This week, during a rehearsal break over lunch at celebrity chef Richard Blais’ restaurant Flip Burger Boutique in Atlanta’s West Midtown neighborhood, the guitarist and author of the new memoir, Rock ‘n’ Roll, Martial Arts & God sat down with Billboard to discuss gigging for the polarizing president-elect.
How did this NYE at Mar-a-Lago differ from your previous years playing for Donald Trump and his family and friends at the resort? Party on the moon
Every year, Mr. Trump stops at every table, greets every guest and poses for photos. This year, he did the same thing, but it was more difficult to work the room. Every time he moved, a small swarm of people moved with him. At one point, with people wanting pictures with Sylvester Stallone and Fabio, one of the organizers came up and said, “Our servers can’t get to the tables to serve dinner. Can you get everyone on the dance floor?” We played our four-and-a-half minute K.C. and the Sunshine Band medley. K.C.’s from Florida. It worked.
But in other ways, it was like any other year. Mr. Trump sits there with his wife, his children and his grandchildren. Seeing Donald Trump with grandkids in his lap is an image most people don’t get to see.
The Obamas were fans of Beyonce, and the president was known to occasionally bust into an Al Green song. From your perspective, what might a Trump White House music aesthetic sound like?