Almost 14 shows into his World Tour supporting his new album Perpetual Flame, I caught up with Yngwie Malmsteen to talk about the new album, his influences, his induction to Hollywood’s RockWalk and his new Fender Custom Shop Tribute Series guitar.

Planet Loud – It’s good to see you again Yngwie. Your new album Perpetual Flame was released last week, the day after your induction into the RockWalk. It’s turning out to be quite a year for you. What can you tell us about 2008 thus far, and what’s to come in the future.
Yngwie Malmsteen – It’s been a combination of events coming up to this point. All this stuff. I just see a lot of touring coming up for now. I have a lot of releases coming up in the future as well. Right now the pure focus is this album and this world tour which covers America, Australia, Japan, you name it. Yeah.

Planet Loud – So, let me ask you. What has been your most memorable show?
Yngwie Malmsteen – Well, I mean….that’s obviously a show that… I’ve done like thousands and thousands and thousands and thousands of ‘em. [pauses] So the only show that I can say, like right off the bat, that’s extremely different in a sense would be the thing I did with the symphony orchestra, because it was so incredibly difficult..and different…and scary…and beautiful. That surreal, ya know? Rock and Roll I do on my fuckin’ head all day long. That was special. I was just scrolling through YouTube for a joke the other day…today I think it was. I found a show I did in like 1980 in Sweden. Way back! I was 16 years old.

Planet Loud – Wow.
Yngwie Malmsteen – Yeah! I had the same Marshall stacks, fuckin’ going off.

Planet Loud – Yeah, but did you have 21, like you’ve got out there tonight?
Yngwie Malmsteen – No. I think 4. [laughs] I’m glad you noticed that.

Planet Loud – How many are ‘live’?
Yngwie Malmsteen – Only a few.

Planet Loud – It looks fantastic, though.
Yngwie Malmsteen – It’s an expensive look, let me tell ya! It’s looks right, yeah?

Planet Loud – Over the top, man. I love it. What would you say, in your opinion, is your favorite record?
Yngwie Malmsteen – Well, obviously the natural answer is, when you just finish a record and spent a year and a half on it. Well, not a year and a half start to finish, but I started recording it about fifteen months ago and then we were touring in between which was very different. As far as rock goes, this is definitely my best album, Perpetual Flame. I think that, once again, what stands out is my classical stuff because it’s so different. But, having said all that, every record I’ve made was the best I could do at that point. I make a conscious effort to try to out-do myself all the time, to do something that I consider more satisfying or impressive….whatever you want to call it. I’ve gotta be excited, ya know. I can’t just do something where everyone says ‘it’s great, it’s great’. I have to think it’s great, and for me to do that and for me to think it’s good I have to work really hard at that.

There’s been certain albums… that I feel now that…I had made too many compromises on. I learned that lesson a long time ago. For better or worse, don’t compromise. Just don’t. Do what your heart says to do. Do what you gotta do. You have to. I think that’s the reason that I’m still doing what I’m doing. Because I never did compromise for a sale, I mean , I’ve done in the 80’s maybe a couple of songs that were, like, radio-friendly you would say, but that’s about it. I’ve always done what I feel is the right thing to do and, ya know, some people won’t like that and some people do like that so I guess it goes both ways. I don’t think I could do it any other way.

Planet Loud – My favorite song of yours is ‘I am a Viking’, the solo is so memorable and beautiful.
Yngwie Malmsteen – Thank you.

Planet Loud – Can you tell me about your favorite song and/or solo?
Yngwie Malmsteen – Well, obviously once again, I’ve done so many albums and so many songs and especially when you compose everything. It’s like your little children, ya know? You have to love them. You have to. I love ‘Red Devil’ on the new album because it’s like a party rock song and I love ‘Death Dealer’ because that’s a song that brings out a sense of aggression that I find beautiful. So every song has its own particular thing about it, ya know? That’s just me.

Planet Loud – Who would you say is your biggest musical influence that is not a guitar player?
Yngwie Malmsteen – They’re all not guitar players. All of ‘em. Paganini. Vivaldi, [I even named my son after him. His name is Antonio], Johann Sebastian Bach, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach. Those guys to me…..it’s just like listening to God.

Planet Loud – Last week you were inducted into the Hollywood RockWalk. That must have been a huge honor for you. Congratulations. Can you tell us about that?
Yngwie Malmsteen – Of Course, it was more like a surreal experience. I think my hand prints will be next to Yes. I’m not really sure.

Planet Loud – You’ve already got a Fender Signature series guitar, now Fender’s Master Builders are building 106 exact replicas of your “play loud” guitar as part of their Tribute Series. Another huge honor for you?
Yngwie Malmsteen – Yes. It’s unbelievable…..just unbelievable. Yeah!

Planet Loud – How close of a match is it?
Yngwie Malmsteen – Man, it’s so exact it’s frightening! I’ve had that guitar for thirty years. We were at rehearsal and I see this guitar case. So I open it up and looked at it and was like, oh it’s my guitar. I looked at, picked it up and looked at it for…a minute almost, and on the back of the headstock it said John Cruz. He’s the Master Builder at Fender. Until I saw that I thought it was mine. That’s how close it is. It’s frightening.

Planet Loud – Not many musicians have been honored with a replica thus far.
Yngwie Malmsteen – Nah, Stevie Ray [Vaughan], Eric Clapton, Eddie Van Halen……ya know, those guys. It’s great!

Planet Loud – I’m seeing Ferrari logos everywhere I look [bus, laptop, guitars]. I’m guessing you’re a big fan. You have one?
Yngwie Malmsteen – I have 3, actually. Yeah!

Planet Loud – Any chance it was a Ferrari that you wrecked back in ’87?
Yngwie Malmsteen – No. No…..That was a Jaguar!

Planet Loud – I’m seeing a theme here.
Yngwie Malmsteen – Yeah……Speed is my fucking passion, man!

Interview by Jeff Gerew