Backstage Secrets has posted Part III of their in-depth interview with guitar legend Steve Vai. An excerpt is available below. Checkout Part I here and Part II here.

BS: What do you think about the radio format for music and its general role nowadays? With Youtube and other internet resources now, is radio becoming redundant?

Vai: "Radio isn’t redundant yet... I hope it is some day! It’s still a very powerful format for breaking artists and there’s a whole infrastructure in place. But I think you’re right, I think it might be waning at some point because people are getting tired of commercials and the kind of things that interrupt their listening. I like internet radio and satellite radio. Satellite radio plays some of my music, but the conventional celestial radio that you get in your car for example… getting your music on that radio is criminal what have you to do. No literally, it’s criminal. It’s against the law! And it’s a whole different world from the world that I function in. I like listening to some radio. For me though it’s an odd world that I could never really break."

BS: You have a lot of cool pictures and pay so much attention to the visual side of the creation. Yet you don’t make expensive music videos. Why?

Vai: "They’re too expensive! I’ve focussed more on concert videos, I would like to make some actual music videos though. I feel like I’ve got some cool ideas, but for me to make one it would take a couple hundred thousands of dollars to produce. I could put it on Youtube and that would be nice, but unless it’s something powerfully unique, it’s a little out of range. But thank you for reminding me though to look into this again! It’s just a matter of making the dollars and the sense add up."

Go to this location for Part III in its entirety.

Vai recently checked in with a tribute to his mentor, the legendary Frank Zappa:

"A day doesn’t pass that I don’t think about Frank. Nothing could, or ever will take his place in the hearts of the fans, his family and the musicians that have toured with him and loved him. Nothing, and we all know that.

When I was invited to contribute to 3-4 shows of a potential Zappa hologram tour I thought… this could be odd, but another part of me felt this could also be pretty special too. To be on the stage playing his music again for the fans with some of his alumni, (many dear friends of mine) and to have his ghostly image residing over the proceedings was interesting and alluring enough for me to commit to helping kick off the tour.

Of course it’s not Frank, and I’m not 20 years old anymore, but I am very happy, and honored that I was invited to contribute to bringing the spirit of Frank and his eternal music, with this new technology, to those fans who connected so deeply with him. I felt the same way when I contributed to the ZPZ tour, and that was a fantastic experience.

I believe that the fans understand it’s just an image and that holographic technology has its limitations, but it is an evolution in technology and with an open mind it could be embraced for a worthwhile experience. I would want to attend this show if I heard about it. If a person can attend the show with their spirit of the love of Frank’s music at the forefront I believe it could be a very touching event for all involved.

It’s an opportunity to engage in a massive “nostalgic hernia” because for many of us, Frank’s music is the best."