An Interview with Steve Jay of the Weird Al Yankovic Band

An Interview with Steve Jay of the Weird Al Yankovic Band

Feature Photo by Dan Lybarger

Steve Jay was born in Detroit, Michigan, in the ’50s. In the ’70s, he traveled to Africa to expand his horizons. In the early ’80s, he auditioned for Frank Zappa and finally landed in a young Weird Al Yankovic band in 1983, where he’s remained ever since.

In the years since, Jay has lent his four-stringed talents to beloved records such as 1985’s Dare to Be Stupid, 1988’s Even Worse, 1992’s Off the Deep End, 1993’s Alapalooza, and 1996’s Bad Hair Day. He’s played massive stages, appeared on MTV, and, supporting Weird Al’s vision, taking part in memorable parodies of everyone from Michael Jackson to Kurt Cobain to Coolio.

Weird Al aside, since ’97, Jay has been dropping solo albums. In fact, he’s got 16 of them, with the last being 2022’s Vita Beata. He’s still touring the globe with Weird Al, but he’s 73, so there’s plenty of room for relation in Jay’s schedule, too.

As for what’s ahead, Jay says, “More recording and touring with Al, writing new music, releasing some more of my West African Field recordings, recording and playing live shows with my sons Miles and Ian, and enjoying my time at our studio ranch in the California mountains with my wife, Barbara.”

What first got you hooked on music?

At first, it was my family. I was very lucky to be born into a musical family. My mom, Delphine, was a classical pianist and singer. My dad, Gene, played banjo, harmonica, accordion, brush snare, and spoons. My sister Ellen played guitar and sang. I watched them all get into it and couldn’t resist joining in the fun.

When did the bass come into the picture? 

One day, while walking home from school, a friend asked me if I could think of a name for his band. I said, “No,” and asked if I could be in it. He said, “Yeah, we need a bass player.” That was the deciding moment for the bass and me. We ended up calling the band The Villains.  That was around the time the Kingsmen released “Louie Louie.”

A few months later, The Beatles hit, and from then on, there were gigs everywhere. One day, I heard Stravinsky’s “Rite of Spring” for the first time and caught a glimpse of music’s potential. I was hooked for life.

Who were your initial influences on bass? 

Almost every bass player I heard inspired me in one way or another. Especially Bill Wyman, Paul McCartney, John Entwistle, Pa Staples, Larry Graham, and Stanley Clarke.

Can you remember your first bass, where you got it, and if you still have it?

It was a Silvertone from Sears. When Vox came out with their teardrop-shaped bass, I wanted one but couldn’t afford it, so I cut my Silvertone down into a teardrop shape, painted it white, put some Hofner-style pick-ups on it, and cut a thumb hole in the body deep enough for my thumb to fit in it up to the first knuckle.

Since it was a hollow body, small to begin with and even smaller after I reshaped it, I could support the bass with my right thumb when I wanted. I no longer have it, and unfortunately, I have no idea where it went.

What did your first proper bass rig look like, including amps and pedals? 

My Fender Bassman amp was fairly “proper.” At least it was called a Bassman, but it didn’t sound that good. Then came the Ampeg flip tops, which delivered amazing low-end. The Coral combo with its 6X10″ cabinet was better still.

But I suppose my first amp that was really there was a Kustom bass head with two 2X15″ silver sparkle rolled and pleated cabinets. My first effect was the Vox Distortion booster (the kind that plugged directly into the amp), which was later replaced by a Fuzz Face and a ProCo Rat. Later, I added a Mu-Tron pedal and an Echoplex.

What did your local scene look like?

It was vibrant! There was a thriving High School youth center scene in Central Florida where local bands played every weekend. The high schools made a big deal of it and gave out schedules every month in class that told which bands were playing at each venue, so it was easy to build a following across the state. There were also lots of other venues like proms, homecomings, parties, etc.

Where did you like to take in shows? 

Once we turned 17, we could legally play in bars in a booming nightclub scene nurtured in part by tourism. At the time, Florida law required the venues to have live music wherever alcohol was served after 7:00 PM. So, there were a plethora of gigs and not too many bands. It was the perfect scene for well-paid, constant gigging.

The Orlando Civic Center was our main venue for big shows. I remember seeing the Hollies when they were breaking out. They actually used a big Ampex 8-track on the side of the stage to play orchestral tracks live with the band while the drummer synced to a click track. It sounded great! The Rascals were also amazing, and so were Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels. Vanilla Fudge made a big difference, too.

Were there any local musicians who shaped you?

A local band that made it big, called We the People, was quite influential for me—especially their guitarist, Tommy Talton, who was a great friend.  In subtle ways he influences my playing to this day.  Tommy went on to do great things with his band Cowboy, his solo albums, and many other projects.

When I was 17, our band, Covington Tower, won second place in a big battle of the bands in Gainesville, Florida. Part of our prize was a slot at the 1968 Miami Pop Festival. It was the first major music festival in the East of the Mississippi. It was also a model for the producers of Woodstock six months later, featuring virtually the same bands. We went on right before the Amboy Dukes.

In the ’70s, you studied drums in Africa. How did that impact you?

The experience impacted me in many wonderful ways and changed how I look at music. Master drummer Isah Hamani, of the Djerma Peoples, in Niamey, Niger, accepted me into his group of Griot Dundun drummers. These are the hourglass-shaped drums, also known as Talking Drums. He and his group taught me some beautiful perspectives on music itself.

In West African traditional animist thought, music is seen as a life form, more than an art form, just like you and me, but much bigger. It pervades the Universe all the time, and it needs musicians the same way we need the air we breathe, the dirt under our feet, and the bacteria in our stomachs. We are a small but essential part of its environment. They told me that musical instruments are also alive.

Again, just like us, with a will and a volition of their own. We bring them to life like something brings us to life. The traditional West African view of music is fascinating. It has many surprising aspects and unusual ideas. One particularly unique aspect is a belief that the Gods are music-loving Gods who hate performances lacking energetic animation.

They would remind me that if I ever got distracted or wasn’t fully involved, those Gods might strike me down with skin cancer or something! That belief served its purpose. Everyone, from little kids to adults, played like they were on fire.

What led you to move to LA?

I played bass in a disco band at a club in Tampa called Robiconti’s. We were the house band and had been playing there five nights a week for a couple of years. We had a really good soundman, Rocky Magistro, so our sound was really dialed in. We played a variety of music, from punk to disco.

One night at Robiconti’s, Frank Zappa, Steve Vai, and some of their bandmates came in after their show at Curtis Hixon Hall in Tampa and listened to a couple of sets. When I spoke with Frank, he told me that we were the best-sounding band he’d ever heard! A few weeks later, Frank Zappa called me up and invited me to audition for his band.

Tell me about auditioning for Frank Zappa.

There were six or seven of us auditioning. I don’t remember who they all were, but it was 1981, so whoever became Frank’s bassist that year was the winner. Frank put the “Black Page” in front of me, and I didn’t read it fast enough.

I didn’t get the gig, but thanks to Frank, I was in LA, and things were happening. I was lucky enough to meet Joseph Viterelli, who introduced me to Wayne Shorter and gave me the gig to play African percussion for him at Joseph’s studio, Producers Workshop.

Wayne kindly played on some of my songs as well. Then I joined the Ghostriders, produced by Micky Hart, and the Robert Stoddard, a punk rock band with Joe Higgs, “the father of Reggae,” and many other bands, including Weird Al. Those were super fun times in LA.

How did you end up with Weird Al?

In 1981, Al ran an ad at a place in LA called the Musicians Contact Service. He wanted to form a band to play a show at the Roxy. I had never played at the Roxy, and I wanted to, so I auditioned and got the gig. We never played at the Roxy, but I was Al’s bass player from then on.

What were your thoughts on doing parodies along with original music?

The parody genre was as unknown to me as it may have been to a lot of people at the time.  It turned out to be outrageously liberating musical fun.

What was your first show like, and what rig did you use?

It was at Cal State Fullerton. I used a Mesa Boogie D-180 with a 2X15 cabinet and my Alembic series 1 bass.

What gear did you use while recording albums like Even Worse, Off the Deep End, Alapalooza, and Bad Hair Day?

For all those albums, I used my Mesa Boogie D-180 head with a 2X15″ cabinet and my Ken Smith Bass. Recording those albums was tons of fun. We explored all kinds of wild things with great engineers in great studios, and people were digging it!

Describe the chemistry of Weird Al’s band and why it works as it does.

We work well together. There’s nothing like playing with musicians who you have known for most of your life. Each of us has our own unique approach, but what we have in common is an attention to detail that seems to complement each other. Like most bands, it’s always amazing to hear it come together in a unique and valuable way.

Was Al open to the band’s ideas, or has he always driven the ship, so to speak?

Al is very open; it’s a big part of driving the ship, as he does.

How does working as a solo artist differ from working with Weird Al?

As a solo artist, you are absolutely free, while being a good sideman involves the subtle art of support. Fortunately, what we do in Al’s band is so varied that we get to go at it from all angles. Keeping that dynamic in flux is one of the really refreshing aspects of working with Al.

Is your process very different?

Not really. We both tend to gravitate towards whatever process serves a given song the best. Generally, we both start by recording the bass and drums live simultaneously, then go from there. Final vocals almost always come last.

What does your current bass rig look like?

Mesa Boogie Subway D-800+ with 1 2X10″ and 2 4X10″ Boogie Road Ready cabinets.  A modular pedal board that can handle whatever effects I may need for a given tour. Several custom Dean, four, six, eight, and 12-strings, along with my Alembic, Warwick, and Fender basses.

All my basses sound glorious, and the Boogie head is like a tone microscope.  Going straight in is the best close-up view of a string I’ve heard. And it’s solid as a rock. The 10 10’s give me all I need for big stages, and I can use 8, 4, or 2X10″ cabinets as needed.

What’s the key to your bass tone and overall approach?

Having instruments and gear that sound inspiring and have a wide range of capabilities is key to start with. In Al’s band, we go pretty much everywhere. With the parodies, it is great fun for me to try and match the different attack styles, tonal arrays, and overall vibe of all those great bass players on those classic recordings.

I get paid to study them as closely as I can. When we play the parodies live, it’s my privilege to channel the original players. What a job! In the music I write, the bass takes many different roles, from mumbles to orations. I take it wherever it needs to go musically, from what could be called traditional to dull background West African Gulu Drum style to bright 12-string funk, with each group of three strings tuned to a tritone.

How do you measure the legacy and importance of the music you’ve been a part of?

I’m too close to have a balanced perspective on the subject. But something about seeing us on the Simpsons sure makes me wonder.

An Interview with Steve Jay of the Weird Al Yankovic Band article published on Classic RockHistory.com© 2024

DMCA.com Protection Status

DON’T MISS A BEAT

Be the first to know when a new article is published

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

Add Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Super In The Title
10 Best Songs With The Word ‘Super’ In The Title
10 Best Songs With The Word 'What' In The Title
10 Best Songs With The Word ‘What’ In The Title
10 Most Rocking Pretenders Songs
10 Most Rocking Pretenders Songs
Charlie Daniels Band Songs
Top 10 Charlie Daniels Band Songs
10 Essential Live Rock Albums Composed Of 4 Or More Vinyl LPs
10 Best Classic Rock Triple LP Live Albums
10 Best Classic Rock Triple LP Live Albums
10 Tracks For The Perfect Album
10 Tracks For The Perfect Album
100 Essential Albums From The 1960s That Everyone Should Own
100 Essential Albums From The 1960s That Everyone Should Own
‘Becoming Led Zeppelin’ Film Review
‘Becoming Led Zeppelin’ Film Review
Beatles And Rolling Stones Win Grammys At 2025 Grammy Awards
Beatles And Rolling Stones Win Grammys At 2025 Awards Show
Aerosmith Reunion Set to Rock Steven Tyler's Jam for Janie Grammy Party
Aerosmith Reunion Set to Rock Jam for Janie Grammy Party
Ringo Starr Joins Paul McCartney for a Live Celebration of Beatles Classics
Ringo Starr Joins Paul McCartney for a Live Celebration of Beatles Classics
James LaBrie of Dream Theater Interview
James LaBrie of Dream Theater: The ClassicRockHistory.com Interview
Eric Bloom of Blue Oyster Cult Interview
Eric Bloom of Blue Öyster Cult: The ClassicRockHistory.com Interview
An Interview With Michael Reilly Of Pure Prairie League
An Interview With Michael Reilly Of Pure Prairie League
Mark Gardener Interview
Mark Gardener Of Ride: The ClassicRockHistory.com Interview
Human Beinz Albums
Complete List Of The Human Beinz Albums And Songs
25 Most Famous Female British Singers Now!
25 Most Famous Female British Singers Now!
Khruangbin Albums
Complete List Of Khruangbin Albums And Songs
10 Best Musical Artists That Combine Rap And Rock
10 Best Musical Artists That Combine Rap And Rock
Complete List Of All Super Bowl Halftime Performers Since 1967
Complete List Of All Super Bowl Halftime Performers Since 1967
10 Gifts Not To Buy An Old-School Music Fan
10 Gifts Not To Buy An Old-School Music Fan
20 Worst Moments In Rock Music History
20 Worst Moments In Rock Music History
25 Best Looking Female Rock Singers Of All Time
25 Best Looking Female Rock And Pop Singers Of All Time
Review Of Living in the Material World 50th Anniversary Reissue
Review Of Living in the Material World 50th Anniversary Reissue
10 Best Breakup Songs For Shattered Hearts
10 Best Breakup Songs For Shattered Hearts
Billy Idol Rebel Yell 40th Anniversary Vinyl Review
Taylor Swift Albums And Discography
Complete List Of Taylor Swift Albums And Discography