Polyphia’s Tim Henson Names Who Made ‘Guitar Music Cool’ Again

Polyphia‘s Tim Henson has turned a lot of heads in recent years with his impressive guitar work, but the guitarist gave a shout out to a surprising musician when discussing how he feels guitar music has gotten cool again.

Henson was speaking with Guitar World when when interviewer brought up that pre-pandemic he had declared that it was his mission to “make guitar music cool again.” While the band’s profile has certainly risen, Henson credited another artist for the renewed public interest in guitar music over the last five-plus years.

Who Does Polyphia’s Tim Henson Credit With Making Guitar Music Cool Again?

“I’d say guitar music got cool! You know, maybe we had a little bit to do with that, maybe we didn’t,” remarked the guitarist, before adding, “Around that time, Eminem did the thing with MGK [Machine Gun Kelly], and kind of made him switch genres. And then MGK got a No. 1 record with a guitar on the cover, which is really cool. So shout out MGK for making guitar cool again!”

Machine Gun Kelly’s decision to pick up the guitar and eventually record an album resulted in Tickets to My Downfall, which ended up being the biggest selling rock album of that year. During and just after the pandemic, Kelly documented much of his initial attempts at learning guitar covers and even shared them online with fans.

In a series of 2021 tweets, the musician noted, “I bought a guitar after my first Warped Tour at 11 years old. I stopped playing it because I didn’t believe in myself. it took me all this time to finally listen to my gut, so thank YOU for listening. happy one year anniversary #TicketsToMyDownfall.”

Who Else Polyphia’s Tim Henson Praised for Their Guitar Work

While MGK got a nod from Henson for starting a resurgence in interest in guitar music, Henson notes that several new players have emerged afterward to further drive people toward guitar-driven music.

“Since then too, like, think about all the insane players that have come out, like Marcin [Patrzalek], like RJ [Pasin]… there’s so many new insane guitar players. So I’d say that it’s really cool. [laughs]”

READ MORE: Polyphia Guitarist Answers The Internet’s Questions

When asked if there were any other new guitarists that were impressing him, Henson responded, “Dude, there’s that guy, Spiro [Dussias] – you know what I’m talking about. I don’t know how to say his last name. I just recognize the Instagram handle, but that guy is fucking crazy. And there’s definitely a few others that are escaping me.”

Spiro, “Negative”

What About Polyphia + Tim Henson in 2025

During the chat with Guitar World, Henson revealed that Polyphia are currently working on their fifth studio album. He noted, “It’s heavy, so that’s exciting for us, and I think last year was really eye-opening for us in terms of how we should start composing for the live performance.” He also revealed that Serj Tankian will be guesting on the Polyphia album.

Henson also confirmed he’s working on a solo record. Speaking about the experience, he stated, “I just figured, if I’m going to make a solo record, I want to do it in the way that I would imagine like that, like Kanye makes his records, where what he wants to hear, he puts on his record.”

As for touring, the schedule appears pretty light. At present, they are joining System of a Down for all six of their August and September 2025 shows. Get more ticketing info and stay up to date with Polyphia’s touring through their website.