Nuno Bettencourt is defending Joe Satriani’s perceived ‘screw-up’ of Eddie Van Halen’s “Mean Street” intro last week on The Howard Stern Show.
Much has been said about Satriani’s performance last week (Nov. 17), who joined Sammy Hagar, Michael Anthony, and Jason Bonham for the announcement of Hagar’s upcoming Best Of All Worlds tour, and not all of it has been positive. During the appearance, Stern asked the band what the most difficult Eddie Van Halen riff to play is. Satriani then launched into an impromptu rendition of “Mean Street”. Satch himself admitted: “This is impossible to play, right?”
Extreme guitarist Nuno Bettencourt has come to the defense of Satriani. During a recent appearance on The Jeremy White Show, Bettencourt said playing Eddie’s riffs is, as Satriani said, impossible.
“The one thing that I learned recently of seeing Joe or anybody — me, Joe, anybody — if we’re gonna take a risk and we’re gonna play an Edward anything, especially on Howard Stern or anything like that, where you know you can’t get it back, good luck. That’s all I’m saying is good luck. Why? Because you’re going now into hallowed ground.”
Later on, he called out Hagar for putting Satriani in a difficult position.
“So, look, you’ve gotta give Joe a bit of a pass on this one, because it’s Joe doing Edward. I’m more pissed at Sammy [Hagar] for allowing him to do it. ‘Cause Sammy’s, like, ‘Man, that’s why I got Joe. Nobody can do this stuff.’ And I’m, like, look, you’re, you’re right there. You’re already putting him on the spot and doing those things and asking people to play those things. It’s really difficult. And if you’re gonna do it, man, and Joe probably knows this now, ’cause… Joe is untouchable as Joe Satriani. He’s the greatest Joe Satriani you’ll ever hear… Nobody can attack you when you’re doing you…”