In a new interview celebrating the history of the electric guitar, acclaimed guitarist John 5 has named Eddie Van Halen, Yngwie Malmsteen, and modern virtuoso Guthrie Govan as the three players who personally “changed music” for him. The Mötley Crüe guitarist also expressed his deep admiration for the “new generation” of players, stating that the instrument will “always keep evolving. And you know what? Thank God for it.”
Speaking on the We Wreck Records podcast, the prolific guitarist, known for his work with Rob Zombie and Marilyn Manson, was asked to identify the three players who had the biggest impact on his own musical journey.
“The three guitarists that changed music… I think where I was really taken aback and it really changed my life, I would say Eddie Van Halen definitely was that for me,” he began (as transcribed by Blabbermouth). “He really took it to the next level. Then I would say Yngwie Malmsteen, because I just love that… That ‘less is more’, I’ve never gotten that. I’ve always gotten the, ‘No, more is more.’ And that’s what I loved about Yngwie. And then I’m gonna go with even Guthrie for today, modern. I just love him so much. I just love how he creates his solos and how he plays live.”
John 5 also shared his enthusiasm for the current wave of groundbreaking young guitarists, like Tim Henson of Polyphia, seeing them as the next logical step in the instrument’s evolution.
“In time we will always have epiphanies with Jimi Hendrix and then Jimmy Page, Eddie Van Halen, Yngwie Malmsteen, Polyphia, Guthrie Govan, Tosin Abasi,” he explained. “It will always keep evolving. And you know what? Thank God for it. There’s so many incredible guitar players… And it will never stop — thank God. I love anybody that is ripping it up.”
He credited social media platforms like Instagram for making it easier than ever to discover new talent from all corners of the globe. “Before you just would see people in Hollywood or hear about them in Guitar Player magazine,” he said. “But now I can hear about somebody in Russia or someone in Brazil, and it’s wonderful.”
