Yesterday, former Mötley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx sat down with Steve Vai to talk riffs, gear and Led Zeppelin on his series, My Favorite Riff with Nikki Sixx.
Vai also tells Sixx some anecdotes about his time working with Frank Zappa, discussing both an instance in which he transcribed one of Zappa's famously lewd stories into a guitar piece, and how Zappa would push his bandmates into challenging, uncharted musical waters.
You can watch the insightful interview, and a longer, even more in-depth follow-up to the interview—"Deeper With Steve Vai"—below.
“Elton said, ‘I'd better buy that guitar just to have in my house.’ I played it and said, ‘Yeah, you'd better buy it, so I can play it when I come by’”: One of Davey Johnstone's favorite guitars was once a piece of upscale decor for his superstar bandmate
“Leo said, ‘Here, try this guitar.’ I grabbed it, turned it around, held it upside-down backwards and started playing ukulele chords. He almost fell off his chair laughing”: How Dick Dale made the Stratocaster the ultimate surf-rock weapon
