Alex Skolnick is one of the most versatile guitarists in the metal game and was waaaaay ahead of the curve when it came to shred metal guys taking a step outside of the metal world. And, being such an amazing player he is an incredibly cool and humble guy, clearly happy to be living a life creating and performing music. It might seem weird to some that I would mention a musician being absolutely happy living a musician's life but trust me, its less common than you think it is.

We talk in this episode about functional/dysfunctional band dynamics, Alex Skolnick Trio and playing with "real jazz guys", and new Testament LP. Look for a complete and unedited version of our conversation in an upcoming Couch Riffs podcast!

Reflecting back on the middle school kid I was in the outer edges of the Bay Area in '84-'85 I can tell you that it was a thrill and an honor to have Alex in my home to do Couch Riffs with ME. Metal was everything to me and, as I've stated in the past, KVHS radio was a High School station that was almost entirely staffed by teenage metalheads promoting all the killer metal of the time. That's when I first heard Testament along with Metallica, Venom, Slayer, Megadeth, Cirith Ungol, Posessed, and tons of others. This 7th grade year was so important to me and I'm forever grateful to have had a community radio station like KVHS nearby. When they shut down each evening I was always so sad. But, that was the same year that I started building my record collection! So, I had that to fall back on. I spent so much time writing my favorite bands' names on any flat surface near me and drawing my imaginary band names on my Pee Chee folders. I wish I could remember some of those names now. "I'm sure they were all great, great names".

Thank you so much Alex. Congratulations on the release of your amazing new album, Conundrum, and good luck in 2019 with the new Testament album. I'm very much looking forward to hearing it.

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