Steve Vai - The Attitude Song (Live with Metropole Orkestra)

I was cruising You Tube last night and by accident I came across this Vai video with the Metropole Orkestra in 2005/6. I remember the day I got a Guitar Player in the mail in about 1984/5 and there was a pull out 45 of "The Attitude Song" in the middle. Now I'm really dating myself, 45s, record players was there such a thing ? Anyway I put it on and was just instantly floored. Not only was it a incredible mind-bending jaw dropping song but i knew this guy. I went to HS with him, his brother is the toughest guy I ever met, his sister Lil was a sweetheart. I remember him playing at St Mary's church on Friday nights with Rayge and Serge's band Triacus. This was Steve Vai from Carle Place ? This is the same guy that played my gym with Fat Joe putting dry ice in water buckets for smoke with no gloves on. Hmm that's another story.

I was just floored and became a Vai Junkie. I was trying to play like him, I listened to him all the time, all the Zappa records. Then Satch's records started coming out and I listened to them as he was born in my town also. All these guitar gods from this small town, come to find out years later Mike Keneally was born in Carle Place also. Anyway I'm getting sidetracked but for a 2 or 3 yrs I was just the ultimate Vai/Satch fan wanna be. Then something happened I don't know what it was jealously, the White Snake videos, I hit 26, my hair falling out, something but I just wasn't into it anymore. Then like a x-smoker I started to hate it, I moved on to Alt music (Jane's etc) and spacial stuff like Laswell and the great Nicky Skopelitis.

Satch's stuff I have come back to, I buy all the CDs, I still buy Beck's CDs, I buy Summer's CDs, Henderson CDs, I buy a lot of CDs. But I never got back into Vai. What a shame, seeing this video just showed the genius, the command, technique, energy, the growth just a pure iconic guitar playing musician carrying the Zappa/Vai flag to the 21st century.

I no longer have the little 45 pullout, but I already found my autographed Flexable and Flexable leftovers in my studio storage room last night. I'm pulling out the BO turntable this weekend software de-clicking them and iPODing them. I will be pulling the trigger on the back catalog CDs I have missed to catch up, which I suggest you all do.

If you wondering why I didn't become a famous guitarist if I came from the same town ? Well first I started losing my hair in 1985 which in the hair band days was not good. And you need this thing called Chops. I'm happy selling the fuzz box's to guys who can really play and making bad self indulgent Pink Floyd wanna be music in my barn in Maine

- TR 1/08