Zakk Wylde on Rolling Stone's Top 100 Guitarists

[asphyXy]

<font color=969696>I just found this article while searching through some stuff...

OZZY OSBOURNE guitarist Zakk Wylde recently spoke to Sleaze Grinder about Rolling Stone magazine's much-criticized list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time.

"Put it this way," Wylde began. "When Eddie Van Halen is number 70 and Randy Rhoads is number 85, I mean, bottom line is I have to play Randy Rhoads' shit every night. I idolize Randy Rhoads. I still got posters of Randy Rhoads in my garage right now, in my weight room. I carry them on the bus. I love Randy Rhoads to death man, so I mean, the whole thing is just like, I've got to play Randy's shit every night. Last time I checked, Joan Jett can't play ****ing 'Mr. Crowley', you know what I'm saying?

"You've got to laugh at the thing," Wylde continued. "I mean, Joe Satriani isn't in there. Steve Vai isn't in there. Yngwie Malmsteen isn't in that ****ing list. Slash isn't in there. They are some of the sickest guitar players that have ever walked this planet. I mean, I'm a guitar player. Do you know how good ****ing Yngwie is? It's beyond ****ing sick. The fact that Yngwie isn't in it is just ****ing mind-boggling to me. People can say what they want about Yngwie, but it's just like naming the 10 greatest singers of all time and not putting Pavarotti in it, you know what I'm saying? Yngwie is a virtuoso.

"Obviously Jimi Hendrix is going to be the patron son of guitar, like Babe Ruth. No matter who hits more home runs than The Babe, The Babe is going to be, you know, The Babe. But the thing is, Jimi Hendrix couldn't play 'Spanish Fly' or 'Eruption'. Technically. I'm telling you. Flat out. Just couldn't do it. Jimi got a bunch of gear that nobody ever had before, you know what I am saying? So, he was able to do it before anyone else, and I understand that, but Eddie brought it to a whole other level technically.

"As far as I'm concerned, Eddie Van Halen should be number one. And then Randy Rhoads would have to be in the top three or top five. He'd have to be."

----

I agree with him.</font.

[Funky Fly]

I am going to have to agree. Who was #1 again? I think it was Kurt Cobaine or someone (not sure).

It's like this: the first time I ever held a guitar (my little bro's Warlock, Christmas '03), I learned to play the main riff from "Come As You Are" in 10 minutes. Do you think I could learn anything by any of the guitarists that Zakk mentioned (or even Zakk Wylde himself) in only 10 minutes?

Honestly... Rolling Stone. :nono:

[asphyXy]

<font color=969696>Number 1 was Hendrix. Cobain was around #10 or something.</font>

[Funky Fly]

<font color=969696>Number 1 was Hendrix. Cobain was around #10 or something.</font>
Well, I wouldn't be able to learn too many Hendrix riffs only 10 minutes after holding a guitar for the first time, but it woud be pretty sweet to learn. :y:

Anyway, even with Hendrix as #1, I love the guy to death, but my previous post remains valid.

[asphyXy]

<font color=969696>I just looked it up. Cobain was #12.

Steve Vai, Timo Tolkki, Yngwie Malmsteen, Alexi Laiho, Chuck Schuldiner, and Joe Satriani are nowhere to be found.</font>

[Smitty]

Yeah, I remember reading the list. And then I thought to myself, why the **** was Jack White on there? Everytime I see him play he's sloppy, out of tune, and his distortion sounds like shit. Now don't get me wrong, maybe outside of his White Stripes shit he really is a phenominal guitarist, but in the top 100?

[Silent]

I also missed John Petrucci on that list.

[DaveWadding]

Joe Perry was like 73 :|

[Yashamaga]

what the fu</>ck, Cobain?

he shouldn't be anywhere near a top 200 list

[Downunder]

It's official (once again) Rolling Stone Magazine is full of shit.

BTW was it a reader’s poll?

[Tranny]

Who is Yngwie Malmsteen the guitarist for? Im supposing I should know, but help me out here :(

[The Mask]

he's a solo guitarist, like joe satriani or whatever. he has done some stuff with bands though, I think maybe dio and... i forget the other one.

[The Mask]

i think yngwie is absolutely horrible as a guitarist though. he's talented, i won't deny him that, but his songwriting is beyond shite.

[Rob]

Where was Angus Young?

[el fregadero]

Joe Perry was like 73 :|
Yeah and Joe Satriani was off the list. :|

[asphyXy]

Where was Angus Young?
<font color=969696>96 :|

[Kane Knight]

i think yngwie is absolutely horrible as a guitarist though. he's talented, i won't deny him that, but his songwriting is beyond shite.
:y:

[asphyXy]

<font color=969696>The songwriting on the "Rising Force" and "The Seventh Sign" albums is excellent. Everything other than that is pretty bad. It's as though he records solos first and writes songs around them.</font>

[Kane Knight]

Joan Jett? Don't know if she could play Mister Crowley. Why would she? Isn't that along the lines of asking Brian May to play a death metal riff? Why would you even pretend that playing in one style makes you the be all and end all?

That's not to say the list isn't shit, because I believe it is, but listening to Zakk egowank Van Halen and Rhoades, it's idiotic.

By the way, playing simple riffs doesn't make you any worse a guitarist or reflect on what you can play. Listen to pretty much everything on Mourning Widows' records, and compare it with a lot of the Shredding Nuno did when he was part of Extreme, or even his earlier solo work (Or his work with Sinful, etc.).

Wow. Jimi didn't shred. That immediately disqualifies him.

[Penner]

what the fu</>ck, Cobain?

he shouldn't be anywhere near a top 200 list
I was thinking the same thing?

What guitaring was so great?

[asphyXy]

<font color=969696>Zakk Wylde is a drunken metal guitarist, so of course he's going to worship Rhoads and EVH. I think Wylde is a terrible guitarist because he uses the same technique in all of his riffs. He can shred like a madman, but he still sucks.</font>

[Kane Knight]

But he's a guitarist! He KNOWS these things!

[Rob]

<font color=969696>96 :|

:lol:

This list makes the Wrestling Forum list look credible.

[Kane Knight]

I was thinking the same thing?

What guitaring was so great?
Come on, like any "top 100" list is going to be worth the paper it's printed on.

Wylde himself has the key. His mention of Pavarotti. It's kind of ironic, because he uses pavarotti to jerk off over why EVH should be on the top of the list, but only lists his own contemporaries.

EVH brought it to a whole new level...On a pop scale, and if he hadn't been hyped to shit, we'd be going "Eddie Van Who?"

Yeah, because it's not like anyone was doing this shit beforehand...

By the way, why the FU</>CK is Pete Townshend on this list at all?

[The Mask]

I'd like to think influence had a degree of say why people were on this list. I'd understand Cobain on there a bit better than.

Jack White still has me completely stumped though.

[Kane Knight]

Jack White is the savior of ROCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Don't you know anything?

[The Mask]

I know I'd like to watch him and Zakk Wylde go at it hell in a cell style.

[Kane Knight]

Sounds good. Can we make it an exploding cage match, so even the winner dies?

[Fabien Barthez]

its a stupid list to even try and make, how can you pit a jazz guitarist against a metal guitarist? its chalk and cheese. things I did notice were

Keith Richards and no Ronnie Wood? Ronnie is equally as good if not better

George Harrison and no Paul Maccartney? Macca is a better guitarist than george and john put together

Johnny Ramone?
Ike Turner?
Les ****in Paul?

What was the merit scheme for this?

It was anally american at best.

A few people I would have put in would have been

Dave Grohl
Josh Homme
Paul Weller, I mean the guy wrote better music than anyone, and still does but hey, The Jam were never big in america so how can he be a good guitarist, since americans taste in music is so profound?

[Kane Knight]

Les Paul: Yeah, but what have you done for me LATELY? ;)

[Azriel]

Well, the reason why some of those great guitar players aren't on is because they are not mainstream for the most part. I'm sure if one of their readers saw like Yngwie or Petrucci on there, they'd be like "who the hell are these guys"?

[King Jericho]

Alexi Laiho isn't on there, but Cobain is :| :wtf: :mad:

[Smitty]

its a stupid list to even try and make, how can you pit a jazz guitarist against a metal guitarist? its chalk and cheese. things I did notice were

Keith Richards and no Ronnie Wood? Ronnie is equally as good if not better

George Harrison and no Paul Maccartney? Macca is a better guitarist than george and john put together

Johnny Ramone?
Ike Turner?
Les ****in Paul?

What was the merit scheme for this?

It was anally american at best.

A few people I would have put in would have been

Dave Grohl
Josh Homme
Paul Weller, I mean the guy wrote better music than anyone, and still does but hey, The Jam were never big in america so how can he be a good guitarist, since americans taste in music is so profound?

Doesn't Paul Maccartney play bass?! :?: Well at least he did for The Beatles

[Fabien Barthez]

He has recored his own guitar rythym and lead bass and drums on all his albums since wings. I saw a video of him blues dueling with bb king from ages ago and it was a close call. point is, how is this judged. is it only playing ability? variety? melodys? writing of music? Les Paul was a shitty guitarist but he happened to build a guitar chassis that gibson mostly redesigned anyway.

[Silent]

Kurt Cobain isn't that bad of a guitarist. Sure he is overrated, and his number on that list is a little too low, but still he is not that bad either.

If you were actually expecting Rolling Stone magazine to put Alexi Laiho on there, then you obviously have never read the magazine.

[asphyXy]

<font color=969696>I don't read magazines.

I didn't expect Laiho to be on there, but I expected Satch and Vai to be in the top ten. They didn't make the list, but Kirk Hammett did? I mean, Satch taught Kirk Hammett how to play guitar. He knows basically all there is to know about all there is to know about guitars. That should make him slightly better than Kurt Cobain.</font>

[Silent]

<font color=969696>I don't read magazines.

I didn't expect Laiho to be on there, but I expected Satch and Vai to be in the top ten. They didn't make the list, but Kirk Hammett did? I mean, Satch taught Kirk Hammett how to play guitar. He knows basically all there is to know about all there is to know about guitars. That should make him slightly better than Kurt Cobain.</font>

No, I agree. I just meant that Rolling Stone is such a pop-culture magazine, or whatever, that of course guitarists that we know suck are gonna be called gods :p

I agree that Satch and Vai should be way up there.

[blake639raw]

ha, what a joke. It's obvious that the people that wrote that shit have never picked up a guitar in their life.

[CBright7831]

Why are magazines such as Rolling Stone and Blender so obsessed with doing Top 100 lists?

[Rob]

At least Blender is a good magazine though. I didn't agree with their 50 worst song list but at least it was readable.

At the end of the day, music debates cause heated discussions. That's pretty much why I don't usually discuss music or politics.

[Kane Knight]

That's what they're looking for. Heated controversy.

Working people up into a frenzy.