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--- Lori Linstruth Interview ---
Added 16/april/07
Stream of Passion and Ayreon guitarist shares her views with us
Hey
Lori, thanks for participating in this interview for shred academy;
it’s a rarity to have a female with us.
L:
Thanks very much, Ali; it’s flattering to be invited.
You
are an amazingly gifted guitar player; your technique is flawless.
How long have you been playing and who were your influences growing
up?
L:
Oh dear, I don’t consider myself a “technical”
player at all, and was quite taken by surprise by your interview
request because I’m anything but a “shredder.”
But thanks very much for the kind words just the same. My heroes
during my formative years were Michael Schenker, Uli Roth, Ritchie
Blackmore, Yngwie, and Brian May. They’re still my favourites
today. Recently I discovered that Uli’s brother Zeno is
an incredible player as well – I really like his style.
I
first heard of you on Arjen Luccasen's Ayreon album “The
Final Experiment.” That guy is a musical genius and incredibly
nice guy; what was it like to work with him?
L:
Arjen is disgustingly talented, but I make a heroic effort not
to hate him for it. After all, he can’t help the way he
was born. Despite his annoying talent, he’s one of my favourite
people and one of the few guitar players I can imagine sharing
a stage with and having FUN. (He’s completely non-competitive,
which is so refreshing!) Working with him was an entirely positive
experience. For me, that is! You’d have to ask him what
HE thought about it.
You
were recruited to play with Stream of Passion also. Did you enjoy
your position in the band? Do you miss the guys now that you have
left the band?
L:
Apart from freezing my ass off during our entire first European
tour, I loved every minute of my time with SoP. I will indeed
miss being a member, and will always remember how fortunate I
was to be part of the band. It was incredibly educational and
I made some really great friends. And hey, I got to have rays
of awesomeness shoot out of my guitar in our first video. That
will be hard to beat.
I
got very excited when I discovered you have an all female melodic
metal band called Warbride, too; you write all the music and play
guitar for the band. Can you tell us a little about the band,
and is it great having musical freedom to do what you want?
L:
Technically it’s not a band; it’s just a fun recording
project being shared by two friends. Incidentally, Susie (vocals)
is also writing some of the music when the control-freak, micro-manager
in me gives her a chance. I work on the songs bit by bit when
feeling inspired (and in between my computer’s random blue
screens of death). Having fun with music and creating something
cool with a dear friend is what it’s all about for me.
The
genre of music is mostly male dominated but I have recently discovered
many female artists and got in touch with them such as Katrina
Johansson and The Great Kat, was it a struggle to work your way
up and what do you think of females finally being accepted and
supported as guitar players?
L:
Well, things are getting a bit better, for sure. But there is
still a long way to go. It’s a two-edged sword: decent female
players automatically garner attention because there are so few
of them, yet at the same time they are subjected to excruciatingly
harsh evaluation because of their very femaleness. I’m talking
about utterly vile and demeaning comments, often of a violent
or sexual nature. Misogyny is still rampant in our society, as
demonstrated by the recent torrent of hatred and threats hurled
at blogger extraordinaire, Kathy Sierra, an inspiring and extremely
talented woman who works within another largely male-dominated
field (computers/programming). Guys do not have to put up with
that kind of crap.
You
simply can’t afford to let the galactic stupidity of anonymous
internet jerks get you down; instead you have to focus on the
supportive people around you and your love of making music. That
is what keeps me going, anyway. And anyway, the vituperations
of trash-talking, anonymous cretins who don’t have the balls
to own their own words carry no weight anyway.
You
recently became unwell. Without going deep into your personal
life, could you tell us a little about what effect this has had
on you and what you do to keep busy? All of us at shred
academy wish you all the best to get well.
L:
Thanks very much. This frustrating condition has profoundly affected
my private and professional life. I don’t worry about keeping
busy; it was busyness and stress that put me here in the first
place. The constant fatigue and brain fog make it tough to do
much of anything productive, so I’m mainly staying at home
doing quiet things and trying to ignite my “spark”
again. My doctor says that I will feel better eventually, but
that I have to be prepared for it to take time. It’s taking
far longer than I thought it would, but I remain hopeful.
I
have tried many years to learn certain techniques of guitar playing.
Recently I found a video where you describe how to sweep properly,
which i found to be very informative and easy to understand. Do
you have any plans for an instructional DVD or book for guitarists?
L:
Thanks for letting me know; I’m glad you found my goofy
videos useful. I do have fun making my silly videos, but with
all the great instructionals out there by players who are FAR
better than I will ever be, I’m dubious about what I’d
be able to offer learners. But having finally embraced my inner
capitalist, I can say this: if it looked like a profitable venture,
I’d make a DVD in a heartbeat.
What
is your opinion on music theory?
L:
For me (your mileage may vary) theory can be a useful tool, particularly
when I’ve songwritten myself into a dead-end and my inspirational
muses are cheekily thumbing their noses at me and refusing to
help. Knowing the basics of theory is also useful for talking
about music with other musicians. But “theory for
theory’s sake?” Not interested. Life is too short
and there’s too much other cool stuff to learn.
Who
are your favourite bands and artists at the moment?
L:
It’s no secret that I love Arjen’s music, particularly
Star One and Ambeon, and the heavier Ayreon songs. Rammstein has
also made a huge impression on me over the past couple of years.
Jorn Lande is my favourite male vocalist at the moment –
he could sing the Swedish tax code and make it sound awesome.
I’m also very impressed by a female vocalist named Magali
Luyten – she sounds really great.
Do
you have any projects for the future and do you have any crazy
guitar tricks up your sleeve such as an 8-neck guitar that you
set on fire and play a solo?
L:
I have enough trouble managing one neck at a time, thanks, so
eight necks would be out of the question! But speaking of flames,
I do daydream about playing on a huge Rammstein-esque stage with
fire and explosions and cascades of glitter. Maybe someday (sigh).
When I’m feeling better, my first priority is to finish
the Warbride songs, and to start working on some new instrumentals
for a solo project. I’ll also be open for outside projects
eventually, but not right now.
What
equipment could you not live without and what equipment do you
wish you had?
L:
I love (ab)using my trem and wah pedal, so it would be tough to
go without those. And I’m totally in love with my new MicroKorg
synth – so much sound in such a cute little package, I want
to sleep with it and cuddle it! Lately I’ve been obsessed
with the idea of using a 7-string for dark, sinister riffs, so
a 7-string guitar will probably be my next gear purchase. A new
computer that doesn’t throw blue screens of death all the
time would be nice, too.
What
are your opinions on Jason Becker, Marty Friedman and your friend
Arjen as musicians?
L: I’m not very familiar with Jason Becker’s work,
but what I’ve heard was very impressive; he has a dramatic
style all his own. I’ve not followed Marty Friedman since
Megadeth, but I LOVE the way he played on Rust in Piece.
I can tell he’s an Uli Roth fan, like me. Arjen is in a
class of his own, and is my favourite all-round musician. I wish
I had his ability to “hear the big picture.” It’s
an enviable talent.
Thanks for your time, any closing statement?
Thanks very much for the interview; it was fun! I’d like
to end with a piece of good advice for your readers: If you are
feeling depressed, try watching nature programs about meerkats.
A healthy dose of meerkats is bound to make you feel at least
a little bit better.
Best
wishes to your readers and to all of you at Shred Academy.
Lori
http://lorinator.feminoise.com
Interview
arranged and conducted by Alistair Campbell (blackorchidx)
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