Three guitar stars tell how their style came to be

The only things these guys would seem to have in common is their instrument and the fact that they are bipeds living in the 21st century.

Do these three artists, representatives of different generations and philosophies - not to mention sartorial styles - have much to say to each other? Glad you asked. Perhaps not, although the movie does climax with their surprisingly seamless, if not exactly timeless, jam on the Band's signature song, "The Weight." But they have a lot to say to the audience.

It's in the individual interviews, where Guggenheim draws out his subjects, that the movie draws you in. (I say this as a U2 fan, one who never much liked Led Zep and who respects the White Stripes in concept more than she admires them musically.)

With varying degrees of success, the filmmaker gets each musician to talk about the personal and musical roots that blossomed into his technique. All of them worked in the musical eddies (skiffle for Page, punk for Edge and punk blues for White) before making their mark on mainstream rock.

And all of them are walking, strumming, keen-eared encyclopedias of music, helping the tone-deaf hear critically and appreciate the history, politics and poetry of the guitar.

Contact movie critic Carrie Rickey at 215-854-5402 or crickey@phillynews.com. Read her blog, "Flickgrrl," at http://www.philly.

com/philly/blogs/flickgrrl/