Larkins’ unique interpretation of ‘Eye of the Tiger’– most famous for its use in the Rocky films to soundtrack Sylvester Stallone’s epic depiction of the ultimate underdog boxer – sees the motivational track reimagined as an instrumental piece. The cover manages to retain the depth of the original in spite of its stripped back instrumentation, illustrating the skilful technique of fingerstyle guitar and its innate ability to capture multiple elements of a song with just one guitar.
The video sees Larkins pay homage to the song’s most famous platform, with filming taking place in Melbourne’s famous Doherty’s Gym. Larkins stands alone in the ring with a guitar and images of graffiti from the iconic Hosier Lane flashing by – including a tribute to one of boxing’s biggest rivalries between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier.
This fingerstyle adaptation of ‘Eye of the Tiger’ has arrived just in time for the news that Larkins is off to Nashville to hone his craft with Gina Mondello, the former manager of none other than Tommy Emmanuel. The move comes at a busy time for Larkins, who is also involved in Drew Roller’s new documentary on fingerstyle guitar, Acoustic Uprising.
Tommy Emmanuel, Kaki King, Larkins and more share their thoughts on the fascinating world of fingerstyle in the film, which is the result of three years of hard work from its production team.
You can catch Van Larkins at the Melbourne Guitar Show on Saturday August 4 and Sunday August 5. He’s also heading out on a tour hosted by Drew Roller with Thomas Leeb after making a stop at the Guitar Show.
