Our boy must have some terrible arthritus... excuse my spelling.. i'm typing in the dark.... I wonder how and IF this effects his playing and to hwat degreee

"Well my heavy throbbers itchin' just to lay a solid rhythm down"

Yeah, we've been discussing it for a few years now!

Hey yeah the signs were there way back in 88.........





ROCKMAN

you can see it really bad in 4 licks...

"Well my heavy throbbers itchin' just to lay a solid rhythm down"

It seems very bad on promo photos of ABB.

There was an interview with Keith & the boys on TV in Australia recently and the interviewer asked him about his mangled hands. He seemed embarrassed but said it was from hitting his guitar so hard. They did a close up on his hands and they looked pretty grim.

I've just started getting arthritis and I can tell you even early on its sore. Terrible shame for Keith but time waits for no one.

that's what a real guitar hero looks like


- Berlin, july 21st 2006 courtesy of Der Tagesspiegel/mboston

Keith would obviously prefer not to have arthritis...but I don't think it actually hinders his style of playing guitar to any great degree most of the time.
The inflamation and discomfort comes and goes with arthritis. I have a mate who plays guitar and suffers from what would appear visually to be a similar level of the affliction to Keith. He says it's no big deal. You get used the reduced mobility and it only really bothers him when it's playing up and hurting.
It's more of an annoyance than an impediment according to him.
I suspect it's the same with Keith.

Fortunately, Keith never relied on lightening-fast licks or riffs that required intense finger dexterity, so his playing hasn't suffered nearly as much as say, Jimmy Page, who, as of the last time I heard him, had difficulty playing cleanly. Keith's unique, rhythm based playing has certainly served him well.

Just My Inflammation ( Runnin Away With Me )