FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH guitarist Jason Hook recently spoke to Louder Noise about how he landed one of his first big music gigs: as the touring guitarist for American singer Hilary Duff.
“I have very fond memories of the whole thing,” Hook said. “It would very predictable for someone in our position to go, ‘I don’t know what I was thinking. I must have been out of my mind,’ and all that stuff. And I just don’t feel that way about it. My memories are fond. I moved down to Los Angeles to play music, from Canada. I had a Dodge Colt and about two hundred dollars, and I I hugged my dad and I said, ‘I’m just going.’ And he’s, like, ‘All right. Call me when you get there.’ And so I’m playing with everybody I can get my hands on. I played in four or five bands at a time — local bands — for free. And eventually somebody says, ‘You would be great for this artist that needs a rock guitar player. They’re auditioning people tomorrow morning. So if you’d like, I can get you in on that.’ And I’m, like, ‘Yeah. Of course. Why not?’ There was no success there. I didn’t know who it was. I didn’t know anything about it. I was just, like, ‘Here’s the two songs. If you think you can play it…’ And then all these guys were there, and they picked me. And I’m, like, ‘Okay, cool. Let’s rock.'”
He continued: “I don’t get too hung up on answering this question fifteen years later. And, to be honest, it was a fantastic learning experience, because I was touring around the world, massive venues, a lot of television appearances, and it taught me how to be a professional and how to be responsible. And I had to be prepared at any given moment to play thirty-something songs. They would go, ‘Jason and Hilary are gonna go down to ‘Good Morning America’ tomorrow and play this song.’ ‘Okay.’ You know? And I loved every minute of it. I thought it was fantastic. She’s a wonderful person and her family treated us very well. And here I am, staying positive.”
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