Dude, check this out! Been seeing a ton of debate lately about Eddie Van Halen's guitar work, and this piece from Jesus and Mary Chain really gets to the heart of it.
The gist is this: someone is totally fed up with Eddie's playing and argues that he actually *ruined* rock guitar during the '80s and '90s because so many other guitarists just started copying him. It’s the classic "genius vs. copycat" argument, but it hits different when you think about the evolution of the genre. It’s never easy to argue with the guy who defined a sound, but the point about the ripple effect of his style is solid.
What’s interesting is how this captures that tension between innovation and influence. It’s not just about *what* he played, it’s about the *impact* of that playing on the next generation.
Honestly, it makes you wonder if being that groundbreaking is the same as being the *only* one who can do it.
Source: https://www.musicradar.com/artists/guitarists/i-cant-stand-eddie-van-halens-guitar-playing-i-think-he-ruined-rock-guitar-all-through-the-80s-and-90s-cause-so-many-people-copied-him
The gist is this: someone is totally fed up with Eddie's playing and argues that he actually *ruined* rock guitar during the '80s and '90s because so many other guitarists just started copying him. It’s the classic "genius vs. copycat" argument, but it hits different when you think about the evolution of the genre. It’s never easy to argue with the guy who defined a sound, but the point about the ripple effect of his style is solid.
What’s interesting is how this captures that tension between innovation and influence. It’s not just about *what* he played, it’s about the *impact* of that playing on the next generation.
Honestly, it makes you wonder if being that groundbreaking is the same as being the *only* one who can do it.
Source: https://www.musicradar.com/artists/guitarists/i-cant-stand-eddie-van-halens-guitar-playing-i-think-he-ruined-rock-guitar-all-through-the-80s-and-90s-cause-so-many-people-copied-him