“I was constantly told I was s**t and useless”: Why Yngwie Malmsteen doesn’t care about being praised or criticised for his guitar playing
Yngwie Malmsteen doesn’t care for the opinions of others, regardless of whether they’re good or bad.
The neoclassical guitarist has inspired a generous number of greats, and has even claimed that Eddie Van Halen avoided sharing a stage with him when they both shared the limelight in the ‘80s, despite his Van Halen bandmate David Lee Roth claiming he would play Malmsteen’s music “all day long”. And yet despite this, Malmsteen doesn’t care for praise and legacy.
READ MORE: Nuno Bettencourt rips through Hot For Teacher with Van Halen tribute band
Amid celebrations for 40 years of his music career (which kicked off in 2024) and 40 years of his second album, Marching Out, he tells Guitar World, “I’d like to be remembered, that’s it, but I don’t really think like that. When I was growing up, I was constantly told I was shit and useless.
“I became oblivious to it all. I didn’t cry about it, I just didn’t care. Then I came to America and everyone was telling me I’m the greatest thing. Neither affected me. I know if I’m doing good or bad. I don’t have to be told.”
He adds, “It’s nice if people think you’re good, but you shouldn’t do things just to hear them say that. I’m not thinking about an epitaph with ‘Look, it’s Yngwie, the man who conceived classical metal through guitar!’ I don’t care.
“There’s one magazine cover I kept from early on which had a big picture of me next to photos of Jimi Hendrix and Edward Van Halen. I like that one because I’m with the greatest guys ever,” he admits. “But what excites me most is when I complete something great and then I move onto the next one.”
Yngwie Malmsteen continues his 40th anniversary tour in June. He will also play at festivals Louder Than Life and Aftershock later this year.
The post “I was constantly told I was s**t and useless”: Why Yngwie Malmsteen doesn’t care about being praised or criticised for his guitar playing appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Source: www.guitar-bass.net
