# Who is that young fellah playing guitar in the VW ad? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 21, 2006, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-that-young-fellah-playing-guitar-in-the-vw-ad/377343 "2006-10-21T15:46:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![NoCoolUserName](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5fc32e/32.png) [@NoCoolUserName](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoCoolUserName)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2006, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-that-young-fellah-playing-guitar-in-the-vw-ad/377343/1 "2006-10-21T15:46:34Z")
White VW, white guitar, very cool playing, nicely done ad. Who is it? ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2006, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-that-young-fellah-playing-guitar-in-the-vw-ad/377343/2 "2006-10-21T15:52:06Z")
[QUOTE=NoCoolUserName] White VW, white guitar, very cool playing, nicely done ad. Who is it? [/QUOTE] I assume you’re referring to the John Mayer ad - he opens the door of the car to get a wah effect and uses the top edge of the door as a slide? Good player - tries to find the balance between middle-of-the-road, no respect songs and Stevie Ray-influenced playing. Doesn’t always get it right, but does okay. I wish he sounded less like SRV and more like himself, but that can come with time… ---
**Author:** ![PerditaX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/65b543/32.png) [@PerditaX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PerditaX)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2006, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-that-young-fellah-playing-guitar-in-the-vw-ad/377343/3 "2006-10-21T15:52:35Z")
I think the one you’re asking about is John Mayer. There’s also one with Slash, but I wouldn’t call him a “young fella.” ---
**Author:** ![rockle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/73ab20/32.png) [@rockle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rockle)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2006, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-that-young-fellah-playing-guitar-in-the-vw-ad/377343/4 "2006-10-21T15:53:15Z")
[QUOTE=NoCoolUserName] White VW, white guitar, very cool playing, nicely done ad. Who is it? [/QUOTE] Is it a curly-headed guy? If so, and it’s the commercial I’m thinking of, it’s John Mayer. You might remember him from such Bad Career Moves as dating Jessica Simpson and the ubiquitous song “Your Body is a Wonderland.” This latest batch of VW commercials is pretty cool, but … John Mayer? _Slash?_ I doubt very strongly that Slash drives a Beetle. ---
**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2006, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-that-young-fellah-playing-guitar-in-the-vw-ad/377343/5 "2006-10-21T17:34:09Z")
I like the Nigel Tufnel VW ad best! ---
**Author:** ![rockle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/73ab20/32.png) [@rockle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rockle)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2006, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-that-young-fellah-playing-guitar-in-the-vw-ad/377343/6 "2006-10-21T17:40:11Z")
[QUOTE=Motorgirl] I like the Nigel Tufnel VW ad best! [/QUOTE] Yeah, that one rocks my socks. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2006, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-that-young-fellah-playing-guitar-in-the-vw-ad/377343/7 "2006-10-21T18:39:13Z")
John Mayer doesn’t get enough respect, because in the past he has played a lot of MOR stuff. But man, that guy can play guitar, and has a totally unique sound. I think he’s a great talent, and one day he’s going to make a record that makes everyone go, “okay, that guy’s great.” In fact, I think of him a lot like Clapton, who suffers from the same problem - he tends to write and play a lot of MOR crap. Clapton is forgiven because he gaind his cred early on with Cream and others. But if you look back at his solo career, you’ll see an awful lot of utterly forgettable filler. If Mayer had started in a hard rock or blues band, he would have developed a reputation early, and then the MOR stuff he sometimes does would be seen more as an aberattion or a departure from his ‘true’ form. But because he started with the MOR stuff, he gets no respect at all. But if you go looking, you can find him playing quite a bit of harder rock and blues, and when he plays that stuff he’s just awesome. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2006, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-that-young-fellah-playing-guitar-in-the-vw-ad/377343/8 "2006-10-21T19:40:36Z")
“mor”? ---
**Author:** ![AwSnappity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a3d4f5/32.png) [@AwSnappity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AwSnappity)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2006, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-that-young-fellah-playing-guitar-in-the-vw-ad/377343/9 "2006-10-21T20:01:29Z")
Urban Dictionary gives three definitions: middle-of-the-road, MP3-oriented rock, or monsters of rock. I’m thinking Sam meant the first one. ---
**Author:** ![Euthanasiast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Euthanasiast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euthanasiast)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2006, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-that-young-fellah-playing-guitar-in-the-vw-ad/377343/10 "2006-10-21T22:35:59Z")
[QUOTE=Sam Stone] John Mayer doesn’t get enough respect, because in the past he has played a lot of MOR stuff. But man, that guy can play guitar, and has a totally unique sound. I think he’s a great talent, and one day he’s going to make a record that makes everyone go, “okay, that guy’s great.” In fact, I think of him a lot like Clapton, who suffers from the same problem - he tends to write and play a lot of MOR crap. Clapton is forgiven because he gaind his cred early on with Cream and others. But if you look back at his solo career, you’ll see an awful lot of utterly forgettable filler. If Mayer had started in a hard rock or blues band, he would have developed a reputation early, and then the MOR stuff he sometimes does would be seen more as an aberattion or a departure from his ‘true’ form. But because he started with the MOR stuff, he gets no respect at all. But if you go looking, you can find him playing quite a bit of harder rock and blues, and when he plays that stuff he’s just awesome. [/QUOTE] I completely agree. The guy can play the hell out of the guitar. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2006, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-that-young-fellah-playing-guitar-in-the-vw-ad/377343/11 "2006-10-22T01:36:49Z")
Mayer is highly underrated, so far. Just wait till he pulls his full-on blues record out. Then people will forget about the “middle of the road” stuff. Dude can play. ---
**Author:** ![Only\_Mostly\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/f19dbf/32.png) [@Only\_Mostly\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Only_Mostly_Dead)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2006, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-that-young-fellah-playing-guitar-in-the-vw-ad/377343/12 "2006-10-22T01:42:09Z")
[QUOTE=Gatopescado] Mayer is highly underrated, so far. Just wait till he pulls his full-on blues record out. Then people will forget about the “middle of the road” stuff. Dude can play. [/QUOTE] [He’s already released it](http://www.amazon.com/John-Mayer-Trio-Live-Concert/dp/B000BJS4SU/sr=8-1/qid=1161481118/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/104-3670315-9671968?ie=UTF8) (almost), and it is good (so long as you avoid two of the last three tracks, including the godawful _Daughters_). The album has a few flaws, but it has some very strong chops the rest of the time. I hate John Mayer’s radio stuff, but had to run out and buy this album as soon as I heard _Who Did You Think I Was_ on an indie station. ---
**Author:** ![NoCoolUserName](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5fc32e/32.png) [@NoCoolUserName](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoCoolUserName)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2006, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-that-young-fellah-playing-guitar-in-the-vw-ad/377343/13 "2006-10-23T00:08:12Z")
Thanks. I have seen him and didn’t recognize him in the ad. Yup, he plays good. I was blown away when he did his hit (Wonderland?) at the Grammys on solo acoustic guitar and played the CRAP out of it. I probably missed the recog because he wasn’t singing and squinching his face up the way he does. It irritates the crap out of me when a kid can play like that, and I can’t, when I’ve been playing longer than he’s been alive. Dang. I played my first gig for money on New Year’s eve 1968. Sheesh.