The man who signed Mötley Crüe and Guns N’ has given his thoughts about Johnny Depp’s guitar skills.
Tom Zutaut is a much celebrated executive and talent scout whose signings include bands like Guns ‘n’ Roses and Mötley Crüe.
Tom Zutaut was not impressed by Depp’s guitar skills. (Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images)
Now in an interview on the X5 Podcast, Zutaut has revealed that he once heard music from a band that Johnny Depp auditioned with.
This was before Depp found fame in Hollywood as an actor, and was playing with a band.
The talent scout gave a rather frank analysis of Depp’s musical talents after he went to see the band play in a rehearsal.
In fact, he thought that Depp’s band was ‘terrible’.
He told the X5 Podcast: “I thought that Johnny Depp wasn’t going to be a rock star,
“You know, Johnny Depp auditioned for me twice. This is a funny story. I go to a rehearsal, the manager’s a friend of mine, and he goes, ‘I got this band from Jacksonville, they’re great.’ I go see ’em, and they were terrible.”
But while he was heavily critical of Depp’s guitar skills, he admitted that he could see that the future movie star definitely had that indefinable star quality that talent scouts look out for.
He said: “Johnny Depp was the worst guitarist I’d ever seen — but his charisma was insane, you know?”
While he didn’t think that Depp would be able to make it as a musician, he did recommend to his friend that he get in touch with an agent about film and TV roles.
Depp is now in the Hollywood supergroup the Hollywood Vampires. (Jim Dyson/Getty Images)
Zutaut said: “Afterwards, I look at his manager, and I said, ‘Listen, buddy, he can’t make it, but you should get this kid an agent and put him in TV or on a movie; this kid’s a star.
“But the songs suck, and musicianship is terrible.”
The talent scout recalled that just a few months after this Depp had a talent agent and landed a role on 21 Jump Street.
His initial shot at rock stardom might have crashed and burned, but his Hollywood fame has brought Depp into the Hollywood supergroup Hollywood Vampires alongside Alice Cooper and Joe Perry from Aerosmith.
The group has released two albums and gone on multiple world tours.