Joe Satriani calls Kurt Cobain “a great guitar player”: “He’s playing with one of the greatest drummers of all time, which wouldn’t have worked if he was not a good guitarist”
Few are more qualified to speak on guitar playing than virtuoso Joe Satriani, who recently described late Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain as “a great guitar player”.
In a new interview with Classic Rock, Satriani — who famously mentored guitar icons like Steve Vai and Kirk Hammett — reflects on Nirvana’s impact and Cobain’s often-underappreciated skills on the instrument.
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“I was very happy with those Nirvana records,” says Satch, adding that the late frontman “was a great guitar player.”
“You go back and look at Nirvana clips, and you realise this guy is playing everything he’s supposed to play. He’s not looking at what he’s playing, so obviously he really knows the instrument.”
“And he’s playing with one of the greatest drummers of all time [Dave Grohl], so that wouldn’t have worked if he was not a good guitarist.”
Reflecting on the rise of grunge and its impact on the guitar solo’s prominence, Satriani admits it wasn’t something he gave much thought to at the time.
“I didn’t pay any attention to that, I guess,” says the guitarist. “The Extremist [1992] came out as my love letter to the classic rock era, so it was a throwback record anyway, but when I emerged from the studio I realised: ‘Oh, it’s all Nirvana and Soundgarden.’”
In other news, Satriani’s G3 Reunion Live album featuring Vai and Eric Johnson will be released on 31 January. Looking back on the many guitarists who have joined him on G3 tours over the years, Satch opens up about some of their unique demands and quirks.
“You have two extremes,” he says. “Like, Robert Fripp, who said: ‘No lights on me, I want to sit down and I want to be behind everybody.’ So it was sort of an ‘un-demand’, y’know? And of course Yngwie… I mean, if you invite him, you have to just say: ‘I know what I’m inviting.’ To Yngwie’s credit, he always plays so great and always puts on the Yngwie Malmsteen show.”
“The only problem that I would have is that sometimes he wouldn’t pay attention to other things happening on stage when his bit was done, because he’s just not used to not being the focus of the show. I’d say: ‘When Steve [Vai] is soloing, don’t throw your guitar up in the air right next to him, because he’s got his eyes closed. I don’t want him to get hit in the head.’”
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Source: www.guitar-bass.net
