John Mayer

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ahuimanu

New member
So, when this guy first came out I just figured he was another singer-songwriter "hatboy" dude and I hit the mental "dismiss" button. However, there was a benefit concert on TV the other night with celebrities answering the phone and John came on and did a hendrix tune - damned if I can remember which - but HOLY SHIZZLESTICK dude rocked!

Now, I know there are guys better than him, more technically adept. yadda yadda, but this guy had the MOJO!

Just thought I'd share. I almost think he'd be good live in a club setting where little guitar gems are thrown in to round out a nights worth of sets.

Anybody have anymore low-down on the guy?
 
I saw that too. He is one of the best guitarists in mainstream music IMO. That doesn't mean I listen to his music though, but when I see a live footage on TV I like to watch it. He knows how to play. He might not be Steve Vai or Satriani or any of those guys, but his style is a hell of a lot more catchy that those other self gratifying shmucks. ;)
 
Wasn't Mayer trained at MI in L.A.? (heard that somewhere, dunno if its true or not) I've seen him twice at UC Berkeley's Greek Theatre (2003 & 2004). Okay, so he's not playing Vai or Malmsteen licks but he's writing some good tunes, playing competently and putting on good shows. Howie Day writes some great tunes but doesn't have the charisma on stage. I can play Malmsteen licks and wrote dozens of tunes but haven't been nominated for any awards. ~sniff~
 
he came back to speak at Berklee in Boston so methinks he went there.

anyway, he's a cocky sob. I don't care for his style but he does usually play an SRV strat which makes him slightly more cool by association.
 
He went to Berklee for a year, dropped out, and headed to the southland.
I don't see him as being cocky at all. I see him as being competent at what he does.
 
APL said:
I like his music. I'd heard the Berklee connection, too.
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60's guy said:
He went to Berklee for a year, dropped out, and headed to the southland.
I don't see him as being cocky at all. I see him as being competent at what he does.
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well, the old guys don't mind him. :)

I had a friend that heard him speak at Berklee so I'm really just propagating 2nd hand sources. He told me Mayer asked the crowd to look deep within themselves and ignore their passion/desire and grade themselves objectively as musicians. He then told them to ask themselves if they've "got it" to be successful as artists. He said he asked himself that while at Berklee and dropped out because of his answer.
 
stonepiano said:
1. well, the old guys don't mind him. :)

2. He said he asked himself that while at Berklee and dropped out because of his answer.
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1. Maybe we don't see him as a Hottie Threat! :cool:

2. What was his answer? He could drop out because he thinks he's already equipped to be an artist or because he doesn't think he can be. So does he think of himself as an artist or an entertainer?
 
man i love john mayers songs...well some of them. his technique on the acoustic is incredible. i wish i could go to berklee, 35000 per year i think??
 
There were cats like John Mayer in Honolulu when I grew up there in the 70s and 80s. These guys (Henry Kapono and Willie K. come to mind) were good at "island style" music and really good at slack-key (which is pretty awesome in a bluegrass kinda way) but they secretly had ROCK CHOPS!

I remember going to this one Waikiki dive several times to heckle these guys to play things like Hendrix and Jeff Beck, etc. Eventually, after sending a few drinks their way, they'd ablige me and, on some nights, they'd groove it out just like John did the other night. There seems to be so many guys with the "rock demon" brewing in them that aren't ROCKING as their frontline groove.

John's got some decent songs and a good voice, but when I saw him ROCKING OUT the other night I just about shit myself. Why don't we hear that kind of rockin' on the TV and radio? I know it was a cover, but the boy had the MOJO workin' fo' sho'.
 
Because it's easy to civer someone if you hva the playing abilities, it's a lot more difficult to actually come up with those amazing riffs and solos on your own, much les put them in the context of a an interesting song. I've seen John Mayer busts some pretty cool licks before, but the songs he writes are pretty bland pop drivel. He's got an interesting voice, but it's not very broad in terms of his power and emotional scope, he sounds pretty much the same on every song. If he really had the passion for the hard rocking songs, as well as the skill to write and perform them, I beleive he would. His body of material and delivery just give me the impression of a guy that found something that works, even though his heart is somewhere else.
 
I don't care how well he plays,I'm forced to listen to his drivel at work and would like to see him kicked in the nuts!
 
apl said:
1. Maybe we don't see him as a Hottie Threat! :cool:
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What a bitch that must be, huh? You've got thousands upon thousands of girls screaming for you but the vast majority are 13 and have no clue that you love SRV and Hendrix and whomever else. And I'm just kidding about the old thing. I ain't that young anymore myself. :(

apl said:
2. What was his answer? He could drop out because he thinks he's already equipped to be an artist or because he doesn't think he can be. So does he think of himself as an artist or an entertainer?
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heh. that was kind of a lame cliff hanger. :)

He basically said they were all wasting their time there.

He dropped out because he knew he had the goods to be a superstar (in a not so subtle David Naughton "Makin' It" kind of way) and there was nothing he was going to learn at Berklee that would help him get there. Conversely, there was nothing to learn at Berklee that would help those without the requisite "it" to be successful. :rolleyes:

I dunno. That attitude kinda rubbed me the wrong way.
 
I believe the quote would be "..I dropped out of Berklee because I decided I wanted to play music, not study it" Pretty sure that was what I heard him say word for word.

However...

...Can't tell you how much I hate this guy. Hate the whole "faggy" soft, wimpy singing musical "geniuses" that seem to be the trend lately. Dave Mathews, Mayer, etc. "Technically" good song writing, and arguably good musicians, but not good songs. I see nothing about any of them that make them "great". Can't wait till the little girls that are listening to them grow up so they can fade away.
 
stonepiano said:
What a bitch that must be, huh? You've got thousands upon thousands of girls screaming for you but the vast majority are 13 and have no clue that you love SRV and Hendrix and whomever else.
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probably over 90% of his audience listens to it because its popular and he's attractive. maybe he thinks he's got what it takes to be a musician but...does anyone that listens to him even care?
 
I agree with most people who are speaking negatively of him, because those were (concerning his originals) my feelings too.

I only made a thread to say, "wow lying under that singer/songwriter mask is a dude who rocks." If you saw the performance you'd know that he is the real deal. He clearly felt it and delivered a good rendition of hendrix.
 
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