“I’m nowhere near qualified to start dabbling in the Van Halen world”: Steve Lukather says he’s not playing any guitar on the posthumous Van Halen record, and that the material Eddie Van Halen left over is “not throwaway s**t”
When news broke of Steve Lukather collaborating with Alex Van Halen to rework and release old Van Halen demos, people assumed the Toto guitarist would be filling in for the late Eddie Van Halen. However, Lukather has set the record straight – he’s offering his services as a co-producer, not a guitarist.
Who is playing guitar on the new Van Halen record, then? Well, that’s the exciting part: every riff on the record was recorded by Eddie. That means a whole album of unheard Eddie riffs is coming… and Lukather has called them “jaw-dropping”.
Speaking to Guitar Player, Lukather emphasises just how exciting these new tracks are sounding. “I’m telling you, this is not throwaway shit,” he says. “When I heard them, I said to Al, ‘How fucking come you didn’t use these?’ And the answer was because nobody could write to [Eddie’s abandoned recordings].”
READ MORE: Steve Vai recalls hearing unreleased material at Eddie Van Halen’s house: “Nobody plays like they do when they’re in their room alone… It was such great stuff”
“If you think this is a bunch of throwaway crap that we’re trying to Mickey Mouse together to suck the dollar out of poor, unsuspecting Van Halen fans, it’s not,” he adds.
Lukather is quick to silence any rumours of him taking on Eddie’s axeman duties. “That’s the most ridiculous and humorous thing I’ve ever heard,” he laughs. “I am no more qualified to try and play like Ed Van Halen than I am to be the first man to tug my dick on the planet. I don’t know how anybody could think that would even be a reality. Honestly, it’s laughable… I don’t play like Ed.”
After insisting “I’m not qualified,” he provides a list of more suitable options: “Call Dweezil Zappa… he plays that shit. Call Nuno Bettencourt! I can name 10 guys, like Steve Vai or Joe Satriani. I’m nowhere near qualified to start dabbling in the Van Halen world.”
With that in mind, Lukather isn’t offended that his guitar skills aren’t being utilised. “I am there 100% to be his co-producer and help him through the technical aspects – I’m not gonna play,” he clarifies. “There’s not gonna be any Lukather or Toto fingerprints on a Van Halen thing. I can fucking promise you that!”
In fact, Lukather was simply happy to lend a hand and support Alex, who has been a close friend for over 45 years. “I don’t have ulterior motives,” he says. “This is not about money. This is about love of the guys and trying to help. I’m not gonna be involved in an obvious way. So, I wish people would get the fuck off my back!”
Lukather’s chat with Guitar Player corroborates a previous interview Alex had with Brazilian journalist Gastão Moreira for Kazagastão back in February. At the time, the Van Halen drummer explained that “the drums, the guitar and the bass are already in there”.
While some believed this could mean Lukather had already recorded some new riffs, Lukather’s interview makes things a lot clearer. The guitars were already recorded before he got involved – and they had been recorded and ready to use for years.
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Source: www.guitar-bass.net
