MusicRadar
The No.1 website for musicians
The Beatles or The Stones? with Dream Theater's John Petrucci
Plus, the shred master answers your questions
Joe Bosso, Wed 28 Oct 2009, 3:00 pm UTC
Is Petrucci a Nowhere Man or Street Fighting Man? Read on and find out (© David Atlas/Retna Ltd./Corbis)
Christopher also asks, What's the hardest Dream Theater song to play live?
"There's not a specific song that's hard; it's just parts in songs that are hard. Every once in a while something will come up in a solo I did that's difficult, or a passage. It's not like the entire song is hard, you know? Just sections here and there.
"The one in the song that somebody mentioned, The Glass Prison, that's pretty difficult, especially if the pace is right. It's fast - it's hard to keep it nice and clean and in time and articulate."
David asks, If the next edition of G3 takes place in 2010, would you like to participate?
"Oh, absolutely. Some of most fun I've had playing guitar live were on the many G3 tours I did. Whether they were with Joe [Satriani] or Steve Vai, or Joe and Paul Gilbert, or Joe and Eric Johnson, we just had a blast every time. I would not hesitate for a second to do another one."
Did playing with those guys kind of kick you in the butt? Did you sweat a little bit?
"Some of the most fun I've had playing guitar live were on the many G3 tours I did. I would not hesitate to do another one."
"Yeah. You know, first of all, you're up there with some guys who are your idols, who you've listened to and you worship, and all of a sudden you're up there with them and you're jamming.
"But the great thing is, all those guys are such cool people, highly professional; they're the kind of people that when you meet them, you're not disappointed. In fact, you have an even higher opinion of them. They're generous and personable, and really dedicated to music and playing the guitar. There's a positive spirit, especially when it comes to the jamming. It's a great musical environment."
And finally, MusicRadar would like you to weigh in on that all-important question: The Beatles or The Stones?
"The Beatles. I just related more to their songs. The Stones I never quite got for whatever reason. Maybe a song here and there, but I was never into them."
So just the overall musicality of The Beatles grabbed you?
"Yeah, exactly. The songs, the melodies, and whatever it is about songs - they reached me more. The Stones…they're a little too stripped-down rock 'n' roll for me, you know?"
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
