What is with.....
 

...mediocre modern day pop stars siting Freddy Mercury and David Bowie as "influences"?
(Lady Gaga and Katy Perry, I am talking to you.)
The majority of people who buy your albums have never heard of them. The people who ARE legit fans of your "influences" will probably never buy your stupid pop album.
Its like in math, the input/output box. In goes well-written brilliance....out comes trite bullsh*t? What am I missing?

Well if it's any consolation, Duran Duran's biggest influence musically was said to be Pink Floyd. Go figure.

I saw an interview with John Mayer once where he sited Stevie Ray Vaughn as his biggest influence. Really didn't see that one coming based on what I've heard from him on the radio. I did have the chance to see him in concert though, and the truth is, he can play a decent blues guitar. I just don't see it influencing most of his popular music.

I remember reading an interview with Andy Taylor where he said in the advert Duran Duran placed when they were looking for a guitarist that he answered they wanted someone into The Stooges , New York Dolls & Montrose.

I think was Lebonny Bonbon who was big into the Floyd but with that list in the ad , it's even more of a travesty what they ended up sounding like!

well, I disagree with the point you are trying to make here...saying that someone influenced you, doesn't mean you are trying to make the same music, or trying to make music which is for fans of that artist...for example Freddie Mercury might influenced the singers mentioned above with his stage persona and not his music...even ronnie james dio has stated various times that the biggest influence on his career were The Beatles, and I really don't see him as a pop artist...what you are missing is the fact that not everybody has to like the same music as you do, and that probably some artists like music which isn't anywhere near the same genre as them.

agreed, i remeber Daron from SOAD saying The Beatles, specifically John Lennon, influenced him. so, yeah

you're missing the fact that correlation does not equal causation. just because someone is influenced by another group doesn't mean they will sound like them or attract the same people. it makes absolute sense to me that most modern pop acts would cite bowie and mercury as influences. they had a HUGE stage persona, very theatrical presentations, and sexual ambiguity. seems like relatively standard elements to most big pop acts of the current day in my eyes.

my biggest musical influence played flute and clarinet, but i play guitar, is it wrong?

Spark10036 and mr dave, you guys have good points.
I guess when I think of an "influence" I think of some hints of another genre that you can hear in the music? Like reggae on punk? But I guess it can be someone who's persona or fashion sense you rip off as well. God, that last sentence was horribly constructed. I can has speech engleesh?

his other big influence is being in the tabloids.

why do good guitarists insist on making boring music?