The Devil’s Butler
STEVE VAI discusses his role in Crossroads in this previously unpublished 2004 GW interview
March 7, 1986: Steve Vai [left] and David Lee Roth attend the premiere of Crossroads at Mann Chinese Theater in Hollywood
RON GALELLA, LTD./RON GALELLA COLLECTION VIA GETTY IMAGES
STEVE VAI HAS rarely spoken in-depth about his role as Jack Butler in Crossroads, likely because most of the questions he’s been asked were focused on his gear, how he achieved the sounds, which parts he actually played and who wrote the music. And anyone who has ever met Vai will tell you that the only terrifying thing about him is his ferocious guitar playing. But it turns out that portraying the possessed-of-evil character on film, especially as a first-time actor, required the famously warm-hearted and wise virtuoso to call forth some rather unpleasant feelings… the demons we all have within us.