Alright, here is the interview I'm the most proud of yet! Jason Becker is one of my all time favorite guitar players ever. I can still remember how much I was floored when I first heard his Perpetual Burn album! At the age of 19, Jason had flawless technique, unbelievable compositional skills, unique chops and truly one of a kind sense of melody. This cassette is still on my shelf along with all his latter works.
In my humble opinion Jason should have been the biggest guitar player on the planet durning the 1990s if the terrible ALS disease had not forced him first into wheelchair, then into total immobility. That was more than 20 years ago, and Jason is still battling with ALS, while others could survive only 3-5 years...
In 2010 I was lucky enough to get in touch with Jason via e-mail and send questions to him - special thanks to his wonderful mother, who conducted our communications.
All in all, here it is - the heartbreaking story of a beautiful mind...
First and foremost, thank you so much for this interview opportunity, it’s a huge honour and a great pleasure for me!
My pleasure! Thank you for your interest and support. I remember Metal Hammer being the first magazine to do a piece on ‘Cacophony’ when we first came out.
How are you these days? How is your mood most of the time?
I am doing well and my mood is pretty good most of the time. I have my ups and downs, but generally, I’m feeling pretty good. My health is stable, although I did just lose the use of my thumb; good thing I can still use my middle finger. Thanks for asking.
They approached me and I was happy to work with them because I have wanted my guitar to be available to my fans for a long time. They made that happen. My next goal with Paradise is to make a copy of my blue Carvin available.
For the first sight, this guitar is very similar to one of your custom Peavey guitars you used in the past. Could you please tell me what are the most important similarities and differences between the two?
Yes, it is based on my design I did for that first Peavey guitar. The similarities are the natural wood finish and the big colorful numbers on the neck. When I had that guitar designed years ago, I had an old-fashioned toy in mind. I love the guitar and it represents a fun thing to me, like a toy. The numbers were a joke at first (although I liked them and I love color) but I decided to keep them because, not only did I like the way they looked, they seemed to help some of my students at the time. The biggest difference is the headstock, which I designed myself. I love it. Also the pickups are different. DiMarzio makes the newer pickups because they have an easier time making the color schemes than Seymour Duncan. They also sound great.
Could you please tell me how you are able to answer these questions?
When I was losing my voice, my father, who is an artist, was afraid I would not be able to communicate any pain, feelings or thoughts I may have. He went to his studio and created a grid-like alphabet with 4 to 6 letters in six boxes. I am able to look at each square and then indicate a specific letter using two eye movements for each letter. My mom/dad and caregivers all have the board memorized by now so I can carry on a conversation pretty quickly. You can see a demonstration of this on my new website at www.jasonbecker.com Go to “how I communicate.”
Let’s take a look at the past. Right after the first Cacophony album you released your first solo record “Perpetual Burn,” and you quickly became the new king of the neoclassical shreds scene, the world was amazed by your flawless yet melodic technique and compositional skills. This record is still one of the milestones of the instrumental guitar music. How do you remember those times?
Thank you! I remember those times as nothing but fun. I was doing exactly what I wanted to be doing and I was working with Marty Friedman, who I respected and learned so much from. I was really living what I had dreamed about doing since I was about 8 years old. They were extremely creative times. I was writing like a fiend. I didn’t have any girls to distract me. Marty and I were just having a blast making music.
I wish I had felt all of that cool stuff coming from the world. I just remember people thinking it was fast. I thought no one understood the depth and feeling of the compositions and playing that accompanied the technique. I thought it must have been ahead of it’s time.
In the song “Dweller In The Cellar” there is one of the greatest guitar solos I have ever heard – I think about the first fast section solo right now. Do you remember this one?
Ah, yes. Thank you very much. If I remember correctly, that solo was something that was meant to be in ‘Air,’ but I decided to stick it in Dweller instead.
In 1989 you replaced Steve Vai in David Lee Roth’s band. Was it a challenge for you to fill Steve’s large shoes?
Well, yes and no. If I had been completely healthy, it would have been all good. No pressure at all. Although I loved Vai, I was doing my own thing, which was unique as well. But since I was limping, tripping, very weak and losing my left hand, I felt like I couldn’t even fill my own shoes. I wasn’t comparing myself to Steve, but rather to myself. No one in the band, including Dave, ever talked about Steve to me. They weren’t living in the past. They were just happy to have me, even though I was struggling.
During the recording sessions of the now classic “A Little Ain’t Enough” album, you discovered the first symptoms of the later diagnosed Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. What were the first signs of it?
A few months before I met Dave, I had been limping on my left leg. I even did a month long tour with ‘Cacophony’ and did some solo shows in Japan
How could you finish the recording process?
I finished just in time. The muscle between my left first finger and thumb was disappearing. That space on my hand was now concave instead of round and bulging. I especially noticed it when recording the acoustic part in Drop in the Bucket. I could barely push the strings hard enough. Afterwards, I went in the bathroom and cried. I would sometimes trip and fall in clubs at night. People thought I had been drinking too much. I was very lucky to have finished the album, but I didn’t kick ass like I should have.
Could you remember what did you feel when the doctors diagnosed this terrible disease?
I didn’t believe them. I actually had a smile on my face. I remember I felt like I was invincible. I didn’t know anything about ALS and I didn’t research it. I concentrated on my music. I was sure that, whatever it was, I could get rid of it. I was positive about it, probably for way too long. Well, maybe not, huh? Maybe that is why I am still here.
You were already affected by ALS, when you started to work on “Perspective”. What kind of memories do you have about the writing process?
I remember that the music just flowed out of me. It seems that when I was forced to slow down, and often just listen to the silence, music would come to me rather than having to go and get it. Some parts I had written, some parts were new, but it all came together in a way that was exactly what I wanted. The hardest part was making it all work like I wanted with all the new limitations I was dealing with. I had finally succumbed to a wheelchair, and only my right hand was barely working. My great buddies, Mike Bemesderfer and Dan Alvarez helped me make that album possible. And, Michael Lee Firkin’s guitar solo on ‘End of the Beginning’ was beautiful.
A few years ago two Jason Becker tribute albums were made by guitar greats such as Marty Friedman, Steve Vai, Paul Gilbert, Vinnie Moore, Steve Morse, Jeff Watson, Ron Thal, and so forth. What do you think when you first heard these records?
I was totally touched and honored. Man, to have such brilliant and creative players do that for me was so cool. Some of them were influences on me. Each tune was an adventure to hear.
Are you still in touch with your musician friends, like Marty, Eddie Van Halen, Steve Vai and Michael Lee Firkins?
I am still very much in touch with Marty, Firkins, Steve Vai, Steve Hunter, Greg Howe, Richie Kotzen, Uli Jon Roth, and all of my musician friends. Firkins and I live close to each other so we occasionally hang out. Unfortunately, I haven’t talked with Steve Perry or Eddie Van Halen in a long time, but I hope they are doing well.
How often do you compose new songs?
The last complete songs I composed were the new songs on my “Collection” CD. It is very difficult and tedious because of all the communication that has to be done, not only to talk but to convey feelings I want in the music and things like that. I have so many things I have written in the past, which I will use for building new songs. I hope to get into that again very soon. Writing music is such a high for me, even though the process is slow.
I’m sure this illness drastically changed your and your family’s whole life. Which was the hardest period of time for you in the last 20 years?
Yes, it has. I think the hardest period for me was shortly before I got my tracheotomy (breathing tube) and gastronomy (feeding tube) because I was struggling to breathe and couldn’t eat without being totally miserable. Sometimes I got food in my chest, and I didn’t have the strength to cough it out. To drink, someone had to hold a glass up to my mouth just right or I couldn’t suck the straw enough. Everything took an unbelievably long time. I could barely breath unless I was totally reclined. It was very scary and made it hard to be in a good mood. My family was tired, my girlfriend wasn’t getting any sleep, I was always uncomfortable. It was rough.
You have been fighting against your illness for 20 years now. Do you ever think about giving it up?
In the past, I have thought about it. When things seemed hopeless and like they would never change, and when everyone around me was suffering, I have considered it. That has happened a couple of times. Not in many years. I hope those thoughts and feelings are behind me.
Have you ever accepted your state of health or you still battle against it?
Well, as much as a person can accept something like ALS, I guess I have. I accept my health as it is, but I am always open to trying different treatments. When I do try things, I am not attached to any kind of results, though.
Most people with ALS are given 3 to 5 years to live. Thank God, you are still with us, your inner power is totally incomparable, so hats off to you. What’s the secret behind it?
I think my youth and excitement about my life was part of it. My parents gave me a fun and creative feeling for life. I don’t just identify myself as a guitar player. I am a loving and good person, surrounded by assholes, oops, I mean loving and good people. Having a village of helpers is necessary. I believe that meditation and the grace of God are big for me. Having humor is huge. A healthy diet with lots of water helps. Still living a productive and creative life is definitely a key. That makes me feel like I have a purpose for being here. I wouldn’t be here if I couldn’t communicate using my Dad’s system.
Do you ever think you should write a book about your experiences with ALS? I think you could give power and strength to most people who live with this disease…
I would love to write a book. In fact, I have written a lot of a books. It’s one of those things I need to put all together the way I want it and finish it - another thing that takes lots of time. It will be about my whole life.
I guess your medical treatments might be expensive. How could your family pay those huge medical bills?
We walk on a thin line. We are lucky to have insurance. Our country is going through a bad economic time, with cuts and downsizing everywhere. It’s scary enough for folks who are not disabled, but for disabled folks, it’s pretty much a constant state of panic. Thank God for Obama’s health care plan.
Maybe it’s a silly question, but do miss your previous life when you were physically healthy?
It’s not a silly question. When I dwell on it, definitely. I miss being able to make music at will with my own hands. I miss playing basketball and football. I miss riding my bike. I miss being able to hug. I miss being able to make jokes at a fast pace. I miss many things, but I am lucky to be able to usually control my mind from thinking about what I am missing. I am able to focus on the present moment and enjoy what I do have.
How do you feel, have you already found your inner peace?
I don’t think so, because situations in life can still affect my mood and happiness. I think I am somewhere between inner peace and normal craziness, but I usually feel pretty good.
Your body is unable to move since 1996, but you remained mentally sharp. How do you maintain your mind these days?
Well, ALS doesn’t affect the sharpness of the mind. It does affect the emotions in weird ways, though. You can be sitting there and, all of a sudden, you might start laughing, crying, or getting mad unexpectedly. I often laugh at the most inappropriate times. I am a naturally sharp person. It was always easy for me to remember things I cared about. As a kid, I counted things constantly; steps, objects. I remember football statistics and plays, and musical things. That might have something to do with it, I’m not sure. My family refuses to bet with me anymore, because I’m usually right about whatever small thing we are trying to figure out and disagree about. Funny.
Do you believe in God?
Yes, I do, because of the experiences I have had with God. It is more real than “reality,” but it isn’t so black and white like most people insist it is from just reading books about God. People are ready to kill in the name of God, just from their own limited interpretations of words. God is mysterious. Just chill, and do your best to be nice to people. God is in everyone.
Do you follow what happens in the world these days?
Yes, pretty much. I won’t watch the news because it never tells the whole truth, and there is too much cruelty and fear. I get my news from two “fake” American news shows, ‘The Daily Show’ with Jon Stewart and ‘The Colbert Report’ with Stephen Colbert. They are hilarious comedians, and are brilliant people. They call people on their hypocrisy in a funny way. Those shows are about things going on in the world, but they lean toward the humor or irony of it, which appeals to me, and I find that to be more like the truth and easier to swallow. Some things are just too sad to believe any human being would be capable of doing. I don’t understand war, animal cruelty, racism, homophobia, or any kind of cruelty from one human being to another.
Maybe it’s a tough question, but what is the meaning of life for you?
It’s pretty simple (and corny) but the meaning of life for me is love. From my experiences with ALS, music, and relationships I have had, it all boils down to that. It seems to be the answer to almost everything and it seems that things fall into place around it – love and compassion.
Gyorgy,
Thank you so much for doing it and for your patience. You asked some great questions! I am grateful to you, my friend.
Peace,
Jason
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