Creativity Quote by Mick Taylor

Name-dropping can read like bragging, but Mick Taylor’s line lands as something closer to a quiet credential check - and a small act of myth-management. “Influenced by” is the expected rock vocabulary, a safe way to admit apprenticeship in a culture that worships originality. Then he pivots: “both of whom I had the pleasure of playing with and becoming friends with.” That’s not just flexing proximity to gods; it’s a reframe of influence as lived exchange, not distant fandom.

The specific intent is twofold. Taylor is locating his musical DNA in the most defensible lineage possible: Clapton’s phrasing and tone, Hendrix’s harmonic daring and controlled chaos. But he’s also defending his own legitimacy. As the guitarist who helped power the Rolling Stones’ early-70s peak yet often sits outside the band’s public mythology, Taylor uses personal association to signal, I’m not a footnote. I was in the room. I was in the conversation.

The subtext is about access and respect. “Pleasure” and “friends” soften the hierarchy; he’s careful not to claim dominance, just reciprocity. It’s the language of a working musician who understands that greatness isn’t only talent - it’s networks, timing, and being trusted enough to plug in alongside icons.

Context matters: Clapton and Hendrix aren’t neutral influences; they’re canonical yardsticks for British rock guitar. Taylor’s sentence places him inside that canon while sounding humble enough to be believable. In a genre built on legend, he opts for understatement as proof.