Recently we had an amazing opporunity to have a chat with she who has been dubbed by Rolling Stone magazine as the first female "Guitar God". That's right, we're talking about KAKI KING. Not only is she fan-freakin-tastic string plucking, fret tapping, slap bassing guitarist, but she's recorded with the likes of Timbaland, launched her own extremely successful Guitar Art exhibition in Brooklyn AND was nominated for a Golden Globe for the music she played in the film Into The Wild.
Soon to be coming back to Australia to tour at a number of festivals and events, Kaki will be heading to Queensland to perform at Sunset Sounds, Woodford Folk Festival and at Byron Bay's The Northern.
Rachael (a little too) estatically took the opportunity to talk with Kaki.
Hello Kaki! How are you?
Good thanks!
Where in the world are you right now?
In Atlanta, Georgia.
You’re coming to Australia soon, you’ve been here a few time over the past few years, what draws you here?
What’s not to like? I get to escape the freezing winter here…
Were you surprised our forms of transport didn’t include kangaroos?
No, I had read in my little Australian handbook about the wildlife and kangaroos, and no crocodiles running around on the street or anything.
Favourite thing about Australian crowds?
They’re really wonderful, really attentive, and really excited. Like some are attentive and others get really excited but they’re always so good to play to.
Your line-up includes the likes of Woodford Folk Festival and Sunset Sounds. What would be your dream line-up?
A bunch of dead people.
What if you could resurrect them?
I’d get all of the Russian composers, like Tchaiovsky, Stravinksy, Mussorgsky, Rimsky-Corscov, Rubenstein, Rebikov, Borodin… and just watch them play the piano. Yeah, I’m really into the classical stuff.
Your guitar has taken you all over the world, what has been the craziest experience you’ve faced?
I just was in Las Vegas and onstage after me was Condoleezza Rice…
Ohh wow.
Yeah, I wanted to kill myself! But I’ve been to wonderful parts of the world, so I couldn’t really pick one moment, I don’t know…
What’s been your best and worst onstage experiences?
Well, I mean the best is where you play a really great show, and the crowd loves it, which you know, is often. But the worst is when it’s tiring, you’re freezing, there’s a snowstorm, you’re sick, you kind of want to die… Actually there was this one time; we had to drive to West Virginia to do a gig. But it had snow stormed so badly, it was so misty we couldn’t see a thing! We were idiots, but we were determined, so determined to get to that gig. And you know how on mountains they’ve got the gutters on the sides of the roads? Well we had to drift on the road so we knew where we were headed. So we’d drift to the side of the road and the left tires would shudder so we knew we’d have to drift more to the right, and then the right tires would shudder… By the time we had got there the trip had taken us 9 hours instead of like 3 hours and small amount of people that did turn up were all freezing and cold!
Wow! That’s extreme determination. Early last year you released your ‘Dreaming of Revenge’ Album. What were you trying to achieve with this album?
…music? I wasn’t really trying to achieve anything, it’s just what I do, I write music, it sounds good, so yeah.
What’s the best revenge you’ve ever taken?
Well the title of the album is based on the quote by Gaugin that is “life being what it is, one dreams of revenge”. So it’s not about literally taking revenge, it’s like throwing your hands up in the air and continuing on with life. Like, you can wake up in the morning and kick your cat and feel shit, but in the end life goes on.
I’ve read you’ve wanted to branch from being labelled “really good girl guitarist” to being recognised as your own sound. How would you describe your sound to someone?
I’ve given up. It’s impossible. When I used to meet people and they’d ask, “Oh what does your music sound like?” I used to say like instrumental and acoustic but lately it’s changed, so usually I just say I play Christian Rock.
A good conversation starter?
A good conversation killer!
Where would you like to be in 5 years?
In the South of France, at a beach where I can be topless.
Do you believe Lady Gaga is a man, or a crazy forty-year-old woman that took too many drugs in the 70s?
Lady Gaga, its funny because she used to play in New York at clubs with her guitar and sing or whatever, and she was just a person you know? And now she’s completely transformed… it’s amazing! I think it’s great; I totally dig her complete and utter weird bullshit! It’s fucking insane! It’s amazing how totally out there she is and be that committed and live it, I totally, totally, TOTALLY dig it.
Yes, I have a secret obsession with her.
Yeah she’s awesome.
So you recently held a “Guitar Art” exhibition in Brooklyn. Is that something you’d like to further explore, creating your music into a visual and aural experience?
Well I’d love to an exhibition part 2, but I’m not a very visual person. I mean, as I grow older, my brain sees things differently. I mean I recently had eye surgery, so I see light and colour in a whole new and different way then what I have for the past 30 years.
Kaki it has been absolutely wonderful talking to you, thank you so much. I’ll be seeing you at Woodford.
Alright, thank you!