Maybe Jimmy Page said 'show off' in an offhand way, just as a matter of being taken aback by Joe's excellence. None of us were there to know the context of what he said.
It's a no brainer anyway.... Who did Jimmy Page have to draw influence from that could really KILL with blues/rock guitar? I mean BEAT you with it like Joe does now ... Roy Buchanan, Lonnie Mack, .... That's about it, prior to JP's own innovations, without sounding like he ripped off Clapton, who ALSO played with John Mayall, Yardbirds. I mean, there were lots of good guitar players, but WHO, in Page's era was whipping everybody's **** like Joe does in a modern context? (Jeff Beck is a whole other subject, and IMO the better of the 3 Yardbirds).
Once the guitar really became a vehicle of self expression, nobody who says they 'play guitar' has any excuse but to play pretty strong. I'll bet Keith Richards says Joe's a show off too. GOOD! If somebody who plays/understands blues/rock guitar like Ted Nugent recognizes Joe as a really strong player, then that's exactly what he is! There's nothing wrong with playing strong. That's what rock and roll is! To do it cleanly and articulately means Joe got to stand back and take a look at things that mostly WEREN'T there before Jimmy Page, or expound on what JP created.
Joe's RULES, and those who really made blues/rock what it is today are so blown away they don't know what to think or say. Not my invention, not even Jimmy Page's invention. I wish I could show off like that.
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