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We can't guarantee Steve will answer every email - but we'll certainly
attempt to address all your Frequently Asked Questions here!
Answers
#05:
Why won’t you release a live video? You got us sobbing and blowing
our noses here! I’ve read in GKS and in a letter to Mike Keneally
that you are reluctant to release live material because you think that
you make "too many mistakes" when you play live. Steve, from
the heart, even if you drop your guitar on your little toe every five
minutes, I’ll still buy your live video. In fact I’ll buy three.
Your performance on the G3 video was so much fun, that I feel really sad
that there are so little opportunities for me to see a live show. Please
Steve, it would mean so much to all of us. Don’t leave us high-and-vai...
May God be with you and your family,
- Mohammed Al-Haddadin
"Oh alright, I’ll do a live video..." Hi, I was wondering if you could tell me if Steve is of Italian descent?
If so, has shortened his last name cuz Vai isn't an Italian last name.
Please reply as soon as possible.
(no name given)
"Both of my parents are of Italian descent but were born in America.Vai
is actually an Italian word. It's the verb "to go". Sometimes
in South America or Italy people say to each other "Vai Vai Vai"
& I end up syaing "What what what"?
Hey Steve, I am Joni Visuri from Finland and I heard that you have
a Jackson Soloist. I have a Soloist too and it is THE BEST GUITAR ever.
Now I don’t understand why you are playing with Jems -- I am not
saying that it sucks but really, an all-access neck is not really a match
for neck-thru or lo-pro Edge for original Floyd Rose.
(no name given)
"Well, I don't know, Joni. I had three Soloists and the neck broke
on every one. They just don't feel half as nice to me as my Jem does.
Understand that I played the Soloist when Ibanez was but a gleam in my
eye. I bulit the Jem around my playing style so it fits very well. I'm
sure the Jackson is still a nice guitar, it’s just a matter of preference."
P.S If God had a song it would be Juice.
"That's funny, I thought it was only good for snowboarders, what
do I know."
P.S P.S if you answer me i will buy all your records.
"Off you go now...
$teve Vai"
Dear Steve, I just purchased "Flex-Able Leftovers," and I
love it. In terms of the "new" old material, I'm curious what
was done when. Clearly, the vocals for "#$%^ Yourself" were
recorded recently. Are any of the tracks in that song from the original
recording? What's the breakdown of new vs. old in the other unreleased
tracks?
- J.D. (your #14,378 fan)
"The extra songs on Leftovers were done at various times. "Fuck
Yourself" was written in 1980 but the recording was so poor that
I re-recorded it and changed a few of the lines to make more sense with
present-day Earth. "Massacre" was recorded recently too. It
was an experiment with a piece of gear that I was trying out. "Natural
Born Boy" was written some time ago and the track was recorded about
5 years ago but the guitar was done about a year ago. "San Sebastian"was
written while I was in San Sebastian, Spain and recorded about 13 years
ago "The X-Equilibrium Dance" was written and recorded at about
the same time as the Leftovers stuff around 1982."
Did Steve use a Charvel or a Fender to record "Flex-Able"?
- Jason
"Fender."
My buddy and I noticed that on all of Steve's discs the seventh track
is always among that disc’s best performed, intricate, and amazing
songs. These tracks are "Tender Surrender", "Touching Tounges",
"Hand On Heart", "Call It Sleep" and "For The
Love of God". On "Merry Axemas", Steve’s track is
# 7, is this a coincidence or does Steve have some reason for associating
the #7 with such beautiful music?
- Debbie McElhinney
Uh oh, I think they’re on to us...
I'm interested in the "Alien Love Secrets" video but could
you explain the differences between the two formats? Respectfully,
- Troy Johnson
Basically, there are two main video formats in the world of home video,
NTSC and PAL. People living in North America and Japan use NTSC, while
people in Europe, South America, Australia and some other countries use
PAL. Unless your player can play both formats (many newer PAL VCRs will
play NTSC, but not the other way around), you’ll want to make sure
you order the right format. Just to be safe, call a local video store
and ask them what format is standard in your region. Visit Merchandise
to get a copy.
Can you tell me if the composition that Steve plays at the end of the
"Alien Love Secrets" video has a name? I would be very interested
in knowing what it is called. Thanks!
- Jason Allman
We actually get this question a lot, especially since the ALS DVD was
released. Truth is, Steve doesn’t remember what he named it -- it’s
a single take improvised over the credits.
Hello, I'm a big fan of Steve and I'm interested to purchase the Angelica
Project CD. Unfortunately, here in Brazil it's impossible to find
it. I've looked for the web sites like Amazon and CDNow but nothing...
Please, do you know where (on the web) can I buy this CD? Thank you very
much.
Alexandre Couto
It’s actually a Various Artists release called "Angelica", produced
by Clif Magness, and Steve plays on one track (Eric Johnson and Dweezil
also appear on this disc, among many other incredible musicians). It is
available from amazon.com.
I am a big fan of SV, I am an Egyptian guitarist and I would like
to send mail to Steve, is it possible?
- Ihab Radwan
You can send e-mail to Steve at .
All mail is read, though we cannot guarantee that Steve will have time
to answer your letter. You can send regular mail to Steve at:
Vai.com
PO Box 691862
West Hollywood CA 90069
USA
How can I get all of your live videos, because it is difficult to find
here in Malaysia.
- Jeffry Moses
The only truly "live" video Steve has released yet is the "G3
Live In Concert" video, also featuring Joe Satriani and Eric Johnson.
Steve has also released "Alien Love Secrets", which is a collection
of 7 performances shot on video and covering the entire record of the
same name. Both can be ordered right here from vai.com’s Merchandise
section.
Hi Steve!! Some pictures on your website tell me that you were really
enjoying the stage with Mr. Les Paul. Then did you play any Les Paul guitars?
I am really interested in this live show, do you have any plan to release
CD or video related to this live show ?
- Eiji Kawauchi
Steve does own one Les Paul, a black Standard pictured here.
It was used briefly on the Whitesnake record and recently re-entered the
studio again, so it might pop up on new recordings too. There is no official
recording of the Les Paul show at House of Blues (unofficial video sightings
have been reported).
.
All mail is read, though we cannot guarantee that Steve will have time
to answer your letter. You can send regular mail to Steve at: