As a former coach of India, John Wright knows all about the pressure that comes with the job. The New Zealander, who is in town to catch the IPL match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Pune Warriors India, has his own stress buster — strumming on his guitar.
HT met the current coach of the New Zealand national team in the peaceful setting of the ITC-Gardenia hotel, and instead of a bat the 56-year-old had a Gibson six-string acoustic guitar in his hand.
A keen guitarist, Wright is a big fan of American punk rockers Red Hot Chili Peppers (RHCP).
“I’d have to say the Chili Peppers are my favourite band. I like their musical style,” he said.
The Los Angeles-based band has won 7 Grammy Awards, in addition to selling over 60 million albums worldwide with their fusion of funk, punk and psychedelic rock. Some of their best-selling albums are Blood Sugar Sex Magik, Californication, By the Way and Stadium Arcadium.
Asked on his favourite RHCP number, Wright replied, “It has to be Under the Bridge, that song is a classic.”
Dressed in a polo-tee, blue jeans and a baseball cap, Wright was looking every bit a rocker. Walking around the hotel lobby with his trusty six-string in hand a few of the guests mistook him for a visiting musician.
{{/usCountry}}Dressed in a polo-tee, blue jeans and a baseball cap, Wright was looking every bit a rocker. Walking around the hotel lobby with his trusty six-string in hand a few of the guests mistook him for a visiting musician.
{{/usCountry}}“Pink Floyd (just Roger Waters, actually), Deep Purple and Iron Maiden have held concerts in Bangalore. For a second there I thought he was another of those ageing musicians who come and play here. I didn’t know that was John Wright,” said one of the guests, who was surprised to see the musical side of the former New Zealand captain.