"I could have done a poor imitation of Brian May, but I just figured it would be better to get the real thing": Bumblefoot on wrangling famous guitarists, his new album, and the celebrity hot sauce community

When Ron ‘Bumblefoot’ Thal was six, he dreamed of being Gene Simmons. “I wanted to be a bassist and breathe fire and spit blood,” he says. That didn’t happen, but the path he did take – guitar hero, being a member of Guns N’ Roses, his own hot sauce brand – turned out pretty well.

After 10 years in various bands (Sons Of Apollo, Asia, Whom Gods Destroy), he’s back to being a solo artist, and has a new all-instrumental album Bumblefoot… Returns!, featuring guest spots from Brian May and Steve Vai.

This is your first solo album since 2015. Are you happy being your own boss again?

There’s something about being in a band that I love. Collaborating with people who bring in ideas that I don’t have. But doing solo music, I get to fully express every aspect of my being, which is something you don’t want to project on other people.

Plus you get to tell Steve Vai and Brian May what to play.

I would never want to do that. I could have done a poor imitation of Brian May, but I just figured it would be better to get the real thing.

Bumblefoot - Simon In Space [Official Music Video] - YouTube

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It’s a diverse-sounding album. Where did the inspiration for the songs come from?

Every song is a snapshot of a place I’ve been, something I’ve experienced, something that was happening in my life. It’s a scrapbook. For example Funeral March came from just being surrounded by so many losses during the pandemic. It does have the same name as the Chopin piece, but then I’m constantly in a world of Chopin.

You spent eight years in Guns N’ Roses.What did you get from that?

Much needed performance experience, for sure. And it was good to be a hired hand rather than the one doing the hiring. But there was also a disconnection I wasn’t always comfortable with. We’d play these huge arenas, and a lot of times I’d run to the backstage door and step outside and hang with the people there, talking to them and signing things. For me, if I didn’t do that, it didn’t feel real, it felt unnatural in a way.

Bumblefoot 'Cintaku' [guitar play-through] - YouTube

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What’s the current status of your prog-metal supergroup Sons Of Apollo?

Sons Of Apollo is on indefinite hiatus because our drummer is kind of busy right now [Mike Portnoy rejoined Dream Theater in 2023]. Derek [Sherinian, keyboard player] and I started writing music for a third album, but we saw what was going to happen, so Derek and I formed a new band, Whom Gods Destroy, which was great. The problem is when you form a band during the pandemic, but once that’s over, everyone’s back on their own hamster wheel and it’s hard to make time again.

You’ve got a range of hot sauces. How did you get into that business?

I was always into spicy food. I’d carry vials of the hottest capsicum oil on tour, just to add a kick to meals. And this wonderful company took me under their wing and we got in the kitchen together and came up with some ideas.

Several celebrities, including Joe Perry and Zakk Wylde, have a hot sauce brand. Do you look at those guys and go: “Mine’s hotter than theirs”?

There is no competition. We’re all in this together. There’s a lot of hot sauce to go round.

Bumblefoot… Returns! is out now via Bumblefoot Music LLC.