Mike Keneally Interview - Zappa, Vai, Satriani, XTC

[@eddiecousinsjr]

Chanan is knocking it out of the park with his content, superb!!

[@ChananHanspal]

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[@yournamehere6719]

Tom Fowler on bass: so key to the Roxy-era line-ups, it gave Frank the playground for his great solos.

[@rancemuhammitz1266]

Mike is one of my favorite people on earth! So happy to see this interview. I got to see Mike when he and Bryan Beller were doing the road shows for Taylor. They played Inca Roads and I cried with joy. Afterwards we chatted for quite a while. Such a good guy. Has a great Patreon thing too!

[@ChananHanspal]

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[@winstonschwarz1636]

I saw Mike and Scott with Dweezil in Spring 1993 in the SF Bay Area twice. They routinely fluffed their lines during the complicated non album material( Don’t buy Music For Pets guys. I threw it away after one brief listen. Live. they were great though. Josh Freese on drums was outstanding. Good memories man. In the early days of Facebook Mike was always ready to answer questions no matter how obscure btw. A true gentleman and a scholar.

[@wheelie63]

excellent interview..............Mike'a early Zappa journey mirrors my own..............Freak Out.........Live at the Fillmore.............heavy listening for impressionable minds........

[@WizardOfArc]

Mike is such a cool guy. I was chatting with him after a G3 show and didn’t realized that he was the guy on stage with Vai that night. What I realized it I was like “you’re awesome!” And he responded with , “you’re awesome!” Then he signed my Passion and Warfare book 😁❤

[@coleward4208]

Man, I would’ve loved to see more of Mike as Zappa’s stunt guitarist. We were robbed of some terrific content.

[@smoovegittar]

Caught him in Springfield Mass. stage right with a guitar and keyboard setup. Didn't know who he was but by evening's end, I had to find out. And he was having FUN.

[@cameronpatrickscott]

Fresh from seeing a double header of Gong and Ozric Tentacles at the Cheese and Grain in Frome, Somerset South West England, this is just the morning unwind the doctor ordered, endlessly fascinating delving with these wonderful people and their stories, many thanks.

[@splankhoon]

I was expecting Mike to come along. It's the logical step from Frank to Steve to Andy...Thank you, Chanan!

[@ChananHanspal]

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[@mikekeneally1647]

whoops - I meant 45 SECONDS re: Zolar Czakl, not 45 minutes - I'd love to hear that version though :-) thanks so much Chanan!

[@ChananHanspal]

Me too, that would be great and thank you Mike, such a pleasure to chat. Hopefully speak soon, best wishes.

[@bowriverblog]

Mike is a shredder. Seen him live several times and he fuckin rocks !! 🤟🤟🤟

[@satchice9102]

Exemplary interview. Thank you Chanan.

[@ChananHanspal]

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[@fostercathead]

The smile on your face tells it all! What a wonderful interview. :-)

[@ChananHanspal]

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[@pedrozappa]

This channel is turning into one of my favourite channels ever. Thank you chanan!

[@ChananHanspal]

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[@ryanjones4150]

Another Stellar interview by Chanan. One of the first Zappa discs I acquired was Make A Jazz Noise Here, my introduction to Mike. I really need to check out his catalog more in-depth, and a lot of other stuff referenced by him and Chanan. I agree that Gentle Giant is something special, Octopus is in regular rotation in my car CD player, slowly getting into them. I really feel like a kindred spirit to anyone who is a fan of this channel, if anybody is in Olympia WA and would like to get together now and then to jam or whatever, let me know. Information is not knowledge Knowledge is not wisdom Wisdom is not truth Truth is not beauty Beauty is not love Love is not music Music is the best.

[@ChananHanspal]

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[@FunkyKikuchiyo]

I was a big fan of MK in high school, even had a Nonkertompf shirt that I wore to school! In retrospect, the appeal was an ideal mix of irony/silliness (anyone remember his email poems?) and sincerity. He could be totally goofy and off the wall, and then do a sweet song that was total teen angst fodder. Not too many people pull that off like Mike. It is great to see he’s doing well, and seems to be the same guy I remember (briefly) meeting a couple decades ago.

[@sammydjursfeldt4938]

I once heard that FZ said that Mike had the best ears in his band - saw him the first time on the Zappa's Universe tribute show wow! , and I think I can see his green guitar in the rack in the background from that show?...great stuff Chanan

[@thewaldfe9763]

The part about XTC/vocal delivery is really interesting! Mike's vocal performance on their collaborative album is so good!

[@BudTristano]

I was lucky enough to actually hear "The best band you never heard in your life" and have followed MK ever since. It was cool to hear about Wooden Smoke, a very special record.

[@squanto2]

Aww, man. I lived in the L.A. area at the time so I didn't get to see it. I was waiting and they never showed. I was bitter about it for awhile.

[@GuitarSoloReactions]

Another amazing interview, many new insights form Mike. Thanks Chanan.

[@robinjones6999]

Ive met him and hes a very humble guy

[@ChananHanspal]

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[@JayAgassi]

Mike is a very underrated Phenomenal musician.

[@gavinbuck8130]

Wow that flew by, what a fantastic insightful interview, thank you. 😊

[@wowwhywow]

I'm SO glad you asked Mike about Wooden Smoke.

[@ChananHanspal]

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[@PeterDaley72]

I remember being impressed with his playing at a 1997 Vai concert in Sydney. And I remember the hat! It wasn't until recently I realized he was the same guy who played with Satch and did the first album of Vai piano covers. What a career!

[@jublaim]

Really great interview! So happy to see and hear Mike; he seemes really comfortable and happy to talk. Ha-ha, at times he reminded me of Randy Bachman, another musician that's got a lot of stories to share😄

[@adammooreguitar80]

Oh wow, Mike’s learning is totally not what I expected. Another fantastic interview. Nice one, Chanan.

[@ChananHanspal]

You're welcome and thanks for watching.

[@bmp731]

So great interview, Mike is my hero

[@ChananHanspal]

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[@bobule]

Great interview! I have been a rabid MK fan since the 90's, mail ordered to the UK! So happy to see him well, happy and playing fantastically! I saw him play solo material twice in the UK in Swindon and London, maybe one day I will get over to the baked potato for a show..

[@markjeffery3237]

Ruddy Nora, I was going to suggest MK as an interviewee! Brilliant 👍🏻 Wing Beat Fantastic is an absolutely delightful record, and deserves far greater recognition. Keep it coming, Chanan😊👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@squanto2]

These shows are fascinating. THANKS!

[@pawliemusic]

Thank you very much for this, Mr. Hanspal! Great questions start to finish, and of course Mike is so deep and articulate as always. A beautiful experience, sir. 😊

[@ChananHanspal]

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[@jimjam8949]

There is an upload on KZbin of him playing a track Scullbubbles I think it's called, as a live 3 piece somewhere from about 2008? It almost has me in tears it's so good.

[@erikmaronde2244]

Always looking forward to see Mike play live, the last two times with Devin (2019 and 2023). Also love his solo work and Wing beat. An amazing musician and a very nice person to listen to. 👍🎶🖖

[@TylerBartram]

I love this!

[@ChananHanspal]

Thanks Tyler, I hope you're well my friend. Best wishes.

[@ChongqingPeter]

The hits keep coming!

[@cfaibah]

Killer stuff. Keneally is some sort of secret weapon of rock music, few people seem to have heard of him but all those who have were usually floored

[@Eefaux]

Loved this Chanan (and Mike). Was going to comment at around midnight to say I knew what I’d be doing for the next hour. Liked this before I’d even watched it… XTC, Zappa, Vai, Satriani, come on. Haven’t even mentioned Mike and Chanan yet. Like at Chanan’s grin a5 the start, priceless. Love the enthusiasm. However, despite initial reactions, managed to restrain myself. Now I’ve finished… really glad I watched this. Thank you both.

[@ChananHanspal]

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[@brendanbilling4323]

Hi Chanan really enjoying your content !All the best bro

[@ChananHanspal]

Thanks Brendan.

[@laurencehogg6010]

Another great interview - thanks again for doing this.

[@ChananHanspal]

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[@markrobinson5780]

Yeah, these really are about the best music appreciation/analysis pieces out there. Chanan is a brilliant player in his own right, but it's his enthusiasm that hits home. Music is interwoven into his DNA - great stuff, more please!

[@talkingbasslessons]

Awesome interview Chanan! Absolutely loving your channel

[@ChananHanspal]

Thank you and congratulations on your channel! Best wishes.

[@seancurtin5131]

Can't believe I missed out seeing Mike here in Australia. Frustratingly it completely slipped my radar. Will have to check for newsletter. Can't help wondering if that Roxy SG in the background is the Gibson re-release or a converted SG based on the original. No one knows exactly which pickups Frank used in the guitar. I bought some Epiphone vintage pups and desoldered the metal shell covers off for the ones I used in my Tokai modified replica I had to make myself because all the Gibson re-release for sale 2nd hand had cracked necks. However Steve Vai kindly signed the bridge for me so it's ultra special to me now. Would love to know what Frank actually had in it at the time though. Wonderful to hear about the musical inspiration and how like minded so many of us fans are when it comes to Frank's music. Superb interview. Many thanks to All

[@teblake3]

Great interview Thank you both

[@ChananHanspal]

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[@chrissharrock2581]

Another great interview with a massively talented musician . I have all of Mikes albums and saw him twice with FZ in 1988 . Thanks for posting Chanan .

[@ChananHanspal]

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[@unclesiebsamI]

Wonderful interview! Thank you!

[@1matrix9]

Brilliant, thank you both for sharing your time.

[@ChananHanspal]

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[@lousekoya1803]

Thank you ! Love your channel which is you with a great guests , smile , intelligence and passion !

[@timelanguid4813]

Processing Zappa at 8 ?

[@smoovegittar]

Always nice to see Mike! Totally down to Earth. I've been a fan since "Broadway the Hard Way". 1988 was a long time ago. Thanks for the interview!

[@sidoughty428]

Excellent stuff, I knew that Mike was a dude just working with FZ. When I saw him live on the Hologram tour he was ripping out one blistering guitar solo after another!

[@mrzap343]

Many times I think: what would I say if I met one of my idols? Well, I would say to Mike: Thank you for everything! And hats off to Chanan too. You’re doing a job few people would be able to do. As a Zappa fan, I’m tired of hearing some questions like: “Why the name Mothers of Invention”?

[@jazzdischarge]

Thanks Chanon, great channel - keep'em coming!

[@ChananHanspal]

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[@Doctorslosh]

Thank you....

[@ChananHanspal]

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[@flowerpunkchip]

That was excellent. Thank you. Sinister footwear on them or us was my first Zappa album and sinister was my favourite. Such a diverse album with many styles and emotions. And when I heard sinister footwear I thought, this beats Jean-Michelle Jarre with just one tune. But it took me 2 months to fully fall in love with 2nd part of the composition. I faded it out slowly when I copied it onto cassette for my cheap 0.85 liter mini when driving to work. Then my untrained musical ears slowly fell in love with the second part and I would be annoyed that I had faded the second part. Then of course I put the entire composition onto tape when I fully appreciated and understood the piece.

[@ChananHanspal]

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[@JohnLloydDavis]

WHAT!!!!!! Amazing!

[@ChananHanspal]

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[@eddiecousinsjr]

Great he mentions Gary Greene out of Gentle Giant, a very underrated guitarist.

[@bakeone4406]

Mike is crazy, well fearless at least. When he was doing a music store appearance w/ an acoustic bass player (maybe Bryan Beller) he asked if there were any requests. I stupidly said I know you can't do Echidna's Arf, but how about playing Sofa. He said who says we can't play Echidna's Arf. The duo then did an unbelievably good job of putting it down. The small crowd (justifiably) flipped out.

[@gumbilicious1]

Yeah, he was with Beller for that. That must have been really cool to see, I only saw videos

[@wakajawaka]

Great interview and informative from Mike! What is the exact story on Scott Thunes hoping Mike Partridge would attend a Zappa show? Was he notoriously a recluse or something?

[@eddiecousinsjr]

Quality!

[@garyprice6504]

A nice 'share' on Frank.

[@andyokus5735]

How did you get with Bill McPherson?

[@BassByTheBay]

Chanan, how do you get these guys? I'm genuinely curious. Do you just reach out to them directly? Through their management? Some other avenue?

[@devolve42]

I wish you had talked more about Dethklok, since that music is so vastly different from what Mike is usually associated with.

[@stephenpitul4025]

It might be interesting to see the way some of these guitarists actually perform these lines, in an A-B testing...Watching one piece with 4 small screens each one playing their versions.

[@smorrow]

The Help I'm A Rock story reminds me of how we all grew up thinking Who Let The Dogs Out was about dogs

[@gta_philadelphian4215]

Meeting Mike in 1988 walking in front of The Tower Theater was great. I said your the new guy ? Mike had a gal pal back then and long brown hair.

[@teddnagurski5583]

It's a shame that Beer for Dolphins never caught on with the 90s jamband crowd.

[@adriancosta4664]

Thanks so much Chan. Great interview. I have something for you to look into... did Quincy Jones copy Zappa. Listen to Bamboozled by love then listen to Michael Jackson Beat it.

[@adriancosta4664]

Also do you think Zappa copied Lynne Randell - summertime

[@ChananHanspal]

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[@cgmahony]

OMG A Passion Play Jethro Tull and Gentle Giant . That's so interesting

[@IndigoBassNotes]

Remember to keep the vapors astonished and follow the Dog down to the community Ugly Town as you seek beer for dolphins, guidelines are only vague suggestions from the central scrutinizer.

[@lumpytapioca5062]

I spy the green strat.

[@jasonmillion5970]

Frank Zappa's the greatest !!!!!

[@CaliforniaBushman]

Nested odd tuplets inside of a quarter note triplet - Frank Zappa

[@smorrow]

5:45 Not to mention Frank employs singers that are actually good!

[@wowwhywow]

I've always considered Mike a good singer. It's probably more an issue of voice register. Some people don't like ANYBODY that sings in that register. It don't bother me none...lol... but I'm not like most other people.

[@brucemonahan8134]

Thank You.....