Yngwie Malmsteen: The 1985 “Rising Force” Interview (Audio)
The Swedish Guitar Great’s First English-Language Master Class
The interview embedded below was used for Swedish guitar great Yngwie Malmsteen’s first English-language cover story. At the time, the 21-year-old was rapidly becoming renowned for his fiery “neo-classical” style. He’d already recorded albums with Steeler and Alcatrazz, and had just released his debut solo album, Yngwie J. Malmsteen’s Rising Force.
As we spoke in a San Francisco hotel lobby, Yngwie detailed the amount of work required to achieve his level of skill and reach new plateaus. He revealed how he composes instrumentals, drawing on the influences of Bach, Mussorgsky, and Tchaikovsky rather than other guitarists. He talked about Jimi Hendrix and responded to critics who wrote that his playing mirrors Ritchie Blackmore’s.
He then covered his musical experiences with Alcatrazz and his current band, Rising Force, and provided track-by-tracks insights into his debut solo album. He broke down his recording and playing techniques, and insisted that he is “not involved in rock guitar,” but rather is a unique force unto himself.
My interview with this remarkable musician took place on the morning of January 12, 1985. A partial transcription was published as the May 1985 Guitar Player cover story. I hope you enjoy the world debut of the audio of this conversation!
Coda: As soon as I was done interviewing Yngwie, I jumped into my VW, drove over the Golden Gate Bridge, and spent the afternoon interviewing Jerry Garcia for his Frets magazine cover story. This recording is available on my Talking Guitar YouTube channel, along with the audio of an earlier conversation with Yngwie and dozens of other guitar-focused interviews.
Thanks to the Southern Folklife Collection, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and especially my podcast producer/engineer Nik Hunt for their contributions to this post.
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