John Mayer

There is so much to like about this dude, I don’t even know where to start. It’s kinda like when you meet someone and you’re quietly blown away at how graceful they are in their own skin that you inwardly stare at them from across the room all night wondering how they can emanate such comfort in themselves…and consequently wonder if there is any way you can figure out if there is some sort of secret they have or if they’re just like that? Thats how I feel about John Mayer.

I first recall seeing John on an Australian late night TV show called ‘The Panel’ somewhere in the very early 2000’s. Now, I’m only two years older than John and for a young man in his early twenties, he seemed to have this magnetic charisma that made me just like him. Seriously, I stopped probably three shades short of having a fan boy man crush, but still, he held himself so confidently, it was hard not to be really engaged.

Moreover, when he played his music, he did this really weird thing with his mouth and stomped his foot in this bizarre arsed way that could only be described as a man literally showing a physical embodiment of his own love for the music he’s playing. I friggen loved it. His first album was on high repeat in our house. (this may have been because it was a CD and you literally just needed to hit the ‘repeat’ button).

Like most artists, we only really know the outer persona they afford to the world at large…that and the wikipedia page with a rundown of the things that were media worthy. It’s funny though, because I feel as though I have taken a ride with John Mayer. I was 26 when he first released his music and I’ve bought every album since. As a creative myself, I think that unconsciously I take the journey with the artists I love and John is no exception. In fact, he might actually be an exception based on the fact that I am so close to his age and my family has experienced his musical story so closely that it has helped define our families musical preferences. Seriously. If I were asked to choose a single artist to describe my family (as strange as that sounds)…it would be John Mayer.

He’s like the middle ground. When I need to put something on to settle the chaos in the house, nine times out of ten, it’ll be him. And can we please not underestimate the power of any music settling a chaotic household of three children and two parents about to go nuts trying to navigate the post dinner bedtime routine. It’s a never ending, voices raised, high energy, nigh-on suicidal fucking carnival of unpredictability. (I’m so sorry to all those who claim that having pets is like having children. It’s not. It’s just fucking not)

So in more ways than one, John has been a small glimmer of peaceful solitude within a lifetime of…challenges. And for that, I can’t praise him enough. Sure, he has no concept that he has given me this little sneaky back pocket of a centring tool, but thats like most artists isn’t it? They can never imagine how they influence their audience. And I can guarantee that if I had the opportunity to spend an hour with Mr Mayer over a beer, I would like to tell him about the impact he’s had on both me and the people I love most.

As of the time I am writing this, he’s had seven studio albums and he’s about to bring out his eighth. Because of his influence, it’s really hard to single out a favourite album. Watching him in the public eye go through his ups and downs seems to parallel the stories he sings about via his music. And maybe it’s for this reason that his fifth studio album ‘Born & Raised’ released in 2012 is my favourite.

Its not like I’m a John Mayer fan boy or anything, (three shades away…remember?) but I really have no interest at all in what mainstream media say about him, but from the outside looking in, it seemed very much that after Battle Studies (his fourth album), there was a real separation that he made from the public eye. Without trying to sound like a douchebag critic, Battle Studies was my least favourite album simply because it felt done. Like he was done. Like he needed to find a new way. And then came ‘Born & Raised’.

Maybe it’s because it showed his evolution. Maybe it’s because it seemed more heartfelt. Maybe it’s an album that shows the expanse that someone can walk into after a time of disillusionment. In the end it doesn’t fucken matter though. In the end, it’s music. Songs on an album. And maybe thats the point.

At the end of the day though, I think that’s what matters most to me. The story. Following a musician long enough to follow their journey. There isn’t a musician on the planet who doesn’t embed their story into their music in some way or another. Whether it be Metallica’s ‘Master of Puppets’ or David Bowie’s ‘Ziggy Stardust’, songs are literally the canvas of people who play music and it’s always (always) coloured with the artists history. And when that artist is brave enough to lay their emotional vulnerabilities down in musical form, you have to give them props. Even if you don’t like the music, it’s hard to not appreciate that artists like John Mayer are continually painting emotional portraits for a global audience to relate to.

I know that not everyone sees it like I do. I also know that there are people out there who don’t value music. *shakes head* (For shiz, I’m serious. I know a dude who doesn’t listen to music…just talk back radio. Still baffles me) But when I think about the impact music has on me, I am continually drawn to artists trying their hearts out to portray their own sense of real. And thats something I can only sit back and appreciate.

If you’re not a John Mayer fan, thats totes fine. If you’re on the fence going “I’don’t really know much of his stuff”, spend a little time going through his back catalogue. It’s heartfelt. Its earnest. For the most part, it’s a diary of someone trying their best, and thats something I can relate to.

M/

~ Article updated November 2018