# Hired Gun on Netflix



## BSTheTech (Sep 30, 2015)

Caught this on Netflix last night after reading recommendations on TheGearPage. Good show about the life of several high profile musicians from our past. Worth a watch.


----------



## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Beached on the couch with a rib-cage injury, so I decided to fire up Netflix and watch it. Not bad. Like a lot of these sorts of movies, it doesn't really have any particular direction or sense of what it wants to accomplish, apart from "I wonder what _his_ story is?". But that's okay. It was interesting listening to all these folks. I ended up not liking Billy Joel very much, but liking Rudy Szarzo a lot. Seems like a helluva nice guy. I've always liked Kenny Aronoff so it was a nice treat to hear him actually speak. As the credits rolled by, it seemed like there were a lot of folks whose few minutes ended up on the cutting room floor; some of them more interesting to me than some of the folks that were included. One of the interesting elements was the recounting of Jason Newsted and Brad Gillis of what it was like to be emergency replacements for Cliff Burton in Metallica and Randy Rhoads in Ozzy's band, after their sudden and untimely deaths. It's a perspective one doesn't get to hear too often.

Thanks for the recommendation. I'll add mine to it.


----------



## BSTheTech (Sep 30, 2015)

Ya, I didn't want to harp on Billy Joel right off the bat. Hatred for him was the jist on the other forum as well. Playing devils advocate he had just burned through two marriages, was starting a third (which is now over - she has a cooking show), and his manager had ripped him off for 10's of millions of dollars. They didn't say what he was paying his new band but I bet it was scale. He should have at least given the old guys first crack at it though.


----------



## Guitar101 (Jan 19, 2011)

Put it on My List but it will have to wait until our Olympic curling teams have been decided this week in Kanata. (Canadian Tire Centre). Too much curling and not enough time.


----------



## JBFairthorne (Oct 11, 2014)

You should also check out Muscle Shoals and The Wrecking Crew. Both currently on Netflix. Both about legendary session bands (rather than individual musicians). You'll be surprised how many amazing pieces of music that they not only play on but have significant input into what was actually recorded. In many cases an artist would come in with a half completed song idea and they would create the rest.


----------



## SWLABR (Nov 7, 2017)

+1 for Muscle Shoals!

I'll have a look for Hired Gun


----------



## bw66 (Dec 17, 2009)

JBFairthorne said:


> You should also check out Muscle Shoals and The Wrecking Crew. Both currently on Netflix. Both about legendary session bands (rather than individual musicians). You'll be surprised how many amazing pieces of music that they not only play on but have significant input into what was actually recorded. In many cases an artist would come in with a half completed song idea and they would create the rest.


I would add "20 Feet From Stardom" to that list - maybe the best music documentary I've seen.


----------



## keto (May 23, 2006)

Watched HG last night, definitely worth the time. Thanks for the heads up.


----------



## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

Yeah I enjoyed it as well. Who was the girl? She was pretty rippin.


----------



## Lola (Nov 16, 2014)

Going to watch Hired guns right guy now. Can't sleepy


----------



## Guest (Dec 7, 2017)

I wonder how many, if any, top acts pay their hired guns big money?


----------



## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

To the other recommendations for similar session-player docs, I will add "Take Me to the River" about the Memphis studio scene. Also on Netflix.


----------



## fretzel (Aug 8, 2014)

Talk about judging a book by its cover. I never opened this thread thinking it was about some cowboy movie starring Adam Sandler or something. LOL!!!

I watched it last night while slowly changing strings on my Reverend Warhawk 390. Made me want to shred and use big wide vibrato. My wife even seemed to enjoy it and she didn’t know who anybody was. 

Dude for Mellencamp was quite the player but had no idea what drum solo he was talking about in Jack and Dianne until he hummed it. 

Sarzo seemed like quite the gentleman. In case nobody knew Kevin Dubrows brother is one of the doctors on some botched plastic surgery show. 

Favourite quote was from Phil X. Something to the affect of, when you hire me to put a solo on a song it’s not just the solo but everything I have done from day one to become the player I am.


----------



## Hamstrung (Sep 21, 2007)

Guncho said:


> Yeah I enjoyed it as well. Who was the girl? She was pretty rippin.


Nita Strauss. She's been in Alice Cooper's touring band for a few years now. Great player! She used to be in a band called "The Iron Maidens".


----------



## Budda (May 29, 2007)

I just finished it. Interesting to hear perspectives and the ups and downs that lifestyle has ("I had less than $1000 in the bank, and bills to pay").

The biggest takeaway for me is that I'm not dedicated enough to put the hours in to achieve their level of proficiency. I'd have done it by now. That's a bit of a bummer but I've known for a while .


----------



## dcole (Oct 8, 2008)

Hamstrung said:


> Nita Strauss. She's been in Alice Cooper's touring band for a few years now. Great player! She used to be in a band called "The Iron Maidens".


So was this girl:

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/dCJz-4l9q8I/maxresdefault.jpg


----------



## bigboki (Apr 16, 2015)

dcole said:


> So was this girl:
> 
> https://i.ytimg.com/vi/dCJz-4l9q8I/maxresdefault.jpg


that is Courtney Cox and she is still in the Iron Maidens. When Nita left to join Alice Cooper's band Nikki Stringfield became permanent band member


----------



## butterknucket (Feb 5, 2006)

I need to get around to watching it.


----------



## dcole (Oct 8, 2008)

I've got through "Hired Guns", "Muscle Shoals" and half way through "The Wrecking Crew". I definitely like the first two but do not enjoy the music in "The Wrecking Crew". Its a good documentary, there just seems to have been more feeling with the Muscle Shoals group.


----------



## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

Watched it broken into shorter segments over the weekend--out with a cold.
Enjoyable doc with some cool stories and some not so cool ones.
I would never have made it as a hired gun--not good enough.
But there are guys in bands that had some success that never would have made i as hired guns either--so it was a good thing they were part of the band.

But some made it as hired guns when the band thing didn't work out--some had both.

I also enjoyed the Muscles Shoals & Wrecking Crew ones.

Also enjoyed Beware Mr Baker
Seen a few others on Netflix as well--can't think of hem all right now.


----------



## amagras (Apr 22, 2015)

I don't think it's on Netflix but another good documentary is Standing in the Shadows of Motown


----------



## RobQ (May 29, 2008)

My favourite bits were the interviews with Lukather. I love the guy’s outlook and humour.


----------



## butterknucket (Feb 5, 2006)

Just watched it. 

A lot of the stuff that Liberty DeVitto talked about are things that have happened to me first hand. 

Zing....

I guess I'm not the only one.


----------



## Budda (May 29, 2007)

I've been recommended "who the f**k is that guy?" as well


----------



## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

RobQ said:


> My favourite bits were the interviews with Lukather. I love the guy’s outlook and humour.


I used to go to a chiropractor who looked a lot like him...


----------



## SG-Rocker (Dec 30, 2007)

I really feel for Brad Gillis. What he was expected to do and the time he had to prepare to do it was insane.
The treatment and flak he got was nothing short of cruel.
The fact that Osbourne Inc (Sharon) have elected to try their damndest (sp?) to try to erase him from Ozzy's history is repugnant.

Speak of the Devil was a big part of what drew me to the guitar.
His work with Night Ranger was no slouch either.


----------



## NB_Terry (Feb 2, 2006)

SG-Rocker said:


> I really feel for Brad Gillis. What he was expected to do and the time he had to prepare to do it was insane.
> The treatment and flak he got was nothing short of cruel.
> The fact that Osbourne Inc (Sharon) have elected to try their damndest (sp?) to try to erase him from Ozzy's history is repugnant.
> 
> ...


Sharon and Ozzy did this with Bob Daisley. They also screwed over Jake E Lee


----------



## SG-Rocker (Dec 30, 2007)

NB_Terry said:


> Sharon and Ozzy did this with Bob Daisley. They also screwed over Jake E Lee


I was actually very disappointed when I found out that Robert Trujillo took part in the overdubbing.
He kinda struck me as having a little more integrity than that.


----------



## Lord-Humongous (Jun 5, 2014)

fretzel said:


> Dude for Mellencamp was quite the player but had no idea what drum solo he was talking about in Jack and Dianne until he hummed it.


That drum fill is the song! It's iconic, I don't think I'd even listen to Jack and Diane otherwise. 

Along the same lines, I watched a YouTube of Jeff Pocaro describing how he came up with the 'Rosanna Shuffle' which was also super cool along the same lines as Hired Guns. Between the two, I have a whole new respect for Toto.


----------



## Alex (Feb 11, 2006)

SG-Rocker said:


> I was actually very disappointed when I found out that Robert Trujillo took part in the overdubbing.
> He kinda struck me as having a little more integrity than that.


He was a hired gun and a job to do. A man's gotta eat.


----------



## fretzel (Aug 8, 2014)

Lord-Humongous said:


> That drum fill is the song! It's iconic, I don't think I'd even listen to Jack and Diane otherwise.
> 
> Along the same lines, I watched a YouTube of Jeff Pocaro describing how he came up with the 'Rosanna Shuffle' which was also super cool along the same lines as Hired Guns. Between the two, I have a whole new respect for Toto.



It’s the Purdy shuffle isn’t it? Same style as Fool in the Rain.


----------



## marcos (Jan 13, 2009)

Funny my son in law mentioned this to me yesterday. Gonna watch it for sure.


----------



## Dorian2 (Jun 9, 2015)

That was pretty cool...just watched it. I never liked Billy Joel and now I like him even less.


----------



## Lola (Nov 16, 2014)

Just about to watch this.


----------



## Lola (Nov 16, 2014)

Pretty depressing. So many great musicians that never even got acknowledged for their playing. No mention of them at all.

I have a lot less respect for Sharon Osborne now not to mention Billy Joel. Both d-bags in my HO.

I just love Phil X. His personality is huge and man what a great musician. He's just so much fun to watch.


----------



## traynor_garnet (Feb 22, 2006)

It's a decent watch. The Billy Joel stuff starts to come off as a bit of a personal vendetta and eventually takes over the film. Obviously I have no knowledge of what went down, but I feel the increasing focus on BJ detracted from the movie as a whole.

Two things this confirmed for me:

1. I don't LOVE playing music enough to have ever worked at this level. Unless it is your sole concern or interest, you cannot compete in the big leagues. 

2. Unless you can write a song, you are nothing. These players are so incredible and can play anything, but they cannot write a song people want to listen to. At the end of the day, the song is all that matters.

TG


----------



## Lola (Nov 16, 2014)

If I could rewrite history. 

Should of been a session player.


----------



## Dorian2 (Jun 9, 2015)

I'm curious if there are other ex session players who have gone on to join or form amazing bands.... i.e. Jimmy Page. Pretty sure a number of Jazz guys were also session players before they got huge, but that's another genre and time for the most part.


----------



## JBFairthorne (Oct 11, 2014)

Yeah, in the Wrecking Crew doc I mentioned earlier, there was an interview with one member...Glen Campbell who obviously went on to front his own band.


----------



## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

Dorian2 said:


> I'm curious if there are other ex session players who have gone on to join or form amazing bands.... i.e. Jimmy Page. Pretty sure a number of Jazz guys were also session players before they got huge, but that's another genre and time for the most part.


Well depending on how you feel about Toto--they might qualify...
Nowhere near the level of Zeppelin in my books--but some people really like them.


----------



## Lola (Nov 16, 2014)

I just finished watching Hired Gun. 

It's all about the journey.


----------



## Davidian (Sep 8, 2008)

Just watched it as well, great insight to what it would be like. Playing in front of thousands of people, the job security (or lack thereof) and the amount of talent these people have.


----------



## Alex (Feb 11, 2006)

traynor_garnet said:


> It's a decent watch. The Billy Joel stuff starts to come off as a bit of a personal vendetta and eventually takes over the film. Obviously I have no knowledge of what went down, but I feel the increasing focus on BJ detracted from the movie as a whole.
> 
> Two things this confirmed for me:
> 
> ...


I watched it a couple of nights ago and agree with your BJ comments. 

Your 2nd point hits home with me. I played on a singer songwriter's song a few years ago and did some retouches about 8 months ago. I really enjoyed the creative process and I came up with all the parts but at the end of the day, the skeleton of the song was already there and I simply got a "spark" to generate something that was already there. The hard part was writing the song and I just added some icing. My role without the song is simply me noodling licks at home!

I hope it gets released (imminent I hear..) and I can post it. I'm not crazy about the song but enjoyed the process and a few of the licks.


----------

