“I planned to go out with Ministry. But then Madonna said, ‘I want Monte here – even if he’s just standing and holding a guitar’”: Monte Pittman on his crazy journey from Guitar Center to Ministry via Prong and Madonna – and his band with Adam Lambert

Monte Pittman of Ministry plays a riff on his white ESP V against a black and purple background.
(Image credit: Derick Smith)

It’s a fairly well-known feel-good story that exemplifies how determination, skill and luck can take a guitarist from the dingy club scene to the greatest heights of touring success. Texas-born Monte Pittman moves to Los Angeles in 1999 and starts giving guitar lessons at Guitar Center.

One day, English filmmaker Guy Ritchie walks into the store with a Gibson J-45, and Pittman becomes his teacher. Aware that Ritchie is dating pop icon Madonna, Pittman transposes the guitar parts for her latest album Music and shows them to Ritchie. Then, as a gesture to Madonna, whose latest love song, I Deserve It, is about her future husband, Pittman teaches Ritchie how to strum the song’s chords and suggests he play it for her.

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Jon Wiederhorn

Jon is an author, journalist, and podcaster who recently wrote and hosted the first 12-episode season of the acclaimed Backstaged: The Devil in Metal, an exclusive from Diversion Podcasts/iHeart. He is also the primary author of the popular Louder Than Hell: The Definitive Oral History of Metal and the sole author of Raising Hell: Backstage Tales From the Lives of Metal Legends. In addition, he co-wrote I'm the Man: The Story of That Guy From Anthrax (with Scott Ian), Ministry: The Lost Gospels According to Al Jourgensen (with Al Jourgensen), and My Riot: Agnostic Front, Grit, Guts & Glory (with Roger Miret). Wiederhorn has worked on staff as an associate editor for Rolling Stone, Executive Editor of Guitar Magazine, and senior writer for MTV News. His work has also appeared in Spin, Entertainment Weekly, Yahoo.com, Revolver, Inked, Loudwire.com and other publications and websites.