captain2man wrote:Nugent himself is not on the list.....but again - it's clear this is a personal list by a well-respected music journalist, not meant to be some collective agreement. Greg Ginn, D. Boon and Robert Quine are all on the list, and I'd have to assume most aggregate "Top 100 Guitar" lists wouldn't have any of those three (but where or where is Curt Kirkwood??).
And - what did Nugent say about Jett's appearance on this list - why - among other things - he said this:
"I love Joan. Some of my greatest memories include lesbians. I love the lesbians; it’s a cocktail of wonderment."
Seriously? It couldn't be clearer that, in the end, while Nugent may correctly say that Jett is undeserving of a "Top 100 Rock Guitarist" list, that when he thinks of her - she's a lesbian before all else. Make all the arguments you want against having her on the list....but why was this particular statement remotely necessary? Why say it if not to demean and marginalize?
I mean, I understand what you are saying. It's crude, it's boorish, it's unprofessional. But it's also a positive statement. He says he loves lesbians and that he loves Joan Jett. I take him at his word. It's hard for me to really read that in a super negative light.
But to the real issue, I totally disagree that Ginn, D. Boon, etc would not be on a lot of these lists, or that they wouldn't deserve to be given a certain realm parameters. The argument is not that Joan Jett *isn't* technically proficient, and for that reason alone should not be on this list. The idea is that on top of not being technically proficient, she is also not culturally important or influential
as a guitar player. All of those other guys arguably are. There is nothing stand out about her playing. At all. The only argument that could possibly be made is the old tired chestnut that because she's a female, she inspired girls or something. Even then I think a ton of other females would come before her. I give her all the kudos in the world for being a hard rock front woman, singer/songwriter, etc. Put her on all of those lists. She's just not at all special or good specifically as a guitar player.
The Nuge, on the other hand... I was never, ever a fan of his music. Even before he became a basket case. I also was never hugely into his playing. He's obviously waaaay more proficient than someone like Jett. But that means nothing. I do, however, think he was waaaaaay more of an influential figure in his day. He has spoiled his legacy with his ranting persona. But objectively speaking, Ted Nugent's influence, especially in the world of rock guitar playing in the 70's, was massive. He totally *should* be on this list, if the list means anything.
But I simply take it to mean 'we need more girls on this list, so let's put Joan Jett on there' and 'Ted Nugent is an absolute asshole, so there is no way we can be caught dead giving him any sort of accolades at this point'. None of this has any bearing whatsoever on guitar playing skill or cultural importance. Thus, I declare this list to be utter horse shit.