Love him or hate him, John Mayer has carved himself quite a niche in both the popular and blues guitar community over the last 15 years or so that is undeniable.
I’ve loved his trio album, Try, ever since I first heard it. The nods to blues greats like SRV, Hendrix, and The 3 Kings is undeniable in his playing, while the songs both seem to stay rooted in the blues while pushing the art forward gently and with care.
And while I may not be a big fan of some of his more pop-tinted material, I’m thankful that the next generation of guitar players has someone with some solid technique and chops to look up to in Mayer.
Which is what makes what I have for you today even more interesting… this is a documentary told from Mayer’s perspective and put together by Mr. Eastwood Allen who reached out to me a few weeks ago and now that I’ve finally had a chance to watch it I think you’ll really enjoy it.
Obviously this is a little more than a casual watch, but when you have a little over an hour to sit with it I encourage you to skip a couple episodes of something on TV and check it out… I think you’ll really dig it. Some of the playing examples are, of course, killer.
But it’s always great to hear about the creative process from an artist in their own words. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. And thanks to Mr. Allen for sharing it with us all.
47 replies to "John Mayer Documentary By Eastwood Allen"
Heard him on the radio never knew it was him on guitar.For all the people who didn’t watch the whole thing, I think he is very talented and true to himself. It seems in the end of the video he has come full circle.It was nice to watch. Thanks Griff for sharing
Griff,
Thanks for the documentary on John Mayer. I forwarded it on to some of my friends and I would like to see more things like this in the future!
Thanks for everything you do to help those of us who play guitar play better!
Old school & still rockin’
Gary
John Mayer doing what his soul was born to do. Thank you to the artist that is the focus of the documentary and the artist who posted this film. Great easy to relate to.Thanks John and Griff
Thanks Griff you are a giver of many gifts…we are all full of our selves….who the hell else? It takes a ton of courage to stand up and be counted…and if you can play like this kid and share your gift I support his effort..painting is frozen in space. Music is frozen in time. Let the good times roll….there will never be too much music!! 🙂 🙂
Griff, I’m a fairly eclectic experienced musician who has just really discovered blues in the last several years. I have your BGU discs and have really gained from watching, listening, and playing to them. Thanks for the heads up on this JM video. I’ve always liked Mayer from the moment I first heard him back in the early 2000’s. It was only in the Crossroads event where I realized he had chops. I always placed him in the gifted songwriter category. The way his lyrics and melodies inhale and exhale along with his breathy vocals, I come away feeling cleansed and purged of some of my emotional baggage. Thanks again and keep up the good work.
Thank you. I’m old, my kids are young (not surprisingly), but all love music & mostly guitar – Mayer does a brilliant job of spanning the generations regardless of the pretensions (of others not his) that suggest guitar playing should be inexplicably complex, demanding & NOT fun. If (guitar) music be the food of love, play on!
The guy is a true artist. Love him or hate him I don’t think he cares, or that it really matters. In the end he is creating music from within himself and is dedicated to constant evolution and change in his art form. For that he has my total admiration and respect.
Sitting here moored in Castine Maine waiting out some heavy rain and nasty weather but watching the John Mayer Documentation has lifted my spirits. Thanks for the heads up and thanks to Castine for having free wi-fi that reaches the mooring area. Also, a great day to bang on the guitar and drive my crew a little crazy.
Cheers,
JohnBoy
Thanks Griff. He’s a wonderfully talented guitarist and songwriter. Just ignore the pretension.
Hey Griff, Thanks for sharing this. e*
Yea not a fan although he is talented. Too bad he doesn’t play the blues. Too much money to be made in the POP crap.
Get over yourselves not getting over JM’s arrogance, pop-ness and fullness of himself. And read Clapton’s autobiography and see just how self-absorbed an artist, a truly gifted artist, can get. JM may be all these things but he can flat out play, and one thing really has nothing to do with the other. I agreed to go see him right after his first album came out because the girl I was dating at the time liked ‘Your body…’ and I would’ve done just about anything for her. I was slack-jawed surprised when he whipped out some pure blues and even played a Chris Whitley song during his encore. I don’t care if he’s a pompous ass – he can play!
this guy is the American dream epitomized especially by all of us musicians. I am a fan of his music and loved the video. I think even the haters would love to have some of his success.
Soooo boring …whispers when he sings…wish he was a devoted bluesman but who am I to say.
I have always been puzzled by the distain shown by those who consider ‘pop’ a dirty word. What artist in any genre does not want to be appreciated? I first was drawn to Mayer’s music by his songcraft. Melodic, moody, airy. His songs drifted in and out like a cool breeze. I was blown away seeing him play at Crossroads- never knew he was a ‘player’ too. His songcraft has been consistently exploratory, his playing eclectic, electric and impassioned. He got caught up in the drama. The game. He lost his way, his base, and his voice. Glad to hear he is still on the path, and seemingly has found new grounds to up his game. Sadly, I think purists who believe being popular is the soul killing curse of the muse are mostly jealous. Yeah, he’s got the package. But he has the goods. He is smart, philosophical about his craft, and dedicated. If that makes him popular…well hat’s off to him. BTW…brilliant piece of cinematography and post production by Eastwood Allen. Respect.
Love you Griff, but watching this guy was like pulling teeth. Was going to watch till the end, just out of respect for you, until I saw the Che Guevara picture. That did it, game over.
Griff, you are bomb, but this guy is a load, what an egotistical bore. Couldn’t make it through it.
Great talentd player….but…
I turned it off as soon as he implied that theory wasn’t necesscessy.
There may be truth to that when you start young and have 1 in a million talant…but if he really meant that …. he has done a disservice to every guitar teacher on the plant
John Mayer is no doubt a clever person , however not my style.
This guy seems to have found success before he paid any dues, and now he is trying to find a life he never lived and find a muse that only comes from the school of hard knocks. I am sure a lot of people would like to have the opportunities and success that he is enjoying, and the money makes things easier. I think he plays the guitar very well, but his music does not move me . I just love playing guitar. Watching J.M’s story makes me happy to leave the fame to those that want it.
I can’t open video, error msg. and try later. I’ve tried 3 days.
Thanks Griff.
Although I am not a fan of John Mayer’s music, I rate him as one of the best around, as there are not many musician out there with a rounded talent like him in terms of song writing, vocal and guitar skills. He is a rare one to come. I mean, you got to be special in order to play on the world stage with legends like Eric Clapton, BB King and Buddy Guy.
Griff, thanks for sharing, I’m not a big Mayer fan and never intended to watch the entire video but the hour flew by and I found John’s story quite engrossing as it was portrayed in this nicely done documentery.
I’ve been a fan of Mayer then dropped him then liked him again, dropped him over and over. I knew the man had chops but never really looked at him as a regular guy. I have to say, my opinion has changed. I guess you could say that I have an Ecclectic interest in music. I don’t really care which genre it comes from. If it sounds good and the music is tight, I like it. The tighter the better. Like Rush for instances. Well John Mayer’s music is tight. Gotta give him that. It takes true god given talent and a lot of hard work to get that good. The man can play and make it look easy which is the hardest part of music. Making it look easy. Hours upon hours upon hours of time with his instruments plus a true love and passion for his craft are all shown in his abilities. Can you imagine the time he has spent alone? Inside his own head? Not many people on this earth can do it. Certainly not while maintaining sanity. He is one of them.
Enjoyed this a great talent passionate about the music, checkout a video on Country Music Television with John Mayer and Keith Urban, an interesting mix of blues fused music and country fused music. Well worth the look.
Griff. Well, I guess when you’re invited to play at Eric Clapton’s Crossroads festivals, you have arrived. I was wondering if just MAYBE you could break down the first few bars of Mayer’s “Every Day I Have the Blues”from his “Where the Light Is” CD and make a short lesson out of it?
Thank you Griff, I will be forwarding this to my daughter. She hooked me on John at the beginning when in college she followed him around to some small clubs for a while. She is one of the girls that can have it all, but he had her attention for a while and for a fleeting moment she had his. I’m sure this will bring back some nice memories for her. BTW she purchased your first lessons for me and when I get those down I will be ordering more…………
Hi Griff. Since I started with BGU, with YOU, I feel like I have a
place. Thanks.
Griff, thoroughly enjoyed John Mayer. I was glued listening,
seeing and in deep thoughts with his artistry on guitar, his vocal phrasing and his honesty. Great stuff Griff, thank you for sending it to me.
peter
As always Griff, you help bring diversity to the craft. What I liked the most was that this was John’s POV and it seemed to me that even in his fame he has tried to keep a “check” on his own place in the reality of life. Good Stuff!!
Griff,thanks for sharing this video. I really enjoy watching and listening to John Mayer. He is very inspiring, and creative. I have a couple CD’s, and try to listen to them often. I am going to try to save this, so I can listen again. Mike Z.
Thanks for sharing Griff, heard the name knew nothing about the artist until an hour ago, wow guy’s worked at it …respect
Thanks Griff. Much appreciated.
EA did a superb job in putting the film together.
Thanks for the share. Whether your are JM fan or not, one thing is abundantly clear here… he has talent, and he’s doing the thing he has passion for. And that you have to respect.
Can’t negate his talent by not liking him as a person. Just don’t buy anything from him like Justin Bieber.
73 years old, and share the Mayer name, although not in bloodline. Didn’t like his early stuff at all. He reminded me of years ago, and my daughters’ bedroom with Sean Cassidy posters, floor to ceiling. A pretty-boy/chick magnet,….until I heard him play blues guitar. Then, I hated him more even. lol This guy has done his homework, and now has my respect as a truly great bluesman. And then you ask,….Sean who?
Thanks for sharing this Griff. Some great insights into music making and fearless creativity in general. Just the inspiration I needed!
Great documentary! Funny, when Griff recommended we spend an hour+ watching/listening, I thought “do I have that much time to watch this?” – then, after watching, I realized how many thousands of hours JM spent listening/watching. Lesson: Success only comes with commitment, dedication, and real passion.
Zzzzzzzzzzz………………this man is self-obsessed, boring and loves himself with a deep passion.
He may even get better when he grows up. If you can’t see him and don’t read about him but just listen to the music….he is great!
Great pop star, singer & song writer, and a good guitar player for his age, and life experiences.
But you can’t serve two masters.
He needs to decide if he want’s to be a pop star, and share a bubble bath with Justin Bieber ……….. or ?
Be a guitar slinger and walk in the footsteps of the Voodoo Child.
Thank you for making this available!It was inspirational and provided an insight into Mr. Mayer that I was completely unaware of. I used to think that he was just another arrogant white boy stealing from black artists. John Mayer is an awesome guitar player who seems to be true to himself…Oh yeah, the boy is gifted…he can write…he can sing! Bravo!
What a wonderful video. Thanks, Grif and of course Eastwood Allen. I’ve
always been impressed by John Mayer’s musical virtuosity, even though I
don’t follow him the way I follow Clapton, the Kings, and other blues
icons. Halfway through through the film, the term “musical genius” pretty
much defined my opinion of John Mayer. By the 106th minute, though, I had
scratched out the word “musical.” JM is something special.
Griff…
Thanks for the heads up on this one. Like yourself I can’t say as I’ve ever been much of a John Mayer fan, but I thoroughly thoroughly enjoyedthis film. It’s given me a whole new slant on the guy and a new respectfor the his music. Maybe not some of the more “popish” songs but his chops come through loud and clear. What else comes through loud and clear is the picture of a true artist dedicated to his craft and struggling to maintain artistic integrity, relevance, and honesty amidst the craziness swirling around him. I admire his full on commitment and unbridled ambition to continue getting better. It’s a rare thing to see someone have so much success and yet remain driven to excellence in their craft. This film was a joy to watch. Thanks again Griff!!!
That was cool……. Thanks
thanks Griff… nothing better then people passionate about the way they play with the spirit of music
Inspirational!