Talli is a super awesome blogger buddy and the cutest Canadian English girl you will ever meet.
Watching Willow Watts is available as an eBook at Amazon and at Amazon UK - paperback coming in November.
She asked if we’d help her celebrate by answering the question, “If I could be anyone, I would be…”
I’d be John Petrucci, guitarist for Dream Theater!
I play guitar, but next to this man, I suck.
Petrucci has created his own unique style, coupled with technical expertise.
In my opinion, he’s one of the most talented musicians in rock history.
I’ve seen Petrucci play live, and it was both inspiring and depressing. (Yes, I really do suck as a guitarist!)
I’d love to know what it’s like to play with such effortless precision and musicality.
I have good days and bad days on my guitar, but even on perfect days, I can’t hold a candle to this man’s musical genius!
And...
Dream Theater’s new album, A Dramatic Turn of Events, came out Tuesday.
Time to crank the music to eleven!
Now, if you could be anyone, who would you want to be? Anyone else want to be a rock star? We’ll form a band! We’ll suck, but it will be fun…
Photo credits of Petrucci - #1 #2
123 comments:
Who could pass up amazing talent like that if you could be anyone?
Love the choice.
I'd love to be Indiana Jones, for the adventure and culture.
Every Savage Can Reproduce
I wish I could be a rock star, though I lean more towards David Gilmour. Sadly, I shattered my fretting hand a few years ago, and my pinkie will never recover, so I can't make certain chords anymore or play with anything near the fluidity I once had.
I'll take back up vocals?
Cor! I like your choice a lot. Mmm. Enjoy the launch party!
Fantastic choice, Alex! :) I'd certainly love to have some killer guitar skills.
Thanks so much for taking part and for your kind words!
Thanks, Isis!
Good choice, Enid.
Ted, that's a bummer.
Samantha, sure!
Thank you, Rebecca.
Talli, you're welcome!
Ah, I do so love a game of pretend. You know, the important thing is that you enjoy playing the guitar, period. You might not play like what's his face up there...I'm terrible at names, but you do play. And the guitar is a wonderful intrument. Oh, this is about me. Yeah, I wouldn't be any real person, just a character out one of my books. I've stuck so much of my self in her it's only natural. Have a great day! :)
Awesome choice! Nothing better then the sound of a guitar :)
Long hair, dark glasses, shiny teeth, beard, mean n moody n musical... I'm in love!!
Yay! Take care
x
I wanna play slide like George Harrison.
Okay, this is why I don't do group activities that involve answering impossible questions--I overthink it and can't come up with anything without all sorts of qualifiers and then can't decide. I want to be the person who can decide!
I'd be Cheryl Crow who sings and plays wonderfully and is a MO girl. I'd be Pink because she's so outrageous and talented. I'd be Adele because she's awesome. And finally, I'd be Stevie Nicks because she a class act.
I'd be multiple personalities of these artists.
Lots of people are picking musicians! It's a very admirable profession, and I always thought it'd be fun to be in a band, to have a voice.
If I could be a musician, I'd be Carol King but younger. I really can't think of any real person I would want to be - I must be happy.
Good choice Alex,
Now about this band, if I were Daniel I could be vocalist??????
Have a good day.
Yvonne.
Oh fun! I have a thing for guitarists. Have fallen for quite a few...but it never did me any good:) LOL Yay Talli!
I'm a horrible singer so I'm totally in- I'll be Joan Jett.
Great choice Alex!
My husband and son play guitar, I'll have to see if they've heard of Petrucci. I always wanted to be the female singer in an all-male band. Too bad I can't hold a tune! :)
I'm not cool enough to be a rock star!
I'll have to check out Petrucci...
I can guarantee you that his precision is not effortless!
Rock star was my first choice. Many years ago...too long ago to mention...I had the opportunity to sing in front of a real band. I found out that I fold like a lawn chair when people watch me sing. Now I'm too old to care what anyone thinks!
Keep playing!
I'll lip sync to Pull Me Under!
Is it shallow to say that I find cute guitarists very hot?
Being I dinosaur, I don't know Petrucci, but musicians are tops in my book.
I'd probably just want to be me, but younger, quite a bit younger.
Great choice Alex! It;s fun pretending to be a Rock Star! A have a few musician friends and enjoy going to their gigs. I'll see if they need another member of the band for you...:)
Being a rock star would be fun. I'd have to learn how to play guitar. Good choice.
I plug in the earphones and I'm a rock star every morning on the treadmill. :)
Great choice! It'd be awesome to play the guitar like that.
Oh yes, any band with me in it would definitely suck. It's awesome you got to see your icon play live.
Congratulations to Talli! Must go add her book at Goodreads right NOW.
Yes I've chosen a rock star!
It's not Geddy Lee.
Congratulations on the release, Talli!
As for being someone else--I wouldn't mind being someone who could sing without making dog's howl and cats hide under the bed. : )
I picked a musician too! Though I totally have no talent, so for your sake I will NOT join your rock band, Alex! :-)
I need to jump on this writing a book bandwagon. It seems like the cool thing to do nowadays.
I would want to be the real Powdered Toast Man.
If I could be anyone, I'd be superman because all those powers rock.
I've tried my hand at guitar, piano, and drums. I too wonder what it would be like to play so effortlessly. I can only dream.
Who is Grace Park married to, I think I might want to be him.
A very cool answer, Al.
If I could be anyone, I would just be myself. I don't have any experience being anyone else, honestly.
It would be fab to be a musician for a day and to just know instantly how to play something that makes everyone else around stop and listen (without wincing, as they would if I got hold of a musical instrument!)
This man I have to check out! I love guitarists. My life is surrounded by them :)
But you're already a rock star for all of us, Al!
Rock on!
I can say with no modesty whatsoever, that I can outsuck anyone on the guitar. And hey, self taught here.
Laila, I do try my best to play. Don't think I'd want to be Byron though.
Kitty, you are silly!
JB, you can be!
Journaling, you would be multi-talented beyond belief.
Tonja, that's good as well.
Yvonne, can you growl on cue?
Karen, at least one of us would sound good then!
Susan, if they like progressive rock, they know him.
Sarah, but it looks like it!
Heather, if you know the words to Pull Me Under, you can join!
Sarah, no not at all!
Thanks, Lynn - but not if they want to continue getting gigs, because I'm not that good.
LR, Geddy would be a good choice...
Cynthia, but the ability to clear a room is a talent as well.
PTM, even knowing kids will chew on your head?
Jayne, you got it!
Thanks, Matthew - appreciate that!
I didn't choose to be a rock star, but if I had I would've chosen Annie Lennox.
On the plus side ~ your guitar playing can only get better! :) Can't play an instrument to save my life, but my vocals aren't half bad...
And if I could be anyone? Hard to say...
Ha! Yeah, I tried to play guitar once...such a disaster. My hands can't do two different things like that.
Alex - you're a genius in your own right. A rock star - um, not really. My daughter plays guitar and she's pretty good.
Cool choice! I don't know who I'd be. Oh! I want to be River Song. Yes. Perfect. Hello Sweetie!
I don't think I'd ever be a rock star. I don't like crowds, much less being in front of them. No. Thank. You. ;)
Yay for Talli!!
Awesome choice! Playing and creating music is such wonderful thing.
Hi Alex .. great choice - with your abilities I can see just that the experience of being John Petrucci for a day .. would be so much fun .. you'd never forget?! Cheers Hilary
posted my 4 choices over at talli's page... yup, gonna make ye WORK!
:P lol
looks like a super album!
being from a different eon, i always liked mason williams' tune: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Z9nl3T31wI&feature=related
[dunno your guy]
Good choice! Can I dance along to your band?
Lx
I'd loved to form a bad with you. I would play keyboards. I suck too but it would be fun.
being a rockstar would be badass. My hands are a bit too small to play guitar with any sort of talent. That's why i played violin. I guess i could play the electric violin in the band, but i don't really think that's the type of band you're going for
How about Capt. Reynolds from Firefly? But also imbued with the superpowers it would take to get that show back on the air and/or make another movie.
I've run into Talli's launch party on a number of blogs and I'm trying to come up with different answers for each. Since you went with a musician, I'm going to choose person and time. Mary Travers (of Peter, Paul & Mary) back in the sixties. For her music and her activism.
I don't think I can choose. I like a variety of artists, musicians, actors, etc. The guy who plays seemingly flawless guitar (or whatever) probably plays it hours and hours each day.
Awesome! I somehow knew you'd pick a guitarist ;o)
Donea, that's an understatement!
RaShelle, I know!
Hannah, I hadn't thought of the crowds...
Hilary, I'd never forget all right!
LaughingWolf, thanks for the challenge.
Laura, feel free!
Clarissa, you get to come up with the name then.
Sarah, have you never seen the electric violinist for TSO? You could rock!
Milo, I so miss Firefly...
Mary, I'm sure he does.
Jessica, but of course!
Oh gosh! I love musicians. Of course a writer wants to be a guitar player! Who I want to be? hmmmmmm
Talented writers turning into musicians? Scary thought? Maybe, but you know that will be my next life.
My first was art, now it's writing, and eventually music... Classical piano...
Isn't it cool to be a Renaissance man Alex? We are a rare breed.
Wish I could play the drums, but I'd suck real bad :) You just keep at that guitar, rock man.
I used to pretend I was in a rock band in college. My roommate actually played the guitar. She said I was the drummer. Uh, sure, I was. We called our pretend band Menstral Trauma. Yeah, we did sort of use it to repel men. :)
Congrats, Talli.
Great choice. :)
Very cool, Alex! I wish I knew how to play guitar even just a little. You really do rock...;)
I took a different approach to this and the person I would be is much closer to home. :)
I already have a son who is lead singer and guitarist in a band. That is enough for me! LOL
She Writes, so many choices...
Michael, rare indeed!
Donna, we could suck even more if we played together!
Mary, I'm not touching that name with a ten foot pole...
Thank you, Jamie!
Ciara, that's really cool!
I keep saying this, but my best friend is a HUGE DT fan. I actually went to a concert with him.
Ooh.. congratulations to Talli!! Hmmm... you know.. I don't KNOW.. there are so many choices!
But is it bad that I don't know who Petrucci is? I have to check him out :)
I can provide the keyboard! Too bad I can't read lead sheets.
John Petrucci is amazing and is the reason why I tried to learn guitar and why I ultimately failed.
He's one cool dude! And I'm head-bangin' right along with ya!
I love John Petrucci and Dream Theater. They are virtuosos of the music. In addition to his fabulous personal albums are able to perform some exquisite covers of any myth of rock, really amazing.
As soon as I finish CassaStar, I'm starting the Hating Game. So many great blogger-writer books!
I'd be a back-up dancer for your band.
xoRobyn
Talli's book looks awesome, and what a brilliant promotion idea this is! We all know you're a rock star, Alex!
You Rock Star you! Wonderful choice.
Copyboy, that is awesome!
WritingNut, I bet most people don't know who he is!
Marlena, you are super cool for knowing his name - and sorry we both failed...
Ali, you are awesome!
Leovi, you rock big time!!!
Robyn, that would be great.
Anne, thanks!
Jen, you're in!
Can I play the triangle in your band?
How serendipitous to read your post on Petrucci today Alex, as yesterday I was listening to my CD of D.T's AWAKE and was marveling not only over Petrucci's axe playing but his compositional and melodic skills. The guy is much appreciated in Prog rock circles but still sadly overlooked by the general musical posers/fans
best,
r/e
I'm in! I'll play piano and sing! As long as I'm allowed to suck for sure because that's all I've got!
If I could be anyone? Hmmm... Well, if it was a guitar player it'd have to be John Sykes. The man was everything I ever wanted to be as a songwriter. I even dig his Irish diddys he's been known to play from time to time.
Lynda, yes you may!
Rogue, so few know of him here in the states. Have you heard the new album? Takes a few listens, but it's amazing.
Jemi,why not - I suck!
Rusty, Sykes is amazing as well!
Hey, that would be a cool person to be! I wish I could play guitar.
And major congrats to Talli! Thrilled for her!
mine's coming tomorrow, but ho, boy. Dream Theater. *snort*snort*snort* college boyfriend flashbacks. "Awake" anyone? Melody walks through the door, and memory flies out the window... LOL! :D
If I could be anyone??? I'd be Amy Ray of the Indigo Girls, her passion inspires me. She writes amazing songs, plays her fingers to the bone on an acoustic guitar, sings with one of the most sultry alto voices on the planet and stands up for the little guy - fighting injustices where she sees them. Man, she's freakin' cool.
I'd love to be JK Rowling...ha ha ha...that must be too ambitious of me...but no, I want her millions, lols!
Talli? Oh nice to see a book of her and hmmmm...amazing to note she's the cutest Canadian English girl...and sure I just wanna meet her now...:)
By the way, my other son plays the guitar and he must be as good as you coz he's not as good as Petrucci, ha ha...just kidding but he plays well, thanks to his mentor ~ her not so good Mom...with guitar...but I love playing it...just that...music doesn't love me nah!!!
Great ax man! Did not not know you played, that is just one more notch on the cool list for you, Captain Ninja. Me, if I were going to be a guitar, I'd have to be Joe Perry. Aerosmith is my all time ultimate favorite band.
As always, Alex, your tastes in music are impeccable :) Damn good choice. If you're forming a band I'll take the triangle or the tambourine :P
Had a crazy time trying to get onto your blog yesterday, glad I managed today.
Great choice, Alex.
If you need a table dancer I'm the lady to call. ;D (my post will explain the comment).
Carolina, wish I could play well!
LTM, sorry about the flashback.
Heather, that's a good pick.
Amity at least you're honest! And glad your son has a good teacher. I had to learn on my own.
Melissa, I do indeed play - my You Rock award is a picture of my guitar.
Jamie, thank you! It'll have to be tambourine - Lynda's already on triangle.
Glynis, and I know you can dance!
Congrats to Talli!
Wonderful!I'm having my very first blog hop today Please stop by and link up your great blog. Hugs!!
If I had any musical talent at all, I'd join your rock band. Need an accordion player? I had two lessons as a child.
OMG, Alex, I'm comment #102???? Seriously, dude, you are so popular.
HUGE congratulations to Talli! She's awesome. If I could be anyone it would be author Jodi Piccoult. Her books are beyond amazing, and I wish I had even a smidgen of her talent.
I definitely have my heroes, (JK Rowling, Stephen King), but if I could anyone, I'd still be myself. I am too in love with some special people. I wouldn't trade them for all the fame & success in the world.
I like Dream Theater but I haven't immersed myself so much in the music that I can distinguish anything specific about Petrucci's guitar style. They are a great group so I'll take your word on this guitarist.
Lee
Tossing It Out
John Petrucci rocks - literally! I am so getting Dream Theaters new album.
Thanks for sharing and I can't wait to check out Watching Willow Watts - adding it to my TBR list now! :)
Music to my ears, man. You be Petrucci, and I'll be a mega combo of Portnoy and Labrie.
I love Dream Theater.
Great blog!
If I could have the voice of Nancy Wilson, I would join your band in a heartbeat (he he, Heart-beat). nvm.
Who would I be? Well . . . I love music, and I used to want to be an awesome drummer, or tap dancer (rhythm being the important piece). Maybe both? I could join the band, and dance?
Or maybe . . . be an amazing martial artist, or a acrobatic skydiver, or an Indian Jones type world traveler, or . . . a master fencer . . . or . . . well, this is why I write fiction. I just can't decide what the biggest, best dream is . . .
Holy 108 comments, Alex! You might not be Mr. Petrucci there, but you are definitely a blogging rock star. And thanks for giving back to the writing community.
Alex!
I would so totally be a rockstar too! There's something about standing on stage and shredding your guitar while millions of fans scream your name. :D Let's form a band! I can do rhythm guitar--not expertly, but well enough to blend in. :D
nutschell
www.thewritingnut.com
Interesting choice! He sounds like an amazing guitarist. :)
Need a piano player for a band? I'm up!
Katherine, I will!
Helen, it works for Weird Al.
Julie, you are!
Red, I wouldn't give up my wife either.
Lee, take my word for it!
Amy, you are one cool chick! You'll dig the new album.
Reinhardt, that would be awesome!
Avadonja, she has an amazing voice.
Tyrean, through fiction you can do it all.
Thanks, Shari!
Nutschell, let us blend our average talents!
Oh wow I dont even know who I'd want to be!! I'll be a groupie for your band. Trust me you do NOT want me in it. lol
You have almost as many comments as I have followers!! You are my role model.
Hmm! For me this is easy. If I could be anyone I would be Stephen King
I would love to be any singer that could carry a tune. Sadly I cannot. I can't even hear ranges in music. When I sing along to the radio, my kids howl like a dog at the moon, I am that bad. I am a fantastic lip sync-er. Great post Alex!
Wendy
W.S. Gager on Writing
Just don't ask me to sing...
Dafeenah, thanks! For both comments. I like groupies as well.
Wendy, I can fake it all right. Not great, but no one howls.
Congratulations to Talli -- she's setting a mighty good example for the rest of us.
Talli Roland Great, really adorable
Agent Pendergast. Obviously.
Hello.
Cool choice!
Is Mike Portnoy the drummer for Dream Theater?
He played drummer on tour with Avenged Sevenfold after their drummer died, so I've seen him live a few times.
I love the title of Talli's new book. What a fabulous title - that alone made it a must have.
Who would I be - do they have to be a real person? I kind of like who I am. But I wouldn't mind being Gabrielle, Xena's sidekick. She kicks butt and she writes about all their adventures. That would be a fun gig.
Hi Alex-- I'm looking forward to your blogfest. I'm prepping my list and checking it twice.
Anteras, good choice!
Kelly, he was - he left the band last year. Dream Theater's new album has an hour special of them trying to locate a new drummer.
Jennie, that's a good one.
MsMariah, glad you're ready!
Unique choice! Love it.
I just noticed the DREAM THEATER album on iTunes this morning. Going to check it out now!
PS. YAY Talli!!!! :)
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