What’s the first word that pops into your head when I mention the name “John Mayer?” Be honest, it was probably the kind of word that the kind folks at Uproxx don’t want me to print, right? Yeah, I don’t blame you. The guy has earned himself a reputation – deserved or not – as one of music’s least likable characters. But while I can understand having misgivings about John Mayer, the person, it would be unfortunate to let that blind you to the greatness of John Mayer, the musician.
Over the past 15 years, Mayer has proven himself to be both a brilliant guitar player and a highly skilled songwriter. Unfortunately, his reputation as one of music’s most unsavory figures seems to prevent a lot of people from being willing to admit that. No matter how many fire guitar licks he delivers, or touching folk tunes he writes, to many people, there’s something about admitting you like John Mayer that just feels kind of gross.
Of course, some of that is his fault. He has a nasty tendency to shoot his mouth off in interviews, often saying things that would make even his most ardent defender cringe just a little bit. The most famous example of this was his unfortunate interview with Playboy in early 2010. If you don’t recall, this was the interview in which, after being asked why all of the famous women he’s been linked to were white, he remarked that he had a “Benetton heart and a David Duke cock.” He also used the n-word in that interview. Yeesh. Maybe he was kidding, but the damage was done. The interview made him appear to be an insensitive, over-privileged prick, seemingly validating every negative thought the public might have ever had about him. It’s been nearly six years, and he still hasn’t fully bounced back from this. For many, it’s still common knowledge that John Mayer is one of the biggest douchebags in the music world.
Ironically, one of his finest musical moments came when he tried to refute that notion, on his excellent – and sadly overlooked – 2012 album Born and Raised. The first single from that album, “Shadow Days,” addressed his shattered reputation directly, as he let us know that, despite the notions we had developed, he was “a good man, with a good heart.” Whether he convinced many of his haters or not, it was one of the more raw, direct statements he had ever recorded. He was standing before us, desperately hoping to convince us that he was a good person. Somehow, the fact that so few of his critics took the bait just makes the song resonate more.
But while “Shadow Days” is the most interesting song off that album from a tabloid standpoint, it’s hardly the only great song there. There’s also the Neil Young-ish folk of “Speak for Me,” the whimsy of “Walt Grace’s Submarine Test, 1967” and the touching ballad “A Face to Call Home,” in which Mayer describes both finding love, and hoping to finally grow up. Really, there isn’t a bad song on the entire thing. It was a confident, self-assured record from a man whose unfortunate public persona had blinded many to his stunning growth as a songwriter.
Similar things could be said about 2006’s Continuum, the album on which Mayer proved he was a serious songwriter, and the fluff of his early hit “Your Body Is a Wonderland” was finally left behind. That album featured the bluesy “Gravity,” which was one of the first times Mayer’s studio output began to match the virtuosity of his live performances. There was also the hit single “Waiting on the World to Change,” which was the rare time Mayer demonstrated a social, political conscience. Whether or not the current incarnation of Mayer would have much credibility on that front remains to be seen, but at the time, it felt like a serious evolution.
At times, it feels like Mayer’s tabloid presence actually keeps us from discussing his music. His most recent album, Paradise Valley, was upstaged by its lead single, “Paper Doll,” almost entirely because it was written about Taylor Swift. Similarly, while 2009’s Battle Studies was not his most consistent effort, it did feature one of his all-time best tracks, “Heartbreak Warfare.” But rather than appreciate the song, most people were more interested in trying to figure out if he wrote it about Jessica Simpson or Jennifer Aniston. Essentially, it feels like Mayer is a villain first, a news item second, and musician third. Which is a shame because, well, he’s a damn good musician.
What’s weird about the general shunning of Mayer is how little he’s really done to deserve it. Oh, don’t get me wrong, that Playboy interview was bad, and there have been other moments throughout his career where he’s generally come off as arrogant and aloof. But so what? That hardly makes him a monster. Frankly, we’ve canonized plenty of musicians who have done far worse things. If we can enjoy the music of John Lennon despite his history of abusing women, we can forgive John Mayer for shooting his mouth off from time to time. He’s simply too talented of an artist to be ignored just because he makes an ass out of himself.
