Interview: Steve Vai + Joe Satriani Share Stories From Longtime Friendship

Following the release of their new song, "The Sea of Emotion, Pt. 1," guitar legends Steve Vai and Joe Satriani joined Chuck Armstrong on Loudwire Nights to celebrate their first official recording together.

"The thing is, I would say where Steve and I are very much alike is that, starting when we were teenagers, we made very detailed, elaborate plans about what we wanted to do musically," Satriani told Chuck on Friday night (March 29). "We've been pretty stubborn, making sure that no one lets us deviate or interrupt our plans."

While this new song is the first proper recording Vai and Satriani have released, it's far from the first time they've worked together.

"All through the years, Joe and I have been kind of joined at the hips," Vai admitted. "We have done a lot of fun projects together ... and beyond that, we've just always stayed in touch as friends. We share music, we get to share our releases with each other before anybody else hears them."

Vai explained that the timing felt perfect to release the new song now, partly because they've been making their own solo records for decades.

"It's nice to be able to shift that," he said. "It's not even so much a shift — Joe and I have similar musical interests on the guitar and musically, so the coming together and actually working together in that intimate space of writing, it's just so nice. It's so much nicer than I was expecting."

As Vai said that, it was clear he was grateful for being able to work so closely with his longtime friend.

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"I feel like I've got a brother, a partner. I've never allowed myself to really collaborate like this before and it's so rewarding and fulfilling."

When Joe Satriani Taught Kirk Hammett and Many, Many Other Future Rock Stars

Following the deep conversation about the guitar gods' friendship and new music, they took a moment to talk about what it was like growing up with Satriani teaching everyone from Vai to Alex Skolnick to Kirk Hammett.

"I had my hero there basically," Vai said about Satriani being his friend and teacher. "There were these young kids that were just infatuated with rock music and the guitar and anybody that can play the guitar is like a hero, you know? But Joe was notches above that because not only could he really play, he was just — and I'm sorry, Joe — he was just cool."

When Chuck asked Satriani about teaching all of these guitarists who would grow up to be iconic in their own rights, he seemed comfortable reminiscing about his experience.

"I was witnessing this younger generation create what was going to become a dominant style for rock music," Satriani recalled.

"It seemed so unlikely and so crazy and angry and aggressive...maybe on the outside. But in that little room of that little guitar store where I was giving lessons, they were really good kids who had a hold on this dream and they weren't going to let go."

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Metallica's lead guitarist was part of that group.

"Kirk was one of those kids that was so driven and he really knew what he liked," Satriani said. "He knew what he loved about music and about guitar and he could play pretty well, he just wasn't exposed to the information that Steve and I had been when we were being taught music theory at high school by Bill Wescott, our music teacher."

Satriani wrapped up his thoughts by naming a handful of the other kids who he taught.

"Alex Skolnick would come in right after Kirk and then Larry LaLonde would come in after Alex and Charlie Hunter would come right in and Kevin Cadogan and then David Bryson — all these young kids who were going to be on the radio five years later dominating were coming in and taking lessons, but they were still kids and their parents would come and pay for their lessons and they still had homework."

What Else Did Joe Satriani + Steve Vai Discuss on Loudwire Nights?

• How their pursuit of growing as guitarists never ends
• What fans can expect from Part Three of "The Sea of Emotion" and why Vai is excited to release it
• Why rock and roll kids need a catalyst to help them connect with one another and with their own emotions, and how the place that inspired "The Sea of Emotion, Pt. 1" did exactly that for Vai and Satriani (and many others)

Listen to the Full Interview in the Podcast Player Below

Steve Vai and Joe Satriani joined Loudwire Nights on Friday, March 29; the show replays online here, and you can tune in live every weeknight at 7PM ET or on the Loudwire app; you can also see if the show is available on your local radio station and listen to interviews on-demand.