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Mohr Stories 549: Billy Gibbons

Jay Mohr

41,629 views

Rock ‘n’ roll legend and founding member of ZZ Top, Billy Gibbons joins Jay this week. They dive into the great bluesmen of all time—B.B. King, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Buddy Guy, and more, along with how ZZ Top picked their name, the story behind their iconic spinning guitars, and old jungle shows and TV westerns. They also get into touring stories, Billy’s favorite cities to play, birthday bashes, famous friends, and plenty of classic rock ’n’ roll wisdom you won’t hear anywhere else.

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Music: "Rise" by Lady Owl

00:13 Gushing over Billy & ZZ Top, instruments
01:43 Tito Puente, Gloversville
04:46 Samuel Goldfish to Goldwin, monopolies
07:07 Covers, BB King, Jungle Shows
11:39 Fav songs from John Lee Hooker, BB King, Muddy Waters, Bo Diddley
14:32 Shamika Copeland, Hispanic Connection
16:15 The good guys of rock n roll, not even drugs could mess up time
20:57 Old Shows, Perry Mason, Westerns
22:08 Tim Montana, Wise River Club, acting with a horse
24:33 Every band name is taken, John Fogerty
27:08 ZZ Top name origin
29:51 Secret Pole Dance Studio
31:06 Guitar for Christmas, Jimmy Reed, dunta dunta, chomp chomp
33:04 Buddy Guy's advice
36:56 Spinning Guitar, Don Summers, The Doors
39:19 $3 million to shave beards
40:23 Could Buddy Guy be in a band?, Jimmy Vonn
41:50 Billy's Birthday Bash, Snoop Dogg, shows
44:51 Elwood Francis, Dusty Hill's passing
48:54 Stevie Wonder gets lost
51:04 Billy's new hat, Africa
54:18 Hurricane with Duane Allman
57:09 Working with Bill Murray
59:35 Tucson, Denver, Touring
1:02:55 Howard Hughes
1:04:10 Wrap up, necklace

#BillyGibbons #ZZTop #RocknRoll #Interview

20 Comments

@BeeBop1029 2 weeks ago (edited)

I really appreciate the frankness. I think this is my favorite Billy interview. Kudos!

@zachdavis9748 8 months ago (edited)

My first concert was ZZ Top, Recycler tour. I was about 10 years old. John Bolin makes custom guitars for them. J.B
is my uncle. Billy Gibbons came to the hotel where the grown ups were partying. He signed my ticket stub. It took till I was much older before I understood what a guitar genius that man is.

@CaptainEndoAgain 8 months ago

I just love Billy Gibbons. This guy is the coolest cat. He seems like a great hang. Would love to have a beer with him.

@FenderBender64 6 months ago

A national treasure 💕🕊️

@Gorthaur-Bauglir 8 months ago

Billy Gibbons could read the ingredients of a pop tart and it would be entertaining and soothing

@thehappysack2362 8 months ago (edited)

Thank you JJ. I needed this. My Dad used to crank Eliminator in his 56 F100. The best trip on my life was when I was 15 and we took a few day road trip to a Goodguys Car Show. He told me every story he had with every song. It’s the closest I got to to knowing him as a friend, not a father. He passed 4 years later.

ZZ Top always makes me happy

@ganderstein3426 5 days ago (edited)

When I first heard ZZ Top's Greatest Hits I never looked back. I never had to skip a song.

Billy is one of the GOATs.

@chuckshipley9917 8 months ago

One of my favorite childhood memories is riding with my big brother in a VW van playing a Fandango 8 track.
Decades of covering ZZ top later, my brother got to meet him.
I'd love to share that picture for you folks. My brother has the most amazing look on his face.
All George could get out was " You're,........You're my fucking hero....😢"❤

@MikeBranchBand 8 months ago

I'm typing this at 20 minutes in, and this is already HANDS DOWN the best BFG interview yet. By a mile. Thank you.

@RebelTheUncanny1 8 months ago

Holy F! The Man, himself! Way to go!

@lizardloungeradio 8 months ago

Seems hard to get a long interview out of Billy so you done a great job at over an hour. I met Billy a while back and shook his hand. Meeting a legend is something else!

@hhmking6852 4 months ago

Great interview with deep cuts man.

@lesterkeefe1115 8 months ago

When my kids were little, I used to play Sharp Dressed Man at their request nearly every time we were in the car together. ZZ Top could really groove. Incidentally, I used to do some acting. In 2010, I booked a costar on a show called Outlaw, a courtroom drama. I show up to set and JJ was my scene partner for five hours. He was nothing short of a prince to me. He made the experience one of the best I had in show business. I’m glad you’re a friend of Bill & Bob’s now, JJ. God Bless, brutha. One day at a time…

@beckstar127 3 months ago

Billy the legend xx

@amberpaigejames9054 5 months ago

Cool hearing Jay Mohr talk blues. He knows his stuff. I don't know why, but I'm surprised. Great interview 💙

@ericscott3040 8 months ago

I met Billy as a bartender at Rosarios in San Antonio twice. I met him in 2007 then again in 2018 and he was polite, approachable, and courteous. I remember him talking to me about some salsa he was trying to promote 🤘🤘🤘

@LoLgician 8 months ago

Finally a podcaster smart enough to get Mr. Gibbons on. Thanks for digging in more of his early life, they’ve always been so guarded on that. Which I know led to their mystery in the early years.