From his early records with the legendary Frank Zappa through stints with Alcatrazz and David Lee Roth to his impressive body of solo work, Steve Vai has been a poster boy for electric guitar virtuosity for several decades. In the 1980's and 90's Steve Vai led the charge towards shredding with his customized Ibanez guitars, and his music has transcended rock and metal to also be included in numerous films and video games. His featured role as the Devil's guitarist in the Walter Hill film Crossroads, in which he has an old fashioned "head cutting" guitar duel with Ralph Macchio's slide guitarist/Julliard student, is probably his best known performance for people unfamiliar with his music. His latest release, Where the Wild Things Are, captures Vai live onstage with his latest ensemble. The range of material, which encompasses a lot of fusion, classical and folk elements amidst the rock onslaught and metal bombast, is probably his most mature work to date and justifiably showcases Steve Vai's consummate musicianship.

John: You are known for your solo work and G3 tours plus your stints with Frank Zappa, David Lee Roth, Alcatrazz and Whitesnake. However, you have made a number of session appearances with a diverse range of artists, from Alice Cooper and Public Image Ltd. to Andrew Dice Clay, Meatloaf, Spinal Tap and Motorhead. Do you approach session work on other artists' songs differently from those circumstances where you are a member of the band?

Steve Vai: Sometimes. Usually when I go into a session I work with the artist to see what they are thinking. What I do needs to fit their music somehow. When I’m in a band I usually have more of an emotional investment in the song because I probably wrote it.

John: You also play collegially with some other fellow guitarists, like Joe Satriani, Eric Johnson, John 5, Marty Friedman, et al. Is there any element of gunslinging competition that creeps up when you guys perform or record together?

Steve Vai: We compel each other to be that best at what it is we do individually.

John: What elements went into the design of your Signature JEM model from Ibanez? How did you decide upon the fretboard radius, the DiMarzio HSH configuration, etc.? What were you playing before the Ibanez JEMs and were any elements from those guitars utilized in the JEM design?

Steve Vai: The Jem was born out of my need for a guitar with elements that were not available at the time such as a stratish style body with 24 frets, the last 4 frets scalloped, humbuckers and single coils, a unique switching system that makes the 5 position switch work as a coil splitter on the humbuckers when in the in-between position, a floating tremelo system, and of course a monkey grip. Before the Jem I used a Charvel.

John: You have used and endorsed Carvin amps for a long time, culminating in the Legacy series. How did the Legacy series come about?

Steve Vai: I have worked on and off with Carvin for years but then in the late 90s we decided to make an amp together. The Legacy is a rebuild from the ground up. It came about in similar ways that the Jem and other signature things came about. I imagined them.

John: Do you ever use any gear apart from the Ibanez JEMs and the Carvins for recording or performance? What acoustics does Steve Vai play?

Steve Vai: I have a signature series acoustic by Ibanez called “the Euphoria”. In the studio I will occasionally use a different guitar than a Jem, but usually only once in 25 songs.

John: What stompboxes and/or rack FX do you currently have in your signal chain? Ibanez has recently released your signature Steve Vai Distortion pedal. Can you tell us about it - what elements went into its design decisions and how it interacts with your other gear?

Steve Vai: You can get all this technical stuff on my web site. www.vai.com

John: What is your Desert Island Rig if you could only have 1 electric, 1 acoustic, 1 amp and 3 stompboxes? Of course, this would be apart from your Signature series gear, which would be your obvious first choices.

Steve Vai: There is no other choice. I would rather drown in coconut milk.

John: Favored Nations is a great label and has helped to introduce many artists that would have ordinarily stayed under the radar, like Johnny A. and Johnny Hiland, among others. How did Favored Nations get started?

Steve Vai: Again, check the website but in a nutshell, I always understood the music business and always felt that the conventional record deal was lopsided, so I created a label and deals that were 50/50 profit splits. The mission of the label was to seek out uniquely talented musicians who have a vision and are capable of making their music. Then help them get it to the audience that finds it vital.

John: You were one of the first contemporary rock guitarists to be a schooled advocate of transcription and musical theory. How do you think that has made you standout among your peers, and what influence do you think you have had on others?

Steve Vai: It creates a mystique. Most musicians are intimidated by written music and theory and secretly revere anyone that has a real handle on it. In reality it’s a lot easier to learn music than one would think. You need to be interested in it and then it’s very easy, like anything else. It’s virtually the only thing that I’m really interested in, oh, and God.


John: Steve Vai music has shown up in videogames starting in the mid 1990's, including Grand Theft Auto, Halo 2, and Guitar Hero 3. Was this something that was foreseen as part of an overall strategy, or was it a serendipitous series of events?

Steve Vai: It’s just the way the bee bumbles. Technology rolls on and a part of me needs to stay in touch with it.

John: You released Naked Tracks almost like a teaching tool for other guitarists, as it leaves open all of the solo spots. Some have described it like “guitar karaoke”. What prompted you to release Naked Tracks, and would this be the start of a possible trend with other Favored Nations artists?

Steve Vai: I released it because I can. It was always something that I thought would be an interesting and useful tool. Plus, I always wanted to have a Naked package.
I don’t believe any other FN artists would like their jewels to be naked.
http://www.vai.com/index_naked.html


John: You have composed music used in a number of films, such as Crossroads, Ghosts of Mars, and others. What are the different challenges you have observed in coming up with music for films and having to “finger sync” guitar playing for actors?

Steve Vai: When you are composing for films the music underlines the picture. You need underscore the story, create themes for characters and place hits in spots that work for the picture, etc. The list goes on. You are also usually working with a director that has his ideas on what it should sound like too. When you compose “sync free” you don’t have to answer to anyone or anything except your own imagination. It’s like every note is Christmas.

John: Since appearing in Crossroads, you haven't been seen much in films, although you've been very active on stage. You performed with a 100 piece orchestra for your Sound Theories release. What was that experience like?

Steve Vai: Performing with an orchestra that big is like sitting on a Harley Davidson and riding on a cloud.


John: Continuing in the trend of playing with orchestra instruments, you have a new DVD coming out called Where The Wild Things Are. You have two violinists, Ann Marie Calhoun and Alex DePue, included in the band. How did that decision come about, and what arranging challenges did you encounter in the material to accommodate this unusual lineup?

Steve Vai: I’m always looking for different ways to stretch the potential of the band and add some dimension to the arrangements and the two violins felt like a good idea. The challenges were getting the violins to do things that were not natural to play such as certain articulations and phrasing. Much of my guitar playing is unnatural on a guitar let alone a violin.

John: Where The Wild Things Are also includes an acoustic set. You're best known for your wild shredding, but your body of work actually shows a very disciplined compositional background approach. Do you make a very sharp dividing line between your electric and acoustic playing and writing, or are your songs easily adaptable in your mind to either format?

Steve Vai: I’m a mediocre acoustic player. My acoustic style is vastly different than my electric. Sometimes when I play acoustic I feel as though I’m trying to run in an ocean of peanut butter. When I play electric I have wings.




John: Is Where The Wild Things Are the definitive Steve Vai concert experience for those unfamiliar with your previous work? In the DVD, you play a wide range of music, both acoustic and electric, and range from balls out rock and shred to classically inspired compositions.

Steve Vai: Yup, that’s me.

John: What gear was used on Where The Wild Things Are? Do “Flo” and “Evo” make appearances?

Steve Vai: I used my Legacy stacks with a Fender in the middle for clean. Out of the back of the amp I go into a Little Alligator volume pedal, Digitech whammy pedal and then a TC G-system. Out of the front I’m out of the guitar into a Bad Horsie wha wha and a Jemini distortion. I use Evo, Flo, a Euphoria, and the new 20th anniversary guitar, and a few others.

John: “Flo” and “Evo” have become as well known within your fan circles as Clapton's, “Blackie” and B.B. King's “Lucille”. What mods have they undergone to date, and will you be retiring them at anytime in the near future? If, so what would be replacing them?

Steve Vai: No plans on retiring them yet. The only mod is a Fernandez sustainer on Flo.

John: Steve Vai's name has been associated with a number of charities, specifically, Make a Noise and Little Kids Rock. Please elaborate on your non-profit work and how it relates to your music. According to www.vai.com, some of its proceeds involve beekeeping?

Steve Vai: I enjoy being able to work with various charities. I am on the board of directors at Hollywood arts. http://hollywood-arts.org./
My own Charity, “Make A Noise” was actually started so that I could sell gear and put the money someplace. Through the years I get a ton of gear for free and after it runs its course I need to get rid of it but since I got it for free I don’t feel comfortable keeping the money so MAN is a great opportunity to take that money and invest it in various ways. Through the years we have supported other like minded charities and have helped many kids with scholarships to various schools.