Peter Frampton Finds New Fame From 'The Simpsons'

Most people have long identified Peter Frampton as "that guy who makes the guitar talk." After marking his place in rock history with 1975's 'Frampton' and 1976's 'Frampton Comes Alive!' newer generations, Frampton has a whole new set of fans, thanks to appearances on 'Family Guy' and 'The Simpsons.'

"Both were an honor to do," Frampton tells Spinner. "But I went to Australia, with the Rock Symphony, and one of the interviewers there said that his child only knew me from the Simpsons, knew me from nowhere else. But that's OK!"

In both series, Frampton played himself. His appearance on 'The Simpsons' is from 1996 episode called 'Homerpalooza,' in which Homer Simpson becomes a part of the traveling rock circus "Hullabalooza," joining bands such as Sonic Youth, the Smashing Pumpkins, Cypress Hill and, yes, Peter Frampton.

"I thought they made the wrong phone call when they asked me to do it," Frampton recalls. "That was my first entry into animated stuff like that. I was able to ad-lib in that one, and I was able to see myself animated to my own ad-lib, which was pretty funny."

Still, Frampton remains youthful in his recent music offerings. His new record 'Thank You Mr. Churchill,' out now, sees the guitarist reteaming with Soundgarden drummer Matt Cameron. The two hit it off on Frampton's Grammy-winning instrumental record, 2006's 'Fingerprints.' While he's admittedly a huge Soundgarden fan, Frampton is actually much more keen on Chris Cornell's post-Soundgarden work. "My all-time favorite band which isn't together right now is Audioslave. I'm just a huge Tom Morello fan. Chris Cornell, I liken him to a present-day Steve Marriott. The man can sing and write an incredible song. I'm a huge Chris fan, but then Soundgarden are getting back together, so I get all my favorites in one band. They're not new, but those are definitely important, those two bands."

Peter Frampton is touring with Yes this summer, starting June 8 at West Palm Beach, Fla.'s Kravis Center.