Earlier this week, Mike McCready sat down with Ann Powers of NPR and several other musicians to talk about the moving experience of performing live. He talks about performing in Jerusalem with Neil Young, the difficulties and joys of being in a band, and even a little bit about why there are so many Pearl Jam songs about water.
Here is what he has to say about drawing inspiration from other artists.
I think it's important as a musician, whether it be rock or jazz or blues, to create and to be open to different types of music and try to, maybe at first, emulate that. And then, out of that emulation, you create your own style. And so out of all of those guitar players that I liked growing up — Eddie Van Halen, Jimi Hendrix, the guys from Aerosmith, KISS, the Stones, all that — I try to take a little piece of everything. And Stevie Ray Vaughn later, and Muddy Waters, and then some blues. All of that was a whole other world that opened up to me early on. So I guess to take — creatively borrow things — and then it turns into your own style, I guess.You can listen here, or view the transcript of the show on-line.
