Originally posted by PonyOne
...i still don't make any effort to play anyone else's stuff, if i hear something i like i look it up & learn it then apply it to my stuff...i just prefer to cut my own path...

I agree.
I like to think that music a language,just like the way we speak.And while learning other people's stuff is OK,it shouldn't be your focal point.
It's just like getting on some pulpit somewhere an going
"I have a dream..."
The best thing would be to listen to Martin Luther's speeches,and try and see what made them tick,and then see how you can use such or similar techniques in your own speeches.