Jetting through the Grand Canyon

August 15, 2010 7:44 PM

Jetting through the Grand Canyon in a Lockheed T-33 in 1959. RAF pilot Ron Dick flies a Lockheed T-33 through the Grand Canyon in 1959. Video hosted by Air and Space magazine. Music by Joe Satriani.

Found this video via a posting on a Lotus (automobile) forum by the pilot's son.

posted by smcameron (98 comments total)

Something something womp rats Beggar's Canyon.
posted by marxchivist at 7:52 PM on August 15, 2010 [12 favorites]

Very cool visuals but I could do without the guitar wankery.
posted by octothorpe at 7:57 PM on August 15, 2010 [12 favorites]

yeah, turn the sound off for that one.

But otherwise great.
posted by wilful at 7:58 PM on August 15, 2010

Heh, as soon as I saw Satriani I had the sound pre-turned-off. Fantastic.
posted by unSane at 8:05 PM on August 15, 2010

I would be shitting my pants...horizontally. Awesome.
posted by notsnot at 8:07 PM on August 15, 2010

That was really cool. But I wish the music had been a little more decade-appropriate.
posted by grouse at 8:09 PM on August 15, 2010 [1 favorite]

I'd love to see that unedited. Particularly not edited to fit that song.
posted by mhoye at 8:15 PM on August 15, 2010

very cool footage, but very glad they can't so this anymore. I already hate it passionately when the jets from the local ANG go out and back for training, if I was in the grand canyon when this happened ...mere words cannot express the rage that'd envelope me.

But, again, cool footage.
posted by edgeways at 8:16 PM on August 15, 2010

Stay on target. . . STAY ON TARGET
posted by Think_Long at 8:22 PM on August 15, 2010 [5 favorites]

Nice footage, pity about the music. I wonder if it could be replicated today with a model airplane and lots of editing.
posted by ZeusHumms at 8:31 PM on August 15, 2010

You gotta love the shit eatin grin on the pilot's face at the end.
posted by Xoebe at 8:34 PM on August 15, 2010

Advertisement: my video will resume shortly.

I recently flew a Cessna over the Grand Canyon. It's just as underwhelming from the air as it is standing on the rim next to your car. The damn thing is just do big it's really hard to understand what you're looking at. Particularly with the current flight rules over the Grand Canyon; you have to be so far above the rim you don't see much but a big ditch.

We had way more fun flying some of the canyons further north that aren't in restricted airspace, aren't part of national parks, are basically middle of nowhere. No way would I get anywhere near as close to rock wall as this video, but it sure is more fun when you can be down lower.
posted by Nelson at 8:35 PM on August 15, 2010

Most days I believe I was born far too early. After watching that, I think I was born far too late.

One of my favorite things to do in MSFS is to take off out of Nellis in whatever I feel like and doing just that thing. Yeah it aint the same, but whatcha gonna do ?
posted by Pogo_Fuzzybutt at 8:35 PM on August 15, 2010

awesome, but what incredibly terrible music.
posted by mwhybark at 8:38 PM on August 15, 2010

But I wish the music had been a little more decade-appropriate.

Try it with the Peter Gunn theme (a 1959 hit). But I actually liked it best with Grofé.
posted by dhartung at 8:42 PM on August 15, 2010 [1 favorite]

The music sucks, but it fits. Didn't you see Iron Eagle??
posted by zardoz at 8:46 PM on August 15, 2010 [3 favorites]

this a total aside but i just watched an old episode of top gear where the guys showed up to a challenge with the cast of a german car show in a bunch of 2 seater spitfires. pretty fucking badass.

as much as i love ww1 there is just something about that era of aviation that can't be matched. it has something to do with the silver and the rivets and the balance of speed vs maneuverability. i guess the t-33 is right at the tail end of it.

the jet engine and air-to-air missiles ruined the magic of the dogfight.
posted by nathancaswell at 8:48 PM on August 15, 2010 [1 favorite]

also, this is very cool.
posted by nathancaswell at 8:53 PM on August 15, 2010

Liked the music but the video sucked.
posted by PHINC at 9:11 PM on August 15, 2010 [8 favorites]

What zardoz said. I think I'm just used to cool flight scenes having crap music. When Danger Zone is the peak of something, you know you're in trouble.

The film itself started out weaker than I'd hoped, but then, wow. What got me is not how close it ever got to the side but the ground.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 9:17 PM on August 15, 2010

Consider me rocked like a hurricane.
posted by Ian.I.Am at 9:17 PM on August 15, 2010

wtf, you guys suck. This is Satriani from his prime period. MetaFilter, sometimes I hate you.

Oh, and this video ruled.
posted by adamdschneider at 9:46 PM on August 15, 2010 [3 favorites]

Can we please get back on topic:

Satriani sucks. Why is this?
posted by LordSludge at 9:50 PM on August 15, 2010 [5 favorites]

Heh, as soon as I saw Satriani I had the sound pre-turned-off. Fantastic.

unSane, I had the exact same reaction. Coming back to the thread and seeing all the Satriani hate left me wondering if I'd made the right decision, though.

A second viewing confirmed that I had.
posted by komara at 9:57 PM on August 15, 2010

As a 41 year old guitar player who knows very well that Satriani doesn't suck, I kind of like the music. When you consider this video is essentially a tribute by a son to is dead father, all this Satriani hate is a bit more grating than that of the usual ignorant tasteless hipster fuckwads.
posted by smcameron at 10:00 PM on August 15, 2010 [11 favorites]

That background music is totally ripping off Coldplay.
posted by mecran01 at 10:28 PM on August 15, 2010 [4 favorites]

When you consider this video is essentially a tribute by a son to [h]is dead father, all this Satriani hate is a bit more grating than that of the usual ignorant tasteless hipster fuckwads.

You got that right, smcameron.
posted by carping demon at 10:32 PM on August 15, 2010

Getting a shot at doing something like this is a huge reason why people become fighter pilots. Man, would I love to take that ride for real. I've done it the only way I'll probably ever get to, in several flight sims in F-15s and -16s.

Probably not as much fun doing it thru canyons where there are people who can shoot at you, though.

Also, is everyone born after 1985 allergic to guitar solos? Sheesh.
posted by zoogleplex at 10:36 PM on August 15, 2010 [1 favorite]

The fuck is up with all the Satriani hate? He's better at guitar than you haters probably will be at anything you ever attempt.

Great video.
posted by cucumber at 10:41 PM on August 15, 2010 [3 favorites]

As a 41 year old guitar player who knows very well that Satriani doesn't suck.

It sounds like you're a little bit biased there, and I remember a time not that long ago when the acid wash jeans, spandex or teased-hair wearing "hipster cool kids" thought Joe Satriani and the like was the absolute best.

Anyway, I'll gladly pick this low-hanging and possibly overripe fruit.

Question: Does Satriani know how to play guitar?

Answer: Yes, he does. He can play the hell out of a guitar. He's very technically skilled.


Question: Does Satriani know how to play or record something on a guitar that isn't masturbatory non-stop "this is Joe Satriani and nothing but Joe Satriani playing the hell out of a guitar and showing off how technically accomplished Joe Satriani is"? Does he know how to play anything with some depth, soul, timbre or otherwise any of the things that make music emotionally expressive or nuanced? WOAH MAN LISTEN TO THOSE HAMMER-ONS AND ARPEGGIOS SO SWEET DUDE YEAH what? melody or lyrics? song structure? experimentation? what's that? DUDE BRO HE'S TOO BUSY SHREDDING FORGET THE MELODY LISTEN TO THOSE HAMMER-ONS!

Answer: Apparently, no. No he doesn't. All shredding all the time doesn't make for good music whether it's hipster new-electro crap or a classical Bach-esque fugue featuring dueling piccolos.


Question: Does Joe Satriani do anything new, innovative, unusual or otherwise musically remarkable with a guitar?

Answer: No, not really. His musical output is basically the hyper-distilled and well engineered essence of overly self-important stoner garage rock. The chord progressions are fairly standard and predictable, the techniques - while dazzling - are practiced and wrung completely dry of any sort of emotional expression and it has all of the artistic merit of a mass produced chromium plated bumper hitch.


Question: Considering the above, does the music of Joe Satriani objectively suck?

Answer: Yes. Yes he does. He's the Kenny G of shred-tastic guitar solo music.

All that being said - I would have much rather had some old Dick Dale as the soundtrack to that video - or just the actual sound of the jets and cockpit noises if available - but I guess that doesn't help sell new Joe Satriani albums.

On preview: The fuck is up with all the Satriani hate? He's better at guitar than you haters probably will be at anything you ever attempt.

He'll never be as good at guitar as I am at being a snarky guitar-solo hating hater.
posted by loquacious at 11:04 PM on August 15, 2010 [55 favorites]

loquacious: how does it feel to shit all over someone's tribute to their dead father just because your taste in music differs from theirs?

Feels pretty good, I'd bet? Like Hitler.
posted by smcameron at 11:12 PM on August 15, 2010 [5 favorites]

loquacious, if you think that is perceptive then you clearly know shit about Joe Satriani.
posted by cucumber at 11:23 PM on August 15, 2010

Feels pretty good, I'd bet? Like Hitler.

Oh, yeah. It's exactly like Hitler. That's not hyperbole at all. BRB, exterminating all the mud people.


Dude, there's an advertisement at the end of the video for Joe Satriani's new album - this tribute is self-disrespecting from the start. I seriously doubt that Ron Dick - the deceased pilot in question - even knew who Joe Satriani was. I also have my doubts that Gary Dick personally selected the music.

We're not exactly talking about a somber or touching eulogy, here, we're talking about an RAF jet-jocky buzzing the Grand Canyon back in the late 50s and early 60s. It's not exactly a somber or reverent event in and of itself.

What I don't have any doubt about is that not liking Joe Satriani having anything to do with respecting the dead. I also highly doubt that Ron or Gary Dick give a shit what some random person on the internet thinks about Joe Satriani.
posted by loquacious at 11:24 PM on August 15, 2010 [3 favorites]

loquacious: Of *course* it's hyperbole. Godwin and all that. We're talking about taste in music. And you're basically shitting all over a video of a guy flying a jet through the grand canyon because his son picked music that you wouldn't have picked, claiming it objectively sucks. I don't care if it does objectively suck. That you make a giant stink about it in the thread means you're objectively an ass. Like Hitler.
posted by smcameron at 11:29 PM on August 15, 2010

Like Hitler.

YNGWIE MALMSTEEN.
posted by loquacious at 11:33 PM on August 15, 2010 [8 favorites]

It's not exactly a somber or reverent event in and of itself.

That is why you fail.
posted by Cyrano at 11:34 PM on August 15, 2010

YNGWIE MALMSTEEN.

LOL. Now that I can appreciate: :)
posted by smcameron at 11:37 PM on August 15, 2010

Sorry for the thread shitting and derail, smcameron, I just realized it was your post, and the first one to boot. Don't take it personally. The video is great. But I guess we can add "Joe Satriani" to the list of things MeFi doesn't do well.

And with that I'm bowing out. I have to go declaw my fat uncircumcised cat before she goes in for liposuction and a GI bypass.
posted by loquacious at 11:39 PM on August 15, 2010

Meta
posted by GeckoDundee at 11:41 PM on August 15, 2010

That was really cool. But I wish the music had been a little more decade-appropriate.

A-wamp-bamb-balooma-a-wamp-bamp-boo....
posted by the noob at 11:42 PM on August 15, 2010

Whoa, you Hitlered your own thread? We should add a FAQ entry saying not to do that.
posted by ryanrs at 11:45 PM on August 15, 2010 [4 favorites]

Thanks for the post smcameron, I actually would have missed it if it hadn't gone to MetaTalk, so maybe there's a silver-lining in this little SNAFU.

This is just so amazing, I can't imagine they'd let pilots perform this sort of hotdogging today just about anywhere in the US.
posted by onalark at 12:22 AM on August 16, 2010

If offered I would take the flight in the video right now even if it made every bunny in the canyon deaf and caused the zombie of Edward Abbey to arise from the desert and pursue me till the end of time.
posted by vapidave at 1:00 AM on August 16, 2010 [1 favorite]

What if it was the zombie of Joe Satriani
posted by breath at 1:34 AM on August 16, 2010 [1 favorite]

Video: Fantastic. Music: Awful.

The latter is a common problem. It gets on my tits when people are showing off, say, a car or motorbike and instead of the cool engine/ambient noises of an awesome vehicle with an awesome engine going really fast all I can hear is their music choice. Even if it's music I like, it's bad. In this case it's the sort of show-off wank-rock I really don't like, and it really detracts from a fantastic video track. I don't want to hear guitar masturbation, I want to hear the engines, or the pilot talking, or whatever original sources they had.
posted by rodgerd at 3:28 AM on August 16, 2010

I know a guy with an M.A. in Composition who always sets his videos of jets buzzing the Grand Canyon to music by Joe Satriani.
posted by sklero at 3:29 AM on August 16, 2010 [3 favorites]

rodgerd: that kind of camera did not record audio
posted by idiopath at 3:32 AM on August 16, 2010

rodgerd: that kind of camera did not record audio

Then I'd rather have silence. Or something non-intrusive. The video's the showpiece, after all.
posted by rodgerd at 3:35 AM on August 16, 2010

you're just not as bright as you think you are.

Hey, that's my line.

I already have this tattooed on the inside of my eyelids, more or less. I'll ignore the rest of your comment because it's not really relevant and a bit too personal.
posted by loquacious at 3:41 AM on August 16, 2010

loquacious: "Question: Does Joe Satriani do anything new, innovative, unusual or otherwise musically remarkable with a guitar?

Answer: No, not really."

Pitch Axis Theory, the objective geek/innovation value of which is above my knowledge of music.

Nice video.
posted by vanar sena at 3:47 AM on August 16, 2010 [2 favorites]

[Hey All! I deleted some comments. Please don't make personal attacks on each other. Also, there's an open MetaTalk thread on this post. Thanks!]
posted by vacapinta at 3:47 AM on August 16, 2010 [1 favorite]

I just muted the Satriani and started up "Telstar" in another tab on my browser, which is appropriate to the era and the technology involved (from '62, but '62 and '59 are pretty dang close, in terms of public mythos), and enjoyed the film in the cool splendor of Atomic-age military futurism that our out-of-control Cold War military budget bought for us.

Alternately, it works well with Coleman's Free Jazz, almost any Les Paul & Mary Ford uptempo number, Laibach's "Life is Life," and "The Free Design," by Stereolab.

Sonic pareidolia, how I love ya.
posted by sonascope at 6:05 AM on August 16, 2010 [3 favorites]

Dambusters Main Theme FTW

/Makes goggles with hands and uses index fingers as wipers
posted by unSane at 6:26 AM on August 16, 2010

My uncle was an Air Force fighter pilot in this era. He didn't seem like a big risk taker. He had a sort of cool, flat affect, like nothing could ruffle him. The Air Force, he said, was very professional, and every pilot lived by the rules or died.

Of course, he said everything with a wink.

(When he came back from Vietnam once on leave, I asked him to tell me a war story. He said "I saw a guy on the ground once. He was shooting at me. He shouldn't have done that." That was all he'd say.)
posted by MarshallPoe at 6:32 AM on August 16, 2010 [2 favorites]

wrung completely dry of any sort of emotional expression and it has all of the artistic merit of a mass produced chromium plated bumper hitch

This proves that all music appreciation is utterly subjective, because I literally cannot fathom how you would ever make this comment if you were familiar with his output. No emotional expression? Sure. I've seen him play live twice, and it's clear that he feels a ton of emotion as he plays, the primary one lighting up his face being joy. Maybe you don't hear it in the music. I do.

Dude, there's an advertisement at the end of the video for Joe Satriani's new album

This proves you don't actually know anything about Satriani's output, because the "advertisement" is simply showing what album the video's track was taken from. From 1989.
posted by adamdschneider at 6:40 AM on August 16, 2010 [3 favorites]

Metafilter: He was shooting at me. He shouldn't have done that.
posted by localroger at 7:39 AM on August 16, 2010 [1 favorite]

The fuck is up with all the Satriani hate? He's better at guitar than you haters probably will be at anything you ever attempt.

Yeah, he's better at guitar than nearly everybody who's ever lived. Also, he is worse at songwriting than most teenagers playing punk songs in their garage. For most, music ain't about how "good" somebody is at their instruments. If that were the case, then every symphony orchestra would have hordes of groupies backstage at every show.

Lots of people don't connect with him. I've been a musician since I was a child, and wankery like this is the absolute biggest turnoff for me. He is like the Kenny G of guitarists.
posted by Threeway Handshake at 7:54 AM on August 16, 2010

Maybe it's because of Top Gun being released during my formative years, but I can't think of anything more appropriate than a squealing guitar for something as awesome as a jet fighter buzzing the Grand Canyon.

I only wish I could be sitting in that back seat for that ride. Man.
posted by Fleebnork at 7:57 AM on August 16, 2010

My word. Must be hard to explain why the wingtips have water stains when you get back. Also agreed that white-hot guitar licks will always be appropriate for this sort of thing and that my first thought was also about womp rats.
posted by yerfatma at 8:04 AM on August 16, 2010 [1 favorite]

Lots of people don't connect with him.

And judging by his sizable success, many do. Does that, in your estimation, make us tasteless know-nothings? I'll admit that I haven't really "connected" with much of his work after the 1995 self-titled album (a couple tracks on Is There Love in Space notwithstanding), but the 87-93 stretch where he released four gold albums and one platinum was a massive influence on me.
posted by adamdschneider at 8:09 AM on August 16, 2010

Lost.

(Also contains an implicit vote for "Deep in the Heart of Texas.")
posted by Kylio at 8:27 AM on August 16, 2010

And judging by his sizable success, many do.

Would that would make The Spice Girls and MC Hammer better musicians than him? What about Kenny G?
posted by Threeway Handshake at 8:27 AM on August 16, 2010 [2 favorites]

Regarding smcameron's use of the word hipster I would like to present the following Cat and Girl comic.
posted by komara at 8:29 AM on August 16, 2010

For most, music ain't about how "good" somebody is at their instruments. If that were the case, then every symphony orchestra would have hordes of groupies backstage at every show.

There are some damn cute cellists. But... I have said enough.
posted by Durn Bronzefist at 8:30 AM on August 16, 2010

A couple of years ago I was climbing in the Lake District. We'd got a lift round to Wasdale and climbed Great Gable from there, and were descending back down into Buttermere where we were camped. The pass where the road is was about three hundred feet below us. We'd stopped for lunch and I was rolling what I will refer to here as a cigarette. I'd just got the thing lit and, at least a hundred feet below us, a RAF Tornado went flying past on its side, mid turn into the next valley. I could have sworn the pilot waved to us. We finished our smoke, turned to the food and he went past again. He'd been right round the Lakes, presumably out to sea to turn round and back in again in those few minutes. One pork pie and a bit of shortbread later and he was back again, and this time he definitely waved.

I stopped waving to bus and train drivers before I was ten. I will never grow out of waving to low flying jet drivers.
posted by vbfg at 8:45 AM on August 16, 2010 [5 favorites]

Would that would make The Spice Girls and MC Hammer better musicians than him? What about Kenny G?

Are we talking about musicianship? I thought we were talking about taste and people connecting with music. Obviously someone likes and connects with that stuff.
posted by adamdschneider at 9:10 AM on August 16, 2010

Do people think it is cool or interesting to thread shit your personal taste in music into a thread on a completely different subject.

NO ONE CARES whether you like the music or not. Jesus Christ.

Cool video. Wish I could do it. Glad no one else can either nowadays.
posted by sfts2 at 9:20 AM on August 16, 2010 [2 favorites]

into a thread on a completely different subject.

"Music by Joe Satriani" is in the post's heading.
posted by Threeway Handshake at 9:27 AM on August 16, 2010

sfts2: au contraire. I'm writing down on a little scrap of paper the usernames of anyone that defends Satriani. Later when mathowie puts the finishing touches on the changes that will allow us to add un-friends or 'enemies' to our social circle (see literature re: Project Moriarty on MetaFilter) then I'll have some names ready to add to my list.

This is all very serious, you see.
posted by komara at 9:28 AM on August 16, 2010

Deadly serious.
posted by komara at 9:28 AM on August 16, 2010 [2 favorites]

Are we talking about musicianship?

I am. My comment, which you responded to, was in response to whoever said that it ain't fair for anybody to hate on him because he is a better shred guitarist than I am.
posted by Threeway Handshake at 9:28 AM on August 16, 2010

I see. I was simply responding to your "lots of people don't connect with him," to which I reply, "so what?" For what it's worth, I don't agree that you shouldn't dislike his music because he's a better guitarist than you. Like what you like, don't like what you don't like, whatever. I'm just surprised by the amount of vitriol in this thread.
posted by adamdschneider at 9:33 AM on August 16, 2010

Threeway Handshake: He is like the Kenny G of guitarists.

I don't really understand this comparison. Is Kenny G widely regarded as a particularly technically skilled saxophonist? AFAIK, he's really good at a particular set of melodic licks and insipid covers of instantly recognizable songs, but I don't often hear youngsters wanting to become saxophonists because they like Kenny G. Satriani on the other hand has inspired two generations of teenage guitar players now, even if most grow out of his music after a certain age. It helps that, unlike an Angelo Batio or a Malmsteen, he is capable of writing accessible and memorable tunes in between straight up wanky solos.
posted by vanar sena at 9:52 AM on August 16, 2010

Hey, he's not as disgusting as Steve Vai, who likes to pretend to fuck his guitar. *Shudder*
posted by Roachbeard at 10:12 AM on August 16, 2010

Hey, he's not as disgusting as Steve Vai, who likes to pretend to fuck his guitar .

Not to defend Steve Vai's stage behavior, but simulated sex by a rock performer on stage isn't really all that unusual, unique, or shocking. Vai's "moves" are a shadow of Hendrix doing the same stuff. I'll grant you that it's disgusting. But it's also disgusting when done by Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Madonna, Lady Gaga, and any number of other performers.

Though, as I believe I have stated in other MetaFilter threads, the zenith of that sort of stab-me-in-the-eye-so-I-don't-have-to-see-it-anymore was David Lee Roth's band circa 1986, which did include Mr. Vai on lead guitar (though he wasn't the one wearing the assless/crotchless spandex with a codpiece).
posted by The World Famous at 10:25 AM on August 16, 2010

Is Kenny G widely regarded as a particularly technically skilled saxophonist?

I don't think the main thing separating Kenny G from another soprano player, say, Branford Marsalis, is talent. At least, more talent wouldn't make Kenny G a much more respected musician, because his defining characteristic isn't his talent but his musical sensibilities. In that sense, Satriani isn't a terrible comparison, even if the output and place in pop culture are very different.
posted by Durn Bronzefist at 10:29 AM on August 16, 2010

YNGWIE MALMSTEEN

IYKWIMAITYD?

(thank God googled saved me after pondering that one for way longer than I should have)
posted by jermsplan at 10:48 AM on August 16, 2010

I wish I could say I unironically liked Yngwie Malmsteen, but it's at least partly ironic. He's the biggest wanker (for every definition) in metal, but he has a certain cheesetastic sound that is not to be duplicated. Sometimes, I thank god for this.
posted by adamdschneider at 10:52 AM on August 16, 2010

I think my favorite Satriani song was "I Can't Drive 55"
posted by Kwine at 10:56 AM on August 16, 2010

I could be wrong, but with Malmsteen, he is at least kind of being ironic about himself? I hope. And that makes his wankery somewhat more palatable to the same types that vomit upon hearing Satriani.
posted by Threeway Handshake at 11:00 AM on August 16, 2010

Oh, dude, you wish. He's pretty legendary for being an asshat to those he works with, and if you've never heard this clip, be prepared to live in fear of THE FUCKING FURY.
posted by adamdschneider at 11:05 AM on August 16, 2010

Yeah, but see, that's surely part of the act? My instinct when I see or hear him is to laugh. It is funny. "ARPEGGIOS FROM HELL" surely can't be serious, yes?

Whereas Satriani is a SERIOUS GUITARIST (who is better than you) for SERIOUS PEOPLE who like SERIOUSLY GOOD MUSIC.
posted by Threeway Handshake at 11:10 AM on August 16, 2010

There's nothing ironic about Malmsteen.

Durn Bronzefist: In that sense, Satriani isn't a terrible comparison, even if the output and place in pop culture are very different.

This is the bit I don't grasp. Both musicians are very clear about their audience, fair enough. But while one deliberately limits his technical repertoire to make the music as bland and middle-of-the-road as possible, the other understands that his (much smaller) audience wants to see someone go at his guitar like a gymnast goes at parallel bars. I'd say that's a difference big enough to make the comparison void.
posted by vanar sena at 11:17 AM on August 16, 2010

Whereas Satriani is a SERIOUS GUITARIST (who is better than you) for SERIOUS PEOPLE who like SERIOUSLY GOOD MUSIC.

I hate to break this to you but writing things in capitals doesn't actually make them true, and often draws attention to the weakness of your case. HTH.
posted by unSane at 11:43 AM on August 16, 2010

Yeah, but see, that's surely part of the act?

If it is, he's even deeper undercover than Ann Coulter, who've I've long maintained cannot possibly be serious and must be some kind of Discordian comedian. As for Satch being SERIOUS, don't confuse the man's fans with the man. Having seen him live, listened to interviews, etc., I really don't think he's as full of himself as you seem to think. Even less so Steve Vai.
posted by adamdschneider at 11:44 AM on August 16, 2010

Santo and Johnny's Sleepwalk + Grand Canyon = trippy.

Start the jet vid at :35, though.
posted by John of Michigan at 11:44 AM on August 16, 2010

By the way, this (two guys playing shamisen) is the best cover ever of a Satriani song.

And, for whatever it's worth, Satriani's self-titled album from 1995 has some surprisingly non-wanky stuff, thanks in large part to the fact that he hired Nathan East and Manu Katche to back him up, rather than the usual wanky rhythm section. Katche has some amazing drums on that album, and it is mixed such that the rhythm section is showcased more than the guitar. It's a fantastic album.
posted by The World Famous at 11:58 AM on August 16, 2010

Kenny G is disliked not because of his skill playing the sax (or lack thereof). He is disliked because of the aesthetic choices he makes as reflected in his music and his pretensions of being a jazz musician when his music is actually pop. There's a fairly long post by Pat Methany where he makes most of these points much better than I can. The fact that Methany is considered in a similar light by some old school jazz fans is somewhat ironic.
If you don't like Satriani's aesthetic choices, than comparing the two is completely legitimate. They are both artists whose work is completely shunned by some portion of the music cognoscenti as banal and repetitive. You can argue either side as being right or wrong depending on whether you like the music or not, and each side is just as valid.
For me, the music is just distracting. I have a problem connecting the old footage with new music and the music seems to be moving faster than the footage. I know, intellectually, that they must be doing at least a few hundred miles an hour but it doesn't feel that way viewing the film. I'm not sure what he could have picked for a soundtrack (maybe some Dick Dale or something?).
As for the meta argument that discussing the music is a derail, I think if you post something on the blue, any aspect of it is fair game discussion, positive or negative. If you posted about commercial film and someone in the discussion thought the sound track ruined the film, I think most of us would agree that that is an appropriate criticism. Obviously, this is not a commercial film but where do you draw the line? If a fan made star wars video is ruined by choosing star trek sound track music, is that a legitimate complaint?
posted by doctor_negative at 12:19 PM on August 16, 2010 [2 favorites]

People who defend guitar heroes are themselves heroes. Thank you for speaking out against the hate. The way Steve Vai licked his finger before playing that final, violent note is not qualitatively different than all of the other performers who are mentioned as having simulated sex on stage; the reason it is not different is because he is truly sexy like Hendrix, Madonna, Lady Gaga, Jim Morrisson, et al. He is positively orgasmic. He is not the sort of deluded cheesebag who makes any woman of taste convulse with dry heaves.
posted by Roachbeard at 12:26 PM on August 16, 2010

I could do without the guitar wankery. …yeah, turn the sound off for that one. ... But I wish the music had been a little more decade-appropriate. ... does the music of Joe Satriani objectively suck?

Jesus you people. Lighten up.

Maybe it's because of Top Gun being released during my formative years, but I can't think of anything more appropriate than a squealing guitar for something as awesome as a jet fighter buzzing the Grand Canyon.

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing, actually. Epic riffs for this epic flying. It's not something I would listen to on a regular basis. But in this particular context, it works well.
posted by delmoi at 12:57 PM on August 16, 2010 [1 favorite]

Palate cleanser.
posted by Splunge at 1:18 PM on August 16, 2010 [1 favorite]

Wow, that's some derail. Getting back on topic, who's the better trench pilot --
RAF Pilot Ron Dick or Rogue Squadron Leader Wedge Antilles? (er, mute video 1).
posted by prinado at 2:05 PM on August 16, 2010

Wedge was my favorite minor Star Wars character growing up, but I'll bet Ron Dick could have done some more good back there.
posted by adamdschneider at 2:36 PM on August 16, 2010

Ooh, Dick Dale, good call.

Or maybe Telstar, which was recorded in the UK, since our pilot is RAF.
posted by mwhybark at 4:34 PM on August 16, 2010 [1 favorite]

Dick Dale is an easy, safe choice. Heck, they have or had Dick Dale playing from in-car speakers on Disneyland's Space Mountain ride.

Telstar is cool, but the real star of the show here is the Grand Canyon with supporting roles provided by a pilot and an old military jet. It could be any pilot or jet, but take away the Grand Canyon and you're left with just a jet and open air.

I went back watched the video muted while listening to this. Warning: VERY LOUD NOISES.
posted by loquacious at 4:47 PM on August 16, 2010 [1 favorite]

Cool, if you like this sort of thing, see a more recent tour of the alps.
posted by meinvt at 5:25 PM on August 16, 2010

Ha! OK then, Ace of Spades (UK artist being something which pleases me here). That should please the metallists, even. Or, ha ha! some fine Eno.

I believe the Eno pleases me the most.
posted by mwhybark at 8:34 PM on August 16, 2010

The white-hot guitar licks are an homage to the original Jet-Moto.
posted by Mayor Curley at 7:45 PM on August 25, 2010