Interview with

I remember being blown away, at age 15, when I first saw a Great Kat video. I either felt like quiting guitar, or studying theory around the clock. It was as if Mozart, Dave Mustaine, and Elizabeth Bathory all had an orgy and outcame this wicked daughter of dominatrix, thrash metal, and classical music. Nobody I've ever heard has put out albums like "Beethoven On Speed" or her latest offering, "Wagner's War", inspired by the war with fruitcakes like the Taliban and Saddam Hussein. She was kind enough to grant me this interview... Here's what she had to say...

Interview by Eric

1-It's rather obvious that you have a classical music background, but what (or "who") led you to blend it with speed metal? I see a bit of early Megadeth in your style, myself.

The Great Kat is the Winner of Guitar One Magazine’s “TOP 10 FASTEST SHREDDERS OF ALL TIME” Award (April 2003 Issue), a Juilliard Graduate on Violin and has performed a Solo Violin Debut at Carnegie Recital Hall as winner of the Artists International Competition. After realizing that Classical music was DEAD, I searched all types of music and found Speed Metal. I was so BLOWN AWAY by the POWER, SPEED and ENERGY of Speed metal, that I QUICKLY decided to PICK UP THE GUITAR and transcribe all my violin solos to the guitar and become a GUITAR Virtuoso!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2-Your latest offering, "Wagner's War" seems a bit more extreme than some of your earlier efforts; in which ways do you see it differing from your older albums?

EACH GREAT KAT CD is getting MORE VICIOUS, FASTER, MORE SHREDDING, MORE CLASSICAL AND MORE EXTREME GUITAR AND VIOLIN VIRTUOSITY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

3-Is "The Great Kat" meant to be a different "entity" than that of Katherine Thomas? I've always wondered how much your character is really like yourself. I mean, in person are you really this frantic, sexual prowess/speed freak as portrayed in your videos?

IN PERSON and IN VIDEOS, THE GREAT KAT IS EXACTLY THE SAME RELENTLESS, INSANE, DOMINATING, OUT-OF-CONTROL, PSYCHOTIC MANIAC, and ECCENTRIC and OUTRAGEOUS GENIUS VIRTUOSO!!!!!!!!!

Now GET SHOCKED with the NEW Great Kat Music Video “WAR” featuring:

-Generals Eisenhower, Patton, Bradley and The Great Kat Leading the Troops!
-Concentration Camp Atrocities! Never Forget!
-9/11 Attack and WTC Collapse! Never Forget!
-Patriotic Kat leading the way for America's Triumph! >br> -Guitar Shredding and Maniacal Classical/Shred Music Top Off All the Madness!

Download a SAMPLE of “WAR” Music Video at
www.greatkat.com

4-Can we expect to see a more serious approach to the blend of classical music and metal in the future, perhaps less chaotic?

The Great Kat’s “SHRED/CLASSICAL” Music is actual LAYERING of COUNTERPOINT, RHYTHMS, MELODYS and SOLOS. Go listen to BEETHOVEN’S Late SYMPHONYS (Ex: 9th Symphony-1st Movement-the Fugue) and see if you think that “CHOATIC” music is understandable to your ears!!!!

The Great Kat’s “SHRED/CLASSICAL” music takes authentic classical masterpieces (Beethoven, Wagner, Bach, and others) and mix it with extreme speed and shredding guitar riffs. I take Classical Music Scores from Paganini, Beethoven and others and REORCHESTRATE, REARRANGE and EDIT NOTE-FOR-NOTE for MIDI/LIVE ORCHESTRA and LIVE BAND

5-Are you familiar with any other classical-oriented metal bands much? I'd suggest picking up Dissection- "Storm Of The Light's Bane" or the self-titled Hypocrisy album. Killer fuckin' melodies there!

WHO CARES about those INFERIOR MORONS, when THE NEW BEETHOVEN OF THE 21st CENTURY--THE GREAT KAT—is here TO DUST OFF YOUR LETHARGIC BRAINS WITH MIND-BLOWING VIOLIN AND GUITAR VIRTUOSITY and is RESURRECTING CLASSICAL MUSIC FOR THE MASSES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

6-I know you started out on piano and violin a couple of years before learning guitar. Did you pick up on guitar right away, or was the transition a little awkward?

The transition from violin to guitar was simple, because I took violin solos from Paganini, Sarasate, Bach, Vivaldi, Violin Scales from Schradieck, Hirmaly, Flesch, and also Etudes, Caprices and Violin Studies and placed them on the guitar using the same violin technique (finger placements, shiftings, speed drills) as I use on the violin.

7-When I do interviews, I often ask other fans what they want to know about the person I am interviewing, and one fan wants to know: what is it, thongs, g-strings, hanes her way? And I swear, it's not my pondering.

BOW, PEON AND LICK MY GODLY TOES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

8-If you could jam with one classical composer, dead or alive, who would it be?

LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

9-What were you like growing up as a kid and teenager?

Answer:
The Great Kat’s Life As a Kid:

-Practicing Violin
-Performing Violin
-Studying Violin at Juilliard
-Winning Violin Competitions
GET IT????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

10-What do you do in your spare time besides music?

Answer:
-PROMOTING SHRED/CLASSICAL MUSIC
-COMPOSING SHRED/CLASSICAL MUSIC
-RECORDING SHRED/CLASSICAL MUSIC

- GET IT????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

11-What would "The Great Kat" do if given the chance to have her ways with these Middle Eastern terrorists?

The WHOLE IDEA of “WAGNER’S WAR” came DIRECTLY from those EVENTS of 9/11!!!! The CONCEPT of WAGNER’S “RIDE OF THE VALKYRIES” is the “BATTLE CRY” to WAR, because those INSANE TERRORISTS attacked MY CITY--NEW YORK CITY!!!

And now go and listen to Shred/Classical Music for yourselves on The Great Kat’s “WAGNER’S WAR” CD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

“WAGNER’S WAR” CD Features:

ACT I: WAR
1. Wagner’s "The Ride Of The Valkyries" (from the Opera "Die Walkure"). This music is THE DEFINITIVE "BATTLE CRY" to WAR, featuring OPERA SINGERS, THE GREAT KAT’S SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA AND SHRED BAND!
2. “War” – HEAVY and BRUTAL ODE to WAR!
3. “Terror” – “TERROR! HORROR! MURDER!”

ACT II: REVENGE
4. “Punishment” – PUNISHMENT TO TRAITORS!
5. “Humiliation” – HUMILIATION and REVENGE RIPS through this GUITAR SHREDFEST!

ACT III: VICTORY
6. Liszt’s “Hungarian Rhapsody #2” – The SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA and SHRED BAND

Join together in this INSANE version of this famous rhapsody!

7. Sarasate’s “Zapateado” – THE GREAT KAT'S LIGHTNING-FAST GUITAR TECHNIQUE and DEMONIC VIOLIN VIRTUOSITY SHINE on this INCREDIBLE VIRTUOSIC SHOWSTOPPER!

Download a MUSIC SAMPLE of “Wagner’s War” CD at www.greatkat.com

Download PHOTOS from “Wagner’s War” CD at www.greatkat.com/02/wagnerphotos.html

12-Are there any plans to play any shows? Perhaps an East Coast tour?

When all my KAT-POSSESSED SLAVES DEMAND TO WITNESS THE KAT SHRED SHOW LIVE, then maybe I’ll BLESS you ALL with my godly SHREDDING and UNIQUE STAGE SHOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

13-What kind of set-up do you use for your guitar sound?

Setup:

Marshall 100 Watt Stack (Modified for The Great Kat)
Various Metal Pedals
DigiTech Guitar Effects Processor

Kat Guitars:

Flying V
Strat
Various other guitars
Strings: 9 Gauge.
Tuning: A440 (Standard)

14-Tell me what you think of the old Hungarian Countess, Elizabeth Bathory. You seem very much a modern version of her.

The Great Kat is the MODERN VERSION of BEETHOVEN-POWER, ENERGY, BRILLIANCE and VIRTUOSITY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

15-Now here are two questions most women never answer: how old are you and how much do you weigh?

Would you ask BEETHOVEN that MORONIC question????!!!!!

16- Last question... Yngwie Malmsteen: God or wanker?

WAKE UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THE GREAT KAT IS GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

17-Alright, here's your free space to spill a website link, discography, or any last words.

NOW BOW TO YOUR MESSIAH!!!!!!!!!!!!

GO TO THE GREAT KAT WEB SITE at www.greatkat.com

The Great Kat at greatkat@greatkat.com
Hotline: 1-800-KAT-9199 or 631-549-7575

DISCOGRAPHY

Satan Says - EP

Worship Me Or Die! - CD

Beethoven On Speed - CD

Digital Beethoven On Cyberspeed - Multimedia CD-ROM

Guitar Goddess - CD

Bloody Vivaldi - CD

Rossini's Rape - CD

Wagner's War - CD

LINKS