With 40 years since the historic release of Toto’s eponymous debut album, the band is set to release an anniversary greatest hits album, 40 Trips Around the Sun. Alongside their golden years chart-toppers will be some new tracks, including unreleased songs featuring deceased members, Jeff and Mike Pocaro. Guitarist, managing original member, and rock and roll royalty, Steve Lukather chats about the band’s bittersweet second wind.
“I think the critics are starting to be more forgiving. All the hipster haters are either dead or like 150 years old. Even Yan Wenner [Rolling Stone co-founder] gave up. We outlasted the people who compared us to the punk bands. That’s where it all went wrong for us. They chose us to be the antithesis of punk music. It was easy to pick on a band with a name like Toto – especially back in 1978 – as opposed to being hip and liking The Clash,” he says.
Toto struggled to garner respect in the music community throughout much of the ’80s. After the lacklustre critical reception of their nonetheless popular first album, Toto the band hit hard years with their two follow-up releases. Their label, Columbia Records issued an ultimatum for the band to release a chart-topping album or be dropped entirely. This led to the creation of the historic, Toto IV.
“We were running up a vertical glass mountain with butter on our feet. The guy who co-wrote my book [Paul Rees] was the editor of Q magazine. He told me he was not allowed to write about us in the magazine. He was like, why? And they said, well, because we hate them,” Lukather says. “I’m like, well they’ve never met me. They hate Toto but they liked all those other records that I played on. So they thought I had nothing to talk about? Really? It’s kind of weird, you know. It’s wrong.”
The autobiography, The Gospel According to Luke will be released shortly after the album and details much of Lukather’s time as a founding member of Toto, as well as his extensive session work with some of the world’s premiere musicians.
While the autobiography details his past, Lukather is very much entrenched in the present. He sees the world tour, announced alongside the album release, as a way to connect with younger fans who he believes give Toto a more generous appraisal; though he’s largely disdainful of internet culture
“The kids are great. They don’t care what the old critics think. And we don’t care anymore. I mean, I don’t want to read someone saying I’m a cunt underneath every YouTube video that we do, just because some guy thought it would be cute and just make my day,” he says.
“Some guy who has never met me before. He’s chickenshit because he has a fake name, so he knows who I am but I don’t know who he is. He’d never say it to my face because I’d knock him out. I may be old but I know how to fucking rip eyeballs out.”
Lukather laughs off his combative words. The truth is, while nobody’s getting in line to toe up to the wild-eyed old rocker, personal injury, old age, and the deaths of his close friends and bandmates has taken a heavy emotional and physical toll. His words often ruminate on his own mortality.
“I’m looking at a photo of my old man right now, back when he was in his prime. He’s laughing at me now. He’s like, look at you, motherfucker. You’re almost my age when I died. That’s scary. But at the same time, that’s why I get up at 5am every morning and I’m working on the band and I’m practicing my guitar. I’m still excited about doing this.”
Check out Toto’s classic ‘Africa’:
