The guitarist that former King Crimson singer Adrian Belew calls his “favourite”
If you like the guitar or rock music in general, you need to know the name Adrian Belew. One of the most consistently cutting-edge musicians in the history of rock music, Belew redefined what the guitar could sound like. You were just as likely to hear a roaring wall of feedback or an exotic collection of soundscapes coming from Belew’s amp as you were a flurry of intricate melodies or a ripping distortion-soaked solo. As long as it wasn’t expected, then that’s exactly what Belew would give you.
That approach made him the perfect sideman for some of the biggest boundary-pushing musicians of the 20th century, including Frank Zappa, David Bowie, Talking Heads, and Nine Inch Nails. Belew was a permanent member of the ever-fluctuating King Crimson, becoming the group’s longest-tenured singer across their six decades of existence. Belew also landed his own solo hit with ‘Oh Daddy’ in 1989, proving that he was more than just a supporting player.
While sitting down with comedian Marc Maron on his podcast WTF with Marc Maron, Belew discussed the origins of his atypical approach to guitar. It shouldn’t come as any surprise that Belew started with some of the all-time greats, including a battle between three top-tier 1960s guitarists who he would describe as his favourite.
“Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck, and Eric Clapton had arrived on the scene, and so at that point I was saying, ‘Gee, I want to do that stuff, not just be a guitar player,'” Belew explained. “So I was learning ‘Foxey Lady’ – play the record and just figure it all out, and I figured out everything Hendrix did as well as I could, and also Jeff. I loved his playing a lot.”
“Beck was such a lyrically beautiful guitarist. Still is,” Belew gushed. “He’s my buddy and my favourite now. Jimi Hendrix did something no one else will ever accomplish. He opened all those doors and was unique unto himself. At the same time, however, I always felt that Jeff Beck was doing some great stuff too, and Jeff has been there since. If you look at his entire career, Jeff has done more than Jimi has by now.”
Check out the discussion on the differences between Hendrix and Beck starting around the 24-minute mark.
