I was never much impressed with guys who had mastered a bunch of flashy riffs they'd picked up from records and guitar mags. Probably because they were trying to impress. Besides, they never seemed to be able to get through a song and usually their timing was way off.

Master a good solid rhythm guitar with clean, tasteful chording and you'll always find work and an audience. THEN you can flash things up a bit, as long as it doesn't get in the way of the groove.