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ZIK ADDICT'S INTERVIEW WITH THE GREAT KAT

By Marie Cartier, Zik AddictZIK ADDICT'S INTERVIEW WITH THE GREAT KAT! "She is beautiful and rebellious, she is very strong and she is insanely talented and certainly more raving mad; this is how to summarize briefly the Anglo-American virtuoso, The Great Kat. Violinist and guitarist hellish demonic queen of speed/thrash metal has re-examined and corrected (with great blows of the 6-string electric) standards from Beethoven." - By Marie Cartier, Zik Addict (France)

ZIK ADDICT'S INTERVIEW WITH THE GREAT KAT! "She is beautiful and rebellious, she is very strong and she is insanely talented and certainly more raving mad; this is how to summarize briefly the Anglo-American virtuoso, The Great Kat. Violinist and guitarist hellish demonic queen of speed/thrash metal has re-examined and corrected (with great blows of the 6-string electric) standards from Beethoven." - By Marie Cartier, Zik Addict (France) ZIK ADDICT'S INTERVIEW WITH THE GREAT KAT! "She is beautiful and rebellious, she is very strong and she is insanely talented and certainly more raving mad; this is how to summarize briefly the Anglo-American virtuoso, The Great Kat. Violinist and guitarist hellish demonic queen of speed/thrash metal has re-examined and corrected (with great blows of the 6-string electric) standards from Beethoven." - By Marie Cartier, Zik Addict (France)
ENGLISH
The Great Kat
March 5, 2010
The cat that you tore eardrums !!!!!

She is beautiful and rebellious, she is very strong and she is insanely talented and certainly more raving mad; this is how to summarize briefly the Anglo-American virtuoso, The Great Kat. Violinist and guitarist hellish demonic queen of speed / thrash metal has re-examined and corrected (with great blows of the 6-string electric) standards from this brave Beethoven, who, if he were still around to hear it, would perhaps not be so annoyed to be deaf as a post.

For the release of his DVD, Beethoven's Guitar Shred, speed and the ultra bizarre, Katherine Thomas (aka, The Great Kat), kindly take a few nanoseconds to respond (with lots of promotional sales pitch) by email to our questions. Also, if you interview seems strange, do not worry, it's probably because she is ... Fortunately for the little slut that anti-doping controls are not in the middle of the trash metal!
 
Question: You started playing the violin and studying classical music at the famous Juilliard School, when and for what reasons you start playing guitar?

The Great Kat: First of all, The Great Kat is:
"Top 10 Fastest Shredders Of All Time" (Guitar One Magazine)
"50 Fastest Guitarists Of All Time" (Guitar World Magazine)
"The 100 Wildest Guitar Heroes" (Classic Rock Magazine)
"12 Greatest Female Guitarists Electric" (She Magazine)
The Great Kat is also a "Juilliard graduate" violin virtuoso and "Concertmaster" the Juilliard Pre-College Orchestra.  I am also the winner of the "Artists International Competition on Violin" and "Carnegie Hall Debut in the category Solo Violin. The Great Kat Shred Guitar Goddess began playing the guitar after graduating as a "violin virtuoso" from Juilliard and after realizing that CLASSICAL MUSIC WAS DEAD! After researching different forms of popular music I could use to UPDATE Classical Music, I found the speed metal. So I picked up the electric guitar and took my "Paganini" violin technique (a special technique left hand I learned at the Juilliard School). I transposed and adapted it to the guitar, then I started to transcribe (with great accuracy!) pieces of classical music for electric guitar.


Question: Basically, you have classical training, why did you choose the speed metal in particular to rehabilitate standards of classical music?

The Great Kat: I chose the SPEED METAL because it is the most vicious, POWERFUL, violent, brutal and virtuosic form of popular music that requires the most skill. Moreover, it fit BEST with virtuoso Classical Composers like Beethoven, Paganini, Vivaldi and Bach! The Great Kat adapts classical music to "Speed / Shred 'Guitar taking exactly NOTE FOR NOTE classical scores, then transcribing, arranging, RE-ORCHESTRATING and recomposing these masterpieces for BAND, ORCHESTRA, VIOLIN AND SHRED GUITAR !!!!! Come see the incredible virtuosity of The Great Kat on the song "THE FLIGHT OF THE BUMBLE-BEE"  from "Beethoven's Guitar Shred" on my website: http://www.greatkat.com/metalvideos/TheFlightOfTheBumbleBeeMusicVideo.wmv 


Question: What are your influences in music and those in the metal?

The Great Kat: In classical: Beethoven, Wagner, Haydn, Mozart, Paganini, Bach, Verdi, and the metal: Motorhead.


Question: Is it a handicap or an advantage to get credibility as woman in the manly genre of speed metal ?

The Great Kat: THE GREAT KAT HAS THE CREDIBILITY BECAUSE THE GREAT KAT IS A HIGHLY-TRAINED VIOLIN VIRTUOSO TURNED GUITAR SHREDDER AND HAS NO RIVALS!

Question: In your opinion, if Beethoven and other classical composers could hear you from their graves, what would they think of your covers?

The Great Kat : Beethoven, Wagner and other geniuses would thank THE GREAT KAT for keeping their music alive and for bringing their masterpieces directly to the masses with SHRED / CLASSICAL !!!!!!!!!! ! BEETHOVEN'S GUITAR SHRED, has been described in the press:
-"The queen of speed. The Great Kat plays shred covers of classical composers like Beethoven and Wagner. One of the fastest guitarists of all, her persona knows no limits. ” - Zach Zimmerman, Associated Content
-"The Great Kat has launched her new DVD in which the extraordinary guitarist includes classic works by the deaf genius (Beethoven), Bach and Paganini. Katherine Thomas broke speed records by playing the famous piece “The Flight of the bumblebee” at a dizzying 300 beats per minute. A fierce guitarist specializing in heavy metal versions of the classics." - Guillermo Aguilera, Contenido
- "Genius at work in this metal masterpiece. This Juilliard-trained violinist puts her intensely fast fingers to new use playing some of the fastest shredding you're ever going to hear on both electric guitar and violin. Amazing version of 'Flight of the Bumblebee. '” - Jonathan Knell, Campus Circle
-"More female chauvinist than feminist, Kat is best described as a 21st century Janis Joplin who breaks out of the conventionally assigned gender role limitations of acceptable female behavior, creatively and otherwise, to give the historically male dominated music scene a woman's energy and edge." - Prairie Miller Critical Women On Film Journal - The Women Film Critics Circle


Question: As a "guitar goddess" and violin virtuoso, what is your daily training?

The Great Kat The Great Kat, High Priestess of shred guitar, practices, records, composes, arranges and SPREADS THE GOSPEL OF SHRED/CLASSICAL MUSIC TO THE MASSES 24 HOURS A DAY!!!!!!!!!!!


Question: For people who have no idea who you are and what kind of music you do, how would you describe your DVD?

The Great Kat: The Great Kat's Beethoven's Guitar Shred DVD is a showcase of SHRED GUITAR PYROTECHNICS, INSANE IMAGERY, OUTRAGEOUS SCENES, CLASSICAL virtuosity and MIND-BLOWING GUITAR SHREDDING!
Beethoven's Guitar Shred is composed of:
 - "The Flight Of The Bumble-Bee" - executed at speeds to blister your fingers (300 BPM!) http://www.greatkat.com/metalvideos/TheFlightOfTheBumbleBeeMusicVideo.wmv 
-Beethoven 's "5th Symphony" - metal version of one of the most famous symphonies of the world! http://www.greatkat.com/beethovens5thsymphonynew.wmv 
-Paganini 's "Caprice # 24" - for the guitar and violin. http://www.greatkat.com/metalvideos/PaganinisCaprice24.wmv 
-Bach 's "Brandenburg Concerto # 3" - where The Great Kat "shreds" on 6 guitars and 3 violins! http://www.greatkat.com/BachsBrandenburgConcerto3.wmv 
Not to mention many MORE Theatrical Metal Madness!

Question: Do you consider yourself as a "UFO" in the music industry today?

The Great Kat: The "music industry today" does not even exist! The Internet has now taken control of all industries and music and THE GREAT KAT's SHRED/CLASSICAL is perfect for regenerating the music in a world moving fast, thinking fast and running quickly thanks to the internet !!!!!!!!!
THE GREAT KAT IS GOD!!!
THE GREAT KAT IS THE REINCARNATION OF BEETHOVEN !!!!!!

… ...
Just that.
.and in all simplicity and humility, of course!



Read the review of the DVD, Beethoven's Guitar Shred, by clicking here.




 
  
FRENCH
The Great Kat
mars 5, 2010
La féline qui vous déchire les tympans !!!!!

Elle est belle et rebelle, elle forte et joue fort, elle est follement talentueuse et encore plus certainement folle à lier ; voilà comment résumer en quelques mots la virtuose anglo-ricaine, The Great Kat. Violoniste infernale et guitariste démoniaque, la reine du speed/trash metal a revu et corrigé (à grands coups de 6 cordes électrifiées) des standards de ce brave Beethoven, qui, s’il était encore là pour l’entendre, ne serait peut-être pas si fâché d’être sourd comme un pot.

Pour la sortie de son DVD, Beethoven’s Guitare Shred, l’utra speed et bizarroïde, Katherine Thomas (aka, The Great Kat), a bien voulu prendre quelques nanosecondes pour répondre (à grand renfort de baratin promotionnel) par email à nos questions. Aussi, si cette interview vous semble étrange, rassurez-vous, c’est sûrement parce qu’elle l’est… Heureusement pour la bougresse que les contrôles anti-dopage n’existent pas dans le milieu du trash metal !

Question : Tu as commencé par jouer du violon et étudier la musique classique à la fameuse école Juilliard ; quand et pour quelles raisons à tu commencer à jouer de la guitare ?

The Great Kat : Avant toute chose, The Great Kat est :
“Top 10 Fastest Shredders Of All Time” (Guitar One Magazine),
“50 Fastest Guitarists Of All Time” (Guitar World Magazine)
“The 100 Wildest Guitar Heroes” (Classic Rock Magazine)
“12 Greatest Female Electric Guitarists” (Elle Magazine)
The Great Kat est aussi une «Juilliard graduate» virtuose du violon et «concertmaster» du Juilliard Pre-College Orchestra. Elle est également la gagnante de l’ «Artists International Competition on Violin» et du «Carnegie Recital Hall Debut» dans la catégorie «Solo de Violon». The Great Kat Shred Guitar Goddess a commencé à jouer de la guitare après avoir obtenu son diplôme de «violin virtuoso» à l’école Juilliard, après qu’elle ait réalisé que la MUSIQUE CLASSIQUE WAS DEAD ! Après avoir recherché différentes formes de musiques populaires qui me permettraient de remettre la musique classique au goût du jour, j’ai découvert le speed metal. Je me suis donc mise à la guitare électrique en y appliquant la technique de violon «Paganini» (une technique particulière avec la main gauche que j’ai apprise à l’école Juilliard). Je l’ai transposée et adaptée à la guitare, puis j’ai commencé à retranscrire (avec la plus grande exactitude !) des morceaux de musique classique pour la guitare électrique.

Question : À la base, tu as une formation classique, pourquoi as-tu choisi le speed metal en particulier pour réadapter des standards de musique classique ?

The Great Kat : J’ai choisi le SPEED METAL parce que c’est le genre le PLUS VICIEUX, PUISSANT, VIOLENT, BRUTAL, et la forme de musique populaire qui demande le plus de virtuosité. De plus, c’est ce qui convient le mieux pour reprendre les compositeurs/virtuoses de musique classique comme BEETHOVEN, PAGANINI, VIVALDI et BACH !! The Great Kat adapte la musique classique à la «Speed/Shred» guitare en prenant exactement, NOTE PAR NOTE, les partitions classiques, puis en les RETRANSCRIVANT, ARRANGEANT, RE-ORCHESTRANT et RECOMPOSANT ces chefs-d’oeuvre pour ORCHESTRE, GROUPE, SHRED GUITARE ET VIOLON !!!!! Allez voir l’INCROYABLE VIRTUOSITE de The Great Kat sur le morceau “THE FLIGHT OF THE BUMBLE-BEE” de "Beethoven's Guitar Shred" sur son site : http://www.greatkat.com/metalvideos/TheFlightOfTheBumbleBeeMusicVideo.wmv

Question : Quelles sont tes influences en musique classique et celles dans le metal ?

The Great Kat : En classique : Beethoven, Wagner, Haydn, Mozart, Paganini, Bach, Verdi, et dans le métal : Motorhead.

Question : Est-ce un handicape ou un avantage d’être une femme pour être crédible dans le milieu plutôt masculin du speed metal ?

The Great Kat : THE GREAT KAT A DE LA CREDIBILITE PARCE QUE THE GREAT KAT EST UNE VIRTUOSE DU VIOLON RECONVERTIE EN GUITARE SHREDDER HAUTEMENT ENTRAINEE ET QU’ELLE N’A PAS DE RIVAUX/RIVALES !!!

Question : À ton avis, si Beethoven et les autres compositeurs de musique classique dont tu reprends les morceaux pouvaient t’entendre depuis leur tombe, que penseraient-ils de tes reprises ?

The Great Kat : BEETHOVEN, WAGNER et les autres génies remercieraient THE GREAT KAT de garder leur musique en vie et d’apporter leurs chefs-d’œuvre directement aux masses avec ses reprises SHRED/CLASSIQUE !!!!!!!!!!! Le DVD, BEETHOVEN’S GUITAR SHRED, a été décrit dans la presse spécialisée :
-”The queen of speed. The Great Kat plays shred covers of classical composers like Beethoven and Wagner. One of the fastest guitarists of all, her persona knows no limits.” - Zach Zimmerman, Associated Content
-”The Great Kat has launched her new DVD in which the extraordinary guitarist includes classic works by the deaf genius (Beethoven), Bach and Paganini. Katherine Thomas broke speed records by playing the famous piece “The Flight of the bumblebee” at a dizzying 300 beats per minute. A fierce guitarist specializing in heavy metal versions of the classics.” - Guillermo Aguilera, Contenido
-”Genius at work in this metal masterpiece. This Juilliard-trained violinist puts her intensely fast fingers to new use playing some of the fastest shredding you’re ever going to hear on both electric guitar and violin. Amazing version of ‘Flight of the Bumblebee.‘” - Jonathan Knell, Campus Circle
-”More female chauvinist than feminist, Kat is best described as a 21st century Janis Joplin who breaks out of the conventionally assigned gender role limitations of acceptable female behavior, creatively and otherwise, to give the historically male dominated music scene a woman’s energy and edge.” - Prairie Miller, Critical Women On Film Journal - The Women Film Critics Circle

Question : En tant que «guitare goddess» et virtuose du violon, quel est ton entraînement au quotidien ?

The Great Kat : The Great Kat, GRANDE PRETRESSE de shred guitare, s’entraîne, répète, enregistre, compose, arrange et abreuve les masses de musique shred/classique 24 heures sur 24 !!!!!!!!!!!!

Question : Pour les gens qui n’ont aucune idée de qui tu es et quel genre de musique tu fais, comment décrirais-tu ton DVD ?

The Great Kat : Le DVD, Beethoven’s Guitar Shred, de The Great Kat est un showcase de SHRED GUITARE PYROTECHNIQUE, D’IMAGERIE DE MALADE MENTAL, DE SCENES AHURISSANTES, DE VIRTUOSITE ET « GUITARE SHREDDING » A COUPER LE SOUFFLE !! Beethoven’s Guitar Shred est composé de:
-“The Flight Of The Bumble-Bee” – exécuté à une vitesse à faire cloquer les doigts (300 BPM!) http://www.greatkat.com/metalvideos/TheFlightOfTheBumbleBeeMusicVideo.wmv
-Beethoven’s “5th Symphony” - version métal de l’une des symphonies les plus célèbres du monde! http://www.greatkat.com/beethovens5thsymphonynew.wmv
-Paganini’s “Caprice #24” – au guitare et violon. http://www.greatkat.com/metalvideos/PaganinisCaprice24.wmv
-Bach’s “Brandenburg Concerto #3”- où The Great Kat « shreds » sur 6 guitares et 3 violons! http://www.greatkat.com/BachsBrandenburgConcerto3.wmv
Sans parler de plein d’autres folies « Theatrical Metal » !

Question : Te considères-tu comme un « OVNI » dans l’industrie du disque actuelle ?

The Great Kat : L’ “industrie musicale actuelle” n’existe même plus !!! Internet a désormais pris le contrôle de toutes les industries et la musique shred/classique hyper énergétique de THE GREAT KAT est parfaite pour régénérer la musique dans un monde qui bouge vite, réfléchit vite et circule vite grâce à l’internet !!!!!!!!!
THE GREAT KAT IS GOD!!!
THE GREAT KAT EST LA REINCARNATION DE BEETHOVEN!!!!!!

…

Rien que ça.
..et en toute simplicité et humilité, évidemment !


Lisez la chronique du DVD, Beethoven’s Guitar Shred, en cliquant ici.
 


 
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