Kerry Keane, Head of Christie’s Musical Instruments department, and guitarist G.E. Smith sat down with Richard Gere, to discuss the collection of vintage guitars and amplifiers he auctioned in October 2011 in New York.
I really really enjoyed this. Thank you kindly all three for inviting me in for a visit. Guitars are what canvases and colors and brushes are for the painter… DIFFERENT GUITARS, MATERIALS, SIZES AND SUCH PAINT DIFFERENT SOUNDS. Like the surfer searching the perfect wave… the guitar lover searches the perfect vibe 😊
These cats are having the same chat most of us guitar needs have, but....they have the REAL DEAL to pick from right in front of them. GE is such a soulful cat. Richard knows what it's about, you can tell a lifer within 5 minutes. He's got the disease, just like the rest of us. Glad to to meet a kindred spirit Mr Gere.
Back in the early 2000s I saw him walking in SoHo, dressed in sharp-looking shoes, and a short sleeve button collar shirt you see in high-end men's shops. The dude not only played well on SNL, but wore awesome pinstripe suits. He was puffing on a cigar and I waved and said, "Hey G.E.!" He smiled and said, "Hi" back. Just from the "Hi" he sounded like a friendly person, but I didn't want to interrupt his day.
@@georgearagon2546 Thanks! It was a fortunate experience and I regret, being shy, not telling him how much I enjoyed all of the music I have heard him play from Hall and Oates and so many artists, and SNL He is not the first celebrity encounter I have had in my life, but being shy costs many missing opportunities in encounters with people, that I have learned to break through from in my life. Now I'm the assertive confident man I wanted to become from my shyness.
Thanks for describing the love of the instrument. I don't get the negative comments here. These people just don't appreciate guitars as the art form that they are. The woods, the craftsmanship, the different sounds, personalities heritage, history. Thanks for the great video.
Just went up to check, unbelievable anyone would rag this, gees, my only complaint is, Not Enough,! Plus I have 1 regret now in my last days, I swapped out my refurbished perfect cond Gib F cut ED265 that broke my heart week later but deal is deal & I needed bit cash & $800 Mikes new hihats stool upgrade but a month later could not think about it, over next decades I've only seen it 3-4 times, 1 Elvis clip, but I see couple beautiful, God, they're All gorgeous guitars, Great chat, the luddites who rag the clip just belong on couch with big Mac coke n fries 🙄✌️🇦🇺🖐️
I didn't care much or even have an opinion about Richard Gere, im not much for most actors actresses or so called stars,,,BUT THIS INTERVIEW CHANGED MY NO MADE UP MY MIND ABOUT RG THE PERSON AND MUSICIAN WHOM I BELIEVE I QUITE LIKE,,THANKS FOR SHOWING THE JAY LENO OF GUITAR COLLECTIONS...nothin but the blues!
who knew Richard Gere played guitar? What I really enjoyed about this, other than the obvious treasure trove of incredible guitars, is that all 3 of these fellas seem intelligent & sincere
I got to play a really old Martin that a friend had once. That thing sound so ethereal, like a dainty, delicate song on a breeze escaping from you like a smokey incense dissipating as the notes faded. It was just beautiful.
Absolutely love GE...the quote about we need to play with our fingers...it sounds better and if we want to use a pick to play faster and we listen to ourselves we find out we're fast enough and are playing too much anyway.
First time hearing Richard Gere talk guitars and love his passion and philosophy. I’m a hack and still I’m fascinated by every guitar I pick up and I always take note of how different they all are. Their “voices”. And GE is like a living guitar. Wow.
I never much liked G.E.Smith, but now realize I was wrong. He's a great player and historian of modern music. And Richard - wow! - kudos to you for loving guitars so much, and getting this incredible collection together, and for telling us about it.
G.E. Is the real deal. Just full of soul coming out of his fingers. The epitome of cool. You can feel the cool coming out of every note. It’s just a part of the man. It’s natural for some of us. Very genuine person.
A very interesting video. I never knew Richard Geere was a guitar player and a collector. I have known of G.E.for many years and have admired him all those years. Loved the video!!!
One of my friends brought me to that room the day before the auction and I played any guitar I wanted to try. It was one of the most memorable musical experiences of my life. I couldnt afford to buy any if them but at least I got to play them. I think my favorite to play was the flying v. There was a 1928 Martin and a few 1954 strats that were really good too. It still seems like it was a dream but I brought the auction catalog home so I would remember it was real.
G.E all the way. The guy is singularly THE best person to be entertained and informed by with regard all things guitar. He has given his life to the instrument and is just a joy to watch and listen to. A class act.
Dear Americans, if you don't understand apostrophes, in general, just ignore them. It's not Dee Angelico, or Dee Addario but Dangelico and Daddario. That's how language works. Very enviable collection Mr Gere.
I love the mix of people on the video. They all know their stuff, and it's great. They talk real and they also can be seen to answer the facts about the guitars that most don't know
Wow, look at you Richard Gere. I have enjoyed your work for I don't even know for how long now. Something I didn't know about you is you playing guitar, at all but, at this level of your appreciation. In this little episode, listening to you talk about your guitars. Clearly not scripted and speaking with a life time of learning with each acquisition on you way of day to day living. As you go out and do your job then between movies, between takes. This thing, music you found as a young boy, then guitar you found as a teen, the way most of us did of our generation. How could we not? The girls were beautiful. I have a new respect for you. I'm still not a big fan of the movie Chicago. But, that's me and my personal taste. Still I loved Pretty Woman and I know if I watch it again which I can't tell how many times I've seen it already. I know it will make me smile. But this too also made me smile. Warmed my heart, knowing there is another real guitarist one that truly appreciates the guitar for true reasons and not because someone told you to. Thanks for this
That is an impressive collection. I had no idea he was a player and a collector. I am not sure why so much hate for the man. He just added a bunch of cool points in the Richard Gere chapter of my cool book.
The hate comes from the fact he is a typical leftist Hollywood elite who hates the US. Check out what he said at the concert for New York after Sept 11
@@tompaul2591 BS. And you're a typical reactionary right wing nut. All he said was War and Violence are wrong. Because someone is a pacifist doesn't mean they hate America.
... such a pleasent surprise !!! Never thought that Richard G. such a passionate collector ! B r a v o !!! I'm absolutely crazy with guitars too ...and have overe 20 on my own . Of course they not so rare like this wonderful collection , but for me most of them unic and I love them all !!!
Nice collection and I’m surprised Richard seems like a cool cat. G.E, is a cool player, I’ve listened to him tell those stories more than once, it’s neat when a famous guy is humble. 👍🏻
Amazing collection. Nice to see just how much he appreciates them too. I do just wish they had put some decent strings on those acoustics though. They sound like they've been on there for decades.
Yes GE is the star in the room and Gere talks and talks and sucks all the air out of the room. Dude, GE knows way more about your vanity horde than you Let GE talk.
@artwise1415 just doing his job. Then again, now in 2024, Smith is an archive of knowledge that must be preserved for future generations of guitar players and for the historical archives of Americana guitar culture. 🎸
Great interview, Richard Gere, came across a bit self conscious, but he is putting his magnificent collection on display, so that is understandable. G. E. was as cool as ever, and the interviewer, whose name I don’t know, was very knowledgeable. Thank you very much for posting.
I had no idea that Richard Gere was a guitar player and collector. That's one of the finest private collections I've ever seen. Wish we could have heard the stories on the other instruments. I always enjoyed watching GE's rotation of fine vintage guitars on SNL. You could always count on the band to deliver even if skits weren't very good that week. Very cool to see them together discussing vintage guitars.
Yeh, right, my only regret & 1 thing I can't think about was swapping my Gib Fcut ED265 that I haven't seen again bar 4 clips, over 40 Yr now & I'm sure he had 1 or close to it, just perfection, I was crazy 😜🤔 yep I wish it was more complete such a beautiful collection & I was drummer just drool for this, 🖖🇦🇺😉
I spoke to my dad about this video. He was very surprised as he didn’t know Richard was a guitarist. Then he said he thought he saw him in the 80s at Rudy’s I believe in NYC but blew it off as Gere was huge at the time and simply couldn’t of been him. It probably was
Nice! I've had them all at one time or another. Including a beautyful virgin 1959 Sunburts ES 335 I bought in a pawn shop in East St Louis . It had a neck that needed adjustment and a cleaning. It was obvious it had sat in someones closet since it was new. Pawn Shops in East St Louis were the best. Lets See I bought it for $140 and took it to Scotty's music and took the bow out in half a twist of the truss rod. I had a brand new 335 from the golden age. I was going to take it to the Cream concert in St Louis and see If Eric would trade for his Red ES-335, He might have if he played it, the PAF's were double white and a friend had a Kroina V and this guitar blew it out the water. I think he played a 59 on his Cradle to the Grave Album. I knew if I had the Red one I probably wouldn't come with any providence that it was "the" Cross Roads 335. So much for that. I saw Big Albert in the late 60's in a tiny club under an old supermarket "The Castaways Club". Gus Thorton on bass and Albert King with the Kronia V tuned down to C with pretty big strings. No body understood how he was playing it upside down and backwards ha ha. He had huge fingers and an even bigger diamond ring!. I couldn't see what the hell he was playing . He could bend a note almost off the fret board. "The Albert KIng" my friends. It was the time Clapton was playing Cross Roads with Cream and he was trying out an Albert Tune but just couldln't get it sounding right.. It was perplexing for Eric I think Albert was using so many tricks to get that sound. I was there for the 60's all the way through from the Beatles on. I grew up in Lancaster Calif home of Frank Zappa and Captian Beefheart. Imagine seeing Captian Beefheart at the Antelope Valley Rodeo.. That vacated the cowboy mind at the time... so damn funny. I lived on the Coast later and the Best Band in Calif was The Beach Boys! All in all they were very good considering the vocals and the playing and Brian's writing. Then came The English Blues and The Stones and The Animals and THE YARDBIRDS... Between The Stones and the Yardbirds the American Blues came back to America through their performances. It was through The Great American Blues shows in England. I knew nothing of the original blues till Mick and Eric played with Sonny Boy Rice Miller (Arkansas) . That was it I started playing Harmonica trying to imitate Sonny Boy.. A difficult feat to say the least. Hasn't Kieth come a long way, man that guy can play finger style blues with the best of them. Best guitarist all around in all of Rock and Roll!!! I was mentored by Virgil Elliott when I was a teenage wild child, HE is the MAN ask George Winston and Any of the Canned Heat, who ever is left I think now only Fedo? I guess. We Smoked Afgan Hash with them at their hotel till I was was gone. Went to the show and the first couple of songs sounded like Far Out Jazz haha The "Sunflower" was in full form wailing a solo like Cornet Coleman! He did look like a Sunflower he was beaming!!
@@phihelix8777 Old Times but life goes on and now I'm learning "Last Tango In Paris" Gato Barbieri this is a real challenge he composed the whole soundtrack in one month. See Santana giv the nod to Gato with a smile on his face. Man Gato was the best he covers it all!
In the History of the Moody Blues video (2hrs plus), they reveal they toured with Sonny Boy Williamson or played as his backup band. i love those first five moody records. concept albums. psychedelic. Seeing the Beach Boys in the early days when they could barely play their instruments (it was Glen Campbell and the Wrecking Crew that played their early records) on tv was ironic to say the least. great great records though they were. mike love led an offshoot group in the 70's with jazz sax man Charles Lloyd! the group was called Celebration.
That was a great story. Thanks for sharing. I was lucky enough to see Albert King & SRV in Boston in the 80's. I think it was in the Orphium Theater. SRV had such a big grin while on stage with A. King.
Excellent collection!!! And I see some negative comments asking why Mr. Gere didn't play any in the video or perhaps doesn't play.... you don't have to play guitar to appreciate the craftsmanship and history of them.... Thanks for sharing your collection!
I’ve been to many guitar stores and played many guitars, many I could never afford, but I’ve not played anything near what they used to make in the 40s 50s and 60s it would be interesting to learn why those sounds aren’t made anymore? Anyway this was a really enjoyable video, nice really nice. Thanks.
Well, you can say "all instruments reflect..." but violins, as awesome as they are, are pretty much all designed with the same shape (except for the new electric solid-body violins). Guitars, on the other hand, run the gamut of anything goes. I am TOTALLY passionate about guitars. I have about 15 or so, but I don't have the cash that Gere has. I totally enjoy his passion for the instrument. Look also into Vince Gill and Bob Seeger talking about their guitars.
That ES 335 is almost identical to my natural finish ES 335, I have found that I have an addiction to natural finish guitars. I have always been a huge fan of Les Paul guitars, but somewhat more recently I have been won over by the ES 335. they are so versatile with a simple string gauge change and or changing the tuning they can be used for almost every genre of music. I still have several Les Paul guitars and they are great guitars but now I have to share time playing them with the ES 335. there are quite a few great musicians who are quite fond of the ES 335. like Chuck Berry who played ES 335 guitars exclusively though out his career. and BB King I don't think I have ever seen him without his beloved Lucille. and the greatest singer of all time Roy Orbison, even though he played other guitars he could have been seen most of the time with his black ES 335. even in current times it's a pretty popular guitar, I have been noticing Joe Bonamasa playing a ES 335 more and more lately. I seen a video a while back where The Rolling Stones invited Malcolm and Angus Young on to the stage to jam with them. Malcolm was playing his Gretsch, but then I saw something I thought I would never see ever, Angus was playing an ES 335 a red colored one. and Keith Richards was playing a black one. it wasn't posing any issues for Angus for him it was just another day at the office. it was definitely a slight to see no doubt.
Yeah - I was there when Malcolm & Angus joined the Stones onstage (in Toronto). I guess it was because it was a blues song that Keith and Angus decided to play ES-335s. (I too have a 335 - an '06 Custom Shop 'block inlay' in Iced Tea Burst.)
i agree with geres insight . who knows if he can play but he for sure knows which way the wind is blowin with old guitars, he loves old guitars and thats awesome, not just a rich dude buying them for a return financially, although he probably made some coin selling them. i wonder what he kept for himself?
Not too be that guy ,but man I’m a blue collar working man who was never able to ,or won’t be able to afford that level of equipment to leave to one of my 6 grandchildren ,and I’m in awe of this collection .I did however obtain a 60’s Gibson B-25 which was heaven until my daughter borrowed it and returned it with a snapped headstock ,someday I’ll get it fixed (if possible) I wonder if Richard allows any less fortunate experience playing any of those beauties
Richard understands the principle of Stradivari and fine wines: they both mature with age. Guitars are no different. It is well known among us string players how the violins, violas, and cellos of Stradivari must be played to keep the soundboard limber. Much like a car, you don't want it sitting around.
I guess that most of his guitars are very seldomly played so...most of them would sound like shit without a proper set up, new strings and all kinds od adjustments...That´s the damnation of having too many guitars...the more you have...the worse they sound...and that neverending task of tuning, retuning, changing strings, cleaning...Manteinance vs "Teinance".
Great stuff..g.e. give me a short out...been with you before Bob dylan..and big of you to not take Bob offer..but wish you did...would have been good for you..Richard ..keep on buying..love them..your a great actor...
I met Mr Gere a few years ago when I worked in a Syracuse NY hospital. When I finally realized who he was as I was taking care of his mother... I mentioned reading about this story years before it’s all over RU-vid. I told him how cool I thought it was and he just kind looked at me like “what the fk are you talking about” I just smiled and walked away... something wrong with that guy.. no joke he’s loony.
@Werner Voss I can understand being intimidated by GE Smith but the instant self-contradiction was pretty amusing. He seems to be pretty knowledgable as a collector, but paying ain’t playing lol
Nice catch, Eric Moya. Too funny. I don't think I could sit there with as much class as GE while smug collector Gear talks about "how" this or that guitar was "meant" to be played. Sheesh. (Good actor though - can't deny him that).
