“Y
ou’rea great
friendofmine,
I’mproudtocall
youmybuddy,”
saidBrianMay,
ina video
inductingJoe
SatrianiintotheMetalHallOfFamein
earlierthisyear.“Butyouhavebeen
afriendandinspirationtosomany,”
notedtheQueenlegend.“You’vedone
somuchforguitarplaying,liftedit toa
newplaceand,allaroundtheworld,
peoplelikemearestillmarvellingat
whatyoudo.”
Seeingthefootageforthefirsttime
aftertheceremony,thenewlyinducted
guitaristfeltshockedandtouchedby
suchkindwordsfromoneofhisearliest
inspirations,jokingthathewouldhave
probablybeenreducedtotearsif he’d
beeninfrontofanaudience.“Brianis suchanamazinghuman
being,brilliantasa composeraswellas
player,”saysSatch, speaking to TG a few
weeksafter.“Youknow how it is –
withinonenoteand you fall in love with
hisplayingalloveragain, every time you
hearhim.That’struly remarkable.”
Similarthingscould be said of
Satriani’sinimitably tasteful
contributionstothe guitar world, from
hisdoubleGrammy-nominated and
platinum-selling1987 album Surfing With
TheAlien– a commercial breakthrough
andgame-changer for guitar music at
thetime– toeverything he’s achieved
since,includinghis latest masterpiece
Shapeshifting. Herethe man who wrote
therulebookon shredding with finesse,
througha perfectstorm of tear-jerking
virtuosityandchoice-note simplicity,
explainswhyyourbest music can only
comefroma realplace...36
Joe Satriani, guitarherotoguitar heroes.
To Brian May he's “a friendand an inspiration”.
To legions of shredders, he's a master of the art. With new
album,Shapeshifting, coming soon, Satch tells TG about
his “emotional” and “fruity” music, the gear he’s using –
new and old – and how he is stilldeveloping as a player.
Plus:Satrianidisciplespaytributetotheir maestro...
A Kind
of M ic
INTERVIEW
Photo:Joseph CulticeWords Amit Sharma