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“They were sufficiently angry at all the classic rock that had come before them, and they wanted to turn everything upside down” Joe Satriani on what Kirk Hammett was like as his student
Ever wondered what your guitar heroes were like before they became your guitar heroes?
Image: Michael Hickey / Katja Ogrin / Getty Images
Guitar legend Joe Satriani has opened up about what Kirk Hammett was like as a student and his thoughts on the massive success the Metallica axeman has achieved.
Looking back on his teaching days in a new interview with The Howard Stern Show, Satriani says [via Ultimate Guitar], “What I noticed – even though I was still maybe [in my] early mid-20s at the time – there was already a movement with his age group that I could see, that was something new and fresh. And it was thrash metal. And they were at the centre of it, and they were creating it.”
The guitarist also details what sets students like Hammett apart from the rest, saying, “It was actually pretty exciting to see young, totally motivated players come up with a new idea.”
“And they were sufficiently angry at all the classic rock that had come before them, and they wanted to turn everything upside down.”
He adds that his duty as a teacher was “just to give them the information but not to influence them in any way – to let them interpret it the way they want,” something Hammett clearly succeeded at doing.
“Among all the students, we all felt the same way – like we’re part of a team,” Satch continues. “And when someone got a good gig, it was like someone scoring a goal – it’s good for the team. At least I felt that way.”
“I was proud of him because I know how hard he worked. He was tireless and totally motivated.”
In other news, Joe Satriani, Sammy Hagar, Michael Anthony and Jason Bonham have announced an upcoming ‘The Best Of All Worlds’ tour that will focus on music from the Van Halen catalogue.
In a statement announcing the tour, Hagar said, “It’s crazy to think that it’ll be 20 years since Mikey and I played these songs with Van Halen on the 04’ Best of Both Worlds Tour.”
“With Joe on board, we can take a deeper dive into those years. We’re going to touch on some hits from my entire career, but seeing fans old and new really embrace the new collection set [The Collection II boxset] off something in Mikey and I.”