J. Mascis Attains Offical Rock God Status

How do you know you're a rock god? When Fender makes a signature guitar for you. I want to eat this guitar like it was candy. (Don't tell Strummy.)

But seriously, it is really awesome to see Mascis get some recognition for his blazing guitar skills. I recently bought the latest Dinosaur Jr. album (the one where he reunites with Murph and Lou Barlow - the seminal line-up, if you will) and the man can still play like crazy. It hard to remember now what a revelation those early Dinosaur records were; in the punk scene, guitar solos were considered anathema because they stood for all that was wrong about rock 'n' roll. But then Mascis comes along and totally recontextualized the art of soloing - noisy yet melodic, always careening off into totally unexpected directions.

Plus, it's purple. It's the exact color of Speed Buggy. Ain't nothing more punk rock than that.