MySpace a place for friends

It’s hard to believe, but it’s been a year since The John Matthew Myspace Music profile was opened. I’d like to thank everyone for the warm response you've given to my music, writing, and images in that short time. I’m simply overwhelmed by your kindness.

Here are some answers to frequently asked questions about myself:

Q. “Are you real?” (yes, as strange as it sounds, I get this one a lot in fact.)
A. Yes, I’m very much a real person.

Q. “Is it really you playing guitar?”
A. Yes, I’ve been playing guitar for the greater portion of my life. In fact, there have been periods during which it was the ruling passion of my existence. Then again, there have been long periods during which I didn’t play at all. However, I always come back to the instrument.

Q. “How did you get into shape?”
A. Years of discipline in the gym, adhering to strict dietary practices, and the general application of scientific principles as they relate to exercise and nutrition. You can read my exercise related blogs for more insight into this subject.

Q. “Do you have a girlfriend?”
A. I will say that I am attached to one very special lady.

Q. “What kind of bike is that in your pics?”
A. The flat black bike is a custom job built around a Softail frame. The motor is a 105 cubic inch stroker (4 5/8ths X 3 13/16ths to be precise). The pearl white bike is a Fatboy. The gloss black bike with ape hangers, 21” laced front wheel, and the 1952/56 tank badges (couldn’t decide which I liked the best and kept changing them) is a customized Softail.

Q. “What is your ethnicity?”
A. I am a mixture of Eastern European, German, Irish, and English ancestry.

Q. “What model guitar is that in your pics?”
A. It is a Gibson Les Paul 1960 VOS from the Custom Shop. Basically, it’s a new guitar made by the master luthiers at Gibson to the exacting specifications of a 1960 Les Paul. The finish on this model is called “lemon burst.” I know that the 58 is considered the holy grail of Les Pauls by many people, but I personally prefer the thinner neck on the 1960.

Q. “Who are your influences?”
A. Musically speaking, I am influenced by almost all genres. However, in the interest of maintaining a unified and coherent style I have at present chosen to work within a hard rock paradigm, looking to Zeppelin, Sabbath, Aerosmith, AC/DC, and the other great “classic” rock bands as my primary inspirations and templates.

Q. “What are your interests other than music?”
A. I am interested in all of the so-called intellectual arts, of which music is but one, and additionally includes reading, writing, and research in various subjects that are of particular interest to me (philosophy, literary theory and criticism, history, mythology, physiology and various branches of science). Obviously, physical conditioning is part of my daily routine. It’s simply a way of life for me. I’m also into motorcycles (by which I mean Harley Davidsons), fine art, antiques (primarily late 18th and early 19th century European), coffee, chocolate, terriers, and nature.

Crazy Love

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"The arts have a development that comes not only from the individual but also from a whole acquired force, the civilization that precedes us. One cannot do just anything. A talented artist cannot do whatever he pleases. If he only used his gifts he would not exist. We are not the masters of what we produce. It is imposed on us."

What then has been imposed upon me? Speaking in strictly musical terms, and limiting myself to the genre of rock and roll, then my influences could be said to include Elvis, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, AC/DC, The Stones, The Beatles (both in their collective and individual musical endeavors), Van Halen, Aerosmith, Chuck Berry, Jimi Hendrix, Neal Schon, Carlos Santana, Jake E. Lee, Zack Wylde, Brian Wilson, Jeff Beck, Steve Vai, Prince, The Cult, Slash, The Darkness, and too many other 50's, 60's, 70's and 80's bands and artists to list.

In much broader terms, I have been greatly influenced by Schopenhauer, Nietzsche (German philosophy generally from Kant through Heidegger and his followers), The Romantic tradition, Goethe, Wagner, Mahler, Thomas Mann, Andre Gide, Herman Hesse, Whitman, Dostoyevsky, Camus, T.S. Eliot, Matthew Arnold, Western literature, and literary criticism. These have all profoundly shaped my views on artistic creation, the artist, and his role in society.

John's musical style is best described as blues based hard rock.