During a recent appearance on Rock Of Nations With Dave Kinchen, to promote his new album The Elephants Of Mars, released April 8th, guitarist Joe Satriani, was asked about Jason Newsted's recent comments to The Palm Beach Post, revealing that the former Metallica bassist came within an inch of joining Van Halen six months ago. And that Alex Van Halen had already tapped Joe Satriani to replace Eddie Van Halen for a possible Van Halen tour.
Satriani stated: "I've been talking with Alex (Van Halen) and Dave (Lee Roth) for about a year about doing something — a tour, something like that — that was gonna be a true tribute to (late Van Halen guitarist) Eddie (Van Halen) and the Van Halen legacy."
"For me, it was a terrifying prospect of doing something like that, but I realized that it was something that would be a real labor of love for me. I was just so honored to take on the challenge."
"It's very complicated," Satriani continued. "And all I can really say about it is that if it does happen, I know we'll make it the greatest thing ever for the fans and we'll all celebrate together not only the great Eddie Van Halen but the legacy that that band created, the amazing amount of music and the goodwill and good vibes they created as a band."
Satriani also said that he was surprised to learn that Newsted had revealed the project's existence before everything was finalized and an official announcement was made. "These things are always happening in the music industry, and you're supposed to keep very quiet about it [laughs], because sometimes they don't work out. There's usually about ten crazy ideas that float around and musicians are always, like, 'Okay, I won't say anything about this 'cause it may not work out. I don't wanna hurt this person's feelings or disrupt any other business plans.' So, yeah, we were all pretty shocked that Jason wanted to go public with it 'cause we were all sworn to silence. [Laughs]"
Satriani also spoke about what it's been like to be in regular contact with Alex while putting together all the pieces for a possible Van Halen tour. "I have to say that just getting to know Alex has been really wonderful. He's a great human being, and, obviously, I can't imagine losing a brother that way, so soon. And they were really close; their relationship was really quite unique." As for Roth, the guitarist admitted: "I don't know Dave that well. I think I've only met him once — maybe when Steve (Vai) invited us to see the David Lee Roth tour. I was in Australia with Mick Jagger at the time, so we all went; it was quite an experience. But, yeah, I've only spoken to Dave on the phone a number of times over the last — I don't know — 25 years or so. But he's David Lee Roth; they're Van Halen. It's a big deal."
"Like I said before, if it ever does happen, it will be a great honor and a terrifying challenge. Eddie, you can't reproduce what he did — you can't. You can learn the notes and you can be taught all the fingerings and get the gear and everything, but there was only one Eddie and he was the epitome of an original genius. But if it does happen, I know that Alex will make sure that it's the right way to do it."
Satriani went on to compare the experience of playing classic Van Halen songs to the challenge of performing in Chickenfoot, in which he is joined by former Van Halen singer Sammy Hagar, ex-Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith. "I looked at it from a musical point of view. I spent most of my life trying to memorize my own catalog — there are a lot of notes to memorize and to pull off a show and to stay focused on it. So every time something like this comes up, like Chickenfoot, it's, like, 'Okay, I've gotta make space in my brain for a whole other way of playing.' The great thing is when you get together with the guys in Chickenfoot, their personalities are so huge and they bring so much talent that you don't really have to be so big; you just be a part of something."
"But the thought of representing all the eras of Van Halen, that's pretty daunting; that's a lot of stuff. And just from a guitar player's point of view, Eddie progressed remarkably as a player and as an inventor, and those two things, they kind of went together from Van Halen I all the way to the last album. And when you sit down to actually learn it and pull it off, you go, 'Wow! Not only do I need talent but I need (specific) gear,' 'cause certain things won't work unless you've got this amp and it's doing that. So that's also another thing."
(Photo - Eduardo Peña Dolhun)
