Adrian Belew

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“I felt like Ken Parker had taken 20 years to eliminate all the things that normally go wrong with a Fender or Gibson”: Adrian Belew on how he persuaded the famed luthier to create his mind-bending signature Parker Fly

By Janelle Borg published 19 September 24

Belew is using his signature Parker Fly as his go-to guitar on the 65-date Beat Tour with Steve Vai, Tool drummer Danny Carey, and King Crimson alumnus Tony Levin

“You can rehearse until you're blue in the face, but once you hit the stage and the lights go out, all bets are off”: Steve Vai and Adrian Belew tackle King Crimson classics as their much-anticipated Beat tour kicks off

By Phil Weller published 16 September 24

The pair have joined forces with Tony Levin and Danny Carey to perform King Crimson’s 1980s albums across a sprawling 65-date tour

“I was at a King Crimson show, I was signing autographs and somebody handed me Mariah Carey’s record and said, ‘Would you sign this?’” How Adrian Belew ended up on a number one single without even knowing

By Janelle Borg published 18 July 24

Belew’s playing on Tom Tom Club’s Genius of Love has been sampled 166 times by a host of artists, including Mariah Carey

A B/W image of Adrian Belew with his number one Strat, circa 1981

“Seymour Duncan went to work. He dragged it through the grass. Put motor oil on it. Chipped it. Frank Zappa said, ‘If you wanted to ruin your guitar, Adrian, why didn’t you loan it to a friend?’” Adrian Belew’s number one Stratocaster has lived a life

By Ryan Reed published 11 July 24

Is this the first relic'ed guitar? Belew says so, and it's graced records by Zappa, Talking Heads, David Bowie and King Crimson. It has been on the cover of GW. It is still in service

Adrian Belew of King Crimson, portrait, at Tent, Olympisch Stadion, Amsterdam, Netherlands, 6th September 1982

“He took the lighter fluid, squirted it on the guitar and set it on fire. That might be the first relic’d guitar – and you can thank Seymour Duncan for that”: That time Adrian Belew DIY aged his Strat with a screwdriver, spray paint and motor oil

By Matt Owen published 12 June 24

Belew bought a brown sunburst Strat to take on tour with Frank Zappa – but it wasn't deemed fit for purpose until going through a drastic cosmetic overhaul

“David Bowie and Brian Eno used to laugh at me, saying: ‘You’re not supposed to be able to play that!’” Adrian Belew on Frank Zappa’s lessons, Robert Fripp’s synth guitar, and what’s coming up with Steve Vai

By Andrew Daly published 14 May 24

Still amazed that he managed to gather Vai, Tony Levin and Danny Carey into new band Beat, Belew reflects on his light-speed journey from 1977 to 1982, and how he plans to reactivate King Crimson’s ‘80s albums on stage

Adrian Belew live onstage with King Crimson in 1984

“Robert had a plan laid out that we would do three records in three years”: Adrian Belew on how King Crimson made an underrated prog classic in “this industrial musical junkyard we created”

By Ryan Reed published 8 May 24

Adrian Belew reveals what went on behind the scenes during the making of the band’s dual-personality 10th album, Three of a Perfect Pair – the final studio release from the Fripp/Belew/Levin/Bruford crew

“We started thinking, ‘Well, who could possibly be in the band?’ The only person I could think of was Steve”: Adrian Belew on how he and Steve Vai are forming a new guitar partnership ahead of a King Crimson supergroup tour

By Phil Weller published 12 April 24

'Beat' will tour the band's ’80s material later this year, and the group's guitar duo is working on a partnership that can do the Belew/Fripp double act justice

(from left) Steve Vai, Adrian Belew, Tony Levin and Danny Carey

“Robert Fripp is one of our historical geniuses… I will be putting my best foot forward to respect this great music”: Steve Vai, Adrian Belew, Tony Levin and Danny Carey reveal full details of new King Crimson supergroup tour

By Matt Owen published 2 April 24

The Fripp-approved band – which will revisit and reinterpret tracks from Crimson's Discipline, Beat, and Three of a Perfect Pair albums – will hit virtually every corner of the US and Canada this fall

Adrian Belew flexes his muscles onstage with his signature red Strat

From King Crimson to A-list hired gun with Talking Heads, Frank Zappa and David Bowie, Adrian Belew created his own language on the guitar – here are his 10 greatest guitar moments

By Ryan Reed published 28 March 24

With King Crimson, Talking Heads, as a solo artist, it didn't matter: Adrian Belew manipulated the guitar like no-one else, bending sound into new shapes

“Steve Vai is the only guitarist who could play my parts. I’m totally psyched for this”: Robert Fripp gives his blessing for a new King Crimson supergroup, featuring Steve Vai, Adrian Belew, Tony Levin and Danny Carey

By Phil Weller published 22 March 24

The star-studded lineup will perform tracks from King Crimson's ’80s albums – and it was Fripp who suggested the group's name

“I’ve always had a knack for emulating sounds or creating new ones”: Adrian Belew on the weird, wonderful and utterly unique tones behind his new solo album, Elevator

By Ryan Reed published 11 July 23

The former Frank Zappa and King Crimson guitarist keeps putting his decades-old knack for sonic invention to good use

Robert Fripp’s 20 greatest guitar moments

By Ryan Reed last updated 26 August 22

No style was off limits for Fripp, who gave shape and form to progressive music with King Crimson and beyond

Robert Fripp in-depth: his quest to combine Hendrix and Bartók, what made King Crimson “problematic” and why he has “no interest in gear at all”

By David Mead last updated 25 August 22

In this exclusive interview, we sit down with the brilliant and divisive progressive guitar icon to discuss the art of Guitar Craft and the highs and lows of King Crimson – and get an intimate look at his guitar collection

Best of the '80s: Warren DeMartini, Steve Stevens, Lita Ford and more on their favorite things from the decade of excess

Warren DeMartini, Steve Stevens, Lita Ford and an all-star panel share their guitar highlights of the ‘80s

By GuitarWorld Staff last updated 23 August 22

Some of the biggest names in guitar look back on the era of big solos and even bigger hair to share their favorite riffs, shredders and, yes, haircuts of the decade

(from left) Matthew Murphy, Dan Haggis and Tord Øverland Knudsen of The Wombats perform at Lollapalooza 2022 at Grant Park on July 28, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois

From somber blues guitar duels to Shadows-esque guitar-pop: here are this week's essential guitar tracks

By Matt Owen, Jonathan Horsley, Sam Roche, Jackson Maxwell published 19 August 22

The best in new guitar music – featuring fresh tracks from Hermanos Gutiérrez and Dan Auerbach, Buddy Guy and Jason Isbell, Fit For a King, Demi Lovato, the Wombats and more

(from left) Adrian Belew, Todd Rundgren and David Bowie

Adrian Belew, Todd Rundgren announce Celebrating David Bowie 2022 North American tribute tour

By Jackson Maxwell published 7 June 22

The fall trek is also set to feature Narada Michael Walden bassist Angeline Saris, Scrote, Fishbone’s Angelo Moore, veteran session drummer Michael Urbano and more

Adrian Belew drops energetic new single, a13

By Matt Owen published 28 April 22

The track is lifted from the former King Crimson guitarist's 25th solo studio album, Elevator, which arrives later this year

Adrian Belew on how Eddie Van Halen advanced guitar playing "to the next level"

By Matt Owen published 20 December 21

Belew recalls seeing an unsigned Van Halen expertly tapping away on his fretboard during a time when he was trying to master the then-unnamed technique himself

Kirk Hammett performs with Metallica at the Tres de Marzo Stadium on March 1, 2009 in Zapopan, Mexico

Kirk Hammett's 8 favorite unsung guitar heroes

By Guitar World Staff published 18 November 21

We know about Randy Rhoads, Hendrix, Jimmy Page and Peter Green... but the Metallica lead guitar hero has also been inspired by the likes of Tuck Andress, Adrian Belew and George Helm

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