(Post Hill Press – 2018)
The autobiography of a musician is the type of literature that I can devour in a few days, especially if I particularly like the person in question, and when it comes to Steve Lukather, Toto’s guitarist, then it necessarily becomes a must. It is true that I have seen the man on stage more than any other – exactly 25 times (9 times in solo and 16 times with Toto)! So you can imagine how important he is in my life as a music lover. It is true that the man and his music have accompanied me a lot in my daily life. But that’s not the subject – this is all about Steve Lukather’s life, and it deserved a book, believe me !
It is worth saying that this is the story of a life, not only a career. The opportunity to get immersed in the musician’s childhood and to be carried away by his words. With his choice of playing the guitar, one gets a better undersanding of the man through his family origins and his musical influences. A boy whose destiny no one had foreseen, since he was never a leader for his schoolmates, but still had the will to make his dreams come true. Music was an escape for him, no offense to one of his teachers who tried to dissuade him from it. His parents were there to support him and that was the point. In these first pages, we then discover a child at the antipodes of the adult that we know today. This is a kind of prehistory in the Lukather universe, long before he came into the spotlight and that the first studio sessions started.
I must admit that reading these precious memories was a major motivation for purchasing this book. Unfortunately, this is a bygone era, dating back to the previous century, when the biggest producers enlisted the best musicians on various sessions. Los Angeles was the stronghold of the Californian sound from the West Coast, and Steve Lukather was one of its great ambassadors, with a discography as long as your arm. As a real studio shark, he started practicing his job in 1977, but slowed down from the mid-90s to focus on collaborations and the people he loves, through varied styles, from Olivia Newton-John to Meat Loaf through Brothers Johnson and Elton John who even tried to poach him for his own group. Reading the guitarist’s memories of all those fabulous albums is a bit like reliving the whole history of the Californian sound, since the artist was one of its greatest craftsmen. You can then imagine riding in his Ferrari, with the wind in your hair, on the roads of Los Angeles. Such a crazy 80s period with some excesses that the musician is not trying to hide. It is with a lot of perspective that he’s taking a look into the rearview mirror. However, he did not count the many hours of work to finalize an album and the anecdote about the song “Beat It” when Quincy Jones pushed him to his limits to offer this famous riff is a perfect example.
There are many memories in the studio and we are eager to devour them especially when they are told in an uncompromising manner, to the point of debasing the status and image of some people, but truthfulness is one of the appeals of this account.
But this book is more specifically an opportunity for Lukather to tell the story of his band. He is actually the only member who has never missed a Toto concert in the last 40 years. The importance of his friendship with Steve Porcaro then becomes clearer. He introduced him to his brother Jeff and to David Paich who were the co-founders of the group. While we turn the pages, we get immersed in the evolution of the Californian band over four decades until the 2018 tour. We can then measure the backdrop with some quarrels that we do not necessarily suspect as we imagine their life is just great. Perhaps we envy them so much that somehow we idolize them and subconsciously forbid them to have problems. No, it has not been a bed of roses but Toto has sold millions of albums including many hits and, of course, the good times are also highlighted. Of course, I mean the IV album rewarded as it should be at the Grammy Awards in 1983. However, far from glitz and glamor, we like the feeling of being immersed in the studio with them. And to read that, initially, Luke was a little too inhibited to compose his own songs compared to David Paich who was prolific in this field. We can see him grow and mature over the pages, to eventually succeed in writing his own hits. All these piled up experiences have forged him to become the leader of the group. I would like to add that it is common knowledge that Toto has had some problems with their different singers, but this is an opportunity to better understand the reasons for those numerous changes. The bottom line is that the group is celebrating its fortieth birthday and I can not help but draw a parallel with this quote from Rocky Balboa: « You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward; how much you can take and keep moving forward. » Incidentally, Stallone himself wanted guitar lessons from Mr. Lukather – it’s written in the book !
Admirers of the latter are well aware that his musical universe is not limited to Toto. It is in another context, maybe a more personal and intimate one, that he experiences his solo projects that are also approached with precision. For example, I have seen this artist playing with his group in large venues, but I have also enjoyed seeing him playing solo in little known places. He allowed me to look at music in a different way and opened my mind through concerts at charming small venues. The opportunity to thank him for his solo albums that have also accompanied me the last ten years to the point of sometimes identifying with him on many compositions and to tell him so on his Facebook wall. When Luke himself liked or commented my post, I would be extatic, not to mention a few meetings and some brief conversations that have marked me. This is indeed an artist who counted for me and I had to read his memoirs that do not forget to also report his integration in Ringo Starr’s group those last few years. One can feel his joy to be a part of this adventure, especially when the influence of the Beatles and George Harrison since he was a teenager is fully felt while reading. One way of bringing things full circle, one might say…
More generally, you may well document and read the numerous interviews of Lukather on the internet, they will not go into as much detail as this book. In this regard, the musician totally opens up on issues that we would not dare ask him. Of course, my thoughts are for all his relatives who were gone too soon as this is also an opportunity to pay tribute to them by reliving with the author those sad moments. These are poignant moments, and I would not pretend to be trying to transcribe them here. Their places seem to belong only in this book and in Luke’s heart…
The author also discusses his private life since this is the story of a lifetime and not only a career in the show business. This is an integral part of the story and, over the pages, between the studio sessions and the tours, we understand that it is not easy to find the right balance for a family life. Finally, everything seems linked because his life experiences have had an impact on his music and this is a good way to analyze it. On the human side, it’s also a very instructive message. Two divorces, each time with two young children, are part of his ordeals. I was touched by this desire to stay close to them despite the separation, like a dad struggling against adversity which can also portray the man.
So I had a thirst to learn more about him through « The Gospel According to Luke », written in collaboration with journalist Paul Rees. I want to congratulate the latter because he was able to transcribe his conversations with Luke without trying to sugarcoat them. We can really feel that these are the words of the musician, his own experience of life through his joys and sorrows, materialized by some swear words that make the man endearing, because that’s how we appreciate him. This is a very sincere account, with the necessary perspective on 60 years of life including 40 in the show business.
Dear Luke, thank you for this beautiful and exciting book! I made the effort not to mention another artist I love, since this would have been so predictable on my part. I saw you turning the pages of my book about him once, and this is one of my fondest memories. So I was not going to bring it up again while talking about your own work. Still, I have noticed that a Triple RIAA Platinum Victory record seems to be cluttering your garage, so if I can help you get rid of it, I’m your guy! Anytime, my friend ! And thanks again for everything !
https://www.stevelukather.com/