The gates of rock's Mount Olympus have been flung open for this bookazine, which brings together insightful interviews from the archives of Guitarist and our sister magazine Total Guitar with 16 gods of the guitar world. What's striking about these players is not how much they dwell on technique or even gear, but how life itself was the mainspring of their brilliance on the guitar. The excitement, the anger, the love of music and the irresistible call to express themselves through six strings formed the most important elements of their sound. Fame for its own sake was never the goal in view - and occasionally it became a gilded prison. Nev Marten's riveting interview with The Who's Pete Townshend on p128 is a perfect example of how art, rebellion and pure attitude shaped the viscerally exciting sounds of guitar in the rock era. Indeed, the more you read about the guitar gods the more you realise that, as always, it is the player not the gear that brings the magic. The insights of these gods remain inspiring touchstones for any guitarist, man or woman, so we hope you enjoy this collection of classic interviews. read less