Alice Cooper thinks Johnny Depp is on the same level as some certain guitarists musically.
In a new interview with Classic Rock, Cooper talked about his Hollywood Vampires bandmate and how people thought he wasn’t a good guitarist. He also compared Depp to his bandmate Joe Perry and the late Yardbirds guitarist Jeff Beck:
“People had no idea that Johnny Depp was a great guitar player. They think he’s a movie star trying to be a guitar player. Well, he’s playing with Jeff Beck, playing with the Stones. You don’t play with those guys unless you know what you’re doing. You get in that room and you’ve got Duff McKagan on bass and Joe Perry on guitar and Joe Walsh on guitar.”
Is Depp A ‘Terrible’ Guitarist?
As opposed to Cooper, some others think Depp is a ‘terrible’ guitarist.
During a chat with the ‘X5 Podcast,’ A&R executive Tom Zutaut said that Johnny Depp wasn’t the best guitarist he had ever seen during an audition. He also pointed out that Depp’s talent as a musician wasn’t about his guitar skills but more about his charisma:
“Johnny Depp auditioned for me twice. This is a funny story. I go to a rehearsal, the manager’s a friend of mine, and he goes, ‘I got this band from Jacksonville, they’re great.’ I go see ’em, and they were terrible. Johnny Depp was the worst guitarist I’d ever seen — but his charisma was insane.”
Still, Cooper genuinely believes Depp is a good guitarist. In another interview, he once again shared his thoughts on Depp’s guitar skills:
“Johnny’s great. When he’s with us he’s not a movie star – he’s a guitar player. And he’s a great guitar player. You don’t go out with Jeff Beck unless you can play guitar, and he really is a player.”
Depp has been playing guitar since he was 12, and playing in The Holywood Vampires since 2012 with Alice Cooper and Joe Perry.