Yngwie J. Malmsteen/Talk

This article is terrible - it makes Malmsteen out to be someone deeply significant in the guitar world, which he certainly isn't - noteworthy and deserving of an article, yes, but he is regarded as an anachronism and possibly even an embarrassment by most guitarists. (I studied guitar at both Berklee and GIT, so I don't think I am out of my depth here).

Why would he be considered an "embarssment" by most guitarists? That is the most ridiculous, and obviously jealous, thing I have ever heard. I am not precisely a big fan of his music, but if there were any musicians that would be "embarassments", wouldn't those be the ones that do drugs, beat people up, and rip off other people's music?

Well they're embarrassments too. Malmsteen is an embarrassment because he is the epitome of style over substance and gaudy flash over emotional or intellectual content. Oh, and the ego...

One - this is a talk page and I am free to put my opinions here. Malmsteen is an embarrassment because of all of his "I am the greatest ever" nonsense. Plus as the previous writer noted, the "style over substance issue". And I can play the 5th caprice on guitar as well - it just takes a lot of practice. It doesn't make me a great musician. There ARE guitarists I am definitely and openly jealous of - Steve Vai, Allan Holdsworth, Eric Johnson, Scott Henderson. Malmsteen certainly isn't one of them. - MMGB

Malmsteen is a talented performer, and this engenders a lot of jealousy from people who, frankly, don't have the same level of skill he has.

two words - span dex.

I'll be rewriting it considerably to put Malmsteen back into some sort of perspective. - MMGB

MMGB, you did a great thing here -- the original was lifted directly from Malmsteen's own website, which is surely not kosher, copyright wise. (Nor, as you point out, objectivity-wise!)

Can I ask you a favor? Can you be sure that your rewrite doesn't contain anything from the original, i.e. that this is not a 'derived work'? Having the same facts is o.k., and even relying on the original for some facts is fine, but the wording should be all Wikipedia. --Jimbo Wales

Jimbo - I rewrote every word - the only thing I cut and pasted was the phrase "19th-century violin virtuoso Nicolo Paganini" which I don't think is a copyrightable phrase. - ManningBartlett

Sweet. You've crushed my apelike illusions about the magesty of Yngwie's talent, though. :-) -- Jimbo Wales

Manning, thank you. I myself was so crushed by the majesty of his 'burning strat licks' in the previous version that I couldn't even begin to rewrite. (p.s., he's a representative of 'neo-classical metal', the Heavy metal page, says! Me, I'm a sucker for neoclassical anything.) --MichaelTinkler

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Malmsteen transcribed and mastered these pieces on guitar, which was concurrent with the development of a prodigious technical fluency, previously unknown in the rock guitar world.

This sounds somewhat fishy to me. Was there really no guitarist with such "prodigious technical fluency" before Malmsteen? (I don't know myself... Manning? Anyone?) --STG

Even as someone who regards Malmsteen as a complete twat, I have to concede that his technical fluency was unknown in the rock world prior to his appearance in 1983. This is not to say there was no-one (which I obviously cannot say), but there was no-one "known". Of course, it didn't take long for people to catch up, even I was caught up in the wave there for a while and was practicing my Paganini Caprices. - MMGB

Ok, sounds good. --STG

I bet you had the spandex too, -- GWO

As God is my witness, I NEVER wore spandex. However I will refuse to answer any questions relating to long hair and/or a perm, or MC Hammer baggy pants, on the grounds that I might lose whatever shred of respect I have around here. - MMGB