He Can Pluck My Strings Any Time.

March 25, 2008 10:16 PM

Who are the hottest, sexiest guitarists out there?

Guys who play the guitar are hot. So says conventional wisdom and a very good friend of mine. I want to make her a mix CD of the hottest guitarists around. Guys who make you want to throw your bra onstage and your body at them. Guys who are sexy because they play the guitar and guys who are sexy because they're sexy and just happen to play the guitar. When you think of getting all hot and bothered from watching a dude strum (or shred or whatever), whom do you think of? Responses from all eras and genres are acceptable. Just make 'em hot.
As a straight guy who admits he's gay enough to occasionally identify sexy guys, here's a list I've compiled by going through my music library quickly and picking out the guys about whom I thought "Yeah, he's a hottie," or "I hear he's a hottie." Help me expand it and/or pare it down, i.e. add your own suggestions and criticize mine.
Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Beck, Ben Harper, Bob Dylan, Gavin Rossdale, Joe Strummer, David Gray, Ben Gibbard, George Michael (not sure he counts as a guitarist, but there is the "Faith" video), Billie Joe Armstrong, Hank Williams III, Jack Johnson, Jeff Buckley, John Mayer, Kurt Cobain, Brian Aubert, Sting, Sufjan Stevens, Rivers Cuomo, Jack White, Pete Townshend, Jeff Tweedy.

posted by PhatLobley to media & arts (51 comments total)

Manowar!
posted by ignignokt at 10:37 PM on March 25, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

prince
posted by ms.jones at 10:44 PM on March 25, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Chris Carrabba - from Dashboard Confessional
posted by woolylambkin at 10:49 PM on March 25, 2008

I'm neither a bra-wearer nor a guy that's into guys, but I'd totally turn for the rotting, choking on his own vomit corpse of Jimi Hendrix.

It's all somewhat self-serving, though. It's more that he makes me resent so damn much that I'm whiter than Wonder Bread and have the musical acumen of pretzels.
posted by Ufez Jones at 10:49 PM on March 25, 2008

Jimmy Page (back in the the day), Marc Ford (MFF!), Izzy Stradlin...most untraditionally sexy in their own right.
posted by Asherah at 10:50 PM on March 25, 2008

He's a bit older now, but I'd say Joe Perry.
posted by dhammond at 10:55 PM on March 25, 2008

Paul McCartney is a bass player, but I always thought George Harrison was hotter anyway.
posted by oneirodynia at 11:01 PM on March 25, 2008

Or I guess I should say, better known as a bass player.
posted by oneirodynia at 11:02 PM on March 25, 2008

Josh Homme from Queens of the Stone Age. He's actually the total opposite of what I usually find hot, but for some reason he's a tall drink of ginger water I would not mind taking a sip of. I remember watching him play and thinking, "My God...he's sexing me THROUGH his guitar." Seriously, watch him play. He's got this way of moving his hips while he plays and you would swear to God he was singularly seducing every vagina in the place with his mesmerizing booty shaking. It was like interpretational dance with the guitar standing in for all you sexy ladies out there in the audience tonight.

Do comedic musical acts count? I'd like to totally nominate Bret McKenzie of Flight of the Conchords as well then.

Dave Grohl (guitar, Foo Fighters, but also great drummer) is also cute. Particularly, circa "Walking After You" video. He was bearded with cute hair and dressed in a dapper manner. I was totally all about that. But he's always adorable in bearded mode. I seriously did not think him cute in anyway during his Nirvana days, but then I remember seeing the Walking After You video and going, "Why...HELLO." It could also be because around the time Foo Fighters came out I was starting to go through puberty, so maybe that had something to do with it.

Trent Reznor? I mean, he plays everything. I vote for Trent Reznor, particularly circa "The Perfect Drug" video...again, it's the facial hair and the dapper outfit. I'm gonna go ahead and admit he looks pretty damn smoking in the video for "Closer." Joel Peter-Witkin imageries aside, middle school me thought he looked like a steampunk goth scientist who I imagined would invent a clockwork rose that would never fade just for me =( (video NSFW, for anyone who wants to go looking for it). But yea, definitely Trent from back in the day. He looks OK now too, but now he's all serious about being huge and it's just not my thing...though as one of my long enduring, "since I was a little girl," type crush, he's still on my list of hot dudes.

Besides that I thoroughly and enthusiastically support Sufjan Stevens and Rivers Cuomo already being on this list. Yea, I'm not ashamed to admit that's how I roll. I like them geeky, dorky looking and twee. Come ON...effin' ADORABLE, man.

I'm more of a rhythm section girl anyway. If you want to include bass guitars...I've got more.
posted by kkokkodalk at 11:08 PM on March 25, 2008 [3 favorites has favorites]

Dave Navarro and John Frusciante.

Navarro is the hottest by far.
posted by zephyr_words at 11:09 PM on March 25, 2008

Can't believe I forgot Frusciante...early 90's for pure sex...post-heroin addiction I can take or leave the looks but keep the playing.
posted by Asherah at 11:14 PM on March 25, 2008

David Pajo. I drooled during the entire Slint show.
posted by loiseau at 11:36 PM on March 25, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

How about the female Brody Dalle of the Distillers / Spinnerette?
posted by salvia at 11:48 PM on March 25, 2008

Kings of Leon (more), David Bowie, Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, Bob Dylan, Harry Potter, Don McLean, Elvis Costello, Flight of the Conchords, Hawksley Workman, Orlando from the Maccabees, Josh Homme from Queens of the Stone Age .....mmmmmmm
posted by brittanyq at 11:48 PM on March 25, 2008

About the Brody suggestion above, I do realize the question was asking for men. I'm just suggesting you make an exception in this one case. (Here's a song suggestion.)
posted by salvia at 11:51 PM on March 25, 2008

Angus Young (well, depending on your kinks)
posted by pompomtom at 11:54 PM on March 25, 2008

Adam Levin from Maroon5. I saw them live a couple times and that man does dirty things with his guitar. Hot.
posted by ahimsa at 12:00 AM on March 26, 2008

PJ HARVEY!!!

(yeh, i know you said guys, but hey! see if your friend can resist something like Big Exit, off Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea)
posted by UbuRoivas at 12:26 AM on March 26, 2008

It was inevitable that I'd come in here and say this, but: PAUL WELLER, PAUL WELLER, PAUL WELLER, PAUL WELLER.
posted by scody at 12:34 AM on March 26, 2008

It was inevitable that I'd come in here and say this, but: NOT STING, NOT STING, NOT STING, NOT STING.
posted by UbuRoivas at 12:36 AM on March 26, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

(Oh, and I wasn't even including Weller in his Jam days. NOT THE POLICE NOT THE POLICE NOT THE POLICE)
posted by scody at 12:39 AM on March 26, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Early Keith Richards, Bruce Springsteen, Marty Willson-Piper from The Church
posted by platinum at 12:47 AM on March 26, 2008

Eddie Van Halen
Jon Bon Jovi
Richie Sambora
Dave Navarro
Carlos Santana
The Edge (U2)
Robbie Robertson (The Band)
Peter Frampton
Ted Nugent
Lindsey Buckingham (Fleetwood Mac)
Bryan Adams
Sting
James Root (Stone Sour)
posted by sapphirebbw at 1:05 AM on March 26, 2008

Jonny Greenwood.
posted by makonan at 2:08 AM on March 26, 2008

I find it hard to see any consistent theme in your list, so I just wade in to offer Chris Fry of Magenta. Being a heterosexual male, my appreciation is more musical than aesthetic but YMMV.
posted by No Mutant Enemy at 3:57 AM on March 26, 2008

Eric Johnson! (That whole concert is available on DVD, and totally worth it)
posted by jbickers at 4:14 AM on March 26, 2008

I have an incredible admiration for talented musicians, but it's not the kind of thing that automatically translates as sexy for me. Your list definitely includes several men who are neither particularly sexy independent of the guitar nor particularly good guitar players.

Caveats about guitar not immediately equaling sexy above, I'm consistently amazed and transfixed by both Ted Leo (Ted Leo + The Pharmacists) and Tad Kubler (The Hold Steady) -- though I don't have the urge to throw my undergarments at either one of them. Ted pulls off rhythms that seem humanly impossible, and at an absurd speed. Tad is one of the best soloists I've ever seen, and seems to have singlehandedly brought back the art of "noodling." As an added bonus, neither pulls "I'm makin' sweet, sweet love to this here guitar" tricks, trying so hard to dress the process up in faux sexy. They are chill and focused, and just very, very good at their jobs.

So yeah, I guess I would probably call that hot.
posted by tigerbelly at 5:26 AM on March 26, 2008

Major props for listing Rivers Cuomo and Sufjan Stevens both of whom are at the top of my list. Geeky is the sexy in my book. I totally get the Josh Homme thing, too. He's really not my type and yet I'm still drawn to him.

Also, Omar Rodriguez-Lopez from The Mars Volta. He's got some crazy energy on stage and so sexy holding that guitar.
posted by liquorice at 5:35 AM on March 26, 2008

Spencer Krug of Sunset Rubdown and Wolf Parade. Both handsome and charismatic.

Seconding Omar Rodriguez-Lopez.

What is interesting in this thread of that many of the guitarists mentioned made me go "Urgh". This suggests it's either a matter of taste or that the addition of a guitar, or some factor related to a guitar, is responsible for many of these votes.
posted by maryrosecook at 6:20 AM on March 26, 2008

Beck might be fun and hip, but IMO he totally doesn't belong on a list of sexy guitarists. I just don't roll that way, although some people obviously do.

I must second Gavin Rossdale. Yum. And Dave Navarro. Yum. And Prince is totally sexy when he starts getting into that guitar, small though he may be. And Joe Perry, even if he is oldre than my dad.

I didn't see Slash up there anywhere. His hair and hat always cover his face, but there were a couple GnR videos where he was shirtless and I totally swooned.
posted by uvaleg at 6:28 AM on March 26, 2008

On the jazz front, Pat Metheny has always done it for me. I'll throw in some votes for Prince and Sting too but sometimes they both try a bit too hard.
posted by fuse theorem at 6:30 AM on March 26, 2008

Jon Bon Jovi.

(Are we talking about today, or at the height of the career? Either way, Bon Jovi).
posted by dpx.mfx at 6:41 AM on March 26, 2008

Carrie Brownstein
posted by soy_renfield at 7:09 AM on March 26, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Axl Rose.
He used to wear kilts during concerts.
posted by yeara at 7:11 AM on March 26, 2008

Carlos Santana and Steve Vai are my favorite guitarists. These two are amazingly talented. As far as sexy, Trent Reznor hands down. He's smokin' hot.
posted by GlowWyrm at 7:56 AM on March 26, 2008

Country guitar players who are generally considered to be very hot: Alan Jackson, Brad Paisley, Kenny Chesney, Dwight Yoakam, Keith Urban.
posted by SuperSquirrel at 8:04 AM on March 26, 2008

Leonard Cohen of course.
posted by ludwig_van at 8:13 AM on March 26, 2008

Spoon's Britt Daniel is totally irresistible.
posted by transona5 at 8:20 AM on March 26, 2008

Jon Spencer is testosterone on legs.
posted by matildaben at 8:41 AM on March 26, 2008

John Mayer is yummy.
posted by notjustfoxybrown at 8:49 AM on March 26, 2008

Quonsar
posted by mzurer at 8:57 AM on March 26, 2008

Richard Thompson, for chrissakes. I'm a dyke, and about 6 on the Kinsey scale, but Thompson with a guitar....oh my.

Dad'd Gonna Kill Me (electric)
Hard on Me (electric)
Vincent Black Lightning 1952 (acoustic)
Beeswing (acoustic)
posted by rtha at 9:12 AM on March 26, 2008

pete yorn
posted by thebellafonte at 10:15 AM on March 26, 2008

Richard Thompson is not that innocent.
posted by Exchequer at 10:19 AM on March 26, 2008

Nick Perri of Silvertide. I have a thing for skinny tattooed guys. :) And DAMN, can he play.
posted by cereselle at 1:28 PM on March 26, 2008

I have major thing for Chris Cornell. Not his songs, really, just him and his voice. Mmm.
posted by naoko at 2:06 PM on March 26, 2008

Gotta say John Mayer, too.
posted by FlyByDay at 2:13 PM on March 26, 2008

My picks are too odd for this thread (suffice it to say that it includes Jim Martin, formerly of Faith No More, and "Live in Pompeii"-era David Gilmour of Pink Floyd), but I'm adding that Josh Homme is hot beyond words. Maybe its the hip thing that kkokkodalk suggests? I also second Jonny Greenwood, Chris Cornell, and (a bearded) Dave Grohl.
posted by parilous at 3:43 PM on March 26, 2008

I have to concur with the Mayer consensus. Don't believe me? Watch one of his concert tour DVDs. Yeah, he makes weird faces when he plays... but it's a hot weird.

Chris Cornell is good, too. So's Dave Navarro, whenever he's not showing off.
posted by damnjezebel at 4:41 PM on March 26, 2008

Obligatory Josh Millard?
posted by Secretariat at 9:12 PM on March 26, 2008

Update:

Here's what I went with, for those who care:

1. "Let's Dance"- The Ramones (Dee Dee Ramone [my friend had him on her list of sexy guitarists.])
2. "Twist and Shout"- The Beatles (Take your pick)
3. "Machinehead"- Bush (Gavin Rossdale)
4. "Spanish Bombs"- The Clash (Joe Strummer)
5. "My Stupid Mouth"- John Mayer
6. "I'll Back You Up"- Dave Matthews
7. "Up on Cripple Creek"- The Band (Robbie Robertson)
8. "Burnout"- Green Day (Billie Joe Armstrong)
9. "Come as You Are"- Nirvana (Kurt Cobain)
10. "Debauchery"- David Gray
11. "Steal My Kisses"- Ben Harper
12. "Hate it Here"- Wilco (Jeff Tweedy)
13. "John Wayne Gacy, Jr."- Sufjan Stevens
14. "When I Hear My Name"- The White Stripes (Jack White)
15. "The Boy with the Arab Strap"- Belle & Sebastian (Stuart Murdoch)
16. "Aeroplane"- Red Hot Chili Peppers (Dave Navarro)
17. "Butterfly"- Weezer (Rivers Cuomo)
18. "Honey, Just Allow Me One More Chance"- Bob Dylan
19. "The Light, Pt. 2"- Mason Jennings
20. "Lazy Eye"- Silversun Pickups (Brian Aubert)
posted by PhatLobley at 6:13 PM on March 31, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]