Guitar legend Joe Satriani recently praised the talents of Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain, saying he was an underrated guitarist. In an interview with the magazine Classic RockSatriani shared his admiration for Cobain and his unique guitar playing, on the occasion of the upcoming release of G3 Reunion Live DVD.
Kurt Cobain: an often misunderstood talent
Contrary to popular belief that grunge lacked virtuoso guitarists, Satriani considers Cobain a master in his field.
“I really enjoyed the Nirvana albums,” explique Satriani. “Kurt Cobain was an excellent guitarist. When you watch Nirvana videos, you realize that he plays everything perfectly. He doesn’t even look at his guitar, which proves that he knows his instrument perfectly. He was playing with one of the greatest drummers of all time, Dave Grohl, and it wouldn’t have worked if he wasn’t a good guitar player.”
For Satriani, Cobain’s playing combined simplicity and efficiency, essential qualities for transmitting the raw energy of Nirvana.
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Grunge faces the era of guitar solos
At the time of the grunge explosion, Satriani was already a major figure in instrumental rock, with albums like Surfing With The Alien (1987) et Flying In A Blue Dream (1989). Despite the emergence of bands like Nirvana and Soundgarden, who often relegated solos to the background, Satriani continued his own path.
The G3 project: a celebration of the guitar
In 1996, at the height of grunge domination, Satriani launched the first tour G3bringing together guitar virtuosos such as Steve Vai and Eric Johnson. Since then, legends like Yngwie Malmsteen and Robert Fripp have also joined this iconic project.
“You have two extremes,” Satriani explains of the G3 participants. “Robert Fripp, for example, didn’t want the spotlight on him and preferred to play sitting in the background. On the other hand, Yngwie Malmsteen is always very spectacular. But to his credit, he still plays incredibly well and puts on a real show.”
