Muse‘s Chris Wolstenhome has shared an essay about his hero, Rick Parfitt.
The Status Quo guitarist died on December 24, 2016 from sepsis after being admitted to hospital for a shoulder injury. He was 68 years old.
Wolstenholme credits Parfitt with inspiring him to become a musician. In the essay, published The Irish Independent, the bassist wrote about first hearing Status Quo, his first guitar lessons, meeting Parfitt and more.
He recalled one instance where, in 1997, he was invited along to Quo’s soundcheck in Plymouth. “On the day Rick was unwell and couldn’t do the soundcheck,” he said. “Whilst I was disappointed, something incredible then happened. I was asked to fill in for him and took to the stage to play his parts, on his guitar!
“Quo and I ran through ‘Don’t Waste My Time’, though I knew the material so well I could have played the whole set. I’d joined Muse by that stage, but we were still unsigned, and at the age of 17 it was the most incredible musical experience of my life. As soon as we’d finished, I ran off and called my mum!”
Wolstenholme has been involved in the completion of Parfitt’s last solo album ‘Over And Out’, which he had been working on before his death. “I had heard that Rick planned a solo album and, of course, said that I would consider it a massive honour for me to contribute,” he wrote. “There was talk of us writing and recording together, but the last conversation I had with anybody about it was on December 17 2016, before the tragic news broke on the 24th.”
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He added that once it became apparent Parfitt had been close to finishing the record, he had headed into the studio to recorded the bass part for the track ‘Long Distance Love’. “The producer then asked if I could double-track one of Rick’s guitar lines – basically replicate it,” he said. “Take it from me, it was harder than anyone would imagine.”
‘Over And Out’ is due for release on March 23. You can listen to ‘Long Distance Love’ above.
Muse, meanwhile, have teased a new tour that will “blow people’s minds with stuff they’ve never seen before.” Frontman Matt Bellamy told NME: “We’re always interested in the latest technology and what’s cutting edge, so we’re always thinking of the new thing that nobody’s ever used before in a concert. And we found something and we’re going to use that.”