Steve Vai has revealed that before joining David Lee Roth, he sent demo tapes in unsuccessful attempts to audition for KISS, Alice Cooper, and Ozzy Osbourne’s bands. The guitarist shared these reflections during an appearance on Shout It Out Loudcast.
Vai discussed his long history as a fan of KISS and explained what drew him to the band’s music as a younger musician. He also reflected on the decision to pursue his own path after those early rejections.
Question: “Any Kiss songs that really stood out to you?”
“‘Deuce,’ baby,” Vai said. “I think ‘Cold Gin’ was one of my favorites. ‘She,’ yep.”
When asked what guitar song he played a lot as a teenager, Vai explained his deep connection to KISS’s catalog. “Everything on the live record. Every song. That was the era that I was a teenager, you know, really exploring that stuff. I’ve been a fan ever since. There’s a lot of stuff in ‘Love Gun’ that I liked. I actually enjoyed Ace’s solo record way back.”
Vai then revealed his early attempts to join established rock acts. “I even wrote some songs, you know, before Zappa. I tried to audition for the band way back when they were looking for somebody when Ace was out of the band. Yeah, it was way back then. There was openings for Alice Cooper, Kiss, Ozzy. And a part of me, you know, felt, ‘Well, I could do my solo music, but it would be nice to play with some of these guys.’ So I sent out some demos and stuff, but nothing nothing happened. Well, Dave Roth happened, you know.”
Vai returned to his appreciation for KISS’s music, discussing specific tracks and the band’s musicianship. “I love ‘Black Diamond,’ but I really like the hard rockers. Okay. And I know ‘Black Diamond’ got into hard rock territory and I liked it. I love Gene’s voice, you know, it’s just so guttural, menacing, and nefarious. And ‘Cold Gin,’ you know, I like that a lot. It’s funny if you watch that live concert from back in that period. Ace does this extended guitar solo. He’s really playing great.”
These comments came during Vai’s recent conversation about his career influences and the path that ultimately led to his work with David Lee Roth. The guitarist’s journey shows how rejection in the music industry can lead artists toward their own successful direction.
Before the major opportunity with Roth arrived, Vai had already built experience in the music world. He worked with Frank Zappa from 1980 to 1983 as a transcriptionist and guitarist. After leaving Zappa, he replaced Yngwie Malmsteen in Alcatrazz in 1984 and released his first solo album, Flex-Able, in 1984.
David Lee Roth handpicked Vai to be his guitarist in 1985, a position Vai described as one of the most coveted rock guitar roles at the time. Vai played on Roth’s albums “Eat ‘Em And Smile” in 1986 and “Skyscraper” in 1988. After his time with Roth ended, Vai spent 1989 with Whitesnake on their album “Slip of the Tongue” before continuing his solo career.
Despite the early rejections from KISS, Alice Cooper, and Ozzy Osbourne’s organizations, Vai eventually did work with Osbourne. In 1995, he collaborated with Osbourne on the song “My Little Man” for Osbourne’s album “Ozzmosis.” The two musicians recorded enough material for a full album together, though only that one track appeared on the final release.
