While His Guitar Gently Weeps

A story about artistry, ego, spite, and guitars.

Disclaimer: While I’m trying to be as factual as possible with this story, it happened more than 20 years ago, and, while my sources are mostly interviews and articles of people who were there (especially Joel Gallen, producer and director of the event), you know how stories sometimes get embellished with time. Also, sadly, two of our main protagonists have died since then.

Our story starts in 2003, when David Fricke of Rolling Stone Magazine (probably the most influential music magazine in the world) made a list of the 100 best guitar players of all time.

You can check it out there:

The Artist thought he belonged on that list and was shocked and angry to be omitted.

Did The Artist have a huge ego? Yes, he did. But was he right to be angry? Yes, he definitely belonged on that list. Although this is not what he was most famous for, he was indeed one of the greatest guitarists of all time. It is said that The Artist could play more than 20 instruments at a professional level (the number usually mentioned is 27) and the guitar was probably the instrument on which he excelled the most, along with the piano.

Despite his ego and anger, however, he didn’t say a word about it. Those close to him knew he wasn’t happy and were surprised by his lack of a public reaction.

One year later, on March 15, 2004, The Artist was inducted into the Rock ’n’ Roll Hall of Fame. Being inducted years or even decades before retiring and before reaching the age of 50 speaks volumes about your importance in the music industry.

Among the other inductees was George Harrison, who had unfortunately died three years earlier.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremonies are a mix of speeches and musical performances, often with special guests. And as a tribute to George Harrison, some of his friends formed a one-time band to play what is probably his most famous song, which he wrote for the Beatles: While My Guitar Gently Weeps. You can listen to it here if you need a refresher.

Tom Petty was going to be the lead singer. Other members of the Heartbreakers were there, too, as well as Steve Winwood (who was also inducted that year with his band, Traffic). Also present were Jeff Lynne and Dhani Harrison, George’s son. Marc Mann was the lead guitarist, but since he was also an inductee, Joel Gallen invited The Artist to play with the rest of the band.

Some of George Harrison’s friends might not have been happy about it. After all, The Artist probably hadn’t even met George Harrison before. Originally, The Artist was supposed to play the guitar solo in the middle of the song, but Marc Mann started playing it during rehearsals. The Artist said nothing for he was a quiet man. Joel Gallen apologized to The Artist and suggested that he play the final guitar solo instead. However, when it was time to practice the final solo, Marc Mann started playing it too. He probably felt that this performance "belonged" to George's friends only and that it was a way to show The Artist was not welcome on the stage with them. Not everyone agreed with that, although no one voiced their opinion either way, but had George been alive for his own induction, it's likely he would have invited the other inductees onstage with him. That’s the kind of man he was. Dhani knew this and began acting as a buffer between The Artist and some of George's friends. Joel Gallen spoke privately with The Artist, apologizing again. The Artist said it was not a problem and that he was fine with just playing the rhythms. Tom Petty was oblivious of this silent drama and was just excited to share the stage with all these people. Dhani had a strange feeling about the whole situation and was tense, sensing that something unexpected was going to happen. He became even more tense when The Artist arrived onstage with his H.S. Anderson Mad Cat guitar, but stayed mostly on the side of the stage and in the shadows when they started playing the song.

What happened next?

Why don’t you watch it? Or, more importantly, listen to it?

Rumor has it that David Fricke was sitting in the front row, and Prince -also known as The Artist- knew he was going to be there.

The End...

Well, not exactly. I didn't want to introduce Prince to this blog this way, but that story came up in a conversation a few days ago and wanted to share it with you.

Stay tuned for Prince's proper introduction to "Music for the Next Generation" coming sooner or later.

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