The Johnny Beane Podcast

On this episode of Talking Guitars on Johnny Beane TV, we read a fascinating story about Ritchie Blackmore, Deep Purple, and one of the most unexpected influences behind the band’s 1984 reunion.

Blackmore recently reunited with Deep Purple onstage for the first time in 33 years, joining his former bandmates at New York’s Jones Beach Theater for “Smoke on the Water.” It was an incredible moment for a guitarist who had spent decades away from the band he co-founded.

But Blackmore’s first Deep Purple reunion in 1984 had a surprising connection to another legendary group — The Police.

After leaving Deep Purple in 1975 to form Rainbow with Ronnie James Dio, Blackmore eventually saw an opportunity to bring the classic Mark II lineup back together. And according to Blackmore himself, part of the reason was what he felt was missing from the rock scene at the time.

Speaking to Metal Hammer in 1987, Blackmore bluntly explained:

“Everyone was playing like the Police. And can I state here that I hate the Police?”

The timing is fascinating. The Police were at the height of their success following their massive 1983 album Synchronicity, while Blackmore felt there was a gap in rock music for something heavier, rawer, and more aggressive.

As he put it, “There just wasn’t a band playing that earthy kind of rock.”

Blackmore believed Deep Purple could fill that void with their hard-driving, blues-based sound — music he felt didn't have the polished sheen dominating much of the rock world.

And he was right. In 1984, the classic Mark II lineup returned with Perfect Strangers, giving Deep Purple a remarkable second chapter.

Blackmore remained with the band until 1993, when he left again. Now, more than three decades later, seeing him back onstage with Deep Purple makes this story even more fascinating.

So, what do you think — did Ritchie Blackmore have a point about the state of rock music in the 1980s, or was he just being Ritchie Blackmore?

#RitchieBlackmore #DeepPurple #ThePolice #TalkingGuitars

On this episode of Exclusively Van Halen on Johnny Beane TV, we take a fascinating look back at one of guitar history’s greatest secret supergroups — Biff Baby’s All-Stars — and an incredible story involving Eddie Van Halen and Albert Lee!

🎸 Albert Lee reveals Eddie Van Halen was reluctant to play “Country Boy” with the group because he didn’t think the song fit his style.
⚡ Eddie reportedly told Lee, “I can’t play on that!”
🤘 Lee’s response? “Yes, you can — you can do all that tapping!”
🔥 Eddie went on to prove, once again, that he could step outside his comfort zone and absolutely crush it.
⭐ Biff Baby’s All-Stars featured an unbelievable lineup of musicians, including Albert Lee, Eddie Van Halen, Steve Morse, and Steve Lukather.
🎶 The group played secretive, informal gigs under a strange name, often attracting packed crowds who had no idea which guitar legends might show up.
🏟️ One legendary performance took place at NAMM, a show that fans and musicians continued talking about for years.
📼 Sadly, the group never recorded an official album, leaving only a handful of rough bootleg recordings documenting these incredible jams.

It’s another amazing glimpse into Eddie Van Halen’s musical curiosity, versatility, and willingness to jump into styles outside his usual territory.

What do you think — would you have loved to see Eddie Van Halen, Albert Lee, Steve Morse, and Steve Lukather jam together live?

#VanHalen #EddieVanHalen #AlbertLee #SteveMorse

On this episode of Exclusively Van Halen on Johnny Beane TV, we travel back 40 years to August 12, 1986! 🤘

Longtime Van Halen fan and drummer Kurt Ekstrom attended his very first Van Halen concert that night—a show he still remembers vividly four decades later.

Kurt, a longtime admirer of Alex Van Halen, has written extensively about drums and gear for Not So Modern Drummer and has even appeared on the Drum History Podcast discussing Alex’s legendary setup.

Now, 40 years later, Kurt shares his incredible memories of finally seeing his musical heroes—and especially his drumming hero, Alex Van Halen, live for the first time! 🥁🔥

40 years later… the memories are still loud!

#VanHalen #AlexVanHalen #ExclusivelyVanHalen #JohnnyBeaneTV

NEW MXR FLANGER/DOUBLER! 🎸
The original MXR Model 126 Flanger/Doubler rack-mount unit was released in 1976

🎸 Want to grab one of these pedals? Use my affiliate link—it won’t cost you anything extra, and your purchase helps support Johnny Beane TV and keep these shows going!
https://amzn.to/4xDwrHV

On this episode of Talking Guitars on Johnny Beane TV, we check out the brand-new MXR Flanger/Doubler — a modern pedal recreation of the legendary original MXR rack unit!

This all-analog pedal brings classic ’70s and ’80s studio textures into a pedalboard-friendly format, with plenty of control for creating your own sounds.

🔥 FEATURES:
• All-analog flanger and doubler effects
• Authentic bucket-brigade devices
• Flanger mode for sweeping jet-engine motion and metallic resonance
• Doubler mode for thick, layered tones, chorus, and slapback-style effects
• Manual, Width, Speed, Regen, and Mix controls
• Two LEDs display instantaneous delay time and modulation activity
• Invert switch for unique hollow, airy, or punchy textures
• CV In/Out for synths, sequencers, expression pedals, and external control
• Line Level switch for handling hotter signals
• Designed for vintage tones and experimental soundscapes

From classic swirling modulation to thick studio doubling and completely wild textures, the MXR Flanger/Doubler gives you a serious amount of control.

🎸 We take a closer look at this brand-new pedal on Talking Guitars — only on Johnny Beane TV!

#MXR #MXRFlangerDoubler #GuitarPedals #GuitarGear

How close can you get to owning a true Eddie Van Halen-inspired masterpiece? 🎸🔥

On this episode of Exclusively Van Halen on Johnny Beane TV, we take a look at the incredible EVH Custom Shop Wolfgang HH guitars available through Sweetwater — battle-scarred, collector-grade instruments designed with Eddie’s legendary, well-worn guitars in mind.

From the heavily relic’d striped finish and lightweight basswood body to the sustain-rich bigleaf maple, quarter-sawn maple neck, bird’s-eye maple fingerboard, EVH Wolfgang humbuckers, Kill switch, Floyd Rose tremolo, and D-Tuna, these guitars are loaded with the features that make the Wolfgang unmistakably EVH.

But the big question is: Is this the ultimate Wolfgang for an Eddie Van Halen fan and collector?

We take a closer look at what makes these Custom Shop guitars so special and why they could be some of the most impressive EVH instruments Sweetwater has ever offered.

#VanHalen #EddieVanHalen #EVHGuitars #WolfgangGuitar