Steve Lukather On Why He's Banned From Berklee College Of Music + His Friendship With Ray Parker Jr
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- Опубліковано 7 бер 2023
- Toto guitarist Steve Lukather shares a hilarious story about his experience speaking at Berklee College of Music, and why he won't be invited back anytime soon! From unexpected jokes to surprising reactions, Lukather's story is one that you won't want to miss. Tune in to The Sunset Sound Roundtable to hear all the details and get ready to be entertained.
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I was there when Lukather came to Berklee in 2015 to do the QnA. His vast amount of experience and stories was phenomenal! A definite eye opening learning moment. On top of that, he’s naturally hilarious! One of the best QnA’s I’ve attended.
After the QnA, Steve stayed and pretty much took photos/signed with every single person who wanted to. Totally gracious, no rockstar bs. Steve Lukather is the man!
I was unaware that he was “banned” because of that joke during the QnA as it was hilarious and wasn’t directed as an insult to anyone. Berklee completely fucked up by “banning” one of the most recorded musician in history.
I'm not at all surprised. They have safe spaces with coloring books. That alone sums it up.
I’ve learned that anyone who is smart can also be funny
And now some Karen has denied others of that learning experience, shame on the Dean for letting her make that happpen.
@@krusher74 A real opportunity lost, but what do those people care.
I brought him in, I don't think he was ever formally banned.
"The dumb shit is what makes the world go round." Pure gold Steve.
Funny but if course he knows it's untrue
John Lennon was the greatest “dumb shit” player ever
@@kippsguitar6539 You sure? Nirvana sold almost twice as many albums as Toto. 🤷♂️
We see that in politics.
It's harder to come up with dumb shit that everyone likes than it is to learn to play like Steve Vai.
I'm a Berklee alum and I approve of this message. Don't ever change, Luke!
Me too! Berklee is not what it was when I went. It’s become a WOKE sea of garbage.
Such a shame what it's become.
He's a jew, he can't change.
Ditto!
@@andrewSUN17 You mean Toto! lol
Apart from being a great and legendary musician, Lukather is a fantastic story teller. I must’ve watched dozens of his interviews and they are as entertaining as his guitar work. He is an interviewer’s dream. Brilliant guy.
Lukather is highly respected here in Cuba by the guitar community and even the lay aficionados,the solo in Hold the Line when he was just a teen,set a bar for tone,accurate bendings and vibrato,exotic scales and feel...then ,he developed in a great all-around ,fusion player(the hardest,most beautiful style in contemporary music in my humble opinion....All the best for him and the great music maestros herein
Greetings from Havana ,Cuba.
This guy is unique. Kicking this man out of Berklee is undoubtedly one of the worst things that has happened to Berklee.
🤣🤣🤣🤣
Hey dig! I was the one Berklee asked to bring Luke in. Carl Beatty called me up and asked if I could get him there. Then I said " Do you really want to do that? Luke is a riot with NO filter" He says wants to, so Luke, Carl and I spend in communication for 6 months in touch about this. Will we play? How long will he be there? Maybe a studio session? Then after all that Luke says "Let me come in and just talk to the kids." I meet him at the Ritz, buy lunch, he and Ringo's manager and I pile in the car and head to Berklee. It is set up as I am going to interview him. Luke and I hit the stage of one of the recital halls, the place is packed and it's 10 deep outside. My second question is in regards to how he got the Toto gig. Luke says something that is stunningly funny of course and way out there in the appropriate department, as you can imagine if you know him. I am falling off my chair laughing, I think, "Well I'm out!" Time for questions from the audience. I'm waiting for the next bomb to drop. After quite some time where Luke is giving these kids great advice about what it takes to have a career as a guitarist, aka The dumb sh_t referenced in the video, this student asks about technique and solos. That's when he drops the second bomb. Haha. The words were actually "it's like having a 15 inch sch__long, fun to show to your friends and neighbors but it's useless!" I am off my chair in hysterics! I never heard anything about being banned which I don't think was actually ever verbalized, Luke did ask me once if he was and I know I didn't confirm anything like that. Maybe someone else said something to him. But I will say this, the kids LOVED HIM! So many students came to me for weeks afterwards telling me that he was the best pro they ever heard at Berklee because he told it like it is. His whole approach was real, and they loved that! I guess HR did hear from some about the "humor" but as we all know that know and love the guy, "Hey it's Luke, of course this is to be expected and it's all in good fun, so what." I will say this, his comment WAS effective!
Hah, cool!
It's being able to "be a good hang" in a room full of nerds that got him.more success than anything else
as a Berkelee alumnus, I want to thank you for extrapolating on this hilarious story that makes me even more proud of the school 😅👏🏽
That's way nicer that what Jerry Goldsmith said to my graduating class in 1990.
He said, "99% of you will never make it in the music business, no matter how good you are, or think you are."
Stunned silence. But the man KNEW and he was right.
@@weschilton
That's actually true.
One time, there's a churchmate of mine going to gigs at the restaurant or hotels.
I told him, "It's great to entertain people in a hotel, restaurant, or bars with music and doing gigs. No question about that. But DON'T expect so much from the establishment (meaning the "payout" from a gig)."
And he listened to my advice because that's true based from my own experience.
Lukather always has the best stories.
For all
Lukes greatness as a Player.
He’s beyond Humble and has a great sense of humor.
I gotsta rewatch this interview for the third time. It's just THAT good :D
"You went from a 20 inch c*cl tp David Foster...." Haha!
Yeah, that was definitely a funny Segue Fail.
I love all of these podcast interviews he's been doing lately. Steve is from an era where the studio cats never took themselves too seriously. They didn't tell each other what to play. They just listened to what someone was playing and join in. It always "fit", because they listened before they came up with a part! Lol
exactly I was part of that and that's the way it was.
@@martywalsh3684 Yep. And that's also how it was with the "in a league their own" cats (like Mike Brecker, Anthony Jackson, Vinnie, etc,), too! The engineer would ask somebody with headphones on ""If they wanted something from the deli?", while they were working on an idea. The engineer would instinctively know that that idea was a germ for a new song, and record the "noodling around". When the stuff from the deli came, he'd playback the noodling while they were eating, and by the time everyone finished eating/bullshitting around, everyone kind of already knew what part they were going to play on their instrument! Lol The thing is, you kind of have to be a musician who can quickly master executing your own musical ideas on your instrument, in order to be "in this club", because everything happens very fast.
@@bourgeoisbrats I did a number of sessions in LA for the great producer Michael Omartian. We would show up, 10 am call, gets sounds then head to Martonis for lunch, come back for the 2pm call and cut three tracks, 1-2-3. First, second take? You had to have good parts and GREAT time!
How can you not love this guy?
Banned from Berklee, badge of honor!
I’m banned from several alumni groups, and my main guitar is a Steve Lukather sig. Does it count, if I’m a nobody?
not as high class but kinda similar is getting fired from Guitar Center! lol
@@t3hgir I wasn’t fired, but I did lose my GC job to the pandemic… haha
If a female doesn't like a penile joke, we'll just write that off as envy of the before mentioned appendage
@@gearmeister Pro guitar tip: women generally don’t respond positively to being called “females” or blanket characterizations based on a faulty Freudian psychoanalysis from a modern armchair sexist.
Steve is a treasure we should all cherish. Top notch player, top notch person.
I've fallen in love with this guy. His music when I was young, and now his personality and knowledge as an adult. Solid fucking dude.
I attended Berklee in 1979-1980. Stern, Vai were up there playing around town. Also a guy named Lorn Leber. Fastest player I ever heard. They were not household names yet. I roomed with a guy from Germany. We didnt hit it off right away, but after a while we started hanging more. He completed his education and is now a music prof at Columbia. Good for him.
Steve is Gold! One of my favorite musicians of all time. He's hilarious too.
As in Goldstein?
@@Celticman197 what?
I could watch and listen to “Luke” all day everyday. Whether it’s playing or talking! Always straight from the cuff, no BS. Tells it like it is…
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️👍⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Me too! Did you see his interviews with Rick Beato? He talked about some great times including how he got the riff for Beat It. He said if he'd invented that he'd be flying around in the space shuttle 😂 but Michael J hummed it to him and said play that. Luke is the greatest!
@@BillysFingers Agree 💯
I'm a Berklee alum and that joke is probably the most politically correct and appropriate thing I would have heard at Berklee in 1995. Berklee would have Steve Lukather back anytime! And thank you Steve for speaking for free. You are an amazing musician and you've shared so much!
Fellow Alum here, you’re spot on, and so is Steve. I’m also banned from a few Berzerklee groups, so it feels good to be validated by a genius like Luke.
@@1cr19 I attended Berklee in the mid-seventies. It's funny to see it's still being called Berzerklee! We used to call it Berzerklee College of Jazz.
@@ExplodingPsyche That must’ve been just after the name change from $helloutyer Academy. 💸
@@1cr19 😆😂😀
@@1cr19 Incredibly enough, I think tuition was around $4000 for both semesters. Memory's a little fuzzy, but I'm pretty sure.
Well done, you will never please everyone 👍
especially not with 20 inches
Luke is the best. Amazing guitarist. Great attitude. Funny as hell - and sober. Much respect. I wish I paid more attention to him 40 years ago.
Great stories. He has a million. Different times - back when we actually HAD studios - when there was a "scene."
Luke is one of the funniest persons in the world, watching and listening him telling these stories ALWAYS makes may day!!! Thanks you so much!!!
That was priceless. What else would be expected from a rock musician. They work on their humor and satire over 1000's of hours of night clubs. Dealing with hecklers requires whit.
Not only an amazing musician but also funny as shit. I had tears running down my face for most of that!
Their loss. One of the absolute GOAT's. Keep these videos rolling, please. 👍
Haha! Great interview with Steve!
Luke is hilarious. He has such a funny manner. Apparently he’s been like this since he was a kid. How anyone could be offended is beyond me.
Steve never disappoints and it's too bad that someone at Berkeley couldn't take a joke. 🤣
I'm afraid that one lady was just the canary in the coal mine, unfortunately.
He should've sacked the chick, not Luke.
Weird democracy,huh?
There are so many good guitarist out there. Many are just not in the right place at the right time.
I know I may sound like a proud parent but I am. My son learned to play guitar from a professional from zero experience. He progressed quickly and soon was playing in his high school jazz band then eventually lead guitar in a heavy metal band during college and later.
Today he collects guitars and has a sound room at his house, but he chose chemistry as a career. Yes, he loved chemistry even more than music.
Lol😂
Lukather is the whole package. Love it. Mad respect and love!
Funny as Hell. Thanks I needed that.
That joke was worth a gold record.
That was awesome interview 20 in rooster hahaha funny stuff
Awesome , looking forward to the Ted and Don interview 🤞
Amazing story teller ❤
Totally worth it!
What a great clip!
Fun fact: When I attended Berkee way back in 1976, there were only a total of 6 girls in the entire school. One was a Swedish girl who majored in trombone.
I went there in 1991 to 1993, they may have been 10 females there...
@@ciadella1971 Liar. I was there at the same time as you. There were AT LEAST twenty.
Trombone was David Hungates first instrument before becoming a bass player.
Steve gives great interviews.
Love hearing him speak. :)
Who knew Lukather was so funny!? LOL Love this interview!
I could listen to Niko and Steve for decades ……….. and I have! Thanks for the music and the stories gentlemen
I’ve been discovering little parts of Lukather Thales t few years . He’s definitely cool as hell in my book. As a person not just a player.
Gotta hand it to Steve, after all these years, his Hair still totally rocks it.
I just found out a few years ago after I read his biography. My favorite!
I come from the Zeppelin / Sabbath / Purple era and it wasn’t until I got into my 50s that I discovered R&B rhythm guitar, triads, Maj7ths. My favorite guitaring!
Thx Steve fot not only being a great musician and guitarist...but you just made me laugh twice in 5 minuites ...like saying, goodmorning everybody have a good laugh and a nice day😂..thx again!!!
I attended Berklee in the '70s and it was the most wonderfully diverse experience of my life. My first roommate was a Japanese trumpet player who could barely speak English and I gave him lessons. Students from all over the world. The only thing that mattered was music. A few years ago I received one of those ridiculous DEI letters on how they were going to work so hard to remove systemic racism from Berklee. I requested to be removed from the alumni mailing list.
I would ask them why they let let racism thrive at their school for so many years.
@@stevemineer2857 No Kidding, and perhaps list a few examples?, that's the one that always creates the longest pause and then the walk away. "Give me an example?"
@@stevemineer2857 There wasn’t any racism back then. All that mattered was if you could cut it or not! If there was any racism, it was on the side of the black kids, that decided to keep to themselves. FACT!
Racism just doesn't apply to Jazz, but the School is different now it is 60% production. If your a DJ you can go there and study Music Production synthesis and audio engineering .
I am not sure I understand where racism comes in at a music college.
At a music college it would be more like " Us" and the next block over, the lawyers and other people who will eventually run this country over in Harvard Square.
Diversity is for losers…
Steve Lukather! The Godfather of fretboard magicary!! A f'ing rock,jazz,pop legend!!
Love it!!
*******SUNSET MADE SOME OF THE MOST ICONIC MUSIC BACK IN THE DAY*AND IS STILL ROCKN OUT MUSICIANS*THANK YOU *SUNSET FOR GIVING US *GOOD* *SOUND* ** *CATER*
beyond perfect, awesome, God bless, and joke is perfect👏
Great Interview: Liked & Subscribed.
I love Luke! He’s the best, funniest most humble dude
🤣🤣🤣Luke...on point. as always!
Lukather's reference about blistering solos is right on
Priceless comparative 😂🍻
This was great.
Epic!
I saw him last night with the boys. Great show.
Great Story!
Classy guy,always
Good laugh. Great musician !
Sorry if this gets long, but I’m so grateful Steve shared this story, and I’m tired of holding my tongue. I graduated in 2013, just a few months after the Marathon Bombing shook up the whole city-but specifically the block that holds most of Berklee’s buildings. For two years, my college experience was defined by marginalization, and my graduating year was defined by Tea Party Occupation and International Terrorism. The school did nothing in the way of supporting us through a difficult time.
My mentor at Berklee was Mirek Kocandrie, who had asked me, post- graduation to join a tour playing classic rock covers. He died over spring break, from an undisclosed cancer, and yet never missed a day of work. I lost a huge opportunity and greatly inspiring friend; once again, the school did nothing.
So, I was sent back to an abusive home in a red state, with no guidance, a music degree that I was told to leave off of my résumé. My connection to Berklee became the alumni groups, like the LGBT+ student union, “BUGLE,” which I accessed on Facebook. In one swift instance, the moderator of these groups banned me from every single one of them, for “promoting transphobia.” What actually happened was: I told a musician she’s not an endocrinologist, and she shouldn’t be giving out BC as a DIY HRT, and that she should probably use her time to campaign for trans-related healthcare initiatives.” Apparently that was “offensive.” Fun fact: I AM trans, and I do actively campaign for expanded healthcare, because that’s the adult thing to do. (I’ve since trained as Gender Health consultant.) My appeals fell on the music school’s deaf ears.
I’ve spent the last two years dealing with the alumni career center, which is roughly 6 people who don’t seem to have each other’s phone numbers. All I want is for someone to look at my résumé, listen to the music I’m working on, and give me a thumbs up to keep going, or a thumbs down to quit music altogether-and the response is always “Whaddyamean?”
I’ve never felt supported by the institution. It doesn’t foster student connections, it doesn’t lead to job opportunities. Out of 1,500 students in my graduating class, the only one with a music career is essentially leaving music to host a reality show in Australia. She goes by Betty Who, but I knew her as Jessica, and she’s an excellent hugger.
TLDR; I made more money as a musician before Berklee than because of Berklee, and I find it ironic that our Dean was a drummer with a business degree. I’m not trying to slam the brand, or discourage anyone from buying into the illusion, but that’s all it really is. Personally, I wish I’d spent those years in the local library and busking outside recording studios until someone in a suit says, “I want that one.”
Additional fun fact: I sold all of my guitars, yesterday, except for my unsellable partscaster, and my 1983 Ibanez Roadstar II RS1010SL, Steve Lukather signature guitar, because it’s the first guitar I ever played, and it’ll be the last one I ever play. I am moulded to it. I don’t care that Steve hated them.
❤️ya, Luke.
Wow! Reading this I'm kinda glad I did not go. I won a partial scholarship but could never get the rest of the money to go.I always beat myself up for not being able to go and study.
@@bebenavole Silver lining, you didn’t have a class full of dropped jaws to embarrass you when the relatively famous teacher overheard you saying you’ve never listened to Adele, and couldn’t care less. She stopped 10+ student writing sessions so she could direct my attention to her laptop.
Nothing happened that day to make me a better lyricist. It just made me want to walk out and blast King Diamond to irritate her.
I think I was in my mid-20s when I finally realized that Berklee was largely a waste of money. I’m a professional guitarist now and what do I use to this day? The ear training and solfège stuff I could *easily* have learned on my own…also, every accidental key is a flat key to me. Now don’t get me wrong…I was humbled there and that was a pivotal experience. I had gone from the best guitarist at my high school to the middle of the pack *at best* and I needed that at the time. But that was the most profound musical experience I had there. Nowadays, I play with many of the associate professors, etc. out on gigs and I’ve long since realized, they’re just colleagues…fellow musicians. Anybody who reads this: Berklee is a decent music college, that’s it. It’s not worth a quarter of the admission price…if I hadn’t gone there on scholarship and was still paying for it, I would be bitter beyond all mortal comprehension…
@@manifestgtr thank u for this. yeah it was real real expensive even bask in 1998/9 when I applied. I mean being from Croatia it would be a huge experience for me.
@@manifestgtr I have $46,000 left in consolidated loans. I lived as an unpaid/room-and-board caretaker for a disabled family member from 2013-2019, during which time I focused on education and became over-certified for all the jobs I’d be good at-yet my lifetime earnings have been roughly equal to what I owe for college.
If you need a masterful, multi genre guitarist to officiate your gay wedding in American Sign Language, and act as a relationship coach while doing your eyeliner and designing your brand during an intense meditation session that requires delicious cocktails-I’m your gal.
(That sounds pretty reductive, but honestly, I’m a passionate learner and I like having my feet on a lot of shores, so to speak. I’ll just be here, waiting for the tide to catch me.)
Steve and my uncle Melvin Ragin aka Wah Wah Watson was really cool friends!!! Fella LA session musicians! Ray Parker Jr gave my uncle his Gibson L5 that he used his entire career!!!!
Outstanding
*SUNSET SHOULD BE ON THE HISTORICAL MAP* *FOR DOING AMAZING THINGS* *CATER*
Hysterical!
"Piece of work" would be how I'd describe Steve Lukather. Great talker! He's the perfect guest on a talk show. Just pop off one question and he's got 1000 stories to tell you that give an answer! LOL! I would love to take lessons from him!
Solid!
THANK YOU !
In solidarity with the fighters for love, freedom, justice and truth ...
Greetings from Germany, CLUB OF THE UNCENSORED POETS
I love Steve !!!
that's a hilarious and perfect analogy for crazy chops lol
Greatest Luke Interview!!!!
Thats Mr Georgy Porgy. That song RULES. Didn't know that Steve Lukather sang vocals on the track. Awesome...
That is a funny story made me chuckle.
Yeah, I had a female singer in my band, had a fire, her, not because she couldn’t sing, but because she just wasn’t rock ‘n’ roll enough, on the stage, or off the stage, couldn’t hang with the guys , my mom was really mad at me when I went home to visit cause the singer was my sister.
Berklee alum here class of ‘93…Steve has the best stories, always. He should be a required course. 😂
What a legend.
*******THANK YOU *SUNSET SOUND* *YOU ALL MAKE THE FUKN BAD ASS MUSIC* *CATER*
This is hilarious.
But this man also has so much insight into the industry.
Still laughing about Lukes memories on his Berklee speech. Keep it up Luke
Lukes a funny guy. luv him!
Every time I see something from or about Steve Lukather he becomes just that much more cool in my book. My mom is probably the only female I know that wouldn't have laughed at that joke but even she would have just turned up her nose and walked out. Soooo glad to be an old fart and to have grown up and rocked out when the religion of butthurtism was not a thing. And the irony is, what he said is absolutely true and something all musicians need to understand. The sad state of affairs is the old adage of "The squeaky wheel gets the grease" is becoming a stranglehold on society. A room full of people and one complaint gets a guy banned,. And its not because they may or may not have disagreed with his joke but they are held hostage in fear of a lawsuit. People today literally go into therapy because of a joke and want others destroyed over nothing. That's how things got started in a European country a few decades ago.
"Honestly truer words were never spoken "
I Keep Forgettin...the guitar groove is epic.
I love him
I think I was at that Berklee seminar!
LOL, great to show but where are you going to use it. I think that was a perfect description, it possessed great visual clarity
Awesome!
Lukather at his best. Bang on! :P
02:55 some great names mentioned there.. "I don't hear you" Boz Scaggs with Jeff Porcaro, eventually led me to this video. I love the internet rabbit hole 🤣
Great joke. I love Lukather!!
Luke is legend.
Thats a nobel prize right there! :D
You know ur in the presence of greatness when they make a comment stating: It’s all the dumb shit that makes the world go round!!! And, they make it known that rhythm guitar is far more difficult & more important than playing leads/solos all day!!! SOO TRUE-IMO!!!🎶✊🏼☮️
My Favorite Living guitar personality and with a couple of very giant losses in the world of guitar, as of late; probably the most expressive player alive (not that its a contest or anything. AWESOME CONTENT!
Not Only is Steve Lukather a Great Guitarist, but he's also a Funny Guy! 😆
Funny how? Like a clown Steve amuses you?
It's difficult for me to laugh out loud but Luke managed to do just that. Super cool dude, could listen to him for hours.
Another cool cat is Ray Parker Jr. Forget that Ghostbusters shit, the guy is a legend in the session world and man can he tell some great stories. Tim Pierce did an extremely fine interview with him. I encourage you all to go check it out.