November 19, 2003

Interview with Steve Lukather 2

Kathy: We can see that you have developed quite a collection of tattoos over the years could you tell us about some of your favorites and is it true that one is a Jeff Porcaro penned original?

Luke: The first one I got was a little devil on my left arm that Tommy Lee bought for me one night about twelve years ago, he's a good man of mine and we were out, you know Tommy; I love him so much as a person we have done some sessions together, we just like each other, he's a character - I'm a character so you know - we have had some amazing experiences together (laughs), anyway - he's got great tattoos so I said if I am going to get a tattoo I want to go to your guy! So he took me to the Sunset Strip Tattoo; and hooked me up with this guy Greg and I went through and I found this little devil, and he goes "dude, that looks just like you!" and I said there it is. So we put that on and the rest is like eating potatoes chips, you can't have just one. One of them has my children it says Christina and Trevor for ever, one of them is a cartoon that Jeff Porcaro, he used to draw all the time, when he passed away that was one of the most tragic days of my life. I mean I never had a big brother - he was it - so there's still a hole in my heart from that and there always will be. So I just put that on there so he is always with me, I always thought that it should be an album cover but me and him were the only ones who did, it's kinda an out there drawing.

Kathy: Many say that Jeff Porcaro was the driving force behind Toto when he died how hard was it to move on?

Luke: Well, we wouldn't have moved on had we not had a whole tour booked with forty five people on the payroll expecting to work for the next three months. There right before Christmas, people with families and stuff. I mean it was really weird; the timing of that and also the fact that he picked the album cover which shows a skeleton trying to crawl out of the dirt. I mean and some of the lyrics on the album he wrote, it was like wow, almost like his spirit knew but he didn't, because it was so sudden; he just dropped it's not like he was sick for along time, and it wasn't what people thought it was. The media once again, those f**k*, they get a hold of something man, and like bad news travels fast, you know and good news doesn't travel at all. But, yeah it was devastating we were just jaw dropped and we were like "What are we going to do?" We were in stun mode the whole tour, because people were very insensitive - some of the media especially to his brother Mike. It was a long tour for us; we did eleven weeks with out coming home. It was a crazy time. But you know, Simon Phillips is a brilliant, genius drummer - no he's not Jeff - no one will ever be Jeff. Jeff had that little something that you can't put into an adjective, he was a character too, he had a huge presence to his personality and the most loving, soulful cat you could ever meet in your life. He helped so many musicians, including myself get started; very often without even knowing it. He was a very special human, sorely missed to this day, it's been eleven years. But you know we have to carry on, if I died I wouldn't want everyone to stop playing because I'm not here, I mean we're keeping his music alive and we're talking about him right now so we're keeping his name and his legend alive. So I mean yeah, there is a certain part of Toto that died with him, but on the other hand, you know, we're still at it. I don't know if he lived if we'd still be together, and I can't go back to what if, what if - I'm standing here eleven years later. I'm just doing what I do, show up and play the guitar.

Kathy: And honor him, his memory.

Luke: And honor him, I mention him every night and he gets a huge round of applause, even by young kids that weren't alive when he passed away. But they know of the legend, because in Europe and Japan we get a lot of young kids that somehow discovered our music, because were not on MTV, you know. It's the downfall of music, single handedly, three letters, MTV. Or Empty-V if you want to say it like that.

Kathy: Another good quote, you're good with those.

Luke: I'm just speaking from the heart and the truth. I can't wait until MTV is "Where are they now?"

Kathy: Oh, good one.

Luke: You know that's a crooked f**k** up whole business, man. They rip off the musicians man. We don't even get paid like a royalty like an ASCAP or a PMI, performance royalty. There was never supposed to be commercials on MTV, they found a loophole and they f**k** everybody, and then they became so huge that if you didn't play their game they were like f**k you. Now they don't even show music, they were the first realty TV show, you know. Cheap bastards didn't even want to hire writers.

Kathy: Wow, I'm getting a full education here.

Luke: I'm just saying that they ruined all the mystique that there ever was in Rock and Roll by turning them into a f**k*** McDonalds commercial, that's what it is, they show the same five videos all day long whether you like it or not. It didn't used to be that way. It started out it was a brilliant idea, but then again, the Devil was God's best friend too, wasn't he, till he got banished.

Kathy: One of the defining elements of your career and even Toto is the ties of friendship which have stood the test of time, in this day of bands forming and separating only to reform what advice would you have for others as to how to have a successful band along with meaningful friendships?

Luke: Make sure you like the people you are working with. Me, I've been friends with some of these guys for thirty years. We were laughing about it the other day going, "Man I've known you for thirty years, man, Thirty Years!" We were little kids together.

Kathy: People aren't married that long!

Luke: I certainly wasn't. I mean we have survived: death, drugs, marriages, divorce, money stolen - accountants ripping us off, just you know beaten up by the press, getting older, happiness, elation, awards; all the shit you know, we've been through it all. We still love each other, yeah we fight sometimes, not much; it's usually when we're real tired and somebody's just copped an attitude, and somebody's homesick and somebody takes it wrong and then we end up hugging five minutes later and laugh and go "sorry bro", we're human you know. You can't survive a relationship that long with out yelling at each other once in a while.

Kathy: Do you think that happens more on the road than at other times?

Luke: Definitely while we're on the road; we don't see each other much when we're at
home. My son and Mike Porcaro's daughter were in the same class and they hang out all the time, their not boy-friend - girl-friend, but they are friends 'cause they grew up together, so they see each other more than we do at home. We speak by e-mail a lot as far as business goes when we're home. But most the time we spend nine months a year together, when we're home we have other friends, another life. It's not that we don't want to, we just don't. "How can I miss you if you never leave?" I love the kids, if any one of them called me right now and said "I need your help, I'm stuck on a freeway" - I'd be gone, and vice versa.

Kathy: Your ability on the guitar, your vocals and your interviews show a man who has fully engaged life, living every day to its fullest and drawing depth and wisdom from each experience; would you say that your music is a direct reflection on you as a person?

Luke: I don't know, I never thought about that before. I suppose sub-consciously; everything I am; is what I am, my soul. I'm just walking around in a hunk of meat man, and when the meat dies the soul goes on, that's what I believe. I so whole heartedly believe that, otherwise what's the point? I never thought about that, I can't really answer that question - I guess so.

Kathy: It is amazing to look at the songs you have co/written and contributed to, could you tell us a little bit about the creative songwriting process and how it begins for you ... lyrics, melody, structure, etc?

Luke: Lyrics are the weakest part of my scene, I mean I am getting better at that as life goes on I mean, it's just that my life experience has become a little more realistic. It's hard to write about - I mean I love these thirteen year old blues guitar players who are singing and talking about "My babies left me today..." They aint even had a woof of pussy and they're talking like this. So that cracks me up, how can you write about love if you've never had it? Then there's guys, brilliant artists like Bruce Springsteen who can write about what's going on in the world with out sounding like a corn-ball - some guy jumping on a band wagon. Bruce is awesome, I had a chance to work with him once, he's great I love his shit, it's real, and the band is killer. The music comes first for me always; I always sit down at the piano or pick up a guitar, until I can hear a melody. I compose music really fast, most of the hits I've ever written we're really written fast, for some reason I don't know why, even in collaborative situations. When you're running with a band and we are all sitting in a room, that's a little more difficult because every one is throwing out a million ideas out at once. So, I actually prefer to write with one person or two people tops, it's easier that way - some great stuff has come out of the other way too. There's no real rule, a lot of time when we are in touring mode I don't write much at all. Then when it's time to write, the flood gates are open.

Kathy: The album "SantaMental" is set for release and promises to be a Christmas album for every rock fans collection. I already know the line up and the track list, at least from what I've read; could you tell a little bit more about the sound and the feel of the album since it is mostly going to be instrumental?

Luke: Yeah there's a couple of vocal pieces on there. Elliot Scheiner, who you know from Steely Dan, and he's worked with us, he is a great engineer/producer, Al Schmitt who worked with us is one of the greats, Ed Cherney works with the Stones and so on. -They started a record company called Bop City Records and they came to me and they go "Lukey, we want you to be one of our first artists and we want you to do a Christmas record." I laughed out loud - "Just call me Santa-f**k*** Clause." What a bizarre request- they said "nah, I think we can do something really weird and make it your own," and they said "but here's the deal; we gotta do this really fast, we have no budget and blah, blah, blah..." And I said "OK, I'll take the Pepsi Challenge!" So I called my friend Jeff Babko, the keyboard player for Ranger, brilliant young kid, and I said look I want you to help me with this, because I needed some collaborative partner to bang some stuff out with. So we started taking the Christmas songs and tearing them apart and re-harmonizing them, and putting new groves to them. So that the melody is the same but everything else is different. For example, on the first cut on the record is Joy to the World right, and you think ah that's a pretty cheesy tune; I got Eddie Van Halen on that with me and we it's sort of a cross between Jeff Beck and Hot for Teacher - Van Halen. It's got weather report voicing on standard tunes, and I wrote a couple of things, we re-arranged everything. All the solos are live, there's some humor on it, I sampled Sammy Davis Junior and I singing Jingle Bells together which is hysterical, big band style. I am really proud of it, it's not your typical Christmas record, it's not like I'm doing Kenny Gs version of... and playing the same cheesy everything the same, this is really all f**k** up, it's all freaked out. It's going to offend church goers; they'll be offended by it. They'll think I've re-harmonized it into the Devils music, which I hope they think. My son will probably get in trouble playing it in school. I think it's really good; it's a picture of me in a straight jacket on the cover with a Santa's hat saying "SantaMental." I don't take myself that seriously, contrary to popular belief. But, the music is very serious, it's very real. There is nothing plastic or computerized about any of it, this is great cats playing one or two takes of stuff. That comes out October 14th.

Kathy: Modest as you may be, you are regarded as the "guitarist's guitarist"; does that ever enter your mind as you approach a session, kind of like how history will remember you as a player?

Luke: I don't know how histories going to remember me man, I know that my friends and my peers, you know I'm really good friends with Satriani, Van Halen, John Petrucci , guys from all walks, I know Pat Metheney, guys that are my friends you know and guys like Slash or something like that you know. I like all kinds of players you know.

Kathy: I can't believe that I saw he was going to be on...

Luke: He is a good friend of mine, people are like what would you guys have in common - how about we like each other, and I was always a big G 'n R Fan you know and you know Slash is a good bud, we had history since the eighties. Unlikely dudes, guys like Zack Wylde, great friend of mine. Tony the guitar player from God Smack, I met him in Japan - Great Kid! My son loves the band I was out of town, he called up and said let me help hook up your son to come to the show - believe it or not the media pits us against each other. We're all just musicians; a guitar player is a guitar player you, know what I mean? Most of the most ignorant egomaniacal people are the ones who have the least talent; in my experience. It's like if you have a big dick you don't have to shout it out to everybody, you only whip out enough to win! If you got a little tiny one; and I mean this metaphorically you got to shout out to the world how bitching you are. I mean all the greatest musicians I know are humble, nice, funny guys that just go "hey man their paying me to play the f**k*** guitar, right on." So, I would like to be included in that group of people.

Kathy: When speaking of the Derek Sherinian's release "Inertia" in 2001 you said "Derek's CD is probably my best recorded work in my whole career..." would you still say this is true or have you surpassed this performance in your eyes?

Luke: You know, that was just such a weird record to get called to do; for me. 'Cause he had all these heavy metal guys on it and fusion guys and I probably lean more towards the fusion side of things, but the music was difficult to play. I mean it was really weird and I really dug the challenge and we did it really fast and Simon Phillips was producing so I felt very comfortable there, and they just kinda let me do my thing you know, I just dug being part of something that I thought had a lot of musical integrity to it. I mean it's not going to sell a million copies but that doesn't mean it's not great. Definitely for the Prog Rock - Fusion crowd.

Kathy: Joe Vana's 'Mecca' was one of the highest rated albums of last year, and many of us are looking forward to the sophomore effort, which we know you will be appearing on;

Luke: Well he asked me; he's a nice guy.

Kathy: Are you looking forward to working with David Hungate, Shannon and Joe Vana?

Luke: Hungate and I - we haven't worked together in along time, and like you know we started out together. I have a great love and respect for his musicality and musicianship; he is an incredible musician, not just an incredible bass player - and yeah man it'd be a kick in the ass man, I hope it all falls into place - it just scheduling. It will be next year, he's asked me and Shannon's cool man, I've hung out with him he's a real good drummer. So hey; you know what ever happens - happens. I haven't done a record like that, like where I was asked to do a whole record in; God, I can't remember how long, decades at least. So it will be interesting to see how it all works out. I don't know how we're going to do it, I'll go out there, they'll come here, in bits and pieces... To be honest with you I'm so booked up right now it's over whelming to think about it. He wanted me to write something with him, so maybe that will happen. I never know, let's see if I make it through the rest of the year.

Kathy: See if you get through the proms right?

Luke: The proms is going to be a bitch man, I mean it's a great gig and it pays great and the hang is great but you only get to play six tunes, seven tunes a night, and there all a hit so it's like, it's with a big orchestra so it's kinda a cool concept but by the time you get a sweat on the gigs over. So were going to be writing all day long, trying to do some constructive stuff during the day. We're going to try to write the definitive Toto record. I mean totally break all the rules, not try for the hit singles, just go completely mad, like you know.

Kathy: Well "Through the Looking Glass" was totally different.

Luke: Well yeah, that was a fun little record we did as an interim period thing. Some people loved it some people hated it. I think it was really cool. I mean it's just a different take on things, I mean people who wanted a brand new original record didn't take it, but other people who got past that, just kinda dug what we did with the songs that we did. They dug it, so; what ever.

Kathy: I love 'Lukather', I mean just like, 'Twist the Knife' and 'Drive a Crooked Road', O God, I love it!

Luke: I haven't heard that in a long time, ah yeah an eighties rock fan!

Kathy: I think the vocals are just great I think you should do more...

Luke: Thanks. Well I've done a couple of records; it will come.

Kathy: I put them on in the morning and I'm just like "Yeah", it gets me going if I'm running, I love it.

Luke: Well thanks; I guess that's why we make music, so it makes people happy, it gets a positive reaction somewhere.

Kathy: Since we are talking about your music, are there any Steve Lukather masterpieces sitting in vaults somewhere yet to be released?

Luke: Nah, not really, I wish I could tell you that there's a ton of them but there's really not, I really pretty much write specifically for a record. There's a few things that I've chalked out but I've never really finished, you know. Gosh, it's really hard for me to say...No, that's the answer.

Kathy: I was going to ask, but I guess you described it a little bit - your relationship with David Hungate...

Luke: Yeah well I love him, we did four albums together and we did a couple of tours together. He just wasn't cut out for the rock and roll life; I don't think that he ever wanted to do that - he loved the idea of playing in a band with all of us, because he dug all the players and had a history with David and Jeff that goes way back to when they were just kids, and the Boz Scaggs era that we were all involved in those tours and those albums and stuff. After we cut all the tracks for Toto IV he tossed his bench across the room and said "I quit", and it was like "Ok what do we do man, I mean what's up, I mean is this irreparable", he never yelled at anybody before - ever. As it turns out he had bought a house in Nashville and he thought I guess he wanted us to be pissed off at him, but when in fact we totally understood, and there was some tension there for a few years but now that's way behind us. You know I have nothing but love and respect for David.

Kathy: We know that you are one of the most influential guitar players ...

Luke: You keep saying that shit to me, and I don't know why you would do that to me...

Kathy: You don't think that you are?

Luke: No. I think I'm a good guitar player, I don't think I am one of the best in the whole world, I mean Jesus I could give you ten names off the top of my head right now, but thank you, I mean don't get me wrong.

Kathy: OK we know this; we know that you are a guitar player.

Luke: That's true...I'm a lucky guitar player.

Kathy: And ... are some peoples inspiration to practice hour after hour, night after night in hopes that some day their name can be recognized along with the names Hendrix, Clapton, Lukather ...Do you have a special message for those individuals?

Luke: My name with those two guys is just hilarious, I mean Hendrix - Lukather it's not often people put those two names together - it's hysterical. I mean thanks - I mean geez if only it was only true.

Kathy: Do you have a special message for those individuals?

Luke: Yeah, don't practice that much. I mean practice, but like have a life for Gods sakes. I mean I practiced and I still practice but I mean you know there's more to life than just sitting in a room learning how to play the guitar as fast as you can or learning how to read better than anybody else. You gotta get out there and find someone to hang out with whether you're a girl with a guy or a guy with a girl, or what ever else you're into you know. Go out and see, enjoy life, go hang out with out with your friends, go see a good funny movie or something you know. Take a breather then you know, you actually will gain inspiration from that. Also you can really hurt your arms and stuff like that with tendentious by practicing too much. Just have a laugh you know...Some people just want to play because they like to play not because they want to do it as a profession you know. Its tough business to get into, it's even tougher to maintain a long career, especially now. I know too much now they have to kill me, they can't get rid of me now. They can say they hate me, but they can't get rid of me.

Kathy: Last question, do you have any message for your loyal fans?

Luke: Well you know just thanks a lot, for anybody who does like the music and has supported me and my family for all these years. I have a great deal of respect and admiration for you all and I really hope that I can try to get a little bit better and still keep people interested in what I am trying to do, and God Bless.

Posted by Kathy at November 19, 2003 11:37 PM