{"id":27642,"date":"2013-02-25T22:11:23","date_gmt":"2013-02-26T03:11:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/?p=27642"},"modified":"2013-10-28T20:29:18","modified_gmt":"2013-10-29T01:29:18","slug":"steve-lukather-a-conversation-on-transition-audio-interview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/2013\/steve-lukather-a-conversation-on-transition-audio-interview\/","title":{"rendered":"Steve Lukather: A Conversation on Transition"},"content":{"rendered":"<blockquote><p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">by Alex Barbieri<\/span><br \/>\n&#8211; Columnist &#8212;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/steve-lukather-03-credit-rob-shanahan.jpg\" alt=\"Steve Lukather - credit Rob Shanahan\" width=\"580\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-27645\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/steve-lukather-03-credit-rob-shanahan.jpg 600w, https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/steve-lukather-03-credit-rob-shanahan-200x166.jpg 200w, https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/steve-lukather-03-credit-rob-shanahan-500x415.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s been a bizarre, but most awesome journey,\u201d says Steve Lukather. Singer, songwriter, guitarist and hit maker for legendary AOR gods Toto; session player on more than 2,000 recordings with everyone from Michael Jackson to Paul McCartney; a proud member of Ringo Starr\u2019s All Starr Band, and\u2014if that weren\u2019t enough\u2014a respected solo artist in his own right. <\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/steve_lukather_transition.jpg\" alt=\"Steve Lukather -  Transition\" width=\"250\" height=\"250\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-27651\" \/>He\u2019s also one of the nicest and most appreciative guys you\u2019ll ever meet in the music biz. This writer knows it\u2019s true, because when I called him at home in the Hollywood Hills for this interview, he didn\u2019t know who I was, or that I\u2019d be calling. It didn\u2019t matter. Despite his incredibly busy schedule, he immediately said, \u201cGreat, let\u2019s do it, bro!\u201d <\/p>\n<p>What followed was not just an interview, but a comfortable conversation with Steve Lukather on his recently released third solo album, <em>Transition<\/em>, what life is like being \u201cclean in mind, body, and soul,\u201d the truth behind Toto, how Ringo Starr is, \u201ca total inspiration as a human,\u201d a sneak peek at his upcoming book about his life in recording studios with music\u2019s biggest names, and much more. So sit back, relax, and enjoy this exclusive conversation on <em>Transition<\/em>. <\/p>\n<p><center>::: Listen to the interview :::<\/center><\/p>\n<p><center><br \/>\n<audio controls><source src=\"http:\/\/www.hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-content\/int13\/SteveLukather.mp3\" type=\"audio\/mpeg\"\/>Your browser does not support this audio format.<\/audio><br \/>\n<\/center><\/p>\n<p>Visit Steve Lukather online: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.stevelukather.net\/Transition.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/www.stevelukather.net\/Transition.aspx<\/a><\/p>\n<p>[TEXT VERSION]<\/p>\n<p>HRH: You know, I had a bunch of questions, but I\u2019d rather just ask a few and have more of a conversation. <\/p>\n<p>SL: OK bro, that\u2019s fine\u2014whatever format you want to do that in. <\/p>\n<p>HRH: The first thing is, what\u2019s on your plate for today? I know you\u2019re an incredibly busy musician. <\/p>\n<p>SL: I\u2019m trying to go over all the Ringo stuff I got to learn \u2018cause we start rehearsals tomorrow. I leave Monday for a month in Australia, New Zealand, Japan.<br \/>\nMy new record, Transition, just came out. I\u2019m getting over doing NAMM\u2014it\u2019s pretty nutty, actually. <\/p>\n<p>HRH: I\u2019m sure that\u2019s not unusual for you. <\/p>\n<p>SL: Well, you know, I\u2019ve had a pretty big plate full, but this has been rather intense as of late. (Laughs.) It\u2019s nice to get the love, but wow! I\u2019m taking on a lot at this point. But quality problems, I assure you.<br \/>\nHRH: Personally, I\u2019m familiar with Toto and a lot of the bigger hits, but I really discovered you through your solo albums, All\u2019s Well That Ends Well and Ever Changing Times. I love the new CD Transition. <\/p>\n<p>SL: Thank you man, I appreciate you saying so. <\/p>\n<p>HRH: You\u2019re welcome, and I want to actually thank you because it\u2019s some of the most honest, authentic music I\u2019ve heard. Not just rock, but just real music I\u2019ve heard in a long time. And I think that\u2019s why I\u2019ve gravitated towards it, and a lot of other people have also. Would you talk about that\u2014your desire and drive to write more meaningful music?<\/p>\n<p>SL: Well, here\u2019s the thing. A lot of people my age just sort of chuck a record out there to go on the road and cash in on their past laurels. I really separate the Toto thing from myself. Like when I go on the road solo, I don\u2019t play \u201cHold the Line\u201d and those things. I don\u2019t do that because I\u2019ve been really serious about establishing myself as a solo artist.<br \/>\nIt\u2019s not a vanity project, it\u2019s not a shred record, it\u2019s not a blues record, it\u2019s not a fusion thing, it\u2019s like\u2014I\u2019m a songwriter, singer, guitar player. And the last three albums I\u2019ve really focused, and on this one, I\u2019ve really stayed the path.<br \/>\nI\u2019ve got to give a lot of credit to my co-producer\/co-writer, CJ Vanston, who really helped focus it. We sat from the first note to the last bit of mastering and saw the thing through together as a team. I can\u2019t just take all the credit myself. Not to mention, the rest of the great musicians and co-writers we have on some of the stuff. It was a team effort.<br \/>\nAs a personal statement, I wrote a lot of the lyrics myself. I didn\u2019t want to just throw something out there, I wanted to dig deep. I\u2019m refocused in my life. Clean mind, body, and soul. I practice a lot\u2014I think I\u2019m really treasuring my career and opportunities that have come because of it more now than ever in my life.<br \/>\nI realized, wow, life is rippin\u2019 by, and I want to make the most of it, and I want to make an artistic statement. I\u2019m not trying to write a hit single. What the fuck is that anyway? Nobody knows what that is. I can\u2019t compete with Kesha. (Laughs.) You know, what the fuck? I can\u2019t even relate to some of this stuff.<br \/>\nI understand it\u2019s teenage music and all that, but I came old school. I\u2019m trying to do something I can be proud of and something that I would like. You know, that\u2019s the whole point. You write music, you make a record and sit back and go, \u2018That\u2019s pretty good, I like that, I\u2019m proud of that.\u2019<br \/>\nAnd that\u2019s what we did on this. I can say that, without sounding egotistical. I spent over a year on and off working on this thing, so I had a lot of time to absorb it, fix, rewrite, re-do a vocal. I\u2019ve been studying voice. I\u2019m taking this real seriously. Much like it was starting all over again. And I didn\u2019t want to just write some fluff and throw it out there. <\/p>\n<p>HRH: You can tell there\u2019s a great care.<\/p>\n<p>SL: Thank you, I appreciate you saying that. I do care! Let\u2019s face it, I\u2019m not a punk rock musician. I love big production; I like layered things. Beatles, Steely Dan, Elton John, Hendrix, Pink Floyd, Yes\u2014these are records I grew up with and cherished\u2014Genesis, all the \u201870s prog stuff. I grew up with these records, they touched me, so I carry a bit of that with me into my own music, the influences I wear on my sleeve. I tried to be as honest as I could about it, and I had a blast doing it.<br \/>\nHRH: You played on one of my favorite songs of all time: Chaka Khan\u2019s \u201cI Feel For You.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>SL: (Laughs.) Yeah, I\u2019ve done a lot of stuff, man, I\u2019m actually writing a book about my life in the studios.<br \/>\nHRH: When is that coming out? <\/p>\n<p>SL: I\u2019ve got a few things started, and I\u2019m makin\u2019 the (book) deal now. It\u2019s going to take me a couple of years to get that out. How do I compile 2,000  records and 36 years into a couple of hundred pages, you know?<br \/>\nI have some help from a dear friend I went to high school with, Lonn Friend, who used to be the editor of Rip magazine. He wrote a good book himself. <\/p>\n<p>HRH: Oh yeah, I used to read Rip all the time. Lonn wrote a pretty good book, too. (\u201cLife on Planet Rock.\u201d)<\/p>\n<p>SL: Yeah, we\u2019ll we\u2019ve known each other since we were 14. So he\u2019s helping me focus this and make it a humorous, interesting read, as opposed to, \u201cWhen I was seven I got my first guitar, blah, blah, blah,\u201d and you\u2019re nodding out after the first paragraph.<br \/>\nAnd I\u2019m not going to write the sex\/drugs tell all, because that story\u2019s already been told. I have a bigger story than that. <\/p>\n<p>HRH: Any session highlights come to mind as far as fun?<\/p>\n<p>SL: Oh, man, so many! I was a part of so many amazing sessions. Look at the Quincy Jones Michael Jackson Thriller stuff. I\u2019ve worked on every one of The Eagles solo records. Those are two of the biggest selling artists of all time that I\u2019ve been involved with. And then there\u2019s the Beatle guys\u2014I\u2019ve worked for Paul, George, and now Ringo. There\u2019s a huge amount of history just right there, and great stories to tell.<br \/>\nWithout throwing anybody under the bus, I\u2019m gonna talk about how we made the records, who did what, and what was interesting and put some anecdotes and humor into all of it.<\/p>\n<p>HRH: And that\u2019s not even getting into Toto story. <\/p>\n<p>SL: That\u2019s a whole separate entity. I mean, we went to high school together. There\u2019s a big myth that we were put together by some record company president, that we were all studio guys that got together.<br \/>\nMan, we all went to high school together and wanted to be studio musicians, and then Toto morphed out of that. Actually out of the Boz Scaggs Band.<br \/>\nI\u2019ve known these guys since I was 15-years-old, that\u2019s 40 years of history right there. They\u2019re my best friends in the world. We\u2019ve seen it all, been through the good, bad, and the ugly\u2014death, divorce, disease, rebirth, kids. It\u2019s been a bizarre, but most awesome journey.<br \/>\nI have four kids\u2014I\u2019ve got a 27 and 25-year-old. Trevor, who actually worked on the record, is a great guitar player, singer, songwriter. And then I have two little ones, five and two, who are currently tearing my house apart right now. (Laughs.)<\/p>\n<p>HRH: You talk about being clean in mind, body, and soul. <\/p>\n<p>SL: Yeah, I\u2019m going on four years, no smoking, no drinking, no idiocy. You know, 36 years on the road\u201436 years of Saturday nights will catch up with you. When you\u2019re 25, you\u2019re bullet proof. But you get over those hangovers. I just had one hangover too many. I said, \u2018Fuck this man, I\u2019m done.\u2019 I don\u2019t go away anywhere, I don\u2019t go to meetings or anything. I just said, \u2018Enough.\u2019<br \/>\nI was really miserable. I had a lot of huge sadness around me in my life, and I was kind of drowning, sadly. I hate to admit that, but it caught up with me in a negative way, and I stopped, that was all, simple as that.<br \/>\nMy playing, my muse, my inspiration, and my health started to go; I looked like shit and wasn\u2019t playing to my potential. I didn\u2019t like myself, so I broke myself down to nothing and started over again, going on about four years now. I\u2019ve never been better and I feel great.  <\/p>\n<p>HRH: That\u2019s excellent. How has everything improved, and specifically the music? <\/p>\n<p>SL: Every way. Oh man, it was like the sun came back out. Hence, the term Transition. From the darkness into the light.<br \/>\nI learned a lot. I mean, it wasn\u2019t all bad. We had a blast. Some of it was outrageous fun! I\u2019m not gonna be that guy. \u2018Oh, you should never do that.\u2019 There were some dark moments, but there were some really fun, hysterical live the rock\u2019 n roll life dream shit that was fun.<br \/>\nI didn\u2019t think I\u2019d still be doing this 36 years later. At the time, our litmus thing was, The Beatles did this in eight years. Can you imagine what those guys did in eight years? It\u2019s staggering. And I never thought our records would still be played on the radio 35 years later. It\u2019s unbelievable to me, and it\u2019s a great honor!<br \/>\nThere was no such thing as classic rock then, because it wasn\u2019t old enough to be called that. But now I\u2019m in a classic rock band, and I\u2019ve done a million records, and had some amazing experiences with all the legends and heroes from my childhood\u2014and now they\u2019re my friends. It\u2019s surreal! I don\u2019t take it lightly, and I want to be worthy of any respect that I might get.<br \/>\nI used to be very down and negative on myself, I didn\u2019t like myself very much. That self-loathing is what drives certain people to do stupid things, like drink too much or take drugs.<br \/>\nIt\u2019s a very strange life\u2014you go from the highest highs to the lowest lows, to complete isolation in the hotel room, away from your family.  Sometimes you try and chase that loneliness away in a negative way. It\u2019s a clich\u00e9, but I understand it, \u2018cause I\u2019ve lived it. <\/p>\n<p>HRH: I think that\u2019s how a lot of people like Jani Lane get in trouble\u2014the singer from Warrant who passed away two years ago. <\/p>\n<p>SL: He\u2019s not alone, the poor cat. Guys like that, they had it all for a minute, and then they lost it. I didn\u2019t know him, so I can\u2019t talk about him in that way, but I can generalize that some guys that get in a band and have some success and that\u2019s all they do\u2014when that gets taken away from them, it messes with their heads, and everything starts to fall like a domino.<br \/>\nI was doing so much. I\u2019ve never been at home waiting for the phone to ring, out of work. I\u2019ve been very blessed that way. I\u2019ve always kind of overbooked myself, as a matter of fact, and I\u2019ve been very lucky to be able to do so many different things.<br \/>\nBut that is a different set of problems, because I was never home, which cost me two marriages. I\u2019m still friends with my exes. I didn\u2019t do anything horrible, but how can you be married to somebody who\u2019s never there.<br \/>\nAnd so, that caused me a great deal of emotional pain. But, you know, you get through these things. I am what I am and I\u2019ve embraced that and I\u2019m a much better person, and I make time for everybody. <\/p>\n<p>HRH: What\u2019s a typical day in your life like? <\/p>\n<p>SL: I get up really early, I pick the kids up from school, I do the normal dad stuff, and I schedule my life accordingly to my priorities. I\u2019m a regular dad.<br \/>\nHRH: You\u2019re in Los Angeles? <\/p>\n<p>SL: Yeah, I live in the Hollywood Hills, on the Valley side. But when you live in Hollywood, everyone\u2019s famous in Hollywood. My older kids went to school with Joe Perry\u2019s kids and Billy Idol\u2019s kids. I saw the singer in Buckcherry (Josh Todd) at my kid\u2019s school. We live in Hollywood, it\u2019s no big deal. My friends are actors and musicians, it just happens to work out that way.<br \/>\nHRH: Nice, how\u2019s the weather right now?<\/p>\n<p>SL: Blue sky, puffy white clouds, nice, about 70 degrees out. <\/p>\n<p>HRH: Good running weather. <\/p>\n<p>SL: Yeah! I try to get out as much as I can. I hurt my right knee, so. But I get up and I do all my calisthenics, crunches, yoga stuff. I eat organically, sleep well, and try to stay the course.<br \/>\nI get out and do my three-mile hikes when I can, but lately the schedule\u2019s been a little hectic with the interviews and school and kids and rehearsals. Panic shopping, getting it together to leave for a month with Ringo and Toto, and it\u2019s been nutty.<br \/>\nHRH: Who else is in Ringo\u2019s band this time around?<\/p>\n<p>SL: Todd Rundgren, Gregg Rolie from Santana\/early Journey, Richard Page from Mr. Mister, Mark Rivera, who was with Peter Gabriel and Billy Joel, Foreigner, Greg Bissonette, Ringo, and me. Killer band, great fun and what a great set list.<br \/>\nI get to play so many parts and styles, from rockabilly stuff, to Santana and Toto stuff. Todd\u2019s stuff. Everybody supports each other\u2014it\u2019s a great band, best bunch of guys.<br \/>\nRingo\u2019s just everything you can imagine. He\u2019s just the greatest guy ever. A total inspiration as a human. If that\u2019s 72-years-old, I\u2019m not scared about getting\u2019 old at all. It\u2019s all up to the individual, how you want to make your life, live it, take care of yourself, to groove like that.<\/p>\n<p>HRH: Well, I\u2019m gonna look you up and see if I can catch you in the New York area. <\/p>\n<p>SL: Well, I don\u2019t know if we\u2019re gonna be out there with Ringo, but I know we\u2019re gonna be out there with Toto, and me solo as well, so please look me up. I\u2019m really excited about playing the stuff live.<br \/>\nI got seven days off between the Ringo tour and my tour, and then I\u2019m back out for two months in Europe. (Laughs.) I have an intense life, but it\u2019s a good one.<br \/>\nHRH: Tell me about the vocals. You said you\u2019ve been working on your voice.<\/p>\n<p>SL: Yeah, I got this really great voice teacher, Gary Catona, who\u2019s really helped a lot. That\u2019s the sort of thing you just gotta do\u2014you gotta stay on it. And I\u2019m very excited about that, actually. I like working on my craft. It means a lot to me.<br \/>\nVocals are really hard. It\u2019s not like a fret on a guitar, a tuning peg, you know? It\u2019s a very fragile instrument. And I try to write shit in the right key now, so I can sing it. But still, it\u2019s a matter of control, and not smoking and drinking, and taking care of myself and resting has improved it a great deal. I think you might be able to hear that. I worked hard on those vocals, because that sells the song.<br \/>\nI\u2019m not just a guy who does shred guitar. There\u2019s guys that do that much better than me. So, I try to play to my strengths. And judging by the reaction and the reviews, \u201cthe best of my career,\u201d I\u2019m knocked out. People are buying this stuff\u2014preorders are crazy.<br \/>\nI look up at the sky and say, \u2018Thank you Lord, I really appreciate this opportunity, man.\u2019 This is really going well. And they (Mascot Records) re-upped me for another record, so the next five years of my life are pretty sorted out. For an ageing musician like myself, this is good news. <\/p>\n<p>HRH: I loved your last two solo albums, but there\u2019s something more cohesive about the new one.. I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s more relaxed, or more confident, or the groove, but there\u2019s something special about the new one. <\/p>\n<p>SL: Thank you, man, I really appreciate that. You\u2019re very kind. Well, I\u2019m trying man, I really am. I didn\u2019t want to go off the rafters. The last one got a really great reaction, even though I was really depressed when I wrote it. I saw that there was a style musically that CJ and I had created together, a sound if you will, that I wanted to continue with.<br \/>\nPeople have seemed to react to it in a positive way. And I think I found my voice, as far as stylistically, as a solo artist. Sure, there\u2019s a little Toto influence. That\u2019s part of my life. We still go out and play in the summers. This summer\u2019s our 35th anniversary.<br \/>\nBut I wrote and sang and co-produced those records, too. So if there\u2019s any similarity, I can\u2019t really help that. But, I have a different sparring partner in CJ, so it brings a little different thing out. <\/p>\n<p>HRH: I\u2019m a big Def Leppard fan, and I was on the treadmill listening to your album front to back, and I knew I heard Phil Collen. <\/p>\n<p>SL: Phil\u2019s a great friend. He just pops in. He sang on this one, and the last record, too. Rick Allen was my next door neighbor for 10 years. They\u2019re good friends. I\u2019m a big fan. Incredible band, and the nicest guys you\u2019d ever want to meet in all the world. <\/p>\n<p>HRH: That\u2019s good to know.<\/p>\n<p>SL: They really are great cats, man, and it was very nice of Phil to step in. He\u2019s working with CJ\u2014wrote something on the last Def Leppard record\u2014they\u2019re buds. We\u2019re all friends. I just ask my friends to come sit in, and everybody showed up. I\u2019d say, \u2018Hey, do something on the record.\u2019 So they did, so I owe them a favor.<\/p>\n<p>HRH: Good deal. Is there anything you want to say to your fans, and the Hardrock Haven readers around the world?<\/p>\n<p>SL: I just want to say thank you very much for the support, and I hope you enjoy the new record. We worked hard on it, and I appreciate the good vibe, and come out and see me play live!<\/p>\n<p>HRH: With Ringo, or solo, or with Toto. Or all of the above! (Laughs.)<\/p>\n<p>SL: You can\u2019t escape me, I\u2019m like herpes. I will return, every once in a while, you get a Lukather outbreak. (Laughs.)<\/p>\n<p>HRH: Steve, thanks again. Can I call you Luke now? <\/p>\n<p>SL: Yes, please do, please do. <\/p>\n<p>HRH: Thank you very much, this has been a pleasure, big fan.<\/p>\n<p>SL: Thanks, Alex. I appreciate it. <\/p>\n<p>Watch the trailer for Transition:<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=rG7xPJGfzwA\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=rG7xPJGfzwA<\/a> <\/p>\n<p>Order Transition on the official Steve Lukather website:<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.stevelukather.net\/Transition.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/www.stevelukather.net\/Transition.aspx<\/a> <\/p>\n<p><em>Special thanks to Steve Karas for setting up this interview.<br \/>\nPhotos by Rob Shanahan.<br \/>\n<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\">by Alex Barbieri &#8211; Columnist &#8212; \u201cIt\u2019s been a bizarre, but most awesome journey,\u201d says Steve Lukather. Singer, songwriter, guitarist and hit maker for legendary AOR gods Toto; session player on more than 2,000 recordings <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/2013\/steve-lukather-a-conversation-on-transition-audio-interview\/\" title=\"Steve Lukather: A Conversation on Transition\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9052],"tags":[203,2467],"class_list":{"0":"post-27642","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-arcint2013","7":"tag-interview","8":"tag-steve-lukather"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27642","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27642"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27642\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27642"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27642"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27642"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}