Gary Clark Jr. On Making Something Cool With Rihanna

Young Hollywood, what is going on? We have Gary Clark Jr. here in the Young Hollywood Studios. I'm going to come out and say this. You are the greatest blues player of all time. Can I say it?

You said it.

I said it. I said it. You said it. No, man, you are so talented, dude. It's ridiculous. And like I was saying earlier to you, we've been we've been wanting to interview you forever, just because of how beautiful and talented you are. You know what I mean?

Oh, man. Well, thank you. I appreciate you having me. This couch is nice and comfortable.

It's comfy? Yeah, it's good. So, Justice League, the film, they had you come in you covered "Come Together."

Yeah, covered the Beatles classic record. I was working with this artist, Junkie XL. He was working on music at the time, and I didn't know much about him, but I didn't even know I was doing this thing for this film. Okay. It was like total secret. I got in the studio, and he played it for me in the studio. It was crazy, and it was loud, and it was banging, and it sounded badass, and he's like, "Just do that fuzzy guitar stuff that you do." And I gave it a shot.

So, blues music? Yeah, for the most part. Pure blues music?

Yeah, I'm from Austin, Texas. Right. So, I grew up listening to Stevie Ray Vaughan from the South. It's something that kind of resonated. But I love all kind of stuff. I grew up listening to Tupac and Biggie and Nirvana, and I'm everywhere, musically schizophrenic, as I've been told.

So, talk about so talk about Austin here. You were sneaking into bars?

Yeah. Yeah, I was well, yeah. I wasn't sneaking in. Like I didn't have to climb into any windows or anything like that. But I had people who would look out for me and kind of let me in and they knew what I was about. They knew I wasn't about any trouble, really, and I was just into the music. You know what I mean?

There's a bar called Antone's. Was that one of your first places that you performed at?

In Austin, if you make it to the Antone's stage, you made it. You made it. Yeah, especially playing blues, so Clifford Antone brought a lot of these old blues guys down to Austin and introduced a lot of the younger folks into this music and kind of created this huge scene. And um, so as a young kid, yeah, I hopped up there and started to hang out with blues greats. If you know nothing about blues, I mean, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, the guys that were playing in his band were around. So as a teenager, I was hanging out in smokey green room, hearing these old guys talk, you know, about old times in the Delta, moved in Chicago and stuff.

Who has been who has been the baddest blues player that you've ever been on stage with?

I think the most energetic will be Buddy Guy. Buddy Guy is so good live. Just his face and all the stuff that he makes, man.

When you guys play, what like makes a great guitar solo? When you look as Gary Clark Jr. , you're sitting back there, what is it to be a great guitar soloist?

I don't know, the thing that always resonates with me is a great guitar solo. It either makes you want to cheer or sends like chills up and down your spine or you uncontrollably cry.

Cry? Yeah, oh yeah. Have you ever cried?

Oh yeah.

Watching a blues solo?

Oh yeah. It's beautiful. It's beautiful.

I've cried too, watching a blues solo, many blues solos. Junior, tell me, is there Is there a Gary Clark also? Your father, was he was he a musician?

Yeah, I didn't just come out of nowhere.

Yeah, you didn't come out of nowhere.

That'll be tight. They call me the sequel, my pops. A hard-working guy, kind of introduced me to this music stuff, a big influence on the sounds. That was really the soundtrack to my childhood.

You have a son?

I do. He's about to be three. His name's Zion. He's running around, banging drums, at all hours of the day.

Already on the drums.

Yeah, he's pissing the neighbors off.

You should get him some electronic drums.

See, I didn't think about that. Yeah. It was a little too late. Dammit. It's all good. I can't take him away from him now. Crush him.

You did a performance one time that I thought was unbelievable with with Beyoncé and with Ed Sheeran.

Yeah, it was one of the greatest things I've ever done. I mean, I got a chance to be on stage with Beyoncé. I don't know anybody who doesn't want to be up on stage with her and performing with Ed Sheeran. He's a lot better of a guitar player than people give him credit for. It was a tribute to Stevie Wonder and he was sitting right there in the audience. It was a it was a dream gig. I'm a fan of all of them.

Is there anybody that you'd want to you'd want to collaborate with out there that you have not collaborated with?

I think me and Rihanna could do something cool.

Yes. Yeah. Please, RiRi, get after Gary Clark Jr. over here. This guy is truly amazing. I'm fanboying over this guy right here. It's all love. Yeah. Well, thank you so much for hanging out with us in the studio. Thank you.

When this is done, I'll lay down.

Yeah, let's lay down. Cool. Good night, guys.