BBC 6 radio listeners in England took a little time out in their battle to keep the station open since the British Broadcast Company (BBC) announced its intention to close it. They voted in a survey asking them to choose the best guitarist of the past 30 years.
The result might be hard for Red Hot Chili Peppers fans to swallow. The #1 spot goes to guitarist John Frusciante who recently announced he was leaving the group. His first-place finish will only serve as a reminder to fans of just how big a loss this is.
Frusciante received 13.9% of the votes, 3.6% more than Slash who came in second at 10.3%. Third place went to Matt Bellamy of Muse with 8.6% of the votes. Former The Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr took fourth place with 6.8% while Tom Morello from Rage Against The Machine rounds off the top five with 5%.
Kirk Hammett (Metallica, 6th), Jonny Greenwood (Radiohead, 7th), Prince (8th), Jack White (White Stripes, Raconteurs, 9th) and Peter Buck (R.E.M., 10th) complete the top 10 of the best guitarists of the past 30 years.
BBC 6 Music presenter Steve Lamacq said of the poll result: "There’s an underlying madness about their work, but with the renewed interest in these guitarists, thanks to various computer games, this is a very timely and revealing litmus test of who our audience really admire."