I was going to write a serious post tonight about pubic hair (bet you didn't know pubic hair was serious business, huh?), but I thought a lighthearted post would be easier to finish at this late hour. I chose to write about my favorite guitarists because it is a topic that I discuss often with my husband. Over the last seven years, we have discussed my favorite guitarists at least 1,007 times. I don't know why I keep bringing it up since our conversation is almost always exactly the same each time. I know what they say about opinions, but here you go:
1. Eric Clapton - Love, love, love him. He's so talented, so prolific, so handsome. "Let it Grow" is my favorite song of his, followed closely by "Running on Faith." I prefer traditional names, but I seriously wanted to name my son Clapton. My hubby, assuming our son might grow up to become a judge or doctor or something, said F-no!
2. Eddie Van Halen - Very original, very talented, and so cute back in the day. Everyone knows the Frankenstrat on sight and he blew everyone's mind when he played on Michael Jackson's "Beat It."
3. Joe Walsh - So talented, but so tortured. I suspect that most people only know him for his work with The Eagles, but he was legitimately famous before joining one of my favorite bands. Of course, if you're picking a favorite Joe Walsh tune, you have to pick "Life in the Fast Lane." He didn't just have a hand in writing that song, he freaking lived it.
4. Jimi Hendrix - I'm not really a Hendrix fan, but I am aware that he fundamentally changed music. Plus, he knew how to dress for attention and he rocked that 'fro. Of course, he literally followed the youthful advice to live fast, die young, and leave a good looking corpse, so we can only guess what he might have accomplished had he not bought it at age 27. I know he didn't write it, Bob Dylan did, but my favorite Hendrix song is "All Along the Watchtower."
5. I always have trouble picking #5. I want to say Prince, but I recognize that he's not a particularly awesome guitarist - he is a fantastically awesome lyricist though. Any suggestions?
I might say David Gilmour (Pink Floyd) many of my friends would say Stevie Ray Vaughan, I suppose it depends on whether you are speaking of 70s or more modern perspectives, but these two would be some top runners in my personal list.
ReplyDelete- amogen
I should have known that you would weigh in on this very important topic. Eh, Roberta Flack is prefered for seduction, but Pink Floyd is good for scoring with much younger women who plan to put out anyway - I'm sure you know what I mean! haha
ReplyDeleteI focus on the era I do because modern music is souless dreck. Musicianship appears to be a dying art. It appears the most important thing about music today is a good "look" and the sound engineer's ability to manipulate auto-tune. Nowadays, we would never have a famous Joe Walsh, Janis Joplin, CSNY (well, maybe Nash), James Taylor, etc. Does this sufficiently explain why I prefer music from the 70s?
I don't believe that one thinks of Pink Floyd, Gilmour specifically, when thinking of awesome guitars. I'd be more inclined to include Vaughan, even though I'm not a fan. Neil Young, annoying as I find him, wouldn't be a terrible addition to the list. I expect a certain Anglophile we know to suggest Jimmy Page or Keith Richards and I think Page would fit the list. (shrug) Number 5 always throws me for a loop.
Err excuse me where's Mr Page and Mr Beck :-))))
ReplyDeleteHeather you must listen to Jeff Beck's new album. It's stunning.
Also, would you remove anyone from the list?
ReplyDeleteHi there, Anonymous. I KNEW that you'd have something to say on this topic! haha
ReplyDeleteLike I said, I guess Page is as good a fit on this list as Vaughan or Young. I must confess that I know very little of Jeff Beck. I know who he is and I know that he's another guitar-rock god, but I'm afraid that I just don't know much about him. Perhaps I need to give his album a listen-to the next time we see you guys?