Bob Log III

Manic Slide Guitarist and One-Man Blues Explosion from Arizona

One-man band Bob Log III is more than a scotch and a helmet and a jigger of blues
By Timothy Finn The Kansas City Star

If he hired a drummer, ditched his helmet and requested a standard swizzle stick to stir his scotch, Bob Log III would still draw an audience. His music is that entertaining.

Instead, in more ways than one, Log is his won drummer, which goes a long way in explaining why his act is so offbeat, off-color and on target. In a music world well-populated by pretenders and poseurs, Log stands as a master of something that's as low-brow and funny as it is cunning and distinctive
. For starters, he keeps time with two busy feet, kicking a cymbal and a bass drum and tow-tapping two drum machines. The first thing you'll notice about him, though, is the bubble-mask motorcycle helmet he wears, which is wired with a microphone - a masquerade that hides his face and warps his voice.

And as for the swizzle stick - the frank truth is he'd rather his drink be stirred by a bare female breast, and these days Bob Log is so popular (or persuasive) he's been getting his way.

Granted, Log could shed all those gags and novelties and still make a decent living as a working musician. He's that good a slide guitarist. A few years ago, Log was drafted to fill in on a European tour with the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, who was performing with Mississippi blues-man R.L. Burnside. Log says that after the gigs, Burnside assured him he was "hanging in there like a dirty shirt."

Yes, Log could lose them all, but the helmet and kick cymbal and everything else are more than gags and novelties. They're more like icons and rituals in his liturgy - Log's way of celebrating his belief in what music is supposed to be: primal, sexual, humorous, impromptu, entertaining.

"I grew up listening to Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley and AC/DC," he said Wednesday. "That's what rock'n'roll is to me. You take a guitar, turn it up and have a good time. That's where I'm from. Everyone else can go listen to Pearl Jam if they want to."