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Former Kerrang! Editor James McMahon has passed away
James McMahon – Kerrang!’s second longest-serving Editor – has died following a short battle with cancer
You kind of just have to see it to believe it.
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A truly great shred guitarist must also have a truly great name: Eddie Van Halen; Yngwie Malmsteen; Buckethead; Mrs. Smith.
If you haven't heard of Mrs. Smith, she's a prim-looking socialite/crazy cat lady who rips guitar riffs. The talented guitar-playing drag performer and character actresss has performed at NAMM, with Guitar World, on America's Got Talent, and on any ol' street for eager tourists.
Now, we're thrilled (and slightly terrified) to premiere the first video from her upcoming EP, Introducing Mrs. Smith. The Bob Ross Technique proves that Mrs. Smith is equal parts virtuoso and absolute maniac: In between dysfunctional infomercials, a well-choreographed telethon, and a rager club full of head-banging trees, Mrs. Smith harnesses the soothing positivity of the late American painter and TV host, Bob Ross, to relax her fingers and wind down her fretboard like a happy little river.
The music video was directed and edited by Drew Kaufman, who co-created the cult internet metal talk show, Two Minutes to Late Night, and includes a cameo by Annie Golden (Norma from Netflix's Orange is the New Black).
It also, of course, includes Mrs. Smith -- a character so deeply entombed in her own kayfabe that she makes GWAR look like middle school production of Bye Bye Birdie.
Check out the video below!
Mrs. Smith began her unlikely career with a series of cat-themed videos on YouTube (despite her own cat, Carlyle, having been missing for God-knows-how-long). Soon, she was performing a bizarre one-woman variety stage show that would eventually, in 2015, become the musical Mrs. Smith’s Broadway Cat-Tacular!. But it wasn't until 2016 -- when she whipped out an Ibanez guitar for the Guitar Gods Festival in Miami, Florida, and wowed the likes of guitar legends Steve Vai and Yngwie Malmsteen -- that her destiny as a guitar hero would be solidified.
Not yet convinced of her mainstream level of fame? Check out Mrs. Smith's appearance in a Gucci commercial from last year:
We're in awe of this fabulous, crazy lady.
Mrs. Smith's most excellent debut EP, Introducing Mrs. Smith, will be released on September 14th, and is available for pre-order now.