In light of this week’s excellent (and aptly ridiculous) episode with Ween’s Mickey Melchiondo, we’d be remiss letting Matt Sweeney’s new guitar lesson/interview series go further without mention. Perhaps Guitar Moves is meant for novice 6-stringers or pros like Sweeney looking to pick up new tricks, but the result is entertaining for musicians and fans of the artists alike. Clocking in at half the length of an average guitar lesson, each episode finds Sweeney learning riffs and chords from the Stooges’ James Williamson, Blake Mills, the Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach, Queens of the Stone Age’s Josh Homme, and others. Often the best parts, though, are when they go into personal backstories, revealing small details from their past that had a formative effect on the famous tunes to come. And then there are a few moments, like at the end of the Cowboy Jack Clement clip, which are funnier than even Ricky Gervais’ David Brent teaching guitar. Check out a personal favorite below, Williamson breaking down “Search and Destroy,” with three more highlights after the jump.
James Williamson
Dean Ween
Josh Homme
Blake Mills