Interviewed by Brian Rademacher
Date: September 18th, 2005

http://www.greatkat.com/

Hello Kat. It is an honor to have the chance to talk to you and let our readers learn more about yourself.
Bow peasant!!! Do your readers know that The Great Kat is a “Top 10 Fastest Shredder of all Time” (Guitar One Magazine Quote)/Juilliard Graduate violin virtuoso turned BLOOD-DRIPPING Guitar Shredder!!!!! Go and hear The Great Kat’s Shred/Classical music on The Great Kat website http://www.greatkat.com

Let’s start off by asking. How does a woman who gets a scholarship to Juilliard, study classical music and then end up being an outrageous shredding guitarist? 
Classical music is DEAD!!!!!!!!!!! After graduating from The Juilliard School as a violin virtuoso and realizing that classical music was KILLED by non-virtuoso composers like CAGE and SCHOENBERG, I decided to single-handedly resurrect the entire classical music field by updating it with popular music. After hearing speed metal, I was psyched by the power, speed and energy and I quickly decided to pick up the guitar and become a guitar shredder!!!

I took all my violin solos from Paganini, Sarasate, Vivaldi and others and began playing them with the exact violin fingerings, shiftings and technique from the violin onto the guitar and rearranging actual classical music scores for shred guitar, band and orchestra: Shred/classical music was BORN!!!

What kind of kid were you growing up?
Brilliant, hard working, studious, competitive, aggressive, straight-A student who was constantly working, studying and practicing.

Tell us about your high school days. What kind of school kid were you? Did you play sports? Did you take music class? And so on. 
At the age of 15, The Great Kat was awarded a full scholarship on the violin to the Juilliard School in New York City, so every minute of my life was spent practicing, rehearsing, competing, working, living and sleeping the violin. That’s the kind of dedication it takes to be a GENIUS musician.

The first live performance you played as The Great Kat. Can you recall how that show went and the venue you played and year? 
The first live performance of The Great Kat’s Shred/Classical music obviously blew everyone away. The entire audience stood there with their mouths hanging open, in shock that a “WOMAN” could play faster than any guy in the world and that this hot goddess on stage was actually a virtuoso guitar goddess, ripping open their dusty brains with shred/classical music.

Your first album came out in 1987 “Worship Me Or Die”. How has your music changed compared to your last release in 2002 “Wagner’s War”?
“Worship Me Or Die” and “Wagner’s War” CD’s are all brilliant and every Great Kat CD is getting more vicious, brutal, intense, faster and even more classical and technical. The Great Kat is resurrecting classical music, heavy metal and now the guitar.

Press reviews of THE GREAT KAT’s SHRED/CLASSICAL MUSIC:
"The Great Kat can outplay just about every guitarist on the planet.  She can zoom up and down a fret board faster than a hungry cheetah on steroids. Her fret board speed is awesome." - Michael Molenda, ‘Guitar Player Magazine’.

“The Great Kat is a force of nature, a performer of such dramatic histrionics and extreme virtuosity that she leaves audiences in awe.” - Tower Records

“Prepare to be dazzled by guitar and violin pyrotechnics that will blister your fingers (and you aren't even playing!)” - Netflix.com

The Great Kat Wins Guitar One Magazine’s “TOP 10 FASTEST SHREDDERS OF ALL TIME” Award - Chris O'Byrne, ‘Guitar One Magazine’.

Spin magazine declared THE GREAT KAT "THE SPEEDIEST, SCARIEST FEMALE SHREDDER OF ALL TIME" - Caryn Ganz, ‘Spin Magazine’.

“The more you know about The Great Kat, the more she seems like a walking, talking unifying theory of women and rock guitar." - David Segal, ‘The Washington Post’.

“Inspired by the events of Sept. 11, Kat renders some of music's most famous, aggressive, battle-inspired pieces in shredding-speed metal arrangements that hiss and spit.” - Dan Aquilante, ‘NY Post’.

“The wave of the future might well be heavy-metal Beethoven by way of Juilliard.” - John Rockwell, ‘NY Times’.

"Every track on 'Extreme Guitar Shred' is a full frontal assault, exploding with blazing lines from the likes of Wagner, Liszt and Sarasate." - Rick Landers, ‘Modern Guitars Magazine’.

"A rollercoaster of impressively fast guitar. Her violin and guitar work are so damn fast and phenomenal. Here is classical music on speed, and it's hard not to be impressed." – Caroline Dworin, ‘Metal Maniacs Magazine’.

"'Extreme Guitar Shred' DVD Rating: 5 STARS! Great DVD!!! The best shredder in the business. The Great Kat is a phenom in the music world bringing shredding violin with unbelievably extreme ripping guitar playing. A pioneer in shredding guitar." - Brian Rademacher, Rockeyez.com

Do you remember the first album you ever bought and the first concert you attended?
Album “Beethoven Symphonies”- Leonard Bernstein Conducting the NY Philharmonic
Concert: “Tosca” Opera at the Metropolitan Opera House, NYC.

Your live show is heavily influenced by S & M. Did you ever take a fan in the audience home with you? 
WHY???????????!!!!!!! Do you have some submissive’s that are begging to be abused, insulted, tortured, humiliated and cuffed by The Great Kat guitar dominatrix??? 

Would you ever consider posing nude?
Would you ever consider bending over and letting The Great Kat shove my spiked heel up your flaccid butt?????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Would you ever consider starring in an adult film?
The Great Kat’s “CASTRATION”, “DOMINATRIX” and “TORTURE CHAMBER” music videos are outrageous enough!!!

Who is your influence on violin?
Paganini - Violin and guitar virtuoso.

Who was the biggest impact in your career as a guitarist?
Paganini - Guitar and violin virtuoso.

Are you working on a new CD and if so is there a title and a release date?
The next Great Kat CD will feature The Great Kat’s violin and guitar on the Shred/Classical Paganini’s “24th Caprice” and Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Flight of the Bumble-Bee”!!!!!!!!! There is no other recording in the world that features a musician shredding on both guitar and violin on the most technical music in the world - Paganini.

You have a new DVD that was just released called “Extreme Guitar Shred”. It has lots of videos, bonus tracks and lots of great photos. What made you decide to release the DVD and where can fans buy it?
The Great Kat is now on DVD because you have to see THE GREAT KAT to believe it!!! To buy “EXTREME GUITAR SHRED” DVD, go to Tower Records, Netflix, Amazon, CD Universe, or the Kat Web Site Store at http://www.greatkat.com. Here is a short rundown that you will see and hear.

“EXTREME GUITAR SHRED” DVD FEATURES:

6 EXTREME GUITAR Music Videos:
ZAPATEADO - Classical Violin/Guitar Virtuosity –Shred version of  Pablo de Sarasate’s virtuoso violin piece “Zapateado”.
TORTURE CHAMBER: Torture Devices and Extreme abusive of inferior males
CASTRATION - The Great Kat Dominates and controls through castration - eliminates the appendage that make MEN think they are IMPORTANT
LIVE IN CHICAGO - The Great Kat’ Shred Guitar Live with Fans/slaves and total chaos!
DOMINATRIX - The Great Kat takes a slave and humiliates and abuses him!
WAR-PRO-WAR! The Great Kat’s response to 9/11. The U.S. was attacked by TERRORISTS MURDERERS WHO KILLED 3,000 INNOCENT PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!!! “WAR” Music Video is A REMINDER to NEVER FORGET 9/11 OR THE HOLOCAUST!

3 SHRED BONUS FEATURES:
HOT SHRED BITS - Hot Kat Photos mixed with INSANE violin and Guitar Shredding
SHRED FAQs - Q&A on The Great Kat and Classical Music mixed with Baroque Insanity!!
SHRED CREDITS - Credits from the DVD mixed with Wagnerian Opera!
SHRED ONLINE - Kat web site and contact info

SHRED VERSIONS of Classical Music Masterpieces:
Wagner’s “The Ride of the Valkyries” (From Wagner's Opera "Die Walkure")
Liszt’s “Hungarian Rhapsody #2”
Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons”
Bazzini’s “The Round Of The Goblins”
Sarasate’s “Zapateado”

SHREDDING HOT KAT photos and wild graphics
Go to the Kat Web Site at http://www.greatkat.com for DVD samples and HOT photos!

Tell me your biggest fantasy?
WORLD DOMINATION!!!

Do you feel by the way you dress on stage it takes away from your creditability as a guitarist?
If it takes dressing like a blood-dripping, leather wearing, spiked-heel DOMINATRIX to make you Neanderthals wake up and listen to SHRED/CLASSICAL music, then that’s what The Great Kat will do!!!!!! NOW BOW, PEASANTS!!!!!!!!!!!!

There is not another woman in music today that can measure up to your guitar player or violin playing. You will go down in music history as the best female guitarist of all time. Is there anything you can tell other female artists how to reach the status of your success?
The Great Kat’s advice to female and male artists: Practice!!! Work your butt off!!! Be aggressive, competitive, vicious, unrelenting and become a virtuoso!!!

Is there any violinist out there that plays aggressive like you?
NO!!!!!!!!!! The Great Kat is the new BEETHOVEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wake up!!!

Who would you say is the best male guitarist in music today? 
THE GREAT KAT is the fastest guitar shredder male or female. LICK MY BOOTS!!!

What made you decide to use blood in your stage show?
To shock and Insult.

What was the first guitar you owned?
Guild Strat Body electric guitar.

What is your favorite guitar you own now? 
Jackson V and Guild.

What is your feeling towards President George W. Bush? 
President Bush is leading the war on terror. Wake up!!! Do you want another 9/11???

Do you have any religious beliefs? 
Yes, THE GREAT KAT IS GOD!!! Worship THE GREAT KAT, Fearful followers. 

Can you tell us any secret about yourself that you have never mentioned in person or print? 
The Great Kat’s agenda is very clear. To take over the world with Shred/Classical music.

The Great Kat. I hope some of our questions ruffled your feathers and our readers will really get to know the The Great Kat’s personal views. Would you like to say anything in conclusion?
To all my Kat possessed slaves:
BOW TO YOUR METAL MESSIAH KAT!!!!!!!!!!!!
NOW GO TO THE GREAT KAT WEB SITE at www.greatkat.com
The Great Kat at greatkat@greatkat.com
Hotline: 1-800-KAT-9199 or 631-549-7578
SHRED ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!