|
(Summer 2004) by George Dionne
The Jeopardy answer is: Flying in a Blue Dream, Dreaming #11, Surfing
with the Alien, Not of This Earth, Time Machine, and Crystal Planet.
(Beep) What are titles of season one Star Trek episodes, Alex? Sorry,
that's incorrect...George. What are classic albums by guitar virtuoso
Joe Satriani? Cor-rect!
In fact, when Joe wasn't busy on the G3 Tour
last year, sharing the stage with fellow ax-men Steve Vai and Yngwie
Malmsteen, he managed to hit the studio to record his latest release Is
There Love in Space? (read
CD review). Joe hit the road with Deep
Purple
and
Thin
Lizzy this summer in support of his latest release. In between tearing
it up on stage, writing lesson columns for numerous guitar magazines,
and planning the next G3 Tour, Joe had just enough time to talk to
Rock Is Life via e-mail.
RIL: You’re currently on a headlining tour in support of your
latest CD Is There Love in Space?, how do you come up with
album titles,
or even song titles for that matter, when you write instrumentals?
JS:
....The titles come first, from a memory, an event, and impression of someone
, or, something. Then I concentrate
on that title and compose “off” of
it.
RIL: When you sat down to write this album, did you have a certain
theme or sound in mind?
JS: ....I wanted the CD to have a rock meets rock and electric blues
kind of feel. The sound had to capture the energy of the band playing
live, with an organic feel.
RIL: You sing on “Lifestyle” and “I Like the Rain”.
Why now? And will you be doing more of it in the future?
JS:
.....I always write a few vocal songs for each CD. At the end of each project
we see if they fit; sometimes
they do and sometimes
don’t. This time they seem to fit with the vibe of the records
direction.
RIL: I was just looking through your back catalog and I have to ask,
why the fascination with outer space?
JS: .....Strange, I know...
RIL: Engines of Creation was...er…a little different than your
previous work, do you still stand by it?
JS: ....Yes. I had a great time writing and recording it. Bringing
the music on tour was really cool. No regrets.
RIL: The U.S. version of the G3 Tour featured you, Steve Vai, and
Yngwie Malmsteen. Were you surprised that Yngwie agreed to do it?
JS: ....No! I knew he was dying to be a part of it, and I thought
he deserved a spot in the G3 line up. I fought hard to get him on
the bill and he played fantastically.
RIL: On G3’s live CD Rockin’ in the Free World, it sounds
to me that Yngwie was trying to command the stage during the jam session,
was this a nightly event?
JS: ....He just has a different
way of performing
that doesn’t
necessarily include other guitarists! His experience jamming with
other guitar players was almost nil, and so it was a little difficult
for him to know how to give and take like me and Steve. But, we’ve
been doing it since we were in high school!
RIL: What would your dream G3 line-up be (among living guitarists)?
I know that your take Steve out each time, so let’s just say
he couldn’t do it.
JS: ....Jeff Beck, Billy Gibbons, Buddy Guy, Brian May, Eric Clapton,
Jimmy Page....
RIL: Guitar World Magazine ranked you #77 in their ‘100 Greatest
Guitarists of All Time’ issue, behind C.C. Deville might I add.
Does this insult you?
JS: ....I thought I was number 7, or 8 last year... Who gives shit???
RIL: Who’s #1 in your book (Iommi was Guitar World’s
pick)?
JS: ....There are no number ones.
RIL: Do you think that the pool of talented guitarists is getting
smaller and smaller?
JS: ....No, just more out of sight.
RIL: It seems that music journalists always site Surfing with the
Alien as you definitive album, do you think this is a fair assessment
(I’d pick Crystal Planet myself)?
JS: .....I never try to second-guess what journalists think, my job
is making music.
RIL: You were announced as one of the guitarists for the Sammy Hagar,
Neil Schon, Michael Anthony super group Planet Us, but plans for the
group were halted due to Hagar and Anthony’s reunion with Van
Halen. Were you disappointed?
JS: ....It seemed the right thing to do at the time. I never could
see how we were going to pull it off in the first place.
RIL: Did the group record any songs together? Any plans for a future
release?
JS: ...No, and no.
RIL: After Hagar & Anthony left Schon recruited Jeff Scott Soto
and Marco Medoza. Why did you chose not to continue with what is now
known as Soul Sirkus?
JS: ...I don’t really
know why.
RIL: What’s the weirdest question a fan or journalist asked
you (You can’t pick one of mine)?
JS: ....In Poland a few years back, a journalist had me answer, on
camera, every question with my guitar, no speaking. It was very weird.
RIL: What’s next after this current tour?
JS:
....More touring behind Is There Love In
Space? and a new G3 planned for ‘05.
Previous Page |
JOE
SATRIANI
