At The Movies With Guitardedblog.com: It Might Get Loud (2008)

Guitardedblog.com Goes to the Movies

It Might Get Loud

(2008)

Jack White making an electric guitar out of a Coke Bottle

  Put Jimmy Page, Jack White and U2's The Edge together in the same room give them guitars, then turn the cameras on and what do you have? In my case, you have a movie that will immediately put your wife to sleep. However, this will be a good thing. After that happpens, you will be free of distractions as this film will cause you to re-think you're entire approach to guitar playing.

    It Might Get Loud brings together three generations of rock guitarists from vastly different backgrounds to share how their personal histories and influences shaped their approach to guitar playing.

   You have Jimmy Page, the original guitar god, whose legendary past with Led Zeppelin simply blurs the line between history and myth. When you think of Jimmy Page and the guitar, you think of not only that raw, powerful, heavy sound, and larger than life riffs but also versatility and diversity rarely ever seen since in rock music. His body of work covers a range of different styles and influences including, blues, rock, folk, country and even indian/eastern influences. While he has been criticized as a sloppy player at times (a trait he has admitted himself as well) his solo's still remain among the tastiest, ballsiest, and most melodic ever heard in rock music. In todays world of what, in my opinion, is a musical landscape devoid of any real rock bands, or rock stars, Jimmy Page represents all that rock music once was, and what it will hopefully get back to one day.

Let's have a laugh at The Edge's Expense

 

  Now I've never been a fan of The Edge and I have nothing positive to say about Ireland's sacred cow, U2. The nuns in my catholic schoool liked U2, and when you can count catholic nuns in your fan base then you have simply failed to rock. And yeah I know Bono is a humanitarian, and I don't care. Frankly, I find the band is no longer relevant in rock/pop music and what they produce nowadays is nothing more than adult contemporary garbage. As a guitarist, The Edge relies too heavy on effects. I'm the last person that says technique is more important than originality. It's like saying just because you can type over 100wpm means you're automatically going to write a bestselling novel. Of course thats ridiculous. However, when you're guitar style consists of simply adding a ninth to a chord and playing the same note over and over through heavy delay and other effects, it is neither technical nor original. I learned nothing from The Edge's appearance in the film other than if you have enough money you can buy your way into a guitar career.  Confused?...

   So I'm not saying that The Edge sucks because he is not a guitar virtuoso and because he overuses effects. I'm telling you that The Edge sucks because his musical ideas are childish, boring, bland, uninspiring AND he also happens to overuse effects. People like Hendrix, Page and even David Gilmour use alot of effects at times, but they are not hiding behind the effects. There is complexity and genius underlying the effects. Their music can still stand on its own without all the effects. However, as far as this film's attempt to show what not to do, I couldn't think of a better spokesperson than The Edge. 

Technology is a big destroyer of emotion and truth.Auto-tuning doesn’t do anything for creativity. Yeah, it makes it easier and you can get home sooner; but it doesn’t make you a more creative person. That’s the disease we have to fight in any creative field: ease of use.”   - Jack White

   Each guitarist is there for a reason and they all bring something unique. With Jimmy Page it's all about the history, the legend, and pure raw talent and power. The Edge seems to create music much like a scientist would in a lab. Surrounded by technology and devoid of any real inspiration. Jack White's attitude to guitar and creativity and music in general was a breath of fresh air. His low-tech approach to music was the most memorable part of the film for me. While The Edge seems keen to just hide behind a wall of expensive effects, the fact that Jack White's main guitar since The White Stripes is a plastic Montgomery Wards guitar, makes his achievements in music just all that more impressive.

  Waching him make everything sound awesome from a hollow plastic guitar, to a dusty old out of tune piano, to a guitar made out of a soda bottle and string, really caused me to take a good long look at myself, to re-evaluate my entire approach to guitar playing and to question just what my priorities in music really are.

  Link Wray. If you're not familiar with that name, you will be by the end of this movie. To see someone who is a pretty private person and who has such a prolific musical resume, like Jimmy Page has, still get excited like a kid, listening to records is a real testament to just how powerful an instrument the guitar is. You know you are a badass when Jimmy Page is playing air guitar to your records!

 When you watch how Jack White and The Edge are just as excited as you are that Jimmy Page himself is actually showing you how to play Whole Lotta Love, you can't help but connect with that.

  So If you are a guitar geek, this film will give you more than your share of Holy Sh*t moments. In my opinion if this doesn't cause any guitarist or musician for that matter, to re-examine what their approach to music is all about then there is something wrong with you. Yes, thats right, the mentally unstable, unemployable guy is calling YOU out. If you're only an occasional guitar player or just haven't picked up a guitar in a while, you won't be for long, after watching this.

Ok Bye.