Bishop gets his ‘Freak’ on

The self-knighted artist ditches acoustic and rocks out for his latest

To hear Richard Bishop say he “didn’t really care about public opinion” is the least surprising statement that could come out of Richard Bishop’s mouth.

His former group, Sun City Girls, was perhaps the most unclassifiable band to ever amass enough of a cult following to sustain a 25-year existence.

But this time, when Bishop talks about public opinion, he is referring to his decision to switch from acoustic to electric guitar for the first time in his solo career as the self-knighted Sir Richard Bishop.
“I have no intention of going back to the acoustic guitar anytime soon,” he says. “I’m having too much fun with the volume and the toys and the pedals and the noise.”

Bishop’s new CD, “Freak of Araby,” is a set of plugged-in guitar excursions into the Middle East, a mix of original and traditional songs inspired by his discovery of Egyptian guitar legend Omar Khorshid. 

“Most people don’t even know who this guy is,” Bishop complains. “I’m trying to change that, and I think I’m having some success already. He’s kind of become an obsession, and I’ll work with that obsession until I get tired of it, which probably won’t be for a little while.”