Guitar legend Steve Vai has checked in with the following update:

"Growing up on Long Island was fantastic. There were so many great rock bands doing the club circuit. I was perhaps 15 when I first started playing the bars on LI with my band Rayge. Some of the incredible bands that were gigging LI that we would go see quite a bit at the time were Rat Race Choir, Zebra, The Good Rats, etc. But one band stuck out as being more intense and authentic to their rock and roll commitment than any of the others, and that was Twisted Sister.

No matter what genre came and went, they stuck to their brand of hard hitting rock. We would go see them anytime we could because we knew the show was going to be just over the top every time. They were so rock and roll. I would love to stand in front of Jay Jay French’s amps and bathe in the sonic splendors of raw, hard, overwhelming distorted guitar bliss. It was delicious.

 

Fast forward close to 50 years and I receive a request to join Jay Jay French on his podcast. There was no way I was going to let that pass. And now you can see and hear us!"

Following is an over view of the Steve Vai episode, a snippet is available below.

"Guitar virtuoso, composer, songwriter & producer Steve Vai joins Jay Jay for a one of a kind conversation on this week's episode of The Jay Jay French Connection. Listen to Steve tell the story of how he began his career - as a transcriptionist for Frank Zappa - at the insanely young age of 18! Steve shares this and many other stories about his remarkable journey in music, and how he became the musical polymath that he is today.

Jay Jay & Steve talk discuss their guitar collections, Steve going to see Twisted Sister play in Long Island NY as a kid, notable influences, and much more. Don't miss this week's episode of The Jay Jay French Connection: Beyond the Music!"

Links to the full episode are available below.

In the nearly 50 years since founding heavy metal institution Twisted Sister, John “Jay Jay” French has sold over 20 million records, collected 37 gold and platinum albums, headlined many of the world's largest music festivals in 38 countries, and now is now adding podcasting to his resume with The Jay Jay French Connection: Beyond The Music.

“What makes my podcast stand out is the close personal relationships that I have with most of my guests,” French says. “This allows them a kind of safety zone where they will tell me stories and experiences that you just won't hear anywhere else.”

On The Jay Jay French Connection, French brings an enormous wealth of knowledge that stretches beyond music business. His natural curiosity results in wide-ranging conversations with a variety of well-known musicians, authors, actors, wrestler/musicians, managers, celebrity chefs, TV and movie directors and writers.

New episodes of The Jay Jay French Connection are available every Tuesday on Spotify, Apple Music and PodcastOne. Upcoming guests include DJ Eddie Trunk, actor Michael Imperioli, guiatarist Eddie Ojeda, legendary manager Doc McGhee, music industry veteran Dorothy Carvello, radio/podcast personality Jordan Harbinger, guitarist Joe Bonamassa, producer Eddie Kramer and talent manager Shep Gordon.

Highlights of previous episodes have included:

- Drummer Mike Portnoy discussing replacing AJ Pero in Twisted Sister and his never-ending list of projects.
- Vocalist Rob Halford revealing information on his new autobiography and what scared him the most about coming out.
- Singer/radio personality Dee Snider on everything Twisted Sister.
- Guitarist Nuno Bettencourt telling the story of the story of how Extreme got their name and how his playing has evolved.
- Guitarist Joel Hoekstra about future plans for Whitesnake, the effect of the pandemic and his own solo projects.
- Guitarist Elliot Easton talking about the death of Ric Ocasek, the history of the Cars and his new band The Empty Hearts.
- Beatles book author Andy Babiuk on the challenge of bringing new stories and never-seen photos of the Beatles’ recording and performing gear to the millions of Beatles fanatics worldwide.
- Filmmaker Frank Marshall discussing his incredible producer/director history in Hollywood and his new hot Bee Gees documentary, How Do You Mend A Broken Heart.
- Celebrity chef, music fanatic, guitar player, current managing partner and executive chef at NYC’s number one Steakhouse Porterhouse Michael Lomonaco recalling how a last minute decision to get his eyeglasses fixed saved him from perishing at his restaurant, Windows On The World, on the 107th floor of the World Trade Center on 9/11, and his thoughts on the devastating effect of Covid on the New York restaurant industry.
- Professional wrestler and vocalist Chris Jericho hyping on his upcoming movie, which tells the true story of a local metal band, retired for four decades, who returns to perform at a German metal festival.
- Television writer Brian Koppelman discussing his latest hit show, the Showtime series Billions, how he discovered Tracy Chapman in college and transitioned from record executive to screen writer/producer/director.
- Singer/songwriter Don McLean dishing on the little-known secrets of his massive hit song “American Pie.”
- Singer Johnny Lee talking about getting a new record deal at the age of 74, 40 years after his biggest hit, “Lookin' for Love in All the Wrong Places,” and how modern country radio feels about its legends.
- Music industry exec Gary Spivack revealing information on his Long Live Rock documentary, a love letter to the contemporary live rock scene, and his belief that it is thriving.
- Hit songwriter Nate Cyphert (Florida Georgia Line’s “H.O.L.Y.,” among many others) on what it takes to write Grammy winning, multi-platinum hit songs in today’s pop market.
- Author Jenny Boyd on her new book Jennifer Juniper, being the muse for Donovan's hit song “Jennifer Juniper,” living with the Beatles in Rishikesh, India, living in London in the “Swinging Sixties,” being married to Mick Fleetwood of Fleetwood Mac and having sister Pattie married to both George Harrison and Eric Clapton.
- Best-selling British “chick lit” author Jane Green telling the story of how her professional life and career evolved. All aspiring writers need to hear this one!

French’s two biggest hits with Twisted Sister, the rock anthems “We're Not Gonna Take It” and “I Wanna Rock,” have become two of the most licensed songs in the history of heavy metal, appearing in hundreds of TV, radio and internet commercials, movies and TV shows. French currently oversees all music licensing and all business regarding Twisted Sister.

In addition to his career as a musician, manager, producer and executive producer, French is a highly sought after keynote speaker, as well contributing writer for business magazine Inc.com, pens a Beatles column for Goldmine called “Now, We're Sixty Four” and writes a an audio column for Copper, an online music and high end audio magazine published through PS Audio.