John Mayer is a soulful crooner whose sweet and sometime heart-wrenching ballads can get anyone grooving along. Mayer came to prominence in the early 2000s, and his single “Your Body is a Wonderland” solidified his status in the music industry. While his fans can’t get enough of his romantic hits and the ladies still view him as a eye candy, there is one thing that makes him seem a little off to some: his goofy guitar face.
Every musician has a certain look when they get lost in their tunes as they perform on stage. Unfortunately for Mayer, his face isn’t something that everyone is pleased with.
John Mayer gets lost in music, but his face pays for it
Playing the guitar takes a lot of effort and stamina. It also doesn’t just come from the fingers of the guitarist playing. It comes from their heart, which is why so many guitarists get caught up in the moment whenever they play a solo or just simply jam out to the melody. Many before John Mayer have done it — for example, legendary rock guitarist Jimi Hendrix.
Hendrix was known for his enigmatic stage presence whenever he picked up his instrument, so why is Mayer getting so much flack? Apparently, certain fans just simply aren’t feeling his “guitar face” and have pointed it out. A few on Twitter have poked fun at Mayer for his silly look.
Some folks seem to find it down-right creepy or alarming, while others see it as a perfect subject for a few good-natured wisecracks at the Grammy-winning artist.
Fortunately, his guitar face has only helped his career and endeared him to fans.
Mayer’s response to his face problem
But is the singer really worried about something he can’t control? During an interview with Rolling Stone, the singer opened up about his thoughts on the situation. The interviewer told John Mayer that a fellow artist, Billy Joel, actually envies his guitar face, but the singer wasn’t pleased about this. “Guitar face is not cool. I feel a little bit uncomfortable with people thinking that I made up the guitar face,” he responded.
(Suzanne Cordeiro/AFP via Getty Images)
He continued by pointing to Hendrix and asking if people would care about an artist’s “guitar face” if they weren’t so aware of it. “God, wouldn’t it be great to go to the jungles of Borneo and give a tribe Fender Stratocasters and have them listen to Jimi Hendrix — but not show them Jimi Hendrix — and come back five years later and see if there’s any guitar face? I have a feeling there would be,” the singer argued.
It would seem that John Mayer is just as much over talking about his on-stage look like others are and it doesn’t look like he does it on purpose. We doubt that this will stop fans from still attending his concerts or Mayer from accidentally still making this face.