The second instalment of Chris Shiflett’s Shred With Shifty podcast debuts today (July 27) and features Rivers Cuomo. During the conversation, the Weezer guitarist hails the influence of Yngwie Malmsteen and even gives a quick demo of the super Swede’s shred classic, Far Beyond the Sun.
The clip opens with Cuomo and Shiflett discussing the Weezer man’s beginnings on the electric guitar, in which he runs through the motivational impact of Quiet Riot’s Metal Health. However, the conversation soon turns to lead influences.
“Well, Ace [Frehley] was the first one,” says Cuomo. “[Just] so many air guitar sessions from the time I was a young kid – and that was just always my favorite part of the song. Then later on I got super-into the Yngwie Malmsteen-type shredders.”
“I mean you hear like some of that in this solo for Only in Dreams,” comments Shiflett. “Not that it's shred but it is all in that… minor diatonic, where you're using all the notes, which… happens a lot in heavy metal. As opposed to more blues-based rock and roll which tends to be pentatonic scales.”
“Yeah, as a kid I was into Ace, which is the more the pentatonic thing, but then in the ’80s, heavy metal became much more classically influenced and you hear all the notes in the scale and the harmonic minor scale,” Cuomo responds. “At that point I just fell in love with that style and I couldn't turn back.”
As Shiflett observes, it’s a thread that persisted well into Cuomo’s work with Weezer. Indeed, when Shiflett asks Cuomo to remember the first lick he learned that made him feel like a lead guitar player – he again points back to Malmsteen.
“Probably learning some of those Yngwie licks,” comments Cuomo. “Far Beyond the Sun. That kind of stuff.”
Shiflett then asks Cuomo for a quick demonstration and despite claiming “it’s been decades”, the Weezer man pulls off a (surprisingly sharp) segment of the Malmsteen’s 1984 calling card – much to his host’s delight.
“That’s amazing, dude!” says Shiflett. “You just whipped that out! It was perfect.”
Shiflett’s new podcast is fast becoming essential listening for guitarists. Each episode drills down on a particular track from its guest. Episode one featured Alex Lifeson and future instalments are set to include the likes of Richie Sambora, Nile Rodgers, Lindsay Ell, Brad Paisley, Mike McCready and Brent Mason.
Search for Shred With Shifty wherever you get your podcasts to hear the full Rivers Cuomo chat and head to Volume for the exclusive full video.
For more on the Weezer man’s ’80s metal influences, check out our 2021 Rivers Cuomo interview, in which he talks shred playing, Van Halen and his “Pandora’s box of evil guitar tools”.
