The 80s could be seen as the last hedonistic days of the rock guitar. The guitar had steadily built up reputation as being THE rock instrument, from the 60's (and earlier) onwards, and by the 80s, it seemed that guitarists realised this a little too much. What did the music matter, if we could listen to amazing self-indulgent solos? Well, it's no wonder that people have shied away from guitar in a lot of cases, a great example being Radiohead. Maybe rock music can only continue to live if the image of a rock band stops being tied to a guitar. There has been talk of the way bassists are becoming more noticeable, in a way that seems to be filling the void left by unoriginal guitarists. I love the guitar, it is a great instrument, but the continued desire for guitarists to be gods has certainly contributed to the rise of the boy band, etc, in which listeners - particularly younger listeners - can listen to music without being confronted by long winded soloing deigned to impress washed up 45 year olds trying to relive the glory days of their instrument. Is this too cynical? Something needs to change, most of the interesting modern music I listen to currently has little to do with guitar, or if they do, are more about creating a good sound than being guitarish; Fatboy Slim, Beck, Radiohead, some U2, Neil Finn, etc. As guitarists, perhaps we spend to long trying to pay homage to past masters, without relaising where they fit in. It would be scary to think that guitarists were truly expressing themselves through their instruments, it implies we are all the same, becasue guitar music is all starting to sound the same. Is there one, big, americanised, soul, that guitarists have, rather than something more personal? Where is the expression of our age? Where is the life?