After the email I sent about Jimmy Page the other day…
I got a good reply from Richard, who sent me a story he came across about Jimmy Page.
It was about a street performer playing guitar in Boston in the early 90s.
He noticed Jimmy sitting on a stone bench, smiling, and listening to him play.
He was there for about three songs, then nodded and walked away.
…But later came back with a big cup of coffee and a bag of pastries, which he placed near his tip jar.
Then he said to the chap, after patting him on the shoulder, “Got to run, but nice open C!”
(The chap was playing his guitar in open “C” tuning).
It’s a nice story…
And it got me thinking about when I met one of my own heroes.
It was at Reading Festival in 2007.
The band Dinosaur Jr. was playing.
If you don’t know, this was an 80s indie rock band that influenced the likes of Nirvana and they are easily one of the loudest bands I’ve ever seen.
Even though my musical tastes are mostly mellower now, I’ll always have a soft spot for the band.
The band were doing a “meet and greet” session after their set.
Me, my girlfriend, and one of my pals all noticed the queue to meet them.
We were the last ones to get in line just before the barrier was shut.
When we met the band, it was bizarre, to say the least.
The singer, J Mascis, was the quietest, most shy, and awkward person I ever met.
…But the drummer and bassist, Lou and Murph, were very chatty.
I joked, how much would it cost them to play in my back garden and we had a laugh doing a pretend negotiation for this to happen.
Of course, I was never going to pay $20,000 or whatever it was they charged for gigs.
Instead, I said I’d buy them a crate of beer and get my mom to make one of her famous curries.
All a bit of a laugh and I felt very witty, haha.
I left a bit gutted that the singer/guitarist J Mascis was not interested in chatting though.
I mean, he was my idol at the time.
A very cool guitarist, but very shy too.
That’s okay.
I’ve heard loads of stories from interviewers saying he’s like that even in promo interviews with big radio stations and magazines.
He once said he hates being “grilled” by hyper people.
Oops, I think that was me – both hyper and grilling him!
Anyway, he’s extremely cool in my eyes and does seem like a genuine no-nonsense guy which I like.
I’ve met a few other rock stars too.
Chris Cornell, very briefly, who is sadly no longer with us. (He was super cool too and also very shy but very warm).
It’s interesting when we talk about rock stars and musicians.
They’re all human.
The above stories all show it.
They have their own awkwardness, shyness, fears, etc.
I mean, there are so many musicians who turn to substances because they don’t feel they deserve their stardom.
Stardom has never been appealing in the slightest for me.
I love to play for myself and to help others play.
…But this email is all about taking a moment to remember if you ever doubt yourself…
Everyone has doubts about themselves too.
…Including all the great guitarists, past and present.
If you’re looking to learn guitar or it’s been a bit of a struggle so far…
Patience, practice, and persistence are key.
…And playing with a smile goes a long way to making the journey more fun.
I hope that was helpful and feel free to share any rock star or musician stories of your own with me.
I love to read them.
And if you want to discover how to play the blues in the famous style of many people’s guitar heroes, then you might like to check this out below…
The Beginner 12-Bar Blues Mini Masterclass
Keep on smilin’
Dan Thorpe
Guitar Domination
P.S. This post was originally taken from Dan Thorpe’s private email list. To get blog posts like this sent to you which are full of great tips to make fingerpicking, strumming, and learning guitar more enjoyable (especially if you are over 40) join Dan’s list. It’s 100% free, HERE.
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