IN THE PROFESSIONAL guitarist realm, versatility is overrated. The greats are the ones who become extraordinary at one thing: it’s hard to picture Stevie Ray Vaughan releasing an acclaimed noise-rock release — or Scott Ian dipping his toes into blues rock.
Then there’s Jim “Kimo” West, a guitarist who, for 40 years, has taken on genre after genre, style after style, constantly evolving with the times, with his playing being heard by millions. And he’s done all this in relative obscurity, because it’s hard to get the spotlight when your front man is not only one of the most beloved pop culture icons of all time but also perhaps not technically the best — but arguably the most famous — accordion player in an extremely specific genre of music.
Weird Al Yankovic has cemented his unlikely spot in the zeitgeist by spending decades lovingly rewriting lyrics to pop songs, and for that entire time, West has been the guy tasked with just as lovingly recreating the guitar riffs behind those songs. He’s put his stamp on Joan Jett’s badass punk (“I Love Rocky Road”), Kurt Cobain’s angsty grunge (“Smells Like Nirvana”) and Don McLean’s rootsy acoustic strumming (“The Saga Begins”) — and that’s just a few of the biggest hits that have gotten the coveted Yankovic Bump.
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