Joe Satriani Plays Solo Guitar Version of "Satch Boogie" for MTV in 1992 — Video

In 1992, Joe Satriani dropped by MTV Studios and played an excellent solo-guitar version of his signature 1987 tune, "Satch Boogie," for the cameras.

You can check out the pro-shot footage below. Fans will appreciate the closeup shots of his fretting and tapping.

The track is from Satch’s landmark Surfing with the Alien album, which garnered tremendous AOR play and, ultimately, gold record status—both almost unheard of for a guitar instrumental LP.

Unlike some of his colleagues, Satriani the performer was no stage elitist who ignored his audience. Satch brought his music to the crowd, playing with a zest and appeal rarely displayed by a non-singing instrumentalist.

He’s a soft-spoken guy, though he obviously knows exactly what he wants and how to wait, if necessary, to get it. After hearing—who else?—Jimi Hendrix, the 14-year-old Satriani abandoned his drums for a Hagstrom III his guitar-playing sister bought him.

He taught himself some basics by playing along with his older siblings' records, a variety of discs that included the Stones, the Beatles, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Led Zeppelin, Johnny Winter and Mike Bloomfield as well as Motown hitmakers, early r&b and even some jazz stuff belonging to his parents.

Guitar lessons ended after a couple of shots: "The guy was teaching me 'Jingle Bells' and I had already memorized the chord charts from the back of an Alfred Guitar Book my sister had," he said.

Anyway, check out the video below—and be sure to watch Joe Satriani Phrasing Lesson: How to Play "Satch Boogie" — Video.

Joe Satriani -Satch Boogie (Live MTV)

Joe Satriani gives a rare solo performance of his classic 'Satch Boogie' at MTV studios in 1992

Posted by Forgotten Guitar on Sunday, November 1, 2015

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Damian Fanelli
Editor-in-Chief, Guitar World

Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn's The Gas House Gorillas, was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron, a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums. He now plays in two NYC-area bands.