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There are guitar solos that dazzle, and then there is what Wilko Johnson did on 'Roxette' — something altogether more unsettling and more honest. It stripped the instrument down to its bare nerve endings and dared an entire generation to follow. Decades on, musicians are still trying to work out how he did it.
While the guitar heroes of the 1970s were busy scaling the fretboard like mountaineers, Wilko Johnson was doing something far more dangerous — stopping. His stripped-back, three-note philosophy hit harder than any solo, and the ripples are still being felt today.
While his contemporaries were chasing flawless takes and studio sheen, Wilko Johnson was doing something far more dangerous — playing like the whole thing might fall apart at any second. That tension, that gorgeous instability, wasn't a flaw in his approach. It was the entire point.
Forget sweep picking and pentatonic scales — Wilko Johnson built one of the most distinctive guitar styles in British rock history by breaking almost every rule in the book. Whether you're a seasoned player or just starting out, understanding how he did it is one of the most rewarding rabbit holes in all of music.