The best part of Rick’s interview: he allows his guest to speak.

50 bucks says Rick has left that pedalboard exactly as Eric set it, and glued those knobs so they can't move.

Eric's incredible music is outshone only by his genuine humility - what a terrific guy and an inspiration.

I know Eric. Known him for about 20 years. He is exactly as nice as he seems to be. He is a blessing to music and a true gentleman.

There’s nothing more badass then to casually be able say “when I wrote cliffs of Dover...” just as a side note in a sentence.

I don't think it's going to get better than this now! Eric Johnson is quite easily 5 of the most important guitarists for me! Such a clean and consistent player that deserves all the credit he gets. Cliffs of Dover gets me every single time.

"There is great magic and great beauty in every style of playing." ~ Eric Johnson

I met Eric Johnson about 16 years ago in Myrtle Beach. I spent about 30-45 minutes talking with him, taking pictures, and even getting my old “Tones” LP signed. Besides being one of the greatest musicians to ever pick up the guitar, he couldn’t have been nicer to my daughter and I. He was very friendly to everyone who approached him and very down to earth. About two weeks later, I received a letter in the mail with a short note(signed) and two of Eric’s guitar picks taped to the note( all of which I still have). You won’t meet many celebrities as talented or as nice.

STOP WHAT YOU'RE DOING. CALL YOUR FRIENDS, CALL YOUR NEIGHBORS! ERIC JOHNSON IS ON RICK BEATO!!! The same week as in interview with Robben Ford?!?! Rick, you own the internet now.

"There's licks I have to practice before I can play them on stage, and I still can't play them as well as the 12 yr olds on youtube." OMG he's one of us.

I saw and met Eric in 1992. He is a genuine, humble, and beautiful soul.

I was asleep and woke up to Cliffs Of Dover playing on my clock radio.. I immediately called my best friend and screamed "Turn on your radio, you gotta hear this man!!" That was when I discovered Eric.. Bravo!!!

Rick is probably one of the best interviewers in terms of music on KZfaq. He doesn’t ask dumb questions that you could find with one google search, he doesn’t bombard them with questions, and most importantly, *he lets them speak* . He sits there and listens with a smile on his face, genuinely taking in what’s being said and not asking so many useless questions. You see too many interviewers cut people off, not take in what’s being said and just not want to be there.

Rick's smile at the beginning says, "This isn't reality. I'm interviewing Eric Johnson in MY studio for the 1.4 million subscribed to my channel. Don't wake me up"

I'm no expert, but I've listened to a lot of music in my 61 years. And "Cliffs Of Dover" still remains the most pleasurous, pure guitar song I've ever heard.

A true gentleman, in the true sense. Eric has always come across as such a humble guy and a shows the same respect to every interviewer. To write such iconic, mainstays of virtuoso guitar and still remain humble and happy to speak with people who enjoy your music, well, it's certainly not that common in the modern age of ego and narcissism. I've always been equally as impressed by his demeanor as a person, as I have with his musical abilities. That's a true guitar hero in my eyes.

Rick has the best interviews

Around the 22-23 minute Mark when Eric talks about today's pop music and how it sorely lacks swing and feel in drumming, Rick just could not hold back the biggest grin I've seen from him in his argument about drum quantizing being validated by none other than Erick frickin' Johnson. To cap it all off, Rick never makes mention of his drum quantizing arguments or previous videos and to me, it all makes it even more remarkable. Rick is just a top class guy!

Eric's guitar tone is always so beautiful, and his playing is impeccable.

An absolute master. Humble, skilled no negative energy. One of a kind.

EVERYTHING he plays, no matter how simple sounds so good.

"I think you have to stay child-like with music" is important advice

I have had the pleasure of crossing paths with Mr. Johnson several times in Austin TX (turns out we have mutual friends). He is one of the nicest people in the known universe. You would never know he is a multiple Grammy winner and an absolute demon on the guitar.

I got to watch Rick sit down and talk to Eric Johnson today. That’s all I need today.

I remember seeing Eric Johnson opening for Rush. I remember him playing Cliffs of Dover. It's like the whole stadium held their breath for the intro to that song. Mind-blowing really.

What a truly warm, intelligent, and humble artist. Rick brought out the real Eric and for all his fans, we sure appreciate it. Eric is a pretty quiet and private guy and this interview is like gold to a guitar fan, especially a fan of Eric's. Thank you to Rick and to Eric for pulling back the curtain on a truly gifted American artist. What a great human being.

Just saw him live tonight. He changed me life in 2 and a half hours. 🌌 thank you Universe! For players who expand your limits.

Eric is easily my biggest inspiration in not only music, but how he carries himself. Every interview, every fan that's met him, he just is very kind and humble. In my old band in high school we said we all wanted to be like Eric Johnson, be incredible musicians and people, never let the world corrupt us. What a kind man

I love how musicians born in the 50's refer to other musicians as "cats."

Jimi Hendrix could come back from the dead, appear on Rick's channel and reveal the secrets to all guitar playing, and a handful of jackasses would still down vote it.

I cried when Eric said its still all about that wonderful love of playing -more than the success and everything else.

I just love that Rick Beato is such a genuine true music and guitar geek. He is so humble and curious and appreciative of others, while being amazingly gifted himself.

Never heard of him. Didn't even play during the interview. So I looked up and listened to "Cliffs of Dover," and realized he's as good or better than every guitarist I've heard.

Eric Johnson is zen. Such a cool and relaxed dude, probably the most humble person too.

What a cool guy, as laid back and humble as it gets, not an ounce of ego. Truly deserves all the love and respect he gets.

Rick, love your videos. I’m 70 and have played guitar for 52 years. “Cliffs of Dover” came on the radio while I was driving and it’s the only time in my life I immediately called the radio station when I got home….asked for the DJ to find out who the artist was. Went out and bought it the next day. I managed to see Eric once in concert at Saratoga Performing Arts Center and it was a thrill. He opened for somebody…Steve Miller I think. Another time we saw Michael Hedges open up for CSN. Stills wandered out at one point with a Flying V to solo over one of his songs…”Gimme Shelter” I think. Some good music at SPAC. Carry on the great work!

"Here I am, hanging out in my man cave with my amp stacks and Eric Johnson." I don't envy you Rick, at least that's what I'm trying to convince myself. Metheny 2020, I want to believe.

Rick asks an intelligent question, and sits back and listens. THat is so rare these days. This interview was awesome and made me really think about some things. Especially, when Eric, mentioned that maybe it's the reasons WHY and HOW we listen to music has influenced all the negative changes to current music. Great stuff

It’s apparent that EJ’s sensibilities regarding the “perfect” sound are tied to his piano lessons. He’s definitely a tone freak, and very involved in the production process. He’s a freaking genius, unique and humble, but very driven in his quest for perfection. He’s a good guy.

i love Rick's interviews. He is very patient and passionate about what he does, it makes his guest very comfortable and interactive.

wow. Rick's smiley face as Eric Freaking Johnson sits next to him in his own studio, strumming a chord, says it all!

This guy's voice is the equivalent of the guitarist version of Bob Ross

Damn! I think that might be the best EJ interview I've ever heard. He's so relaxed and forthcoming, like a kitchen table visit. I learned some great stuff this time. Very nice, Rick. Great job. Thank you.

Nice to see two very humble people having a chat about something they both love

Rumor has it that Eric Johnson can hear the difference in brands of 9V batteries in a stomp box.

Eric Johnson is at the tip top of the mountain! Phenomenal player and person. Thanks for this video Rick!

Eric Johnson is not only a great musician, he's a fine human being. Thank you Rick for orchestrating a fine interview with the great Eric Johnson!

Saw him in Richmond Virginia at a small club. A young Derek Trucks opened. Fantastic show!!!

I don't think of Eric Johnson as a guitar god or a guitar hero, although he is both of those things. I think of him as a poetical guitar saint. Gods and heroes all too often have serious flaws, usually having to do with ego. Not Eric Johnson. You get the impression that Johnson would be a guitar player if no one listened to him, if he was the worlds most popular rock star, if he lived in a bush in a park somewhere, if he lived in a penthouse apartment overlooking Central Park, if he was the richest or poorest man on earth. He'd still be there, playing guitar, striving to improve his technique, his tone, his songwriting and not getting distracted by acclaim, money, fame (or lack thereof), groupies. You know: a saint.

Saw this in my feed and clicked at the speed of sound

Not only is that the best EJ interview I've ever seen, but it's also probably the best interview of a musician I've ever seen. It makes me want to listen to -everything- he's done, all over again!

"We find these jewels in the chapters of our lives..." Oh wow, that is so profoundly beautiful! Thank you so much Rick and Eric - what I'd give for EJ's tone, feel and touch, just incredible.

Holy crap, Rick. First, a brilliant interview with Robben Ford, and now THIS! You have a way of helping these legends feel comfortable and listened-to. I've listened to many interviews with these guys, and have never heard them open up and be as comfortable as they were with you. Well done and thank you!

I love the bit about the Bathroom AC plug having a better Tone. Gotta love Eric!!

Mind blown..Never has someone made so much sense when explaining these concepts that I have seen. There is something to be said about Eric's calm demeanor, and how that translates to his riffs. The most amazing thing about sound is there are only 12 basic frequencies we recognize, all of which have been used by humans to entertain, and make everyone feel some way for all of human history we know of. That fact alone you would think that it would get more and more difficult to create unique songs, but in fact it seems almost the opposite. Even though there is a finite amount of sounds, the possible combinations of the frequency along with the time signature is practically infinite. Millions of musicians over the years have been composing music, and we still hear unique stuff often. At the same time all songs have some common ground in the principles they operate based on. I wish someone had stressed the importance of learning music theory when I started. I feel like it's so widely said by people who only want a surface understand of an instrument that musicians that operate with strict theoretical rules lack the feel of self taught noodling musicians. As I get older I now understand that it can't possible harm you to learn how sounds are related to one another.

Geez who could thumbs down Eric Johnson. Such an outstanding, humble person, all around great person and one of the greatest musicians alive.

I got to speak with Eric at a guitar shop many years ago when I was a product rep in Austin. I had always heard how peculiar and how much of a perfectionist he was. The stories were legendary. I was a huge fan and I dared to tell him about this cool product I was repping. He was kind enough to let me ramble on about the virtues of this thing for quite a while. He very politely told me that he wasn’t interested. I thanked him profusely and let him go back to looking at guitars. For the next thirty minutes I was turning on the store staff to this hip product and before I was finished, Eric poked his head in and interrupted to introduce me to his wife, thank me, and say goodbye. He actually sought me out to say goodbye. It was totally surreal. What a nice gesture from him. The conversation that I had with him confirmed his particular nature about gear and sound. I just saw him at his show two weeks ago. He’s still one of the most beautiful phrasing guitarists ever. Thanks for the memories, Eric.

Mr. Beato, you deserve all the compliments in the world. You've set the bar too high on youtube. I wish there were more like buttons under this video that I could clicked on :)

I learned as a child to play piano. I now understand the resonance to his music as he is explaining. It’s the first time a guitar musician explained things in a way that makes sense to me. I totally get him and understand his magical genius.

I almost lost consciousness while watching this Legend... I held my breath every time he grabs the neck of the Start.. 😅 The best of the best of all time!!

Best," frkn", interview of EJ! Ever! He was so chill and relaxed! Eric was comfortable because he was interviewed by a fellow-musician, producer, composer,piano-player,guitar- player,bass- player,percussionist (kinda),music- teacher,binthruthebusinez,unjadedfanofmusic!!!! "EL BEATO'!!great job Mr.B

Ford and a Johnson: maybe my two favorites. Your game is god level right now.

I would love to see Rick do a breakdown of Eric's solo on Manhattan, which is IMO the most perfect, lyrical guitar solo ever written.

What an amazing opportunity it must have been for Eric Johnson to meet Rick Beato. I only kid a little... this interview was a true gem, thank you, Rick!

This is next level stuff. You just won KZfaq, Rick!

Insane. He's always been easily recognizable because of his lovely identity on the instrument.

What an effortless life-affirming interview. Wind in the sails. Thank you, Rick Beato.

EJ seems like such a nice and humble guy. It is great that people like that exist.

That is the best interview with Eric Johnson I have seen - ever. Great questions that really engaged Eric into stimulating conversation (just like the Robben Ford interview). Thanks Rick - can't stop smiling............ and my answer to Ricks question on the best EJ solo for me (maybe nostalgia) is the Off My Mind solo from Tones, and the best note he played is the pinched harmonic at the end of the Bristol Shore solo !!!

Seriously, I don't know how anyone who even mildly appreciates guitar could give this a thumbs down. So amazing listening to him talk about music.

Wow this guy is so humble and kind for being as talented as he is, and that's something you would always hope to see, so down to earth, absolutely love it.

When a man talks with his heart and is not mean, it litteraly enlights others, Eric Johnson is one of this kind, i must say that i believe they really are a very few. Thankx for this Rick Beato.

I ran into Eric Johnson in the Fender tent at GearFest last summer! What a super-nice down to earth guy! We were standing next to each other checking out the same guitar. I almost bought it just cuz he played it a little haha! They let him use it to play later that night though! He took the time to chat guitars with me and let me snap a pic, which to this day is the screensaver on my watch, and for awhile all my conversations with musicians started like this: " So I was talking to Eric Johnson the other day and....(pause...)" Another fantastic interview with a legend Rick! You are great at this! Thanks for posting it!

Not only a huge musician, but seems to be one of the best people you can come across, so calm and so down to earth you could meet him in a street somewhere and never realize he is this big guitar legend.

Saw Eric at the G3 show with him, Steve Vai, and Joe Satriani when I was a teenager...amazing show, one of my best memories.

_"I live for those moments in art."_ Eric's ability to express himself is brilliant: equal to his playing.

When I first became aware of Eric in early 80's.. it just wasn't those fast clean pentatonic licks.. it was the whole package.. composition.. phrasing.. touch.. dynamics.. several styles and his ability to sing.. truly one of a kind.

Eric has such a calming presence. I feel stress leaving my body when I listen to him speak haha. And of course he's a mind-blowingly good player.

Eric is the master of bittersweet chord progressions. And regardless of his humble insistence that his style is merely what he took from others, his sound is truly unique. No one else sounds or plays quite Eric Johnson.

I was living in Morocco and there was no youtube and no CD's at the time, and there was a videocassette of Sir Eric Johnson circulating between my music friends. I was flabbergasted and still remember to this day how baffled I was and wondering how could such dreamy beautiful sounds come out of a guitar ! It really shaped my musician identity. So grateful for this 🙏

For me, the second solo on Desert Rose still gives me chills and causes me to shake my head in disbelief every time.

Guitar legends who are also very humble are a rarity. Saw him at the Engine Room in Houston. I got chills the whole time.

Cliffs of Dover. Greatest instrumental on the guitar ever written on this planet.

I had the honor of meeting Eric Johnson 20 years ago at a vintage guitar shop in south Austin. He was the nicest person you'd ever want to meet. A super great musician. This is a real treat. Thanks Rick. I don't know how you do it but youv'e got the most insightful and valuable interviews on youtube. Eric Johnson is a high point.

I saw Eric play back in 1987 in Austn, SRV played a few days later too and I got a chance to meet both of them. Was one of the best shows of my life!!

I think it's amazing that Eric Johnson would be so humble to say he is in a sense going through a briar patch because he still wants to learn. I think he's an excellent player. I would love to be even a 1/4 of the way through the briar patch he's been through. It makes you realize that no matter how good we get, we never stop learning.

I love his recordings, but you have to hear EJ live to truly appreciate his art. He goes from Simon and Garfunkel to Hendrix, to a fusion version of a Coltrane tune. Mind blowing!

For me, Eric is the last true to the bone guitar hero, in line with the greats that made breakthroughs in technique and how they shaped guitar music. To this day, Eric's techniques and approach is the last train station, in every good guitarists learning journey...

Met him in Chicago with G3 (Vai, Sat and Johnson) and he's a super nice guy. Super laid back, mellow but shreds. "Music is sound, does it connect with you?" Amen brother!!

Rick! I have only recently found your youtube. THANKS so much for doing these. You ask great questions but most importantly you actually listen to the answers!! You let the artists tell their story and you stay out the way. A breath of fresh air!!

wonderful interview by Rick . Eric is world-class as a man of humble and human grace.

I’m currently at a University being shut down because of coronavirus. Thank you for providing great content as always and helping ease the stress of a surreal time. Keep on rocking in the free world.

I first talked to Eric during the break at a club, in SC, back in early to mid-80s. He looked almost like a teenager. I was totally stunned by his ability - as well by his awesome sound setup - getting an unreal sound that few do hauling equipment around to small venues. I always thought that if he'd been 20 years older, people (besides guitarists) would think of him as they do Hendrix, Clapton, Beck, Page, etc. But he caught the rock / jazz / blues wave just a bit late, as the industry and popular tastes had changed / devolved. Plus, he was largely an instrumentalist, which narrowed his audience - as well as record companies ever looking for hit singles. Excepting Beck (of those I've mentioned), his music is deeper, more complex, and tonally, much more diverse. He's made an art of creating the best tones and textures stomp boxes and amps can produce. And he loves what he does so much, and is humble and grateful he gets to do this for a living. He's highly respected by those whose praise he most appreciates - serious musicians and mature ears!

You two are so much fun to listen to. You relate and compliment each other!!

Years ago, we were at the Dallas Guitar Show. I spotted Eric and told a friend that was with us and he freaked out. We went over to him and introduced ourselves and my friend asked to have him sign something. Eric asked if he had a sharpie, but he didn't. Eric says "Hold on...", then he walked from booth to booth until he found someone with a marker. He came back with a smile and gave the autograph. Amazingly cool, amazingly humble.

30 years ago I lived across the street from Eric's childhood home and used to help his Dad out when he was recovering from a knee replacement surgery. Eric was around a lot then and you could not find a kinder gentler unassuming soul. Super nice guy.

Eric Johnson, Rick you have really outdone yourself. What a great interview, I about lost it when he talked about being a recovering perfectionist. Eric is the smoothest, most fluid guitar player I've every seen, and I've been to hundreds of concerts. Listening to him talking about still pushing himself trying to take his art to a new place, just WOW. So humble for someone that doesn't have to take second fiddle to anyone.

Priceless!!! Thank you Rick and Eric.

Thank you Rick! From the 1st time I heard "Cliffs of Dover I have been in awe of Eric's guitar expertise. I don't think Eric receives enough praise and exposure. Truly a great talent.

What you have done with this channel is just incredible Rick. The quality of the content is absolutely out of this world