In 2007, I had the privilege of conducting an exclusive interview with guitar legend Joe Satriani for YUXEXES magazine (it was one of the most selling music magazines in Turkiye at that period) about his coming concert in Istanbul. Satriani shared insights into the decisions on the lineup for G3 Tours, his musical approach on his albums, and career highlights during our conversation. Now, more than a decade later, I’ve decided to revisit this memorable exchange and present it in English for a broader audience. I wanted to record a note in the music history. I hope this interview sheds light on the mind of one of the greatest guitarists of our time.
Hello Joe, how are you?
I'm good, thank you very much.
It's great to talk to you. Considering that you don’t have much time, I'll jump right into my questions. After a long time filled with many concerts and tours throughout your career, Turkey is finally part of your tour schedule for the first time. We’re very excited to finally be able to see you perform live in Istanbul. What are your expectations about the concert and the Turkish audience?
I think we expect the same from the Turkish audience as we do from audiences in places like South Africa, some European countries, India, Japan—places that have fascinating rock crowds who enjoy and follow our music and rock 'n roll performances. It's great that we'll finally get to connect directly with the Turkish audience, and I'm really looking forward to it.
Do you have any idea about the Turkish audience?
No, this will be a completely new experience for me.
For the first time, you recorded songs with a 7-string guitar on your album Strange Beautiful Music. What was the reason for adding the 7th string to your music?
It was something I wanted to incorporate into my music. Honestly, it's a bit hard to explain exactly why. It's somewhat about opening up new horizons in your music, exploring new places, and it's also a desire or need that comes from within. For example, while you're recording, certain things can change. Sometimes it's about using more distortion or dialing it back. I think I just wanted to play in lower registers (laughs). But after finishing that album, to be honest, I lost interest in the 7-string.
You taught guitar to many famous people, including Steve Vai, Alex Skolnick, and Kirk Hammett. Can you tell us what kind of students they were at the time and how it feels to have taught such renowned musicians?
It was a lot of fun and really enjoyable. The people you mentioned came to me with a lot of motivation and eagerness, and they really worked hard. Each of them had talents that could take them in many different directions, and they had a lot of questions about music in their minds. Steve Vai was different from the others.
Why didn’t you repeat the sound from your Engines of Creation album? Was it because the album had achieved its purpose or due to the criticism it received?
First of all, I have to say that every album, everything I create, comes from an artistic and musical desire within me. I’m not interested in making music that people will ask you to do or expect you to do. That’s not the kind of work I do. I make my albums based on what I want to create, and people seem to like that. If they didn’t, I wouldn’t be able to do what I’m doing right now (laughs). As for Engines of Creation, it was a musical desire that came from within me to do something completely different. I never set out to make techno music or anything like that—it was something very sincere. We still play songs from that album in our concerts, but we don’t perform them exactly the way they appear on the album, because that album wasn’t made using the original sounds of instruments that we typically use on stage.
In my opinion, all the albums after Engines of Creation are more similar to each other in sound compared to earlier Satriani albums, and they carry a more rock-oriented sound. Considering the similarities in sound between these albums, can we say that your next album will follow a similar path?
No. Every album is different, and it’s really hard to explain exactly why that is. The albums reflect what I’m interested in or feeling at that time. In the end, I’m just like you—I come across things, and I either like them or I don’t. I was looking for a certain sound in those albums, maybe a sound where the mic is closer to the kick drum. Take The Extremist album, for example: even there, we had something in mind in terms of rock drum sounds, and we recorded the drums differently in Los Angeles. The result was an album with drums that had a classic rock sound. So it’s quite different from albums like Surfing With the Alien or Flying in a Blue Dream. EoC is also very different from the others. If you look at Super Colossal, for instance, it’s different from all of them. Crystal Planet is a good example of an album that carries elements from the earlier albums and maybe even combines them. It has a bit of Surfing With the Alien, a bit of Flying in a Blue Dream, and a bit of The Extremist...
In your early albums, you used a drum machine. Why was that? Personally, I don’t think it would have been difficult to find a drummer who’d want to work with Joe Satriani...
You have to understand the process of making albums back then and the music of that time. After the New Wave movement, there was rock music with elements of classic rock, computer-based sounds, pop, punk, and a bit of new wave. Back then, starting with a drum machine was a really fun idea. But what we were doing was still quite different. If you listen to Surfing With the Alien, you can hear that the kick drum is from a drum machine, but the snare and hi-hat are played by Jeff Campitelli. You can also see that Jeff and the drum machine are used together at the beginning and end of songs. Sometimes Jeff would play the toms and cymbals, while we used the drum machine for the kick and snare. It was really fun (laughs).
Speaking of drums and drummers, you've been working with Jeff Campitelli for a long time. Before him, you played with Jonathan Mover. Why did you end your collaboration with him?
Mover was an excellent musician, and I think we did some great work together. But it’s important to be compatible in certain ways when working together, because it affects your perspective and shapes your music. Mover loved progressive rock from the late '60s and '70s, and his style reflected that era. After a while, when the direction you want to take your music changes, you need to explore new avenues, try different styles, and add new elements to your music. That was the main reason for the change.
One last question about your older albums: Your 1995 album "Joe Satriani" is one of the most special in your discography, perhaps the most special and also my personal favourite Compared to your other albums, it’s more groove-oriented, more fusion, more jazz, more blues, and the sound is more radical in many ways. What is the purpose or significance of this album for you?
As you mentioned, the Joe Satriani album has many things that are different from my previous albums. With every album, you feel something different, but when I was making this one, it wasn’t so much about doing something different as it was about doing a variety of things. It turned out to be a sonically rich album. Also, in another sense, it’s a significant album in my career. Before this album, I was mostly perceived by listeners as a straightforward rock or metal guitarist who played in certain styles with hard tones. You know, some people think, “He can only do that, he’s not a musician who can play different styles,” and they kind of dismiss you. With the Joe Satriani album, I proved to those people that I could play a wide range of musical styles as a guitarist. This added a new and broader dimension to my global audience, and perhaps made them take me more seriously as a musician.
Where does Joe Satriani stand in the music world according to Joe Satriani? For us musicians and listeners, you are truly a huge idol worldwide. What is Joe Satriani’s place in music history, and what is his main contribution to guitar music?
(Laughs) I don’t think it would be appropriate for me to answer that question. Thank you very much, but that’s a question I shouldn’t be answering.
How are the second and third guitarists chosen for the G3 tours? What are your criteria or preferences?
Honestly, it’s not all up to me. To be fair, a lot of professionals are involved in organizing the tour, and their ability to say "yes" or "no" to certain things can change everything. If you ask me, I’m open to all styles, and I especially enjoy playing with guitarists from different genres. I don’t have a mindset of selecting someone just to appeal to a specific audience. But as I mentioned before, it’s not entirely up to me—it’s not something I have full control over.
In an interview during the G3 tour with Yngwie Malmsteen, I read that Malmsteen was actually the third choice for that G3 tour and that Eddie Van Halen and Kirk Hammett were approached first. Were they ever offered the chance again?
That’s true. There’s no need to go into the details, but Eddie Van Halen and Kirk Hammett are both guitarists I admire and respect greatly. I would have loved to share the stage with either of them. However, I respect their decisions. I’m sure they would have wanted to be part of G3 as well, but sometimes just wanting isn’t enough. For example, some guitarists prefer not to play outside their own bands. Others might not be able to deliver the same performance in other projects as they do with their own bands for various reasons. Sometimes, it’s even a group decision. A lot of things can happen. Ultimately, preferences or circumstances may change, and I always respect their decisions for these reasons. But playing on the same stage with Eddie or Kirk would always be exciting for me.
That would be something more than awesome :) Among the great living musicians like Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Dweezil Zappa, George Benson, or Buddy Guy, are there any that you would love to have in future G3 tours?
I would love to play with great guitarists like Jeff Beck, and as I mentioned earlier, working with guitarists from different styles is something I always want to do. I really want that. Blues, classical, jazz... I’m open to playing with big names in these genres and with those who have added a new dimension to the guitar. For example, I’d love to play with Billy Gibbons from ZZ Top.
As a Dream Theater fan, in addition to being a fan of yours, I’d like to ask: What are your thoughts on John Petrucci, and how was it for you to play with him in G3?
John is really a great person and an exceptional guitarist. First of all, unlike many guitarists who stick to a single style or band, he can easily shift in different directions, and when you play together, he brings musical elements that are much more diverse than you might expect. He’s one of the best and most original guitarists of our generation and those close to us. That’s why playing with him in G3 was so much fun, and we ended up with a solid series of G3 performances. Mike Portnoy from Dream Theater was also part of G3, and both they and we really enjoyed playing together in such a project.
What do you think about MP3s and music-sharing programs?
It’s both good and bad. On the one hand, music can now spread instantly from one corner of the world, like Peru, India, or Turkey, to another, and listeners everywhere can share new music at great speed. In a way, this is also good for us musicians. At our first concert after releasing a new album, you can see that the audience has already absorbed the music. On the other hand, it does pose a challenge for the music industry and musicians’ incomes. This is a new era, and the music industry has to adapt to this new era and find a solution to these issues.
How many times have you answered the question “What advice do you have for young guitarists?” Are there any questions in interviews that you don’t like answering? :)
That’s definitely a commonly asked question, but I wouldn’t say there’s a specific question I dislike. Do you have some weird questions to ask me? (laughs)
No, actually, I’ve come to my final question. My last question is about something that fans have been curious about and discussed for a while. In the Live in San Francisco video, why was the audience booing Stu Hamm? The explanation on Satriani.com from those years was that they were shouting “Stuuuu,” but the expression on Stu’s face and his reaction—like playing the same solo much faster—seems to contradict that...
That was a frequently asked question. Our explanation back then was correct, but perhaps I should add something. That night, about 90% of the audience were Satriani fans, and it was really a great concert. The audience and we both enjoyed the show. However, about 10% of the crowd wasn’t made up of Satriani fans—people who didn’t even know who Satriani was or what he did—and they were just shouting for no reason throughout the show. So at the moment you mentioned, most of the audience was indeed shouting “Stuuu,” but a group of people were making random noises. This, of course, came across differently during the recording. Stu and I didn’t care at all because things like that can happen, and it wasn’t something directed specifically at Stu or anything else.
Joe Satriani, it was truly a pleasure talking to you. We will be very happy to see you in Istanbul. Looking forward to seeing you at the concert...
Thank you very much, I hope it will be a very special concert. See you soon...
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