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During her interview with Gross, [E. James, 1994] James mentioned her adoration for Joyce Bryant. A prominent black singer from the 1904's-1950's as a major inspiration for not just her looks but also her way of life. She says "I liked Joyce Bryant, because she wore fishtail gowns...and she was black, and she had the nerve to wear platinum hair" [E. James, 1994, 12:47]. Joyce herself suffered many trials as one of the first black women in the music industry. From being told to wear a bandana while in an evening dress in an attempt to make her more 'appealing' while appearing on the Ed Sullivan show, to having her effigy burned at the stake while performing in Miami [J. Byers, 1999]

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"I just felt that there was so much hurt and so much stuff inside of her that she really wasn’t still getting it all out." [E. James, 2003] Etta learnt many things listening to Bille holiday as a child, but she learnt her best lesson by listening to her mother. She would listen to her mother sing along with recordings of Holiday but would include "different little runs in them", [E. James, 2003] which at first was interpreted as her mother not knowing the song. But given time to listen and sing along with those recordings, she learnt what it meant to sing something her way.

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Having spent her childhood singing as part of her local church choir, James carried a deep love and respect for gospel music through out her career. The best example of this is found in her third album with the song "Somethings Got a Hold on Me". She's been quoted saying "Matter of fact, it is a gospel song. We wrote that song, and we adapted it from a gospel song." [E. James, 1994, 4:10] Gospel staples like call and response, choir voicing and a strong sense of rhythm play a major part in some of her greatest songs.

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At first glance, you wouldn't say that there's much cross over between the racy, spacey Stardust and the macabre Black Parade. But when look past the contrasting styles, you see they share a deep love of the theatrical and not just playing their music but performing it. The fact the album was potentially going to be called "The Rise and Fall of My Chemical Romance" shows just how much they were pulling inspiration from 'Spiders from Mars'. [Chemical Romance, 2006d], [Chemical Romance, 2022]

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Gerard Way is quoted saying "a lot of the feelings on The Black Parade come from a similar place to The Wall" [Chemical Romance, 2022], which I agree with. Both albums cover the extremely heavy topic of isolation, with 'The Wall' focusing on its effect on those in the lime light and 'The Black Parade' focusing more on the alienating effect of cancer. Alongside this they pulled influence from 'In The Flesh' for their own opening song 'The End'. They both use a tom heavy drum fill to open into a slow, lumbering melody supported by a musical explosion of crashing drums and heavy guitars leading into the next song on their respective albums [P. Floyd, 1979], [Chemical Romance, 2006a]

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"A Bohemian Rhapsody for a new generation" [Polyphonic, 2019]. And honestly I'd agree, I can't think of any other band who's reach the same heights like My Chemical Romance did with their title track "Welcome to the Black Parade". Calling back to Brian May with the soaring, melodic solo's with beautiful harmonies evident best at 3:51 in the title track [Chemical Romance, 2006b].

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Just as a lot of the timbre of Wolfmother can be traced back to the early rock bands of the 70's, so can their lyrical content. A lot of their lyrics contain themes of escapism, using fanatical imagery such as fairies, gypsies and unicorns to create a feeling of freedom and whimsy. And that can be traced all but directly so the Tolkien-esque lyrics of Led Zeppelin. With songs like 'Ramble On' that bring forth images of adventuring and, well, Rambling! [P. Jones, 2006]

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When you listen to some of their early recordings like Colossal and Woman, you can hear the love for the fuzzy, stoner-metal era Sabbath. Songs like 'Sweet Leaf' and 'Into The Void' with their strong riffs, searing vocal tones, jumpy bass lines and thick guitar lines are a great example of some of the inspirational cross over that exists between these two wizards of the musical world.

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I feel like as a vocalist my biggest inspiration were the old soul and RnB albums I listened to growing up. Franklin, Armstong and Ross were a big part of my life but I was always drawn to the silky smooth sound of Etta James. She struggled her way through "drugs/alcohol, health issues and her turbulent relationships with men" [E. James & D. Ritz, 1995]. But even through all this, she shined on the stage giving soul-filled performances of songs filled with love and sorrow.

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A major inspiration for me was the pop punk movement and at the fore front was The Black Parade by My Chemical Romance. Talking about mortality through the eyes of 'The Patient', they explore the world of existentialism and how ones perception on life can evolve and change in your final moments. They use the "Black Parade" as a pseudo Grim-Reaper, claiming that it takes the form inspired by the recently deceased fondest memory [Chemical Romance, 2006c].

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As a guitarist I've looked up to many different idols in my time,  But it wouldn't of started without the explosive sound of Wolfmother. They been through a multitude of members with Andrew Stockdale being the only consistent member through the bands sonic journey but throughout this their sound has always been huge. Combining intoxicating, fuzzed-out riffs with beautiful, articulated grooves to create an electric cacophony of rock. And it's that love for the ear-worm riff and melodic, thumping bass that became an integral part of my songwriting method.