Matt Pike is a guitar god. So says Rolling Stone, who listed the High on Fire frontman in last year's Top 20 New Guitar Gods feature. Uptown talked to Pike, fresh off back-to-back shows in New York City, about his band's opening slot on Gigantour, Megadeth's touring shred fest, and other heavy metal matters.

Uptown: Do you feel like you've been winning the Gigantour crowds over?

Matt Pike: For the most part. The New York crowd is one of the tougher ones. Usually they just sit there and stare, but I got some of them going, so it's been pretty good.

U: Were you a Megadeth fan growing up?

MP: Oh yeah. It was trippy for me to meet Dave Mustaine. I don't get star struck very easily but I really love that dude's guitar playing and always have, so I was kind of tripped out.

U: What about the other bands on the tour, who have you been hanging with?

MP: I hang out with the Job for a Cowboy guys a lot.

U: Those dudes are pretty young.

MP: Yeah, those kids can barely drink. But they do, though. They party it up. They're all like, 21.

U: What do you think about the fact that you're going on before them?

MP: I give them hella-shit. They're good dudes, though. It's funny to give them shit because they all have good senses of humour.

U: Have you guys ever played with Motorhead?

MP: We just played South by Southwest with Motorhead.

U: I ask you that because you seem to draw a lot of inspiration from that band.

MP: Of course. I love Motorhead.

U: You even have a little bit of a Lemmy thing going on vocally.

MP: There's nothing I can do about that. I drink too much whiskey and smoke too many cigarettes to have any other kind of voice.

U: Besides Motorhead, I hear a lot of old-school metal in your sound, even some black metal stuff, such as Venom and Celtic Frost.

MP: You hit it right on the head. I'm 34, so that was my era.

U: High on Fire's not just metal. I hear a lot of punk in your sound.

MP: We're from Oakland, so we grew up with all that stuff. Bands like Neurosis and Christ on Parade, The Melvins. Des (Kensel, drums) grew up on the D.C. hardcore thing, so punk was a big influence on us.

U: Who's your bass player now?

MP: Jeff Matz. He played in Zeke.

U: I know you guys have gone through quite a few bass players.

MP: George (Rice) just got sick of touring and so did Joe (Preston). I think the touring thing sunk them wanting
to do it.

U: I guess not everybody's cut out for it, but you seem to be.

MP: I'm a lifer, man. I'm sorry if I don't sound that ecstatic. I'm still feeling the pain of New York. I'm really beat.

U: New York can do that to you.

MP: That's life on the road, fuck.