“I LIKE YOUR STYLE”

Whenever I go somewhere in my town, inevitably (but not often), I will hear something from a teenager or pre-teen:

“I like your style!”

Hmmm…I look like a hybrid of 70s/80s but with my own sense of…style? I wear what feels good. Whether it’s t-shirt/jeans/sneakers, or leather jacket/flannel shirt/Doc Martens, I’m just me. I never had a style that anyone wanted to copy.

Same with my music and guitar playing.

A friend of mine who’s a piano teacher said this to me a while back (I was given permission to share and that I would not mention the person’s name):

“You’re original. So even when playing others music, it sounds like you. When you play your own stuff, others can’t understand it or just cannot truly comprehend.”

This made total sense but at the same time, I scratched my head over this. I’d heard as far back as the 80s that “You have your own style” when it came to how I play. I always joked that I’m like Steve Vai but all the wrong notes. I would hear something like Metallica and get inspired. Then hear The Police. Then John McLaughlin…you get the picture. I love metal but couldn’t sit still with absorbing other sounds and styles. I like heavy, aggressive music but I couldn’t kill a fly if it was dead. I’ve always had some degree of melody along with playing tasteless noises. Hearing the textural sounds of Andy Summers or Jamie West-Oram was as thrilling as the shred of Yngwie Malmsteen and Tony MacAlpine. Yet it all made sense to me.

Now throw Prince in the mix…hooooo-boy!

When you are scattered yet focused with your influences, that will ruffle some feathers. Inevitably (and always) I hear “Why can’t you write like…?” or “Why must you use that sound?” Even family members would say things such as “Play what people like, get rich, and then you can do what you want.” Not so fast! I have to be honest with myself. Period.

How can one be unique? Simple: Acknowledge your influences but learn to step outside the circle. I was trapped by my influences too, who wouldn’t be? Think it was around the fifth album GO BERZERK! where I felt like I was transitioning and shifting into a new type of guitarist and writer. LAYERS OF TIME came out four years later and things leveled up. The late great Neil Peart once said that Rush’s MOVING PICTURES was when they “truly became Rush”. That’s how I felt with GB and then LOT. Once I let go of who I “should” be as a guitarist/writer, I felt more liberated.

Most musicians want to be shackled to a particular style or image. I wanted to be the metal guy but it’s not in me. Never was. I’m a bit esoteric in that regard. When eyebrows curl up, that’s how I know I’m challenging metal people. I still love metal, it’s a huge part of my DNA. But I always wrote what felt good. Much like I wear what feels good.

Pink flannel shirts are metal 🙂