Influences - why do you play?

[flipflop]

I got an idea reading this article that it might be cool to have a thread on here dealing with your influences as a player - and also the articles about the professional players and their influences.

What made people pick up an instrument and how did they start out playing.

This is a great read about Warner E. Hodges - lead-guitarist with Jason & the Scorchers, highly influential rock band who paved the way for later bands such as Uncle Tupelo, Wilco and all that...

His background, influences, a bit of tech stuff.... dig in!

Vintage Guitar® magazine : Features :

 

[flipflop]

Warner Hodges' 5 reasons the Tele kicks ass!

1) You can play things behind the nut. You gotta love that!

2) It doesn't matter what gauge of strings you use, you cannot mess up the neck.

3) You can drop it, kick it, pick it up, and it'll stay in tune. One night in Norway, I threw one 19 rows deep into the audience, and a girl brought it back. The B string was sharp - that was it! That same guitar, in a case - not a flight case - was run over by a luggage tractor and six carts full of luggage. I went to the Scandinavian Air Service baggage claim to open the case - I told the lady, "I want you to see the damage at the same time I do." I was so pissed off! But I opened the case and there wasn't a damn thing wrong with the guitar. The case was destroyed, but the guitar was fine. That's a Telecaster.

4) James Burton. I got a buddy who met Elvis. He asked, "Hey, Elvis... Where's James?"

5) You can play any musical style with a Telecaster. It's the Bayer aspirin of guitars. Crazy, how Leo got it right the very first time!

 

[AboutAGirl]

I started playing because I wanted to understand music. I couldn't wrap my head around what an album was supposed to represent, and how an artist puts together songs and what it means for them, and just plain what it was like to make music. When I figured that stuff out, I kept playing because I thought I had something to prove. Now that I've proven everything I can, I continue playing because it's a fun hobby.

 

[Slip'nn2Darkness]

My influences are from just listening to music all my life and one day I said.. I want to make music..
I guess I don't want to play just like one person I've heard.. I would like to be creative and invent my own style..
You can do just about anything with an instrument..

 

[TheFeldster]

I started playing as a kid because I wanted to be just like my old man, who plays guitar also.

So I learned from when I was about 7 to when I was about 13.

Then, for some reason, I stopped playing and just listened.

Then I went to see Eric Clapton live a couple of years later, with Doyle Bramhall II and Derek Trucks (two fine guitarists) in his backing band and overnight, the passion returned.

It hasn't left since.

 

[0000]

I don't care how strong a telecaster is... I'm sure as hell not throwing mine across the room and running it over with a truck

I found AC/DC in fifth grade, that made me want to play, the electricity from listening to that zapped my brain I guess....

 

[Lynch]

I started playing guitar in high school. Biggest influences at that time
were Ace Frehley, George Lynch, Jake E Lee, Eddie Van Halen, Glenn
Tipton/KK Downing (Judas Priest), but mostly those first two.

Why did I want to play guitar? Well, I loved the rock music I was
listening and wanted to emulate my "heroes", be able to play like
them. And of course, I wanted to be in a rock band, have 15,000
people cheering me (us) on every night and of course last but certainly
not least, to have a slew of hot blonde groupies follow me from place
to place.

What? I'm being honest.

After a while, I realized I'll never be able to play like George Lynch or
EVH, so I was content with being able to kick back and relax, play stuff
I liked to play... jam with some friends once in a while, etc. Of course,
I still think about that imaginary harem of blonde groupies. Then again,
I'm too old for a harem, I'd be happy with just one blonde groupie.


What? I said I was being honest.

 

[That 70s Guy]

I started playing again cos I need the money.

 

[flipflop]

Ok, everybody but Lynch are gonna have to rewrite their posts - EVERYbody starts playing to get laid, someone famous said that!

 

[Slip'nn2Darkness]

My influences..James Dewar.. Franco Prestia.. Billy Sheehan.. Brian Ritchie..
My cousins who rock and God..