The New Guitar Gods?

By Brian J Barr Mon., Feb. 19 2007 at 9:59 AM

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Did anyone else see this Rolling Stone cover story? The New Guitar Gods are John Frusciante, Derek Trucks, and...John Mayer. Frusciante, I can dig. His Neandra Lades and Usually Just a T-Shirt is one of my favorite records. But the other two? I mean...that's it? That's all you can come up with? I expect more from David Fricke than this.

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The difference is that I can learn all of Carrie Brownstiens music in about a day. Derek Trucks it would take me about seven lifetimes to get that good and I'd still be holding his strap. That's the objective truth. Derek Trucks is a "Guitar" player. He plays the guitar and he does it very well. He's on the level of John McLaughlin (Miles Davis's premier guitar player). Trucks is not just a blues player. Blues is about 5% of what he's doing these days. The rest is Indian music and Jazz. John Frusciante is good. He's creative and he's an artist. John Mayer's bread and butter is vacuous.
Putting John Frusciante on the cover as a guitar god was one of the few things RS has gotten right in the last two decades. The other two have chops, but I'd rather eat a giant bag of dog shit than listen to their music! Chops without the songs to back them up doest't make a God. You might as well be one of those weirdos at Guitar playing "Eruption" way too loud to show off, but who couldn't write a cool song on their own to save their life.
To all those that think Mayer does not deserve \'guitar god\' status, open your ears. Do any of you even play the guitar? Mayer has brought the blues back like no one else has, he can easily cover any Hendrix, SRV, or Clapton song; while adds his own modern twist. Why do you think people like Clapton, Buddy Guy, and BB King appreciate his skill and let him jam on stage with them? See Mayer live, then make your judgments. Plus he\'s one of the best songwriters; have a listen to Continuum. Magic.
Kenny Wayne Shepherd anyone?
Good call on the Stevie Ray without scarves & coke, Kwab! So true. And I agree on Frusciante\'s re-entry. I mean, on Neandra Lades, the guy was doing \"Big Takeover\" on a mandolin, or something. And now...well...y\'know.
Fine, Mayer got his dorky fantasy revealed and he\'s banging Jessica Simpson, can we call those 15 min. now?
hey thanks for shouting out \"Neandra Lades...\" that album is amazing and people dont believe me when i tell them how great a record by the guitar-player in the RHCP is. so unfortunate to see what has become of John Frustiante and his re-entry in to the most awful band on the planet this side of U2, its like they have lobotomized him or something...as for John Mayer, its like Stevie Ray Vaughn without the scarves and cocaine, booo!
what a shocker: they name 3 white men.
YES...good lord, why the hell is Carrie Brownstein not on this list?
Though I doubt it was his intention, Ethan\'s observations are indeed worth repeating twice.
I find it difficult to believe that nobody at Rolling Stone has ever heard of Sleater-Kinney or Carrie Brownstein, but the evidence is right there in front of us at the check stand. Sad, sad, sad.
I find it hard to believe that nobody at Rolling Stone has ever heard of Sleater-Kinney or Carrie Brownstein, but the evidence is right there in front of us at the check stand. Sad, sad, sad.
Speaking of Derek Trucks, you know what album rules? Dickey Betts\' Highway Call.
Derek Trucks is by far the best blues guitarist on the planet right now... and it\'s not even close. There is a reason why Clapton hired him for his most recent tour.
I\'d rather listen to Derek Trucks than any other guitarist on the planet. Period. The only reason I would consider playing to see Eric \"Old Balls\" Clapton is to hear he and Trucks take down some of the standards. Like Fricke points out in his too-short profile of Trucks is that the guitarist has a way of getting unrivaled vocal qualities out of the guitar. It\'s amazing. The man doesn\'t sing on stage and hardly even moves, but the way he sings through the fretboard is stunning, and has floored me every time I\'ve seen him. Check out the way he nails Marley\'s \"Rasta Man Chant\" on his solo album, \"Soul Serenade.\" Or, for a real treat, hear him on his wife, Susan Tedeschi\'s latest, \"Hope and Desire.\" What\'s bullshit is that Tedeschi and Trucks\' labels can\'t make nice and let them make a full album together. But, seriously, if Trucks isn\'t a 21st century guitar God, who is?
Good call with Matt Pike, Goldberg. I guess there\'s no room for Ben Chasny, either.
Typical bullshit assessment by Rolling Stone ... Frusciante \"new\" ... after almost 20 years in the public consciousness ?? Whatever. Even his weirdo solo stuff has been out there for a while now. John Mayer as a \"guitar God\" is particuarly laughable -- dude\'s okay, but c\'mon! But I guess Rolling Stone isn\'t gonna put Matt Pike (High on Fire) on the cover ...
Just because Mayer does a little Clapton-esque noodling and dates pre-fab pop bimbos, he now gets a Guitar God status? Awful. Derek Trucks? He has some good southern fried licks, but I\'d still rather listen to Eat a Peach and Live at Fillmore East. John Frusciante really deserves it. C\'mon, he is what made Mother\'s Milk a classic (17 years ago). Even when he was on dope he played better than John Mayer could ever dream. Agreed BJB. A weak list, indeed.
I loathe John Mayer\'s music. But I\'ve also heard from people who\'ve seen him live that he\'s a killer blues guitar player. Why he doesn\'t bring this alleged grit to his saccharin-shit singles is beyond me.