The Greatest Guitar Gods were Tobacco Smokers...

[clint]

Well I guess we should all start puffing away and be prepared for an early grave.
And while we're at it, why not add all sorts of drugs/booze into the mix as well. They did.

Honestly, I really don't care if any of my guitars heros smoked. Back then, most folks did. To smoke now is unfathomable to me. I have no doubt that guys like Hendrix and SRV would've played just a well (maybe better) without tobacco messing with their lungs.
Note, I am a prior tobacco user and am SO much better off without the stuff.

[chrisr777]

Originally Posted by beorn

Not sure why you pick cigarettes when there are so many other convincing possible explanations of guitar godhood:

1. Human -- there is not one instance of another species playing guitar skillfully-- can this be a coincidence?



This actually covers one and six.

2. Had at least two working fingers on the left hand (Django comes to mind)

This one I cant argue with

3. Ate food

There was a time in the 70's when a few of these guys were living on milk and coke.


4. Breathed air

As has been mentioned in the OP, they were not just breathing air.


5. Did not come from Mars -- Mars is conspicuously poor in guitar excellence



6. Did not play in outer space (space is a terrible place for transmitting sound waves)

Covered in one, but I do recall seeing the Dead play Standing on the Moon in Vegas once and they had video of Jerry playing in space.




So it appears that the true answer is having a certain amount of fingers.

[mtlin]

[clint]

Note that most/all of these guys died young.
I'm so over the cool factor and hated the way tobacco controlled my life.
Not cool.
Rant over.

[pickaguitar]

Originally Posted by clint

Note that most/all of these guys died young.

From smoking?

Eddie, Eric and Jimmy are still alive

[Lo Blues]

Do any of the guys still smoke? Except for Keith. He's.... Keith.

[clint]

Originally Posted by pickaguitar

From smoking?

Eddie, Eric and Jimmy are still alive

It's your life.
Eddie is missing part of his tongue.
Might explain why the current VH tour is postponed.

[Thinline_slim]

They all also did it without the rampant use of cell phones.

According to the majority of TGP all new music sucks.

Increasing rampant use of cell phones with an equally declining sourcing of great music, coincidence?

[mattball826]

cel phones are the new cigarette with even greater addiction and rudeness level.

[phoenix 7]

Originally Posted by grill

did they all/any die of cancer?

As far as I know, NONE of those guys died of cancer.

[chrisr777]

Originally Posted by phoenix 7

As far as I know, NONE of those guys died of cancer.

Well, George did, but it was brain cancer.


And strangely enough, one of the guys from Mars did die from lung cancer. Should have read H.G. Wells before coming to our planet.

[phoenix 7]

Which just goes to show you: playing guitar is the best way to prevent lung cancer.