This viewpoint always fascinates me, since I come from the opposite side: I'd rather hear a non-technical and 'simple' player like John Lee Hooker play one note, with total conviction, than all the hyper-technical stunt guitarists, who rarely convince me that they have any conviction at all except 'I want to play faster/more complex sh#t than anyone else'.
Rock, for me, is about PRIMAL energy, tapping into that genetic 'memory' of cavemen stomping and yelling around a campfire 30,000 years ago. It's about rage, love, lust, joy, terror. It's often RAW. Nirvana captured that perfectly. Lithium was a direct offshoot of Iggy Pop, The Clash, Richard Hell and the Voidoids, and so many others who upended the temple, threw out the dinosaurs like Eddie Van Halen (who BEGGED Cobain to let him come onstage with him).
I also like some VERY technically proficient player (Hendrix, Zappa and especially Jeff Beck come to mind). But I like them because a) Technique is NEVER wagging the dog. it is in SERViCE to the song, the tune, not the other way around and b) They are usually only flashing at a point of crescendo. Sure, sometimes they're excessive, but in general, they noodle less, shred less, and build their solos with emotional content, reaching a climax, if you will. That's way more impressive to me than Buckethead playing 5 million notes in 5 minutes, though, I admit, I'd LOVE to have his technical ability. If the Devil, or God, offered me the ability to have the technique of him or Satch, Vai etc. , but the deal was I'd have to play lIKE them, with their endless sweep picking barrage of musically meaningless notes, melodies that no one will remember in 20 years, Id' tell 'em HELL NO! Leave me as a former cripple, with rudimentary abilities - at least my SOUL speaks through me music! At least my ego, my technique, are subservient to my art, not in charge of it.
