How Conan O’Brien almost got his hands on Buddy Holly’s amp
It’s no surprise that Conan O’Brien is something of a rockabilly fanatic. The comedian has all the trademarks of an early 1950s connoisseur, including a bright red pompadour and slightly warped sense of old-timey humour. If there’s one figure from that era to take a special liking to, O’Brien chose the right one: Buddy Holly.
On his radio show Team Coco Radio, O’Brien sat down with Smashing Pumpkins leader Billy Corgan to discuss a number of topics. Inevitably, guitars came up in the conversation, with Corgan sharing the story of how he bought his famous Gish-era Fender Stratocaster from drummer Jimmy Chamberlain only to find out that Chamberlain had stolen the guitar. From there, O’Brien shared his modest connection with Holly’s legacy when he visited Gruhn Guitars in Nashville.
“I’m a Buddy Holly fanatic, and they showed me an amp that belonged to Buddy – they took it off and showed me where Buddy had [his settings],“ O’Brien said. “I was fascinated by it. They let me plug it in, and I got to play ‘That’ll Be the Day’ on a Stratocaster through that amp – pure joy was coming out of my pores.“
It was love at first sight… at least until O’Brien was informed of the price. “I realised I could get this. I mean, Buddy owned it, but other than that, it’s a fair-to-midland old amp. I could get that or I could put one of my kids through college,” Conan said. “I think I made the right decision.”
Back in 2013, O’Brien posted a picture on his social media with him and the amp. “At the famous Gruhn Guitars in Nashville, they let me play through Buddy Holly’s 1958 Magnatone amplifier,” O’Brien wrote. “I am happy.”
O’Brien had already established his rockabilly bonafides when he sat down with Jack White for his Serious Jibber Jabber programme. “Rockabilly was what grabbed me,” O’Brien told White. “I don’t come from a musical family at all. I was really interested in music but resisted anyone trying to teach me anything.”
“I was in college. I’m going to this Ivy League college and it hit me. Sun Sessions [the compilation album by] Elvis Presley got re-released and then I started listening to Jerry Lee Lewis,” O’Brien shared. “But what really grabbed me was rockabilly. It’s so visceral.”
Check out Conan discussing Buddy Holly’s amp down below.
