“I needed to have a bucket on the side of the stage because I was that sick”: Richie Kotzen on his worst-ever show, that time wildfires came for his guitar collection, and upsetting his mom by getting Purple Haze wrong

Richie Kotzen plays his signature Fender Telecaster onstage at a Leslie West tribute night.

Richie Kotzen has a new album out. It's titled Nomad. Go check it out. It finds the Winery Dogs guitarist in fine form. But right now he is not here to talk about any of that.

No, we're taking Kotzen back to the beginning, talking about the electric guitar he learned on, and having a quick-fire profile in which he talks firsts, favorites, and resolutions on how he can get better.