Completely Conspicuous

This week, it's part 1 of my conversation with author Greg Renoff as we discuss the rise and fall of the guitar hero. Show notes: - Recorded via Skype - Buy Greg's book Van Halen Rising at Amazon or get a signed copy from the Van Halen Store - Greg: As a kid, started playing stepfather's old acoustic guitar - An uncle got him into Hendrix, Clapton, Leslie West - Jay: First guitar hero was Jimmy Page - Zeppelin II was the gateway - Greg: Realized early that I'd never be able to play like Eddie VH - Jay: Played guitar on and off over the years, never seriously - Childhood friend plays in a Journey cover band - Greg: Guitar was a good way to blow off steam - Big band Hendrix? - Jay: Other early favorites were Pete Townshend and Dave Davies - The evolution of Clapton - Early '70s were marked by great players like Iommi, Blackmore and Michael Schenker - Jay: Got into Sabbath and Ozzy in the early '80s - Gary Moore was an underrated guitar monster - Building your music c