In a new interview, Widespread Panic guitarist Jimmy Herring expanded on the impact of the loss of Col. Bruce Hampton and dove into the influence he had on his musical career.

“I’m still shocked,” Herring said of Hampton’s sudden death. “The selfish side of me wants to talk to him again. He has been a mentor and a muse for so many of us—I still feel like one is better than the other—but in my experience, there are two kinds of musicians: Those who have played with Bruce and those who have not. And I want to play with those who have played with Bruce.”

“All the Panic guys hold Bruce in the highest regard,” Herring said. “He is our muse.”

Herring went on to say that being on stage at the time of Col. Bruce’s death and “losing him like that” was “hard.” “If it wasn’t for Bruce, I’d probably be working in a music store or something—I don’t know what I’d be doing.”