John Mayer <3 <3 <3

John Mayer is pretty much one of the coolest dudes alive: he's good at guitar, he dates beautiful women, he's funny as fuck, and he loves shoes (I currently excel in only 3 of those areas). He also has a great relationship with pretty much everyone in the industry, and he's versatile enough to make hip-hop songs and also totally wail with his blues trio. I recently found this interview on the cyber-net, and it only solidified his spot as one of the top 5 coolest dudes in music right now in my brain.

First, I like that he addresses "Waiting on the World to Change." Everyone is all in an uproar about how the song encourages social apathy, but John doesn't give a fuck. It's a sick song because no one can really understand it totally and it pisses them off. It's not some lame call for action. It's just a song with soul roots and a poppy hook that makes the ladies scream and the dudes pull up their pants.
I especially liked John's insights about soul music. How fucking correct is he? Pretty much every notable hip-hop beat ever samples a soul song, or has some similarities. Let's look at Kanye's biggest hits: "Slow Jamz" is a Luther Vandross sample; "Through the Wire" is a Chaka Khan sample; "Touch the Sky" is a Curtis Mayfield sample; and let's not forget his biggest hit, "Gold Digger" draws heavily upon the Don of Soul himself, Ray. John so accurately articulated the significance of soul music both in history and contemporary music. The man is a genius.
John seems to understand his role in music; he knows that he makes pop songs to bring home the bacon, but he also appreciates the history of music, and genuinely wants to experience a lot of different shit in the industry before his career is over. He's always evolving; I guess in a way I would call him the white Kanye West. For him, music is a more cerebral practice. He's not out there just to make mad bank (although he does), but he's all about thinking about shit and philosophizing, unlike the stupid Jonas Brothers who just whore themselves out to little girls on a sugar high.
On a lighter note, I really enjoyed "Room For Squares." Does that make me girly? Find out next week.

John Mayer - Sickest Thing Ever

Postum Scriptum: I encourage all of you to take 20 minutes out of your day and watch "John Mayer Has a TV Show" while you enjoy your butternut squash and lima bean soup. The show is really amazingly funny and I've actually watched it like four or five times and L'd O L each time.