A couple of thoughts on John Mayer…

My wife and I were having a conversation on different musicians of the past decade or so, and we kept coming back to one name:  John Mayer.   (I, of course, realize that you have already read the title of the post, and knew which way this was going to go.  Hey, it’s poetic licence.)  It is important to know that neither one of us felt John Mayer is the most influential artist over the past decade.  In fact, he was one of those guys that the more we thought about it, the more interesting  he was.

Over  the past couple of years, Mayer has put out pop-rockish and blues rock songs.  Don’t act like you haven’t heard any of his songs.  I know you have, and you’re probably singing one to yourself right now.  There have been a couple that have been pretty forgettable, but others have exposed a great number of pop fans to some basic blues.  The thing I love about John Mayer is that he does it with a nod and a wink, never taking himself too seriously.  Don’t believe me?  Then click on this video.  (Don’t worry, you only need to watch the first 3 or 4 minutes to see the part I’m  talking about.)

The fact that he’s talking to fans is awesome.  Just check out his Twitter feed and see the random thoughts, it’s  hysterical.

So, you’ve got this jester pop/blues rocker who plays blues guitar, but what do the “guitar guys” think about him?  The amazing thing, is that they love him.  If you caught the Grammy nomination program from late 2008, you saw John Mayer and  B. B. King play together.  It was amazing to see him play along side a guitar great.  This is an amazing thing to that the pop/blues rock and guitar greats come together.

I would have to argue that he has  made an impact on this decades music.  It may not be the greatest of all change, but it’s definitely there.  I ask you, dear reader, how many other people could get 13 year olds to listen to blues guitar?  The answer is simple:  John Mayer.