Meet the King Guys: Guitarist Gary Dawson

Guitarist/vocalist Gary Dawson, born and raised in the land of the MC5, is a Red Wings fan (surprise) and as with everyone we like, he pays very close attention to his guitar tone AND beer selection. When performing with Mick Hargreaves & The King Guys, he wears Gibson, Telecaster, Gretsch guitars and a couple of other things plugged into a variety of amplifiers. We caught up with him while he was flying over "that middle part of the country" on a six-hour flight with no on-board movies, and kindly decided not to chastise him yet again for the Detroit Lions having Nickleback perform during halftime on Thanksgiving day. [MH]

The King Guys: (L to R) Michael Bifulco, Gary Dawson, Don Mangles, Jeff McClary, Mick Hargreaves

Name some things you like.

Talent and humility.

Well, that rules ME out. Now identify the exact opposites of those things.

[Persons named here by Gary have been removed from the text of this interview in order to protect the "totally, completely, guilty" - Editor.]

What's so great about this music thing? I don't get it.

You too? I thought it was just me?



If you could eat one person from the Civil War who would you eat?

Nobody named Johnson, that’s for sure.



Would you rather have: A car that flies but can only run on apple cores OR... Be able to produce cooked frogs legs whenever you want to, up to 20 times per day?

Don’t be so absurd by making this an OR rather than AND condition. Why can’t I have my car and eat it too?



Hey, where'd ya get that?

From someone who obviously doesn’t practice good personal hygiene.



Please detail your most embarrassing memory involving an animal.

Why don’t you ask the flirtatious llama that question? Like I made the first move!



Would you rather:
 eBay your groceries for a year OR Have tiny light-sabers for fingernails?
For anyone into self-pleasure, the light saber fingernail thing is a little scary.



Please theorize on why manhole covers are round.

Everyone knows it’s so they can’t fall into a man’s hole.



What's the favorite "can't do without" instrument you own, and... wanna sell it?

I consider this question a prelude to entrapment.

How many gas stations would you say there are in the United States, and how have we become so good at striking oil wherever one is built?
I don’t know, but that [name removed to protect drummer] guy is a walking natural gas mine.

Symmetry: Overrated, or Underrated?

Bilateral: overrated. Radial: underrated. Mirror image: let me reflect on that before answering.

Are you gonna finish that?

Right after I finish this.

If you were a car, what kind of salad dressing would you choose?

Volvo vinaigrette with a dash of fresh ground brake dust.

Can you describe an atom?

Small, self-centered and prone to attachment to others. Can be found hanging out in compounds, or sometimes just comfortable in its own element. Some highly refined ones are da bomb.

There's no keyboard player in Mick Hargreaves & The King Guys. Why?

We don’t need some guy tickling the ovaries on every song.

Favorite beer?
The one that’s handed to me.

Worst beer?

The one that I have to fetch.

How good are you at faking sincerity?

I must say in all honesty that this is without a doubt the best question I have ever been asked. I really mean that. How incredibly astute of you to include it in this questionnaire.



Should it be illegal to play harmonica while driving?

No, it should be illegal to play harmonica.

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