[atlantaprog] Re: Bandleading 101 and The E-Meter Blues

Why did Scott Henderson leave The Elektric Band?

(from the Scott Henderson.net Message Board Thread: Scott Answers Your Questions)

SH: When Jean-Luc Ponty was looking for a guitarist for a tour, he asked Allan first and Allan recommended me, so it's a true story but wrong band leader. If that also happened with Chick, I never heard about it. I doubt if Chick asked Allan to play with him because Allan is famous for his beer drinking - the first thing Chick asked me was "do you drink or smoke pot?" I said no but should have said not that much.

We didn't get along well on the road and I was fired after two tours. On a personal level, I don't like organized religion and that certainly includes Scientology, so my lifestyle and beliefs were in direct conflict with Chick and his crew. I'd heard about some of the things he'd asked of previous musicians so I was expecting to have to deal with some Scientology-isms, but I was surprised when he told me not to have sex with girls in the audience after the gig because it degrades the music. I thought that anyone who would say something like that must be completely nuts, regardless of how well they play. I don't actually believe that Scientologists are crazy, just brainwashed in a creepy Ned Flanders kind of way. 

On a working level we didn't get along either. At that time I was using a stereo rig and was used to standing in the middle of it to get my tone. When I soloed, Chick insisted that I walk out 20 feet to the front of the stage to strut for the audience, which I took to be a Vegas mentality. I told him that I couldn't hear myself up there and that I don't play as well when I'm not in control of my sound - he responded by saying "your perception of how you sound isn't as important as how the band looks to the audience." After that I just couldn't take his band concepts seriously anymore. I heard they were doing dance steps after I left the band....As many of Chick's fans know, he has a commercial side, no doubt another influence of Scientology, and during that time period I guess it was that side of him I was working for. After awhile I just refused to cooperate and was eventually fired. But regardless of how I feel about Chick as a Scientologist band leader, I still have great respect for him as an extremely talented musician. I'm glad our troubles weren't about music, because I know he liked my playing even if he didn't like my attitude.  On a funny note, when I told Jean-Luc Ponty that I was going to take the gig with Chick, he laughed out loud and said "you??" and walked away. I didn't understand at the time what he thought was so funny - apparently he knew that I was a Scientologist's nightmare. Chick hired me a couple years later to play on a movie score he was doing and it was nice that there didn't seem to be any hard feelings or anything. I certainly don't have any - but I wouldn't allow myself to get into another situation where I can't be myself.