Tim Henson of Polyphia claims that Machine Gun Kelly made the guitar “cool” again.
Talking to Guitar World, the virtuoso player extends a shout-out to the rapper-turned-pop-punk-musician, whose 2020 album Ticket To My Downfall topped charts after he switched genres following a feud with Eminem.
“I’d say guitar music got cool [after the pandemic],” Henson says). “You know, maybe we had a little bit to do with that, maybe we didn’t.
“Around that time, Eminem did the thing with MGK, and kind of made him switch genres. And then MGK got a number-one record with a guitar on the cover, which is really cool. So, shout out MGK for making guitar cool again!”
Later in the interview, Henson is asked which new guitar players have caught his eye lately, and he names viral sensation Spiro Dussias. “Dude, there’s that guy, Spiro – you know what I’m talking about. I don’t know how to say his last name. I just recognise the Instagram handle, but that guy is fucking crazy. And there’s definitely a few others that are escaping me.”
He adds that he hopes to get Dussias for a feature on the next Polyphia album, which will follow 2022’s Remember That You Will Die. “But as we start to book these sessions this year, to bring in all the incredible talent that is out there, to vibe them out on the new music, I’m definitely going to be hitting up Spiro just to see what kind of insanity he can bring,” he declares.
Earlier this month, Henson told Guitar World that the next Polyphia album will feature Babymetal, plus Serj Tankian of System Of A Down. He also described their upcoming music as “heavy”.
“I think last year was really eye-opening for us in terms of how we should start composing for the live performance,” he explained. “Playing a nylon-string to 80,000 people is a little like… when you think of a nylon-string, you think of a dude in a coffee shop, right? So, it’s a little disconnect there. We’re excited to really hone that in and really make the music bigger for that kind of audience now.”
Machine Gun Kelly released his latest album, Mainstream Sellout, in 2022. Last year, he unveiled a signature guitar shaped like a razorblade, which received a divided response. He subsequently defended the design on X (formerly Twitter), writing: “I’ll never explain my art, because true art is conversational and always up for interpretation.
“But I will say, most of you constantly interpret it wrong. And then blame me for your version of what you think my art is. Ultimately I’m sad at how people perceive me in general. Peace.”
