Heroes of Rock

Anyone who ever aspired to being a guitar hot shot picked up Guitar Player at one time or another, and even just plain music fans sometimes read it for the interviews with well known and influential figures in rock and jazz. The magazine's chief, Michael Molenda, culled through the back issues and edited a collection of interviews, Guitar Player Presents Guitar Heroes of the '70s (Backbeat Books). While covering the full spectrum from Leo Kottke through Tommy Iommi, the contents strain a little against the title. Jimi Hendrix died before the decade got underway as a distinct period in pop culture and many other subjects (Pete Townshend, Jeff Beck) came of age in the '60s. The conversations dwell on the technology of music but some of the players said things of wider interest. “I don't think of myself as a musician,” Robert Fripp offered. “Working in a band is a good way of making magic.”