JOHN MAYER — COLLECTED ESSAYS, COLUMNS & WRITINGS
I. ESQUIRE — MUSIC LESSONS WITH JOHN MAYER
“The Resident Rock Star”
Author: John Mayer
Publication: Esquire
Original publication date: June 2004
Type: Column / music essay
Subject: Contemporary musicians, The White Stripes, The Neptunes, N.E.R.D., Nellie McKay
Link: https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/music/a2486/esq0604-june-mayer/
Note: Esquire’s current webpage displays March 8, 2007, but the original issue identification indicates this was the June 2004 “Music Lessons” column.
“All Access”
Author: John Mayer
Publication: Esquire
Original publication date: August 1, 2004
Type: Column / personal essay
Subject: Fame, celebrity culture, money, touring, personal life
Link: https://classic.esquire.com/article/2004/8/1/music-lessons-with-john-mayer
Note: “Music Lessons with John Mayer — This Month’s Lesson: All Access”
“Search and Recovery”
Author: John Mayer
Publication: Esquire
Original publication date: September 2004
Type: Music column / essay
Subject: Teitur, overlooked music, record labels, the music business
Link: https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/music/a2355/esq0904-music-mayer/
Note: The current Esquire page displays January 1, 2007 because of the archive migration; the original issue designation indicates September 2004.
“i-Fi”
Author: John Mayer
Publication: Esquire
Original publication date: October 2004
Type: Column / technology & music essay
Subject: MP3s, portable speakers, sound quality, digital music
Link: https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/music/a2451/esq1004-music-mayer/
Note: The current webpage date reflects Esquire’s archive migration rather than the original print date.
“The Pen, the Sword, and the Song”
Author: John Mayer
Publication: Esquire
Original publication date: November 2004
Type: Music column / essay
Subject: Songs, politics, protest, cultural memory
Link: https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/music/a2501/esq1104-music-mayer/
“An Open Letter to D’Angelo”
Author: John Mayer
Publication: Esquire
Original publication date: December 2004
Type: Open letter / music essay
Subject: D’Angelo, Voodoo, R&B, artistic influence, expectations for a follow-up album
Link: https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/music/a2347/esq1204meyer-1/
“The Giveaway”
Author: John Mayer
Publication: Esquire
Original publication date: September 1, 2005
Type: Interactive column / songwriting essay
Subject: Lyrics, songwriting, reader participation, unfinished songs
Link: https://classic.esquire.com/article/2005/9/1/music-lessons
“B. B. King Is 80. And He Matters More Than Ever.”
Author: John Mayer
Publication: Esquire
Original publication date: 2005
Type: Music essay
Subject: B.B. King, blues, guitar, musical legacy
Link: https://www.esquire.com/author/8203/john-mayer/
Note: The current Esquire archive displays a later web date; the original publication was associated with B.B. King’s 80th birthday in 2005.
“The Science of a Hit Song: Minor 6-4-1-5”
Author: John Mayer
Publication: Esquire
Original publication date: 2006
Type: Music essay / songwriting analysis
Subject: Chord progressions, hit songs, songwriting theory
Link: https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/music/a2800/esq0506mayer-38/
II. ESQUIRE — OTHER JOHN MAYER WRITING
“R. I. P. Chris Whitley”
Author: John Mayer
Publication: Esquire
Original publication date: February 28, 2006
Type: Tribute / music essay
Subject: Chris Whitley, songwriting, musicianship, influence
Link: https://www.esquire.com/author/8203/john-mayer/
“My All-Nighter with Rock ’n’ Roll’s Most Legendary Photographer”
Author: John Mayer
Publication: Esquire
Publication date: August 5, 2025
Type: Personal essay / artist memoir
Subject: Jim Marshall, photography, rock history, touring, artistic access
Link: https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/music/a65593318/john-mayer-jim-marshall-essay/
Note: The essay was excerpted from Grateful Dead by Jim Marshall: Photos and Stories from the Formative Years, 1966–1977.
III. ROLLING STONE
12. “Jimi Hendrix”
Author: John Mayer
Publication: Rolling Stone
Issue: No. 946
Publication date: 2004
Type: Music essay
Subject: Jimi Hendrix, guitar, influence, musicianship
Link: https://johnmayer.info/posts/jimi-hendrix-john-mayer
Note: Written for Rolling Stone’s “100 Greatest Artists” project.
IV. HODINKEE — JOHN MAYER ON WATCHES
“And Now, A Message From John Mayer”
Author: John Mayer
Publication: HODINKEE
Publication date: April 13, 2012
Type: Introduction / personal essay / watch-collecting essay
Subject: Watch collecting, vintage watches, collecting philosophy
Link: https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/and-now-a-message-from-john-mayer
“The Five Best Buys In Vintage Rolex, For $8,000 Or Less”
Author: John Mayer
Publication: HODINKEE
Publication date: April 19, 2012
Type: Watch essay / recommendations column
Subject: Vintage Rolex, collecting, value, references
Link:https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/john-mayer-on-the-five-best-buys-in-vintage-rolex-for-8000-o
“My Thoughts On The Bell & Ross BR126 Chronograph”
Author: John Mayer
Publication: HODINKEE
Publication date: December 20, 2013
Type: Watch essay / review
Subject: Bell & Ross BR126 Sport Heritage Chronograph, design, collecting
Link: https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/in-depth-the-bell-ross-br-126-explained-by-john-mayer
“An Open Letter To IWC, From John Mayer”
Author: John Mayer
Publication: HODINKEE
Publication date: January 16, 2015
Type: Open letter / watch essay
IWC, brand identity, watch design, collecting
Link: https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/an-open-letter-to-iwc-from-john-mayer
“That Time I Bought A Chanel Ladies’ Watch”
Author: John Mayer
Publication: HODINKEE
Publication date: February 12, 2015
Type: Personal essay / watch essay
Subject: Chanel, watch collecting, design, custom watch box
Link: https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/john-mayer-chanel-watch-box
“A Week On The Wrist: The Tudor Heritage Black Bay Black Reference 79220N”
Author: John Mayer
Publication: HODINKEE
Publication date: 2015
Type: Watch review / long-form column
Subject: Tudor Black Bay, vintage-inspired watch design, collecting
Link: https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/the-new-tudor-heritage-black-bay-black-reference-79220n-by-john-mayer
“The Watch I Wore Most In 2015”
Author: John Mayer
Publication: HODINKEE
Publication date: December 31, 2015
Type: Personal watch essay / column
Subject: Audemars Piguet perpetual calendar, collecting, personal taste
Link: https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/the-watch-i-wore-the-most-in-2015-by-every-single-member-of-the-hodinkee-team
VII. LATER WRITING & SPOKEN PROSE
Life with John Mayer — Original Introductions and Monologues
Author: John Mayer
Platform: SiriusXM
Date range: 2023–present
Type: Original spoken prose / autobiographical commentary
Subjects: Music history, personal memories, songwriting, musicians, culture
Archive: https://johnmayer.info/posts
PRIMARY ARCHIVE
JohnMayer.info — John Mayer Posts Archive
https://johnmayer.info/posts
This archive is particularly useful for locating older online writing that is no longer available through John Mayer’s original websites or social-media platforms.
BIBLIOGRAPHIC NOTE
For older magazine material, the original print publication date should be preferred over the date currently displayed on a publication’s website. Digital archives sometimes assign older articles a later date when they are migrated into a modern CMS.
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