Joe Satriani is known for his virtuoso skills on guitar, so any praise he heaps on another guitarist is worth its weight in gold. In a recent interview, Satriani commended Kurt Cobain, calling the late Nirvana frontman a “great guitar player.”
“I was very happy with those Nirvana records,” Satriani told Classic Rock. “He was a great guitar player. You go back and look at Nirvana clips, and you realize this guy is playing everything he’s supposed to play. He’s not looking at what he’s playing, so obviously he really knows the instrument.”
He added, “And he’s playing with one of the greatest drummers of all time [Dave Grohl], so that wouldn’t have worked if he was not a good guitarist.”
Satriani was also asked if the decline of the guitar solo during the grunge explosion affected his approach to playing the instrument at the time. “I didn’t pay any attention to that, I guess,” he responded. “[My 1992 album] The Extremist came out as my love letter to the classic rock era, so it was a throwback record anyway, but when I emerged from the studio I realized, ‘Oh, it’s all Nirvana and Soundgarden.’”
Satriani is plenty busy these days. He’s a member of Sammy Hagar’s “Best of All Worlds” band, with a Las Vegas residency set for this spring (pick up tickets here).
In addition, Satriani has formed a new band with fellow guitar legend Steve Vai called the SATCHVAI Band. They have a UK/European tour scheduled for this summer, with tickets available here.
Later this month, Satriani will release the G3 Reunion Live album, captured during his 2024 G3 reunion tour with Vai and Eric Johnson (pre-order here).
Check out video of Satriani and Vai performing Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” during a medley at a G3 concert in 2016 below.