Michael Jackson Played in the Styles of 20 Famous Guitarists — Video
What would happen if 20 of the most famous guitar players played a Michael Jackson medley together?
Guitarist Andre Antunes answers that question in this brand-new video, as he mimics the playing styles and riffs of David Gilmour, Brian May, John Petrucci, Carlos Santana, Slash, Jimi Hendrix and 14 others over a bed of Jackson hits that includes “Smooth Criminal,” “Billie Jean” and “Beat It.”
And no, Eddie Van Halen is not represented here, in case you were wondering.
Antunes, who is from Portugal, has been a popular favorite on GuitarPlayer.com, where we’ve previously featured his videos for “Uptown Funk” and “Get Lucky,” each played in the styles of 10 different famous guitarists.
This new video appears to be a response to Antunes’ fans who have requested that he represent their favorite guitarists. Throughout the video, Facebook messages appear with requests and comments for certain players.
“That’s awesome but no slash?” :’( :’( writes one Facebook follower.
“don’t forget Frusciante,” writes another.
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Antunes goes a little further in this video than he did in his earlier videos. After copping Jimi Hendrix’s “Purple Haze” intro riff, which he plays atop “Billie Jean,” Antunes takes a brief intermission to set his guitar on fire, à la Hendrix (with gasoline, however, rather than lighter fluid). As you'll see, the guitar in question is his budget Strat-style Rocker. You didn’t expect him to torch a real Strat, did you?
You can keep up to date on Andre and his music on Facebook.
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Christopher Scapelliti is editor-in-chief of Guitar Player magazine, the world’s longest-running guitar magazine, founded in 1967. In his extensive career, he has authored in-depth interviews with such guitarists as Pete Townshend, Slash, Billy Corgan, Jack White, Elvis Costello and Todd Rundgren, and audio professionals including Beatles engineers Geoff Emerick and Ken Scott. He is the co-author of Guitar Aficionado: The Collections: The Most Famous, Rare, and Valuable Guitars in the World, a founding editor of Guitar Aficionado magazine, and a former editor with Guitar World, Guitar for the Practicing Musician and Maximum Guitar. Apart from guitars, he maintains a collection of more than 30 vintage analog synthesizers.
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