“My guitar playing in itself is crude and extremely simple, but whole sonic worlds grow out of it”: Swans influenced everyone from Nirvana to Tool, but Michael Gira still doesn’t see himself as a guitarist

A truly singular talent, the founder of the cult experimental rock outfit “can’t play a single thing written by anyone else” and relies on a battered Guild acoustic that “sounds like s**t” – but he wouldn’t have it any other way