he explains) and obscuring his face form the girl he's hiding from (It's like a security barricade")>

When dealing with Log, it seems likely there's more than just one girl who might make anonymity necessary, but the loquacious performer seems as though he could talk his way out of almost any awkward moment that might come his way. And while he may be on the lam from a few ladies, he's more than happy to accommodate any others who would like to join him onstage to sit on his lap.

The helmet also presents the unique element of making it almost completely impossible to know what Log is singing (which is probably not such a bad thing sometimes), but as he admits, it's of little importance - the music speaks for itself. Log has a large following in Japan ("OK, there's flowers in the dressing room," he laughingly says of his stature there) and he assumes many of his fans there also have no idea shat he's talking about, but as he explains, that's part of the charm.

"I tend to think that with probably 90 percent of my music the words are not important. I mean, sometimes people ask me what I sing and I've got lyric books you can buy. I love my words, I'm not ashamed of them. I actually spend more time writing the words than I do anything else, it's really kind of funny.

"But the thing is, the way I play guitar, if you only listen to my guitar you're going to know what I'm saying. You know it's a dirty, nasty song and there's no question about it. It doesn't even matter what the hell I'm saying - I'm about my guitar.

After the late-January release of Lon Bomb, Log is hitting the road, with said guitar in hand, to cross Canada in the middle of February. He says it should show his Canadian fans just how much he appreciates our country.

"I love Canada," exclaims Log. "I get to travel to lots of places…you guys have got the best things about America and a lot less of the worst things. And the same for Europe. You've got the best things of Europe and not much of their crap. You guys just rolled it up into one nice burrito called Canada.

" Ultimately, love Canada or not, going out and playing his guitar (with the hope of a few pretty girls in the audience) is what Long longs to be doing no matter where or when.

"I like driving around and playing guitar, trying to make people shake their asses and smile so much that their faces hurt. We've all got to think of something to do with our lives and that's what I've come up with. I can't make everybody do it, and actually some people get a little bit upset, but a whole bunch of us are smiling so much our faces hurt the next day - I promise."