STUCK MOJO Guitarist: 'My Career Has Certainly Exceeded Any Expectations That I Had'

Hails And Horns magazine recently conducted an interview with STUCK MOJO guitarist Rich Ward. An excerpt from the chat follows below.

Hails And Horns: You have never been shy of tackling difficult subjects, for example "Worshipping A False God" or "For The Cause Of Allah". Do you ever worry that politics and religion can offend members of your audience, or is it important for you as an artist to talk about issues that affect you?

Rich: It's not that I consider it important to talk about, I just write about things that interest me. If we're keeping it real, I'm just a guitar player from a small town in Georgia, so in the big scheme of things, nothing I do should be considered of any great consequence. If I happen to inspire a listener to take up an interest in something, then great, [and] if not, I hope there's a riff or two that they can get off on. As for offending people, these days you can't seem to avoid that. When it comes to opinions on politics or social issues, it seems to me that people have become hyper-sensitive and defensive of their positions. When I write a song about something political, it reflects my world view, based on my experiences, and the prism that I see the world through. I expect people to disagree, because none of us are going to see the world exactly the same way. We all have different life experiences that shape our opinions, and as I see it, there are no absolute right or wrongs. A common respect for each other's opinions is where we can come together.

Hails and Horns: After over 15 years in the music business, where do you find your inspiration? Do you ever worry that this is just becoming a job?

Rich: I find it in the same same places I did when I first started. At my core, I'm still that 14-year-old kid that loses his mind over a great riff, a big catchy chorus, and a ripping guitar solo. When it starts feeling like a job, I'll do something else that actually pays good.

Hails and Horns: I guess your peers would be RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS, FAITH NO MORE, RUN DMC. Those bands have had huge commercial success, which is something I believe you also deserved. Is the time right for your style to grab the world's attention? Do you ever envy the success of a band like RHCP?

Rich: I didn't ever in my wildest dreams think that I would get to where I am now. I was the worst guitar player in my group of friends, but when all my musician friends went to college, started professional careers, and got married, I just kept playing. I never envisioned myself being in some big band, I just loved playing guitar and writing songs, so it remained the focus of my life. I'm not sure at what point I actually thought that I had a chance to make a living as a musician, but I'm sure that my career has certainly exceeded any expectations that I had. With that said, I have no expectations moving forward. In 10 years we could be bigger than ever, or I could be working at Burger King. Either way, I'll still play and write music for fun and I'll never be envious of the success of good bands.

Read the entire interview at this location.

STUCK MOJO's October 9, 2008 performance at the legendary Paradiso in Amsterdam, Holland as the support act for VOLBEAT is available for viewing below.