I have a similar thing. It's been said before but I can really identify with it.

"When I look at a painting by Frans Hals it makes me want to paint, but when I look at a painting by Rembrandt it makes me want to give up painting"

I'm in a good mood today, helped no doubt by the half bottle of black jack that I've just put down. Because I'm feeling good experience has taught me that there's a real low just a'waitin round the corner, so maybe I should make use of the time I have to tell a story?

Who wants to hear a true story?

take your pick from these three for starters.

1 The day I gave my breakfast milk to Ian Brown from the Stone Roses after he asked me for it - and why.

2 The day I had a drink in a bar with Paul Newman and Steve mcQueen.

3. The day I spent drinking with PJ Proby.

All verifiable, true, and all too fantastical to be made up, the choice is yours.

The Ian Brown one please.

Yeah, Ian Brown.

Nah, nah, nah! The Newman/Mcqueen 'un..... Pleeeeeezzzzz.

You can do it. Blues scales aren't that difficult, you just need to learn three or four patterns. As for the tone ... one of the reasons I sold both the Les Pauls I've owned (and my Strat, last week) is that they made me sound like everyone else with a Les Paul, or a Strat. I now play 1960s Japanese plywood Woolworth's guitars, which are a bit crap but sound and look like nothing else. It's much better to develop your own sound.
What do you play? I didn't realise you were a guitarist, we could have had a jam when you came down for the exhaust bits.

Ian Brown! Definitely!

Offending post removed.

thats an amazing story O-N nothing to be ashamed off! i dont udnerstand how some people survive inside! but ive never seen what prision looks like so i dont really know!

I do agree with you about the guitars RT... I got a bit sick of hankering after over-priced electrics so I cured my longing by making one myself (I've always been really into working out how things work and having a go myself... and they don't come much simpler than a Fender-style guitar!). I made an Esquire (cheated by buying an off the peg neck for $50 when the exchange rate was v good 4 years ago) and put a Seymour humbucker thing in it. Sounds very raw when distorted, which suits my guitar playing.
I love early punk rock (esp. Pistols, Clash, Buzzcocks) and angular sounding stuff from the 79-83 era (loosely called postpunk, I s'pose: eg Delta 5, Young Marble Giants, Gang of Four, Postcard Records etc). The music of my youth, I guess. Also really loved the early 90s sounds, but kind of lost interest with all that Britpop nonsense, most of which was boring drivel, imho.
I really enjoy just making crappy cover versions of just about anything I care to have a go at. Currently to be heard butchering Suspicious Minds and Ace of Spades (which I'm into doing in a C&W style).
Although watching clips like that guy on his Les Paul do make me wonder why I'm so talentless on the guitar, I'm actually not too bad as a rhythm player. At heart I'm just not a purist at all, but I appreciate good guitar playing from others, whatever the style, whether it's Brian May or Leadbelly or Ali Faka Toure. As for my playing, I know my limits (page 2 of the "Teach Yourself" books, so it's just about having fun rather than worrying about technique. As Joe Strummer said, "F*** the fiddly bits!"
Now, time for me to read O-N's story...

Old-Nail, I think that has been me, sorry I'm no Techno-Dweeb, so half the time I have no idea what I'm doing on this machine. I was "fiddling" with the user control panel a few weeks ago and found a "hide me button" which I clicked and forgot. I've been logging in and seeing my name at the bottom of the page, so haven't put any thought into it....Until now. I've just realised it's been me, but now I should be "showing" and displaying the name my parents gave me, not an on-line pseudonym that some on here "hide behind"