It's a good day for random poll fans - because here's another one. Classic Rock magazine has released a list of the 'wildest guitar icons' as voted for by readers and a panel of experts. And the overall winner is - no, wait for it, you'll be surprised by this one too - in fact, I'd sit down if I was you, this is going to be a shock - oh, I guess most of you are already sitting down - but if you're on the tube reading this on your Blackberry I suggest sitting down now - this is going to be quite something - because, the overall winner is, God, no, who'd have thought it... Mr Jimi Hendrix. And I had a tenner on Charlie from Busted - damn.
Still, the overall top twenty does make slightly interesting reading, if only because of the absence of some of the usual suspects in guitarist polls - notably Slash and Pete Townshend. And Danny from McFly. And Charlie from Busted. And Orinoco, who was a pretty wild guitarist if I remember rightly.
Anyway, here's the full twenty, in reverse order no less...
20. Ace Frehley
19. Peter Green
18. Ted Nugent
17. Johnny Thunders
16. Steve Jones
15. John Frusciante
14. Jeff Beck
13. Brian Jones
12. James Hetfield
11. Steve Clark
10. Kurt Cobain
9. Chuck Berry
8. Eddie Van Halen
7. Rory Gallagher
6. Tony Iommi
5. Dimebag Darrell
4. Jimmy Page
3. Stevie Ray Vaughan
2. Keith Richards
1. Jimi Hendrix
And here's what Classic Rock editor Scott Rowley says: "There's no massive surprise in our readers voting Jimi Hendrix their wildest guitar hero of all-time. Jimi hit London in 1966 and set about terrifying guys like Clapton and Pete Townshend with his devastating technique and wired showmanship. It's a combination that's never been bettered - he redefined the term 'guitar hero' - and he made it all seem so easy. Singers might think that they're the real kings of rock and roll, but our poll shows that guitarists are far crazier, usually more talented and the real driving force behind the music. Every guitarist in our list turned it up to 11: putting on an unforgettable show and setting the stage alight - sometimes literally - with their presence (and a bottle of lighter fuel). That many of them are still alive after decades of over-indulgence is nothing short of a miracle".
There's actually a full top 100 in this poll, and that appears in the new edition of Classic Rock, out today.