“THERE HAVE BEEN BAD MOMENTS”

When I arranged with Epic to interview Steve Vai during the UK-leg of the 97 G3 tour, it was never made clear that I would also get to talk to Mike Keneally (MK). Certainly I had asked about such a possibility, but in all my dealings with the record company, only Steve’s name was ever mentioned. I therefore did not prepare properly for a chat with the cat in the hat. What follows therefore is a transcript of an off-the-cuff chinwag with Mike after Steve excused hisself.

IB: The obvious question – why did you leave Z?

MK: It was mainly because, from my perspective, in the last couple of years of the band there were huge periods where there wasn’t very much going on. Which was kind of good in a way because that allowed me time to do stuff like ‘Dust Speck’ and the Mistakes and just whatever projects that I needed to do. But at the same time, because I was still collecting cheques from them every week whether I worked for them or not, they had to be my main priority. And for a while that was okay, but towards the end when there was so little activity it started to feel a little strange. So I proposed that they take me off retainer and we work out a schedule whereby for a certain part of the year I would work for them. And in a certain part of the year I would do my own projects. Which seemed to me a fairly logical and professional way to go about dealing with the situation. And Dweezil was just incensed by the idea that I would try to dictate policy that way and has refused to speak to me ever since.

IB: Dweezil is not exactly prolific - I mean, I think he writes and records a lot, but actual albums coming out, actual tours…

MK: He could easily release four albums right this second of stuff that Z recorded. And God knows there’s still the instrumental album – I don’t know whether he’s gonna even finish that. But I have a feeling it was headed in a direction where Z was about to stop anyway because he had the opportunity to replace Bryan and I – because Bryan Beller left at the same time just to be with Beer For Dolphins – and he did actually replace us: they did a couple of radio appearances; but since then there’s been no real activity on that front. I’m confident that Dweezil will re-emerge someday, but I have a feeling that me leaving was just a way of hastening the inevitable. That band was gonna end anyway. And when I think about Z, I really think that our legacy, the thing that we really had going for us, was as a live band. In a way, we were never at our peak when we played the Marquee – there’s something weird about the Marquee, the moment we set foot on that stage it was like we weren’t allowed to do a really good show. But we had some unbelievably good live performances. I think the shows in general were a lot more inspired than the albums.

IB: Obviously ‘The Medley’ was a great focal point, I’d love to see that released but I don’t think it’ll ever happen.

MK: Besides the problems of publishing, I contend that you need to see ‘The Medley’ in order for it to be effective. If you just hear it on a tape, they might as well think that we’re editing everything together. But I would be more than happy to re-establish contact with Dweezil. I was a little miffed at the time, but its water under the bridge - I really don’t hold anything against him. But I am pretty busy (laughs)!

IB: So BFD is on hold at the present?

MK: Yeah, going with Steve was a pretty difficult decision, because leaving the Zappas was my big independent step out and BFD did a tour of the States in April and May of 96 which actually went quite well, and then I started making plans for the next record and that’s when Steve called. It was not an automatic decision because it was gonna be a lot of touring - and it’s ended up being almost twice what was originally planned. So BFD of course has had to take a lengthy hiatus. One thing that was nice was that at the end of last year we did a tour of the States where Beer For Dolphins actually opened for the Vai band. So I’d come out for 50 minutes and play with BFD and then go change my clothes and come back out and play with Steve for two hours - that was a workout.

IB: I read somewhere before you actually joined the band that Steve - impressed with your work on Zappa’s Universe – was thinking about asking you.

MK: What happened was while I was on that April/May tour with BFD, I spoke to a friend of Steve’s – a guy named Marty Schwartz from Western Vacation – and he said that there was this tour that was being planned and at the time it was just Joe Satriani and Steve and they didn’t know who the third guitarist on the bill was gonna be – they wanted it to be Eric Johnson, but there was a question mark over his availability – and he also mentioned that Steve was looking for a guy who could play guitar and keyboards in his band. I jokingly said if they let me be the third guy on the bill, I’d play in Steve’s band.

IB: I was wondering about the third G. Adrian Legg, for this part of the tour, seems a strange choice – a totally different style from Joe and Steve.

MK: On last year’s tour, Adrian was the opening act. The 3 of G3 were considered to be Joe, Steve and Eric. But I like the contrast. Besides, the fact that Adrian is so magnificent, anybody who can appreciate somebody who picks up a guitar – doesn’t matter the style - if you like guitar music, you’re gonna love Adrian Legg. He’s just so fucking good. Anyway, I jokingly put out this word that if I could be the third guitarist on the bill, then I’d play in Steve’s band. Well word comes back that the offer was kind of taken seriously, but they said, “You can’t really be the third guy on the bill because we need somebody with more name recognition. But we wouldn’t mind having you in Steve’s band!”. I thought ‘Jeez’. I told Bryan that, he just goes “Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!”. Bryan was probably the most difficult part of that equation because it was an incredible leap of faith for him to leave the Zappas in order to go with me.

IB: He went at exactly the same time?

MK: The same day. He was ready to completely throw his lot in with me and did. It was tantamount to betrayal for me to go off with Steve for so long. Obviously we’ve had many long conversations about it and actually Bryan was in contention for being the bass player in Steve’s band. I got him the audition, and it was down to between him and Philip Bynoe – who ended up getting the job. That was a chancy thing, but through these type of tribulations, positive things do result. Bryan’s in the midst of writing a book right now – a work of fiction – and I think he’s really creatively fired up in a way that he’s never been before. It’s turned out to be a real revelation for him that he has this facility as a writer and, no doubt, the experiences of the last year and a half have done a lot to fire that (laughs). He’s a fabulous guy. I’m just about to complete another Mike Keneally studio album - when I get back from the road. We’ve got a break in July and I’ll be able to finish the record then and of course Bryan plays on that. And we’re all really really happy about the way that record’s turning out – it’s by far the best thing I’ve ever done.

IB: Have you got a permanent drummer?

MK: Not really. The drummer on the tour that we did in the spring of last year was a guy named Frank Briggs. And then in December of last year, when we were on the road with Steve, Toss Panos was the drummer - which was interesting because Toss actually played with Steve.

IB: That’s right, in 93. And Joe Travers I thought had played with BFD?

MK: Yeah, Joe’s done gigs with us in Los Angeles. And they all play on the new album: Toss is on some tracks; Joe’s on some tracks; Frank Briggs is on a couple; I play drums on like four of them; and Mike Mangini, who’s now the drummer in the Vai band, is due to play on a track as well. Really the core of Beer For Dolphins at this point is me and Bryan, and like a rotating cast of drummers. But one thing that this forced hiatus has led me to believe is that it’s time for Beer For Dolphins to evolve as a live act, because all along there’s been a disparity between the way the albums sound and the way we play the stuff on stage. On ‘Half Alive in Hollywood’ we’re basically a power trio – just guitar, bass and drums. And when you’re trying to play stuff from ‘hat’ and ‘Dust Speck’ – which are very layered and intricate - we have to just strip it way down, which is definitely a fun approach for me but I also think with this new material I’m writing I really need more musicians. So when I start up again, it’ll probably be a four or five piece band.

IB: I know that XTC have had a big influence on your music, but live you do a cover of ‘The Immigrant Song’, you’ve done some tracks for Yes and Genesis tribute albums, and of course there’s ‘Faithful Axe’ on ‘Dust Speck’. Are you also inspired by the music from that era - from the early 70s?

MK: Well, in the 60s, I was very young – I was born in 61 - and I pretty much just listened to the Beatles. Then in the early 70s I got a good stereo in my room and I discovered FM radio. And as soon as that happened my world just blew apart. I remember the day ‘Tarkus’ came out, I thought ‘Okay, that’ll do’! So I have a real fondness for music of that era. It doesn’t all sort of stack up over the years - some of it sounds a lot more dated than others - but even the most ‘quaint’ of it I still like for nostalgic reasons. There is a lot of music of that era that is really wonderful that I still think has as much integrity now. I just did a track for a Gentle Giant tribute album - they’re a band who I think has really stood the test of time. Dave Gregory from XTC came to see us play 2 or 3 nights ago in Birmingham, which is where I actually first met him and Andy Partridge 9 years ago when we played there with Frank – the night I got this hat.

IB: Have you actually recorded with them – down in Swindon?

MK: Yeah…I haven’t actually recorded with them in Swindon, but I’ve been in Andy’s shed and heard demos and stuff.

[Steve Vai appears]

SV: Sorry. Mike, this lovely young lady would like to give you something.

[The ‘lovely young lady’ presents Mike with a hat of Dr Seuss-like proportions]

MK: (to LYL) That is really beautiful. Thank you so much. I’m gonna put this on now. This will definitely make it to the show this evening.

IB: I noticed in the G3 video you’re wearing a hat like the one Frank wore in Frankfurt - the jester one.

MK: With the bells? No, I didn’t wear one of Frank’s hats. (Goes to bag.) This one?

IB: That’s the fellow.

MK: No, I bought this some place where we played in the US. There was a big stadium and they were selling hats out in the middle of the parking lot.

IB: So you have a big collection?

MK: Yeah, most of them are...

LYL: …from friends (laughs)!

MK: You make an album called ‘hat’, and it’s like opening the floodgates. I probably get a hat a week from somebody.

IB: I didn’t bring one. Sorry.

MK: That’s alright. I’ve got my requisite one per day (laughs). (To LYL) It’s a nice one. Thank you.

IB: You recorded an album with Shankar - has that ever been released?

MK: No, it hasn’t. They’ve been replacing tracks, and doing overdubs and messing about with those tapes for years now. Have you heard any of his pop records - like the Epidemics records? Shankar is a magnificent violinist and I love it when he concentrates on his violin playing, but when he does pop records, he concentrates more on very straightforward pop songs. So what you might imagine of a collaboration between him and I isn’t what this record is. I was nothing more than a session musician playing very simple parts. Maybe it’ll come out someday. Maybe my parts will be on there - they could very well have been replaced by now.

IB: Are you keeping up with all the various posthumous FZ releases?

MK: Yeah, I have them all.

IB: …the ‘Signature Guitar Compositions’?

MK: I actually helped to make that one. I’m credited with ‘Preliminary Research’. Basically that’s the album that I helped them compile, except that they replaced one track: for the unreleased version of ‘Black Napkins’ we had originally chosen the complete ‘Pink Napkins’ – that’s actually a 12 minute track. But after I was gone, Dweezil decided that he wanted all the live versions to be the earliest ones they could find. So they went for a different ‘Black Napkins’.

IB: I was hoping they’d have one with Eddie Jobson.

MK: Oh, with the violin solo?

IB: Yeah, but it lasts about 20 minutes.

MK: Might be a bit much for some.

***

A fredited version of this interview originally appeared in Issue 60 of T’Mershi Duween. Photo of Mike at St Luke’s Hall, Richmond on 14 March 2003 taken by the Idiot Bastard.

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