PipemanRadio Interviews Joe Satriani About Appearances at Wentworth Gallery

0:04 Hey, you leveland too is sus sure for why for Wake Up of America. It's time for the Adventures of Pipe Man on W for CYDI com weist Pond Beats his number one internet radio station. Here's your host, the White Man. This is the Pipe Man here on the Adventures pipe Man W for c Y Radio. And I'm here with our next guest, who I am beyond excited about because not only is he a legendary guitar artist, but what an amazing artist. And he's gonna be here in South Florida. His works are gonna be here, and there's gonna be some cool stuff that we're going to talk about. So let's welcome to the show. Joe Satriani, how are you? Hey? I'm doing great. So I love when musicians show the other parts of their artistry because, like I think, as an artist, we all have it, but there's the one that everybody sees, and then it's the rest that's, you know, people don't know about. And I love when musicians do art because it goes hand in hand. Well,

1:41 I gotta say that it's been such an interesting journey from you know, starting out as a as the youngest of five kids, that had lots of artists in the family, you know, to the point where I walk into a Wentworth gallery and I see my stuff up on the wall. It's really it's like hearing you know, a song that you wrote and recorded and you you're driving down the freeway one day and you hear it on the radio. It's that exciting for me, you know, just to see my art on the wall. So I am always thrilled at the prospect that some some crazy idea that I had, you know, to put on the canvas, uh is going to wind up in a gallery and then it's going to connect with somebody out there and they're gonna take it home, and that piece of art is going to you know, be part of their lives and get passed on.

2:42 It's it's just a crazy uh thought that sets off, like, you know, fireworks in my head when I think about it. So I just love it, you know, And I love that there's an audience out there that is interested in both my music and my art. That's really cool. Yeah, that is cool. And then you know you combine the two by painting guitars, so that that's even taken to a whole other level. Yeah, I know, it's funny. I didn't start out that way, you know, because my older sisters were art majors and became professional artists. I started with, you know, the traditional stuff and expressionism, neo expressionism, realism, modern and pop art. That was the kind of stuff that they were going through. And I never really gravitated towards trying to replicate perfect anatomy or perfect still life. I really did prefer the abstract expressionism that I saw from a lot of the artists from you know, one hundred plus years ago.

3:53 Yeah, so I slowly started to move towards that kind of drawing painting, and it didn't really pop up like in my other professional life until I think around the Extremist album in ninety two, and then I think the art directors saw some of my sketches and wanted to get some of those in the CD booklet. Then they started to get on tour t shirts and guitar picks, and then guitars straps and then actual guitars. I did, you know, two separate series of art guitars for Ibanez, But I never actually painted the guitars, as he just brought up, you know, And that was something that in speaking to Christian at Wentworth Gallery that he was interested in that evolution of my artwork and started to ask me questions like, you know, have you ever tried painting guitars? And I thought, you know, it's funny, I've painted on guitars, but I thought, that's going to be it's really difficult to because you know, the Jaass guitars have got no hard edges, you know, like a canvas or something like that. You know, it's it's curvy and sexy and smooth everywhere, which is great when you play it and when you're holding it, but when you go to paint it, you realize, oh my god, it's just like you know, it's like

5:23 painting a a dining ware set or a vase or something like that. It's it's you've really got to think about the curves and the light and the reflection and and the distortion of your images because of the curving surfaces. But once I got started, I realized, you know, I have been cradling this instrument for my entire life, and I know it intimately, so I should just you know, allow that sort of physical intimacy with this, you know, collection of wire and wood to help me trans for some of my crazy ideas, you know, whether it's you know, aliens or spaceships or whatever, and to get them on the guitar, like like it was a curvaceous canvas of some kind, you know, yeah, totally. Yeah, it's way cool. And then you know, like I just think it it's funny that it took so long to get there, because it would seem that that would be like the normal transition. It's like, hey, my my father, he was an artist, and like anything, what we used to joke about, Hey, don't don't stay still too long, he might paint you, like he's painting all these random things, you know, and I know he also there were times like he was a little bipolar obsessive, Like he would start painting and he wouldn't stop for like three days, and he wouldn't sleep. It would just be straight on for three days, and what started

6:56 was not what ended up. Do you consider yourself that type of art this that like you start with a vision but then it just takes a life of its own. Yeah, well, that's great to hear those stories you know about about your father and growing up around an artist like that. It's so true, you know, and every artist is different, you know, they have their own ways of working, and I think that they change as well over time. But because of the demands of my music life, there are you know, big things like just time constraint and I have to put down the brushes and I have to go to the studio room and pick up the guitar and play for a few hours, you know. I have to do that if I've got tours coming up, or i have to record something.

7:49 Just over the weekend, I had to record something for a charity song for I think it in out of London, a whole just about every guitar player you can think of. A song Starter by Mark Knopfler, and it's got you know, Brian May and are clapped and everybody's on it. And they asked me to do a solo on that, and and I was thinking, that's a really crazy thing to try to do, to join a track that's got like twenty master guitar players on it, you know, all playing. And so what I did was I just kept playing the track Friday and Saturday while I was in the painting room, and I just kept painting and listening to this song. I must have listened to A two hundred times, you know, just trying to figure out where my spot is going to be.

8:43 And then Sunday, when I got to the studio, I just thought, Okay, don't even pick up a brush, don't you know, get anything ready, Just go right in there and pick up your guitar and do it. And and so there are times where whether it's work or a commitment to write a record, or sometimes just like believe it or not, this is so silly. Like, you know, when you're when you're painting, you've got to wash your hands constantly. And uh, and it's the worst thing for my left hand calluses, you know, to be washing them like every ten minutes. You know. Uh, it's really better for guitar playing if I if I can let it go for you know, an hour or two before I keep washing my hands, because it just keeps softening the fingertips, you know. Yes. And so I have to think sometimes like, well, if I'm going to be, you know, going on tour or something, I can't paint right up to the day that I leave for the tour, I'm going to have to, you know, think about these things.

9:50 But I do have a discipline to move around a lot, just physically. And that's that's what I found interesting just growing up around artists. My wife has a degree in art, and my son got a degree in art and film, and I when I would watch them work, I saw them, you know, exhibiting the same kind of disciplines that my older sisters had as I used to watch them paint, which is, you know, it's so easy to get locked into standing absolutely still and concentrating and doing these small movements. But physically it can you know, you can get these repetitive stress problems or just not moving is not good for you. And and so you know, young or old, it's it's better to think, okay, every ten minutes, put the brush down, go look at some trees, you know, move your body a little bit, in other words, keep your body moving. And I thought, that's just like when I'm on stage, I've learned it's better to just keep moving rather than like to stand absolutely still and to play your guitar. It's not good, you know, for your whole body. It doesn't help your performance. And then it's not good to just dad still like that and just get into a zone where you forget about your physicality. Then eventually you work that physicality into the work. It actually I

11:20 think helps your artwork that you keep your body moving, you get your whole body into it as well as your you know, your mind and your soul. I agree a million percent because to me when you were saying that, I think that you know, putting the brushes down and going outside, taking a walk or whatever, like kind of clears your head a little bit to get even more creative, especially if you're stuck in a certain zone. It allows your creativity to expand. In my opinion, Yeah, it's true, and there's so much to see out there, and you never know what you get to see, you know. Yeah, they just step outside if you're you know, if you're in like, if you're in a nice environment, you just might see some beautiful nature, you know. If you're in a warehouse district, you know, typical arts studio, you just might see things that colors of the usual decay that might make you think, oh wow, I can get that sort of acid green and burnt sienna together and maybe I could use that in my painting, you know. And so yeah, it's really great too to look away, no doubt. I think it's probably true when you're writing music too, and it's probably the same thing like that.

12:37 I think that's sometimes when people get like writer's block, that's what it is. They need to just step away. Yes, yeah, you got to clear your ears, for sure. But you know it's funny. I find that when I'm painting, I get into these massive, like catalog deep dives. Like this past week, I think I've listened to a thousand hours of Gojira. I just decided for some reason, that's exactly what I want to hear, and I just kept listening to every record and it was really fun. And I've been doing a series of collaborations with Scene four this past week.

13:22 When I finished, I finished four guitars and I sent them off to Wentworth Gallery and then I had to get to work right away with these these paper prints that I sort of collab with Scene four, and we had Modern Multiples down in La do some silk screening for us. And they're pretty weird. I mean, they're very My art is weird, I know that, but these are pretty weird, if I can say that. And so the the Gojira blasting really did help, I have to say, so they deserve some credit. I think That's probably the best thing I've gotten at this whole interview that probably nobody else got that Joe Satriani is using Gojira as the motivation for his art. I love it. I love music. I mean, there's there's no secret there. So but I would never imagined, like when you said Gogira, I was like, oh wow, I would that one.

14:28 I would never imagine coming out, so like that takes you to a whole nother level now in my opinion. Great, So okay, we got September eighth, the ninth, and tenth here in South Florida, all at Wentworth Galleries, one at the Seminole hard Rock on the eighth, and then one at the Boca Ratone Town Center Mall, which I frequent often there on the ninth, and then we got Lost Solos on the tenth, which, man, I mean Los Soulis is just like the epitome of a creative artist. Street. Yeah. Yeah, this is so much fun. You know, I get to put the two things I love most together, which is I get to you know, show my artwork and meet the fans of the artwork and get to talk to people about it. And I get to play my music. Right there. It's it's one of the craziest gigs I think I've ever done. And I've done just about every crazy gig you can imagine, but this is really something. To be able to pick up my guitar and play to a select group of people in an art gallery surrounded by my artwork. It's so freaky. You know, I'm on stage and I'm looking out it's just people, yea or outdoor, big venue, small venue, whatever. But when you play in an art and the walls are covered with

15:58 some of the craziest things that come out of your brain, you know, it's really it's quite unique. And and we've been doing a little jam with if the you know, the people that come by to buy the actual guitar, I'll bring them up if they can play a little bit and we just have a little fun for a few minutes. So it's they're very special, I have to say. It's it's been a very unique opportunity to be able to play music at these art shows, you know. And I'll tell you I was going to bring that up, so I'm glad you did. Oh my god, what's some what would be going through somebody's head when they get to actually play guitar with you and have your art on that guitar. It's like, to me, that's pretty wild. I think that is one of the craziest gigs it is. Yeah, for for for all of us, it's it's really it's really something. It's quite unique. And I you know, I have to say those those people that decide that they're gonna stand up right next to me and play a guitar they've never played before, plug it into an m they never played before, and they're so brave. I just like they deserve a special metal commendation right having courage to do such a thing.

17:22 I you know, I'm glad you said that because it's so true because like hypothetically, if it was somebody that really wanted to do it most of the time, you would probably be like, oh, I can't go up there and play next to him. You know what if I mess up? You know, it's like it's like your one time. So yes, they are totally brave, Like it's brave enough to just get up anyway and play guitar in front of people, you know. And uh, we're always our own worst critics, aren't we. You know, Like everybody thinks we're doing great and we're like, man, I really suck. Yeah, well it's funny, yeah, the way the mind works that, especially in those stations.

18:08 But we make everybody feel comfortable. It's really a lot of fun and very casual. That's what's kind of nice about these things. It's it's not like an industry gig. Yeah, it's every We're all just like hanging out. It's almost like you're hanging out in somebody's like the campfire party room or something, or like hanging out around the camp fire jamming. That's what went through my head, you know. So that and that says a lot about you too as a person, because you know, there's a lot of people that wouldn't do what you're doing. Uh, you know, it would be like they would do to keep it separate maybe. And I love that you involve the fans and the people that are buying your art to be like part of something. It's not just a piece of art. Yeah. Yeah, I really get so much just from having that connection with the fans, and I'm eternally grateful for that. I mean, I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have that. Well, I love it, and I hope everybody comes down and comes out and checks out all your art because it is badass. And you know, thanks for giving us such great art and music because they're both art. And thanks for being on the Adventures of pipe Man.

19:30 Ah, thank you very much. Hi, this is joe zat Trienni. You're listening to the Pipe Man on W for c Y radio. Thank you for listening to the Adventures of Pipe Man on W for CUI Radio.