Steve Vai is a legend. His resume is a mile long. If you don’t know of him already, well … let’s just say he’s well worth exploring.

I’ve seen Steve live a couple of times. He’s a revelation, an inspiration, and he makes me want to quit playing guitar almost every time I see him. I’m never gonna get to that level, so why bother?

Seriously though, I hear him play and I know I need to practice. A lot! Plus, he’s the kind of player guitar nerds like myself love to hear play even as he moves about like the instrumental rock star he is. Steve is one of the few virtuosos who comes out fully kitted in stylish clothing and making slinky moves as he plays. He’s a true combination of brilliant musician and pure rock star.

When I found out Steve was going to play Robert Fripp’s parts in BEAT (Adrian Belew’s eighties King Crimson project that also features Tony Levin and Danny Carey), I was equally giddy and nervous. Like Adrian, Steve is a born frontman. Could he handle being off to the side? And when it comes to personality, I respectfully see Steve as the anti-Fripp. I couldn’t picture him sitting calmly on a stool burning through superhuman guitar parts. How is that gonna work?

The only way to know for sure, I knew, would be to ask him. But what were the odds of that happening? As it turns out, pretty good! Thanks to my pal Anthony Garone, I found myself in a position to o chat with Steve. It was an enjoyable experience. Steve is a very nice man. I really appreciate him taking the time to chat with me.

So, please enjoy my CirdecSongs Chat with Steve Vai.

#cirdecsongs

If you would like to have your music reviewed, please contact me at cirdecsongs@gmail.com