Former Rainbow frontman Joe Lynn Turner recently shared insights about working with guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen. He discussed the challenging dynamics of collaborating with the notoriously difficult musician in an interview with Cassius Morris Official.
Turner explained his approach to managing Malmsteen’s demanding personality. He described how he successfully navigated their professional relationship.
“You have to be a psychologist to a certain degree. I don’t think anybody got along with Yngwie Malmsteen as good as I got along with Malmsteen,” Turner said. “You know, you’re talking top level egotist, you know, narcissist.”
Turner acknowledged Malmsteen’s exceptional talent while addressing his difficult character traits.
“And God bless him. He’s a freaking genius with all his stuff. But people who are that beyond talented are have traits like that. You have to just understand that,” he continued.
The vocalist described his strategic approach to working with the Swedish guitarist.
“So you have to have, I always used to say I have a whip in a chair like a lion tan, you know. And I would go in with the whip in the chair and let the lion roar and come back and go forward when I could and come back when I had to. And it’s a push – pull relationship,” Turner explained.
Turner emphasized the importance of flexibility and respect in their creative process.
“I never really sacrificed myself. If he didn’t like a lyric or a melody or one word or a line, I would respect it and I would change it, come back to him. And nine times out of 10, I think it was better, which shows to go, as we said, that when you have somebody you can trust to review something or be critical of something that you can come back even better when you look at it again,” he said.
Turner’s comments reflect on his experience working with Malmsteen during one of the guitarist’s most commercially successful periods. Their collaboration produced memorable results despite the interpersonal challenges.
Wikipedia noted that Turner collaborated with Malmsteen on the studio album Odyssey in 1988 and the live album Trial by Fire: Live in Leningrad. The Odyssey album became widely regarded as Malmsteen’s most commercially successful release. Turner contributed lyrics for nine of the twelve songs, including the hit “Heaven Tonight.”
The collaboration took place under unique circumstances. Mike Ladano’s music blog reported that several of the songs felt more accessible than much of Malmsteen’s earlier material. Turner wrote melodies and lyrics while Malmsteen was recovering from a serious car accident. This gave Turner more creative room before recording began.
Despite the artistic success of their partnership, the working relationship was short-lived and professionally tense. Blabbermouth revealed that Turner has previously called some of Malmsteen’s public statements the “rantings of a megalomaniac” when discussing how Malmsteen characterizes songwriting credits.
Turner’s experience with Malmsteen reflects a broader pattern of difficult relationships the Swedish guitarist has had with collaborators throughout his career. Multiple former band members and singers, including Jeff Scott Soto and Tim “Ripper” Owens, have publicly disputed Malmsteen’s claims about creative control. They described him as someone who dominates creative decisions, changes personnel frequently, and can create a volatile working environment.
