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DON'T
TRY THIS AT HOME;

"Day
8: part 2, Favorite Guitarists, Physics, and that guy who keeps
yelling 7 & 7 IS after we've already played it."
After shows,
people have flattered me with complimentary words about my guitar
playing. Thanks, but there are probably quite a few people in the
audience who are (or at least think) better. But one interesting
question that comes up; who's my favorite guitarist and who do I
think is the best of all time, as far as rock music is concerned.
Well, that's a tough one. I like alot of people's styles. I really
like Larry Carlton or Gary Moore. I (obviously) dig Johnny Echols
and Jay Donnelay; those guys are totally original, as far as I'm
concerned. I'm a big Jeff Beck fan, as well as a Big AL Anderson
(NRBQ) fan. But, as far as the best, I'd say it's between Eddie
Van Halen and Jimi Hendrix. But see, even that arguement is generationally
subjective (does that make sense, what I said?). Most people who
pick Henndrix remember how amazing it was that someone came out
of nowhere and reinvented the electric guitar.

photo
from Mike's camera
But if Jimi
were here today, I think he'd ask Eddie for lessons because I think
Eddie IS THAT GOOD. But they're both important so, why choose? I
even think of them like Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein. Sir "I"
hypothesized the 3 laws of motion, which was standardin science
and math for almost 300 years. But, his laws of motion couldn't
explain Mercury's orbit around the sun, which differed from all
the other planets. But he'd done so much and was simply a genius
people figured, "Let's leave well enough alone." Well,
that question drove Einstein to SOLVE it, which he did with his
General Theory of Relativity (in 1905). This corrected Newton's
mistke and introduced Quantum mechanics at the same tim, because
his theory predicted it, but Einstein never really took the credit
he deserved for it, insisting that,"God doesn't roll dice."
Of course, I think that's PRECISELY what God does.
Well, like
Sir "I" and Einstein, Hendrix invented a way to use the
instrument that was completely revolutionized the instrument and
rock music as a whole. But hendrix died too early and we can only
speculate what could have been. Although others suspect that Jimi
was burned out and in a rut and turned to more and more drugs because
he was insecure. Who knows. But where Jimi left off, Eddie took
over and proceeded to take the guitar in places Jimi couldn't dream
of. Of course, Eddies guitar life went as far as it could...but
they both deserve credit but, just like Einstein gave us the abilty
for nuclear power, cellphones, rockets and stuff that was unheard
of in the 19th century, no one was able to do too much with Newton's
theories, as they were missing the most important peices. I think
Jimi never really got to that point...and Eddie did.
Also, would
the guy who keeps yelling out "7 & 7 IS" give it a
break? I mean, yer doing it after we already played it. And fans
are getting tired of saying it. Other than that, have agood time,
like the guy in Eugene, Oregon, who danced the whole time we played.
Ok, I have to get back to the Montana scenery. It's taking like
forever to get out of this state! It's like driving thru texas without
the BAR-B-Q and handguns.
=====
Mike Randle
mike@lovewitharthurlee.com

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