CNN cameras caught longtime Jackson friend and signature artist Phil Collen shredding a slow blues in E on his newest signature model, the PC Supreme, at a Jackson showcase pre-show event on Wednesday, Jan. 12, in Anaheim, Calif.
In the cable news giant’s “iReport” clip, the Def Leppard guitarist is joined by an unusual pair of accompanists—Dick Boak of the C.F. Martin & Company on—what else?—acoustic guitar, and former Arkansas governor, 2008 Republican presidential candidate and current Fox News talk show host Mike Huckabee on bass (stop snickering—Huckabee is widely known as an able player and is featured in the February 2011 issue of Bass Player magazine).
Bandmates aside, take a good look at Collen’s new guitar. The PC Supreme made its public debut that day, wowing Jackson fans with its unusual body design. Collen in turn wowed listeners with his screaming chops on it, tearing through an impromptu jam session with Boak and Huckabee, who drew a good laugh while checking his tuning beforehand and quipping that his intonation was “close enough for government work.”
For more on the PC Supreme, Collen himself does the talking and the playing in the clip seen here: