So, when I was a child, in elementary school, my gym teacher decided she needed to enact her facism tendencies on the whole of the 5th grade class with an atrocious Christmas play. She was never overly fond of me and unlucky for her, I ended up with the student of the month write up from it.
However, I done acting very few times in my life, I’ve come to appreciate some things about acting that I couldn’t really appreciate in my youth and that is a form of method acting, albeit slightly lesser in scale because I don’t go about getting acting gigs or forcing your fellow thespians to only refer to said person as said character to their utter annoyance.
So it started in 2008, when I was looking for ways to get deeper into the headspace of things I didn’t particularly understand, specifically crime. This was to help with cultivating my “book”, Pre-Crime. However, I used it to help create characters in my novel ideas, or screenplays. Whatever I was writing at the time. I then turned to using it to get better at guitar and I find it works very well.
So what I normally do is I will shave my beard or facial hair similar to the artist in question if they have any.
Jimi Hendrix style mustache
Next thing I do is go to Amazon and look at clothing styles similar to the ones said artists have and cultivate a look that is closer to them in the time frame and then try to modernize it, as if they were walking around today, assuming they’re still alive or not.
I go back to Amazon as often as I need to in order to get my minds eye in direction of the “character” so to speak.
This is a new touch, but I used to photoshop if need be, however thanks to the AI I can create images that help me better interpret the artist in question.
I listen to their music as much as possible and attempt to get into that headspace. I may try and create similar riffs or something as well, in order to get a deeper understanding.
I try to visualize how a movie or biopic could look, starting said individual musician. This helps to get a better feel for how said person is interpreted via different mediums like interviews.
I may buy myself a new guitar that is similar to said individual, because sometimes having said style guitar can help you facilitate a deeper connection to the musicians you like.
If you can get pedals to work on a tone, that is helpful too.
You don’t have to restrict yourself to just people that play your instrument. I improved my bass line playing on guitar by doing that same with Lemmy as I did with Hendrix.
I’ve done this about 4 or so times over the years and I personally think it helps.
At worst, it’s a fun waste of time, trying to better put yourself into the shoes of another human that’s deeper than just understanding where they’re coming from. It’s black like me, that documentary from the 1970s but without the benefit of it helping others integrate into society.
If anyone decides to try this, let me know if it works for you.
So back in 2004 I got this from the local Walmart. We were spending the summer “camping” from place to place. What really happened was the landlords were atrocious alcoholics, and were about to go through a horrible divorce that my family and I got accidentally caught up in. So I spent my 18th year listening to a lot of music that summer. This is what is left of those and what I bought up until 2014.
Insane Clown Posse Hell’s Pit.
I found ICP, accidentally in the 90s. Never a big fan of rap, but I enjoyed the styling they did. I’ve had most of their albums over the years. This one was awesome. 4 stars
Coolio Gangsta’s Paradise
Bought this just for the title track. Gangsta’s Paradise is a metal song done in rap styling. The rest of the album is so-so. I don’t like rap much and the LA vibe was even worse than the east coast. Never been a fan of laidback sounds for the most part. Misfits and Black Flag are an exception to this rule. 3 out of 5 stars
Ozzy’s greatest hits
I had we sold our soul for rock and roll in the 90s, and I even saw the reformation of Sabbth in the 90s when my family and I went to OzzFest 99 for my 13th birthday. Naturally, the prince of darkness was right up my alley. I loved the 2001 album he did with Dreamer. This is all the best in one place. 5 out of 5
Dream 2001
Ok, So pop isn’t my thing. However, back in 2001 Sprite had points. You saved so many you got something. Well, after upteen nose bleeds from Sprite up’ing my blood pressure, this was the only album they had that seemed ok. It wasn’t worth it, but it’s not a horrible album. I haven’t had a sprite since then for a reason. 3.5 out of 5
Rob Zombies Hillbilly Deluxe
Second time I bought this album. Loved it in the 90s, dug it even more in 2004. Saw him at Ozzfest 99 and he upstaged sabbath. Not an easy accomplishment. 4 out of 5 stars.
Iron Maiden Number of the beast.
First heard of Iron Maiden thanks to the Tony Hawk games. Bought this in 2004 and loved it. Sadly I haven’t listened to this album since, just Run to the hills and Number of the beast. Interesting side note, We were at the Wendy’s in Saco, Maine and I had this album playing. I turned around while my family was ordering the food and when I turned back around, a bunch of ambulances were across the street. In between the time I started listening to the album and turned about some guy on a bicycle was hit by a semi truck. Horrible tragedy and still sticks with me to this day. 4 out of 5 stars on the album though.
Van Halen Best of both worlds
Can’t pick between Hager and Roth? Well, now you don’t have to. Besides, no one bought this album for either, well, if you’re a guitarist anyways. You bought it for Eddie’s guitar playing. Great album. Fun fact, this album almost had a tour for it. Roth and Hager could not get along, so even though I had the money to go, it never manifested. Leaving me with a 80s style sad musical story instead of the “I was there one.”4 out of 5
Lynard Skynard Thirty
I never listened to much Skynard back in the 90s. I knew of them because my parents liked a few of their songs. So expanding my musical horizons, I bought this. Lots of really good tunes and a few are more fun to play on guitar than it might seem. 4 out of 5
Best of The Rolling Stones
Another I didn’t listen to much in the 90s. Great stuff. 4 out of 5
The Ramones Greatest hits
My sister bought this and she ended up giving it to me because she got another copy. It’s the Ramones, do you really need a reason? Nothing but bar chords and down strumming on every song, but it paved the way for the genre. Gababa hey! 4 out of 5
Life after Death, BIG
Big up to Brooklyn! Gave this a listen back in the 90s, bought it again in 2004. Not a horrible album and a dark concept is so metal. Haven’t listened to it since though. 3.5 out of 5
Dre 2001
Listened to this a couple times in 2001. Not horrible, but i also haven’t listened to this or many tracks out it since. My favorite being Murder Ink, for sampling the Halloween theme. John Carpenter is great even in Rap. 3 out of 5
Rammstien
It’s a Rammstien. Du hast is an epic song! Couldn’t understand any of it back then, and now that I know German, thanks to Duolingo, it’s even better. 4 out of 5
Marylin Manson Smells like children
First Manson album I ever bought. Not the last. Sweet Dreams was dope. Kinder grinder remix went hard as fuck. If you weren’t moshing, you weren’t paying attention. 5 out of 5
Marylin Manson Antichrist superstar
Another album I bought twice. Worth it in every single way. Varies from Smells like Children, but interesting nonetheless. 1996 is my favorite from the cd. 4 out of 5
Marylin Manson Mechanical Animals
The cover was worth buying this to see the look on the Best Buy employees face. First got it for my 12th birthday in 1998, along with a copy of Parasite Eve that I would play on my brother’s PlayStation. Good album, but not his best. 3.5 out of 5
Eminem The Eminem Show
One of the very few rappers I actually have enjoyed over the years. Eminem’s various stylings in the key of rap has always made for him to be relevant and interesting to us non rap folk. 4 out of 5
The Red Hot Chili Peppers Stadium Arcadium
Never been a fan of the RHCP. It’s was too laid back for my taste. I did like Flea from Back to the Future. Caught a single off the radio in 2007 and bought this. My first and only RHCP album. It’s a magnum opus. Nearly every song is a hit. Still a 5 out of 5.
Lord The Arocklypse
They won Eurovision and boy was it amazing. Naturally I had to run to eBay and buy some of there albums from Europe. This is the 2008 American Release that I bought day one. 5 out of 5
Van Halen 5150
Police code for a crazy person. Had this on vinyl as well, which I picked up at a yard sale. Got it on cd too. Very good, albeit pretty retro synth. Still fun. 3.5 out of 5
{OG text. I’ll update this later with the link as my phone is running super low on battery.}
Not pictured because I lost them over the years, Metallica The Black Album, Guns and Roses Greatest Hits, Tom Perry’s Greatest hits. Bought all those around 2004 and I bumped The Black Album the most and now I can play a majority of the album on guitar too.
Overall an interesting time frame.
Edit: minor update to the text, corrections and added said link.
Best in Your Girl 