Ronnie Le Tekro is a name synonymous with outlandish guitar solo's, eclectic melodies and basically something different in the often staid world of melodic rock. With a recent solo album under his belt and the European release of the new TNT album in the not too distant future HRH caught up with the Norwegian axe slinger to find out more:

Ronnie Le Tekro

What is your first guitar playing memory and at what point did you decide that you wanted to pursue a career in music?

RLT: I was ten and making up new chords on my grandmothers for a song I wrote, I was hooked and by the age of fifteen I knew it was what I wanted to do

Were you self-taught or did you taken any lessons and which players did you look to for inspiration?

RLT: Initially I was self taught in old communist Norway, but I was given lessons in the harmonics of McLaughlin and later attended two years of private lessons in classical guitar playing. As for inspiration there was Tony Iommi, Steve Hillage, Bill Nelson, McLaughlin, Joe Walsh and of course George Harrison.

I've heard that musicians from Norway and Sweden often cite their homeland's folk melodies as an influence. Would you say that had been a factor in how your create unusual melodies?

RLT: A little bit, although I feel much more influenced by  the 70`s British  bands and the solo work of Walsh. I think my use of chords and some of the solo work comes from the ice cold harmonics of Norway though.

One of your trademark sounds is your "machine gun" technique, how do you master that way of playing?

RLT: The sound is achieved by a heavy right and mute while playing a mandolin type movement with the right hand. The licks are basically played on one string, Paganini style and you can study it at IGA, the International Guitar Academy...I have hundreds of other tricks too :-)

Do you go about creating a solo album differently to the way to a TNT album is put together?

RLT: Completely differently, my solo albums are based around the British rock tradition and are heavily influenced by bands like City Boy, Be Bop De Luxe, Pilot etc, mixed with poppsyedelia, while TNT is about maintaining the sound TNT we created from day one and I've tried to not mix the two concepts when we were putting the new TNT album-"Atlantis" together:-)

Talking specifically about Kingdom Of Norway, how long did it take you to put the project together?

RLT: It took almost two months, I wanted to do a lot of experimentation and the band was with me for the entire period. I almost went bankrupt from all of the red wine that was drunk :-)

Looking at the title track, "Kingdom Of Norway", it sounds like it has a lot of layered guitar parts..

RLT: Thanks :-) Actually there's one stereo rhythm guitar, one for the main solo as well as two harmonized hammer on guitars at the end plus a keyboard played arpeggio unison.

Happy's vocals have an uncanny resemblance to David Bowie, with an almost a Ziggy Stardust like vibe, were you going for that sort of feel or did it just happen by accident?

RLT: Both I think, That song just happened on a Saturday night in the studio and we immediately got that TREX/Bowie sound, so you're right on mate!

On the YouTube live video of "Kissing Disease" there seemed a strange layout of the tuners  with five on the top and one on the bottom.  Is this guitar a new custom model as you normally have  six tuners on the top?

RLT: He he, the headstock broke for the sixth time so I had to glue it together and modify the tuner set up :-) I like my guitars to be rampaged, used and raped.

"From A Bird’s Perspective" has a very Beatles like feel running throughout, was this something you were conscious of when you wrote this track?

RLT: The Producer HP Gundersen wrote that song with me and I think it has a sadness to it that I hadn't heard for years in music. It really makes me happy though that you like track,.. I live isolated in some of the biggest remaining woods of Europe and I hear less and less birds singing every year sadly enough.

On the other hand "She Stole The Magic," sounds contemporary and yet slightly mysterious with lyrics that sound fairly personal, what's the story there?

RLT: I think it was dedicated to my x-wife, my 2nd x-wife and my girlfriend these days...my future x-wife :-)

Is their a significance to the year 1976 as it feels very live and very much like a one take?

RLT: It is a one hundred percent live-take from my studio recorder 24 analogue,, no mixing--just mastered. I love the track as it was recorded 3.30 in the morning and I guess it's my ode to 1976, the year when music was best and the productions were warm and full.

Were you not tempted to produce the album yourself?

RLT: It's hard to be on both sides of the window to be honest so with Kingdom I was fully reliant on the crazy skills of HP Gundersen.

Two solo albums down, and both have been very much rock orientated, have you been tempted down the acoustic path at all?

RLT: Not really, I'm still trying to figure the electric guitar out and I have tons of electric work to do :-) But maybe in the future, you never know.

Do you find a greater personal sense of satisfaction when you complete a solo album compared to a TNT album?

RLT: I think so, although I must say I'm extremely happy about the new TNT album

Taking of which ,what can you tell us about the new TNT?

RLT: It's  done.. but it was a long road for me, I haven't worked in this concentrated a fashion since Intuition and the first Vagabond album

Are there any plans to play your  solo material live?

RLT: I have been on the road doing some shows so far but I am looking for foreign promoters to book my solo act, A crazy show with hardcore lighting design :-)

If you could form a band using any musicians alive or dead whom would you choose?

RLT: That would be BP Hovik on drums, Paul McCartney on bass and backing vocals :-)) Steve Hillage to play second guitar and Herbie Hancock to add the keyboards.

Finally do you have any message for the readers of HRH and your many fans in the UK?

RLT: Thanks for showing interest in me and my music I hope to see you in concert in the future. Love and respect...Ronnie

Al Hey