John 5 Names 3 Guitarists That ‘Changed Music’

During a recent podcast appearance, John 5 named three guitarists that “changed music.”

The guitarist, who’s been known for his work with Rob Zombie, Marilyn Manson and is now a member of Motley Crue, was asked about his guitar heroes during a podcast episode with New Noise Magazine‘s We Wreck Records podcast.

We listed his three picks and his reasoning for each below. You’ll notice that his picks are all known for their technical style of guitar playing.

Eddie Van Halen

It’s no surprise that John 5 chose Eddie Van Halen as one of his picks. The innovative rocker built guitars to his liking and as a result had one of the most identifiable guitar sounds of all time.

“I was really taken aback and it really changed my life — I would say Eddie Van Halen definitely was that for me. When I heard Eddie I loved it so much, just like everybody else. He really took it to the next level,” John 5 explained of his choice.

Yngwie Malmsteen

Yngwie Malmsteen is another guitar virtuoso that’s often cited as one of the greats. When elaborating on his reasoning for Malmsteen, John 5 admitted that he never understood the “less is more” philosophy when it comes to guitarists.

“I’ve always gotten, no, more is more and that’s what I love about Yngwie,” he added.

John 5 named Guthrie Govan as his “modern” pick. Govan is best known for his work with Asia, the Aristocrats, Porcupine Tree’s Steven Wilson and composer Hans Zimmer. He’s also a guitar teacher.

“I just love him so much, I just love how he creates his solos and how he plays live,” he said.

READ MORE: John 5 Names His 5 Favorite Records of All Time

“I appreciate great guitar players so much. It’s so hard to find inspiration but I’m always looking. I really, really love when I find these certain guitar players that are super inspiring to me and the world.

What Does John 5 Think About Younger Rock and Metal Guitarists?

During the conversation, John 5 was also asked what he thinks about the younger generation of rock and metal guitar players and he’s apparently a fan of many of them.

“I love the new generation. In time we will always have epiphanies with Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Eddie Van Halen, Yngwie Malmsteen, Polyphia, Guthrie Govan, Tosin Obasi — we will always keep evolving. And you know what? Thank god for it,” John 5 reasoned.

The rocker noted that one of the aspects he loves most about social media and the internet is the ability to discover new musicians from all around the world, whereas people had to have learned about them in magazines or from seeing them perform live back in the day.

Check out the full interview below.

John 5 Names 3 Guitarists That ‘Changed Music’