MASSIVE FEEDBACK ON THE ROLLING STONE “100 GREATEST GUITARIST” BULLSHIT!

Hot damn, did I get a lot of emails about “Why I Hate Lists!” It’s good to see you hate lists too. This is just some of the feedback I’ve gotten about my post, and 99% of it is well written for a change!

We’ll start this off with a great email from Ex-Saigon Kick bass player member Chris McLernon.

Alright. I have seen enough.

First, off Rolling Stone has no cred. Zip. Any rag that puts a Mary Kate and Ashley photo shoot in their “music” mag deserves a trip to San Quentin and the Pederast Shower Olympics. So, paying attention to their idea of the top 100 guitarists is a little silly and outrageous.

So…let me define my silly outrage a little more.

In the last thirty years ONE guitarist changed it all.

Edward Van Halen.

Why? Other than the massive record sales and his innovation on a tired pop instrument, he changed the INDUSTRY of guitar. The way it’s designed and built! Can you measure impact more than that? Ask Henry Ford! Well, you can’t, he’s dead, but you know what I mean. The way guitars are manufactured now are 90% tinted by a punk kid from Pasadena who liked Les Pauls and Strats, but A) couldn’t afford them, and B) wanted to combine the best elements and make the ultimate guitar.

To make it kick ass and scream, as I heard him put it.

As for guitar ingredients, if Edward ONLY popularized the Floyd Rose (much less help create a need for and refine it) that would be enough. Let’s not even cover fine tuners, kooky finishes, headstock shapes, humbuckers in Fender guitars, etc…fer chrye aye EVH even influenced BASS design! Whenever you see an Explorer headstock on a Fender shaped body, it’s that damn kid of Dutch descent and his fifty dollar Boogie Body, PAF and Schwinn bike paint.

NO ONE else on that list can claim that ripple effect, except the man foolishly ranked at #46: Les Paul. And he only has a guitar named after him. And has had that namesake model for the last 50 YEARS. Last I checked, Les didn’t play a “Duane Allman”. But Duane played of them there Les guitars. Oh, yeah, Les also invented multi-track recording. A little more of a reason to be near the top 5. Forty Six? The reason us morons made recordings and use studio quality effects is because of Les and his efforts!

And Tony Iommi below Randy Rhoads? FUCK! TONY INVENTED A GENRE! And he played with Ozzy first, so he wins over Randy (who also should be higher). Ritchie Blackmore at 55? What? Is that his age or his rating? He wrote the most recognized guitar riff ever!

Donde esta Chet Atkins? Anybody who defined a style should be in there. So, where’s Don Rich? Django Reinhardt? Wes Montgomery? Joe Pass? Merle Travis? Jimmy Page uses Travis fingerpicking – Merle never played Celebration Day! Christ. Get your timeline straight, Rolling Stone. Then you can make a Top Whatever list.

And the guy from White Stripes is higher than George Harrison? Puh-leeeze. Highly offensive.

Plus, if you have to name the band the guy was in (i.e. Jerry Miller of Moby Grape), his “influence” goes out the window. As a guitarist, you influence the genre with YOUR sonic signature, not the band’s. And like you have to mention what band Keith Richards was in. (Like I’d confuse him with the Keith Richards that toured with Cannibal Corpse. Or was that Trouble?) But using that rule for a twisted moment, where’s Malcolm Young? If Johnny Ramone is on there, where’s Mal? Hetfield?

Silly silly silly.

And no mention of the Skynyrd guitar trio? Travesty. Or any other rock guitar teams…Robertson and Gorham omitted? NO BILLY GIBBONS? I may vomit.

As for Hendrix being number one, he’s dead. That’s always the best way to ensure your place on a “best of” list. You don’t have to sustain your greatness or influence. You only have to flash it on once and flame out.

Most likely, the guitarists on this list are giggling or shocked at their placement. Except the dead ones, of course.

As for me, I’ll listen to my own top 100 and realize how silly Rolling Stone and their lists are. And they might think my list is silly too, but at least I don’t listen to John Cipplolina more than Joe Perry.

Oh, Kurt Cobain is on there and John Lennon is not?

Right.

Sorry I am so late with the .02, but the Packers lost to the Vikings and I’m bitchy.

Out like Favre’s QB rating,

Chris McLernon

PS-Jerry Garcia sucks. Always has, always will.

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Ozzy, thanks for speaking about that stupid Rolling Stone “Greatest 100 guitarists” list. Rolling Stone has been a bad joke for many, many years now, they are either straining terribly to be “cool” and “hip” or they are constantly showing they have no clue whatsoever, usually both. This new list of theirs just prove these things even more. I personally do not like Eddie Van Halen’s guitar playing, but damn number SEVENTY??? Love or hate him, he’s in the top ten, arguably the top five. Johnny Ramone #16? He’s actually my favorite guitarist (from my favorite band), but he himself said a few times that he never even practices because if he got better at the guitar, it may damage The Ramones’ sound. Is Johnny one of the most influential guitarists ever? You bet. But one of the greatest? He’s laughing like mad at his place on that list right now.

Iommi #86, Angus #96 (!!), Randy Rhodes #85….who would have known that all the years that countless kids all over the world were trying to be Eddie Van Halen and Ace Frehley, they really should have been listening to greats like Mark Knofler of Dire Straits, John Frusciante of the Chili Peppers, and Peter Green who used to be in Fleetwood Mac? Who would have thought that after 1978 when Van Halen’s first album came out, when every magazine for years praised Eddie as God’s gift to the guitar, Tom Verlaine of Television was the one they should have been praising instead?

And for the real “virtuoso” crowd, where is Al Dimeola? Of course, Ike Turner is better than Dimeola. Even better than Eddie Van Halen! And truthfully while I can’t stomach Guns and Roses, Slash’s playing was their biggest strength and he constantly came up with amazing parts. But hey, Rolling Stone says he’s not as good a player as Joan Jett, so….

But you know, with all their moronic choices and positions for this list, Rolling Stone still didn’t even have the balls not to list Jimi Hendrix as the #1 greatest guitarist ever. They can put Eddie Van Halen at #70 but they are still afraid to touch Jimi’s cliched top spot. Sure he was a really good guitarist, when he wasn’t making noise. He was a groundbreaker to a degree. But he is not the greatest guitarist of all time. One reason (of many) I thought the latest 20 Questions with Megadeth’s guitarist Marty Friedman was so great, was because he actually had the balls to say Hendrix was good, but overrated. I mean, even most “greatest albums of all time” lists don’t even put “Sgt. Pepper” at #1 anymore, it’s always “Revolver” now, and rightfully so. But mags are still scared to take Jimi off that #1 spot.

You know, I never thought a high-profile media name in music would ever top any of VH-1’s assinine lists. But Rolling Stone has done just that. This is the absolute worst “greatest guitarist” list I have ever seen. Rolling Stone is like the geek at school who tries waaaaay to hard to be cool. The kid who is such a huge geek, all the regular geeks who have accepted themselves don’t even wanna be around him for fear of ridicule. Sometimes it’s good just to be a geek and not try so hard, because the magazine reeks of effort. Again, thanks for the comments. (And thanks for saying where was Peter Frampton, another true great who doesn’t get the respect he deserves for his playing.)

- Steven Fallon
New York City

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In regards to the Rolling Stone’s 100 greatest guitarists of all time, you hit the nail on the head. It reminded me of when Robert Fripp of Rolling Stone was on the VH1 show ‘The List.’ The topic was the greatest album of all time. Fripp’s pick was Nirvana’s ‘Unplugged’ but he added that he saw the show live when they taped it, and he never even bothered to listen to the CD because it would spoil his memory of the show. So essentally his favorite album was one which he never even listened too. It is this type of head-up-yer-ass mentality which made me disregard what alot of these clowns have to say.
Eddie Van Halen should be in the top three, Steve Vai top five, then you got Angus Young, Zakk Wylde and Rick Nielsen (his guitar collection alone should get him in the top 50).
It just goes to show that Rolling Stone has their heads up their asses.
signed,
Hbomber

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Ozzy,

That was a super column about the RS list of Top 100 Greatest Guitarists. I read the list and was furious, and my email to Rolling Stone was probably inarticulate about missing people like Les Paul for God’s sake, Slash, Zakk Wylde. I wish I could just mail your column to them and say…ditto for me.

Linda

Actually Linda, Les Paul was on the list…at #46. Jack White from the White Stripes was ahead of Les Paul. If I was Jack White, I’d be fucking embarrassed to be on that list, because he has to know he doesn’t deserve to be there.

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Ozzy, you are DEAD ON about the disgrace that was placing Eddie Van Halen at #70. Ike Turner came in above Eddie. IKE TURNER??? WHAT THE FUCK? Rolling Stone has had their heads up their asses for a long time now. They’re basically MTV in printed form. I’m suprised Jack White wasn’t #1, because Rolling Stone has been swinging off their nuts forever now. I know that musical taste is subjective, but Jesus, there has to be a limit to the ridiculousness. That list is insulting, plain and simple. Jack White will NEVER be better than Eddie Van Halen or countless other guitarists. Maybe it’s the red and white outfits that make him so good??? So, my nomintation for shittiest album of all time is The White Stripes’ Elephant. I hated it before that list and hate it even more so now. It’s everything that MTV and Rolling Stone sound for: talentless, image-driven, flavor of the month garbage.

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Hey Stillbourne:

Excellent post on the guitarist list. You said it all.
Somehow your editorial must be published in RS. I suggest you start a petition or something to have it published.
Maybe what I suggest doesn’t make any sense, but I feel that you hit the nail on the head. Especially about Jerry Garcia.
Fucking corpse is a ice cream flavour anyways.
Your “Worst Rock CD’s of all time” I am looking forward too. I hope you add Kix’s Blow My Fuse.

I am out like Vince Neil’s liquor cabinet

Mike

There is no way Rolling Stone would publish what I wrote, because if they can’t figure out that Eddie Van Halen belongs in the Top 10, then there is just no hope for them having the intelligence to understand what I said.

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Yo Ozzy,
Couldn’t agree with ya more about the so called “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time”. What a joke. Jann Wenner and all at Rolling Stone are seriously fucked in the head. To not even include Da Nuge, Zakk, Slash, Vai, Satriani; heck, even Yngwie (the man can play) is fucked up! Anyway, keep pointing out the truth about all the ass-clown magazines that print such crap! And y’all should print monthly lists, at least the Sludge staff can be objective and recognize who rocks and where the should stand!

I’m out like Jann Wenner’s mind!
Udo Von Halford

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Thanks for the thoughts about the Rolling Stone 100 best guitarists. I agree with you 100%. I’ve been playing guitar for about 25 years and am a RS subscriber, and it was just irritating. Granted, you really can’t rank guitarists anymore than you can rank beautiful women. But, you can certainly use a little common sense.

John

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I’ve written into the mighty sludge a few times but this time I felt that a HUGE thumbs up was due to my favorite sludge writer, Ozzy Stillborne. I just read his rant, “Why I hate lists!”, and I couldn’t be in more agreement with him. In fact, I thought the EXACT same thing when I read that same article in Rolling Stone. My first thought was “Why the fuck is Eddie Van Halen so far down the list”? I mean, love or hate Van Halen (I love ‘em), Eddie arguably did more for guitar players than any other guitarist ever, aside from Jimi Hendrix. Also, his point about critics not knowing a good song if it fucked ‘em up the ass was priceless, and I’ll totally be using that next time I’m arguing with every moron I know on why The White Stripes suck. I could go on and on but I’ll end this by saying job fucking well done, I couldn’t have said it any better myself! Oh, and as far as the worst rock CDs of all time goes, my personal vote goes to Crazy Town’s The
Gift of Game as the #1 worst rock CD EVER put out by ANYONE! At least let that one be on the list! Ah fuck it, you guys never let me down anyway so I’ll be diggin’ whatever it is you put on there. Lookin’ forward to getting the Metal Shop CD (and Ratt red baseball jersey)!
Joshua

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Thank God you addressed this, I instantly cancelled my 8 year subscriptinon to Rolling Stone after that abortion of a guitar list.

Pete Townsend invented the Marshall Stack, He told Jim Marshall to Make him a 100 Watt Amplifier with 8 12 inch speakers, luckly My friend and hero Alan Rogan (World’s Greatest Guitar tech, along with Rudy Lerien and of course ..Me) told him to cut them in Half, they were killing him….So the Stack or the Half Stack was born, No stack No Hendrix Tone.

Edward was so huge, that I don’t know where to begin, All I can say is that I Heard 15 secounds of Ed playing on Luke’s album and I was left confused and with an erection. Ed made amps sound the way they do today, and everybody from Clapton, to Linkin Park Play with higher gain and more sustain. Without mentioning of how many Kids Edward created careers for, as of making guitars, doing tripped out graphics, or just wanting to rock, Jeez. Edward Body slammed Guitar Music back then.

And what about Rick Nielson? Billy Gibbons?, Steve Miller?, Frampton?,Santana?, NEAL FUCKING SCHON?

I guess we are all just getting old, all these new kids don’t know a damn thing, and with file sharing and high venue costs, no wonder rock died. No Dough!!!!

At least you guys are providing some CPR.

I’m suprised that Madonna on there, since she is known to play guitar and Kurt Loder is obsessed with her.

Instead of hitting stand by, I’ll just go Golfing tomorow..

Hail the Phase 90!!!

Casey “Bighead” McNerney

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Ozzy, You are right yet again!!!!! I never read Rolling Stone, so I would have never seen the crappy list if you had not pointed it out. Anyway, rest assured that these assholes don’t play guitar or even listen to the guitar parts in their genre or “type” of music. Their exposure to music is whatever is playing in the background at some “hip, double-triple soy latte” coffee joint where the go to be seen and smoke clove cigarettes. I am confident that the writers of Rolling Stone do not know the difference between a bass and a cello, much less a Les Paul and a Stratocaster. After all, if you wrote for them, do you think you would have to know anything about music anyway? They try to touch on everything that is cool or hip at the moment, and then turn around and make fun of something that was “so 5 minutes ago”. I mean come on, these guys are more concerned about what the newest trend is and what drugs go with it, than what the true depth of music is, or the process of how it comes to be. They probably think that music just materializes and they are the “bright, elite few” that can enlighten the rest of the world, and lead us through the “art” of music like cows being sent to slaughter ( NO PUN INTENDED, I would never wish that upon my bovine friends!). Anyway, even if you never read this, I feel better. Thanks, I’m out like Bobbie Browns nightlight. Later, Rusty Needle

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I agree with you Ozzy How in the fuck could they call themselves music fans? They dont even know how to make a simple motherfucking list where is Malcolm Young? And Ace Frehely? Where is Paul Stanley? And how in the fuck did Jack White get to #17 with only ONE album out? I am sorry but this is some bullshit. I am sick of rolling stone MTV and billboard and Allmusicguide.com they wouldn’t know good music if it bit em in the ass. All of em would rate Metal shops CD as a “Cheap knock off of Poison” or Motley Crue. I am done with all of em they only cater to what sell over 2 million copies and that is sad. They aint even talking about the KISS/Aerosmith tour all they can talk about is that lame ass rap crap shit and “Clay Adkin” and “Rubin Studdard” I am sick of hearing about all of em. well peice Metal-sludge thxs for the great reading.

May Rolling Stone BET Billboard and AMG all rot in hell and my Metal-sludge rule all.

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Ozzy,
100% right on your comments about rolling stones “list” of the 100 greatest guitarists. When I first picked up my brothers Rolling Stone and read that list I was in shock. I had to read it a few more times beacuse I couldnt believe that one of the most respected sources in music would rank Jack White #17 OF ALL TIME?! I knew Cobain would be in the top 20 because they cant seem to get off Nirvanas nuts even though grunge is dead and buried. Still, how in the hell was Eddie Van Halen #70 and Agnus Young #96. Its true, Rolling Stone has no respect for true rock fans. This shitty list along with all of those bullshit VH1 100 greatest people in the history of the universe EVER countdowns just prove that the only true reliable, accurate source in music today is METAL SLUDDDDGGGGGGGEEEEEEEE!!!! You guys deserve all the respect in the world and Im sure you will pull a better list out of your guys’ asses than this pannel of “experts” did in Rolling Stone. Fuck them, fuck them in their stupid asses.
Sludge on!
-Saucy Jack

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Man, thank you so much for shitting on that Top 100 Guitarists’ List. That fucking list is the biggest joke ever. It is so damn politically correct it makes me gag. I mean, I realize that every publication kisses Nirvana’s ass, but for Cobain to be in the top 20 is a joke. Also, for Slash to not even make the list is a bigger joke. Thanks again for having the balls to talk smack about Rolling Stone. By the way, I like the new look for the site. Keep on rockin’, you guys have the coolest rock site on the web.

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Guys… 2 words.. BRA FUCKING VO. You guys hit this right on the head. Im a guitar player and when I read this list i thought it was seroiusly a joke. I mean its debateable, but not much , but Eddie Van Halen is probally the most influential guitar players of all time. Not many metal guys would be playing if it wasnt for him. What about RANDY RHOADS !

To be honest i looked at Jack White and i thoguht it was some blues guy from the 40’s because its not even possible for him to be on the list. So when my MOM was reading it she said how the fuck is he on this list! I coudlnt belive it. My mom could even be pissed off at this list, and she works wiht nuns.

Rolling Stone just really threw their legitacmacy out the window on this list. Ive been waiting for someone to bash this cuz i feel like im the only one whos pissed about it. But you guys always come through and voice all of our opinions. By the way, i think its a fucking travesty that people like Yngwie Malmsteen, Steve Vai, Marty Friedman, people with that much ability not be on, but the guy from Radiohead is listed in the 50s. Its a disgrace.

SLUDGE YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST AND ARE ALWAYS RIGHT ON THE HEAD WITH YOUR REVIEWS. CHEERS TO YOU

Im out like everyones subscription to Rolling Stone.
- Mark Dirtbag

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Christ on a crutch! I’m so fricking glad I don’t read Rolling Stone anymore. What about Dave Mustane, Kerry King, Ace Frehley, Dimebag Darrell, or half the motherfuckers that are always in Guitar Magazine? What a bunch of bullshit. It looks like a bunch of critics swinging from a bunch of shite bands’ nutsacks.

omer

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I couldn’t have agreed with you more Ozzy…that list was a fucking joke. I have to give you props for representing both Eddie (a no brainer) and Tony Iommi (who gets disrespected ALL THE FUCKING TIME!!) Rolling Stone is such a corporate piece of shit mag that I only read it in the bathroom…so I can wipe my ass with it!!

PS And where the fuck was Mick Mars?! lol

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Thanks for your bit on the lists, you nailed it!

Them assholes that roam the halls at Rolling Stone must all be the biggest morons
on the planet!

I see some of the names on that list and I want to go in there and start smacking them all around!

Now I need another pill!

Fooser

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Ozzy-

Longtime reader 1st time writer. Great article on the top 100 guitarists and totally agree with your thoughts on the subject. Apparently if it’s popular today and now that means it’s gotta be one of the “best of all time in the history of the world”. I like the idea of the 50 worst rock cd’s of all time. Just wondering if there’s a chance the readers will get to vote on the choices? Thought it would be fun ranking the crap albums out there.

Rick

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Hi,

Just wanted to say I loved the rip on the guitar player and band lists in those mags. You were dead on and someone with Sludge’s reputation needed to lay into that crap as it was total bullsh*t. Good job guys!

Sludge on!
Mark

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I couldn’t believe zakk wylde, slash, and joe satriani weren’t on that list. When I heard that Kurt Cobain was in the top 12 and Eddie Van Halen wasn’t even in the top 50 I disregarded that whole list as not even being worthy of toilet paper. It didn’t surprise me that the list was compiled by Rolling Stone magazine. They’re the same guys that put bands on the covers and don’t even cover them that much in the magazine. Those jerks also tell us that bands like Nirvana were so great because they opposed corporate greed, while at the same time their rag is chock full of ads. I could come up with a much better list which wouldn’t include all these alternafags like the guys in sonic youth and nirvana. eddie would be number one. You guys at metalsludge know your shit and you always call it like it is. I wish you guys would print your own magazine.

thanks once again for pointing out the bullshit
brenden

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Total agreement with ya Ozzy!

People like Vai, Joe Satriani, Buckethead, John Peturcci, James Hetfield and a host of others belonged on that list more than half the people on their. I’m looking at some of these names and I keep thinking to myself that not really any of these guitarists made me want to play, and heck, I think they made up some of the names…

EVH definetly should’ve been higher on the list like in the top 3, after all he did invent many of the tricks real guitarists use.

Anyway to sum it up, thanx for not making me waste $5 on that piece of garbage known as Rolling Stone,

Wyld Weasil

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1st off….where is Vai,Satriani,Robin Trower,Wylde or Malmsteen? And can someone please explain to me as to how Joni Mitchell is ranked above Randy Rhoades???….this DAY DREAM is more of an insult than the omissions stated above!!!! I dont recall EVER reading nor hearing ANY guitarist stating they wanted to play like John Fogerty who was ranked above the likes of Fripp and McLauaghlin. I also would like to know how Al Dimeola or Allan Holdsworth were not ranked , but a wife beating turd Ike Turner makes #61. NEVER,NEVER,EVER….in the history of rock n roll, nor any other music for that fact, did the term FRETBOARD PROWESS grace the same sentence as Ike Turner or Joni Mitchell !!!!…..
I guess I should count my blessings in the fact my intellegance wasn’t insulted more by the addition of an over-rated guitarist like Slash in the top 10….what a FREAKIN JOKE

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Let me start by just sayin’ JESUS SHIT FUCKING CHRIST!!!! Now, I ain’t exactly a vast well of goddamn musical input when it comes to guitarists but who the hell gave the OK to print that ass wiping material?! Anyone in media land ever heard of……oh, shit I don’t know, maybe…..Dimebag Darrell, Zakk Wylde, Slash, James Hetfield, Kerry King, Jeff Hanneman, Dave Mustaine, Ace Frehley, Jerry Cantrell or perhaps even Dino Cazarres (why not, Ike Turner-??-is up there). Hell, they’re not guitarists, but I’d say Cliff Burton and Les Claypool oughta be somewhere on there. Jack White #17 and Angus Young #96. Why not just throw Tiny Tim somewhere in there. Hey, I know what to do. Let’s get Zakk Wylde drunk and pissed off (should be easy), Kerry King riled up and extra evil, the guys from Slipknot and toss in Phil Anselmo and Zach de la Rocha for added hostility and let those fuckers loose on the entire RS staff. I think that would be fitting justice.

Big Mike

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I honestly couldn’t agree with you more on this. All the lists the “music” mags put out every year are so full of shit. Even when you have 15 writers compiling the list, it’s still impossible to do. Nobody is influenced by all the same people. I’m always checking out Metal-Sludge.com (what, you thought only hair spray addicts read it? Hell naw! I’m a metal freak at heart!) and had to mail you when I read your post. As a kid, I was influenced by Steve Harris, Adrian Smith, Lemmy, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Cliff Burton..etc. I wasn’t influenced by Eddie Van Halen or Jimi Hendrix. Does that make them bad players? Nope, I just wasn’t big on them is all. And yeah, leaving Slash off any guitar-related list is bullshit, I agree. After reading your update, I had to post part of it on the website I currently do some “work” on, FaygoLuvers.net, just because it rang so true. I’ll put it this way. I’m a Juggalo (yeah, one of them ICP fans) and when Blender listed them as the #1 Worst Band, a lot of people expected it, some didn’t care and the rest were just pissed off. I posted what you said about that on our website, and made sure to clarify that you weren’t defending them, just stating a point. Besides the fact the picture they used is about 4 years old. They probably pulled 90% of those bands out of a hat, or were told what to write about. Anyway, keep that shit up and always stay in the Sludge! Oh, and my name on the site is “AxSylum,” by the way.

The Headbangin’ Juggalo!

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Ozzy,

I’m with you on this whole list being a pile crap. It’s astounding to see that Sonic Youth, Radiohead, and The MC5 all had guitarists that ranked back to back. Yeah. 50,000 guitarists out there, and 3 bands’ guitarists all rank back to back. Maybe because they stand back to back
on stage. That explains it! How come Brad Whitford didn’t follow Joe Perry? Where was Malcolm Young following Angus? Where’s Ron Wood? Certainly you would think he would be right behind Keith Richards! I may not be the foremost expert on the subject, but there’s many people on this list I’ve never heard of!

I’m out like the brain stem of whomever wrote this list.

Barry

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Thank you for the on the money analysis of the unbelievably idiotic Rolling Stone’s 100 greates guitarist list.

Ther is intelligent thought out there after all. Eddie Van Halen number 70.Yeah, right…

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Hey Mr. Ozzy number II!

Dude, you KICKED ASS talking about that incredibly stupid 100 list of the best guitar players of all time done by Rolling Stone! That is sooo awful that you can’t even laugh of it! Disgusting!

Alana Manzoro

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Thanks for that post about Rolling Stone and their useless fucking list! I was just griping about that kind of shit last week to a friend of mine – how all these music magazines waste space with these stupid goddamn lists that no one cares about. God forbid they should actually write about an up-and-coming band that could use the exposure! It’s either garbage like this, or yet another cover story on Jimi Hendrix and the upcoming release of some newly remastered version of a tape someone found of him learning to tune his guitar. It’s a cheap, lazy excuse for journalism and I’m glad someone called these shitwits on it. And seriously, it’s like they mix three different standards to compile one list like this – either you rank them on:

1. Technical ability, in which case Eddie, Yngwie, Vai, Satriani, etc. would always be at the top (and people who don’t know anything about guitar playing or music theory aren’t likely to give a bouncing fuck).

2. The amount of influence they’ve had on other guitarists, in which case you should be getting the opinions of… other guitarists, not a bunch of writers!

3. Sheer popularity, which obviously means nothing.

Shit like this is why I skim through their reeking-of-fruity-perfume magazine while standing at the rack in Barnes & Noble without buying it.

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Great job on calling out Rolling Stone, and MTV on those utter farces of lists they created. I for one realize that when I think of revolutionary, great guitar players, I sure as hell don’t think of Ike Turner, Jack White, Joni Mitchell, Joan Jett, and Jerry Garcia, among others that have no place on that list, cough:KurtCobain:cough.

Maybe its just my obsession with hard rock music that makes me appreciate a Slash, or Steve Vai, or Zakk Wylde, or Randy Rhoads more than this hippie garbage that they decided to throw on the list, many of which, weren’t included on the list, or were placed at an insulting position on the list. Edward Van Halen at # 70 is the biggest laughingstock in the history of all lists. Like him, hate him, Dave or Sammy, tonuge or no tongue, cancer or no cancer, the guy was amazing. He revolutionized the instrument, and rolling stone spits in his face and puts him at #70…. ridiculous.

Call me crazy, I think Buckethead is better than at least 30 of the guitarists listed…. maybe thats just my bias. I haven’t even heard of many of the people they listed(hey, chalk that up to only being 21), and a lot of the people they did list, absolutely suck. I have owned a guitar for about a month, and I think i am already better than Jack White.

As for the bands, MTV has been up Nirvanas ass since the day Kurt blew his head off his shoulders…. Any time MTV has a list about bands, songs, videos, singers, guitarists, etc… expect Nirvana and/or Kurt to top the list. I don’t take as much offense to the bands list as the guitarists list… but hey, MTV blows too.

I have been complaining up and down the internet to pretty much everyone about these lists, and its about damn time that someone(you), has made our opinion heard.

Great job….

I’m out like Rolling Stones credibility….

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If it’s one thing I’ve noticed about these lists is that they’re always put out when there’s nothing going on at the time they do it. It’s like a good cop/bad cop war between the music lovers who are left in the industry versus those who just want to make money from the stuff that sells to fringe fans but lack the longevity of the bands they honor with their list. And the worst part about it is that it works!

The people who make these lists accomplish just what they set out to do, which is grab attention to the bands in the high positions as a way of hyping their carreers even more. They figure that if they sold well then, they’d sell now as well. They’re also good for stirring up opinionated music lovers like us so we can go out and buy their publication and see what they have to say. One time I made a list of best metal bands, thinking it meant something but anyone can make a list so who cares?

I’m looking forward to this ’20 worst lists’, but since everyone has their own ranking system it won’t mean much except for another nail in the coffin for all the publications that put them out year after year. There goes my respect for the music industrys’ press.

Gary

I’m out like Slash on the 100 Greatest Guitarist List,

Ozzy Stillbourne