VHS Archives #133: Winger perform 2 acoustic tracks on Start Me Up (1993)

Fantastic interview by Erica Ehm once again, with Reb Beach and Kip Winger.  Lengthy session too, 23 minutes in total!  Starting with some country riffs (Reb on 6-string, Kip on 12-string), the boys defied the expectations of the early 90s and proved they could really play — and how!  For the Winger guys, it was already “first thing in the morning”, otherwise known as “mid-afternoon” to us;  Kip had his cup of coffee ready!  (Really good coffee, according to Erica.)

Sad observation:  We’ve seen past interviews with groups like Bon Jovi, where throngs of fans were banging on the big MuchMusic windows.  Winger only got a couple curious onlookers pulling faces.  Too bad.

Songs played:

  • “Can’t Get Enuff” (at the 5:30 mark)
  • “Who’s The One” (17:30 in)

Topics covered:

  • Why were Winger not as big in Canada as they were at home?
  • Playing for musicians
  • Videos / “the image”
  • The art of songwriting / lyrics
  • Why was the new album called Pull?
  • Reb’s instructional guitar video
  • Chris Robinson, Lars Ulrich, Beavis and Butt-head, and other critics
  • Playgirl magazine!
  • Being “rock stars”

Winger ends the session with a blues jam.

Awesome acoustic tunes and a fantastic interview.  Check it out below.

15 comments

  1. Reb’s looking grunge with that facial hair. Didn’t know he could sing that well either! That was a super cool segment. I like how honest Kip was about his lyrics, saying only half could stand up as poetry. “She said I’m naked in the jungle” definitely isn’t winning any awards! Underrated band though. Definitely great musicians, and Kip comes off as a smart cookie in this interview.

    “[Reb] was playing all the sessions for a guy named Beau Hill who was a big producer for a while.”

    Ha! Kip throwing subtle shade at Beau. The wounds were still fresh, I guess.

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  3. Almost didn’t recognize Reb. Dang! I will watch this when I get home. In the office today and I don’t usually like the have the videos streaming as they might think I’m not paying attention to work.

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    2. Mike’s record store tales 662 which is recommended under this article has a picture of the whole band from the album before just three years earlier, and Reb looks like a baby by comparison.

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      2. I just remembered something. When I sealed the deal to buy the place I sent a happy email to my co-workers and bosses telling them the good news. I ended the email with a joke line, something like “I can’t afford to buy music anymore, send me money!”

        The boss I call the “bully” responded, “Give me a break you live with your parents!”

        True fact.

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