Steve Lukather of Toto Talking Yacht Rock And Suprises from the DOCKumentary
Always fun to catch up with Steve Lukather of Toto – one of the most accomplished guitarists in the world, and part of a wonderful tour going on the road next year with Toto, Men At Work and Christopher Cross.
Talking Toto – And Christopher Cross
Before we get to the reaction from Steve about Christopher Cross in the new Yacht Rock documentary, we joked about Toto getting credit as one of the “founding fathers” of Yacht Rock:
Big Jim: Yeah! Ladies and gentlemen, the man who created “Yacht Rock” – Steve Lukather of Toto!
Steve Lukather: I didn’t invent nothing. I mean, that got invented far after the fact, you know? What can I say? It’s great for business, man. We got this whole 15-to-35-year-old audience we didn’t have before. They’re buying tickets, the streaming is off the charts—we’re great. I’m having a blast. You can call me whatever you want to call me, man; I really don’t care. Come see the band. We’re in top form right now, we’re grooving, and nobody’s laughing harder than we are.
Big Jim: That’s awesome.
Steve Lukather: You know, if somebody mentions our band name in the same breath as Steely Dan, I’m pretty good with that. Those guys are heroes and friends, you know? We’ve all worked—at least one of us—on every single one of those records. That was just our studio career. We didn’t write the stuff; we’d show up and go, “What do you got for us today?”
Big Jim: How many records do you think you’re on?
Steve Lukather: I don’t know, a couple thousand albums.
Big Jim: Come on, really?
Steve Lukather: Yeah, but I stopped doing that about 25 years ago. I did it a lot when I was a teenager, like from age 18—well, 19—until 1993. That’s when I backed off. I started doing my own stuff. Let the next guy have a shot, you know? But those were some of the best times of my life. No question. We had a blast.
Now what about Christopher Cross? Steve admitted it was surprising:
Big Jim: Talking to Steve Lukather! August 11th at Pine Knob with Men at Work and Christopher Cross. Colin Hay is such a talent.
Steve Lukather: Oh, man, Colin rocks. He’s one of those guys who can sit with an acoustic guitar, tell stories, and mesmerize you. Not many people can do that. He’s the real deal—Shakespeare, poetry, all of it. He’s a renaissance man. I’m honored to know him. And Chris too—I played on Chris’s early stuff. Jeff Porcaro and all of us were on it.
Big Jim: It’s great to see younger generations appreciating this music.
Steve Lukather: Yeah, man, somehow this music hit a nerve. My sons are in their 20s, they’re coming to see us, and it’s a vibe, man. There’s a lot of negativity in the world, but we’re just a good-time band. Old-school ’70s. We practice our instruments every day—we’re like kids out there. As long as I don’t look at my driver’s license, I’m good to go.
Big Jim: Christopher Cross—I was listening to “Sailing” the other day. That song just makes you stop.
Steve Lukather: Yeah, man, “Sailing” is a great song. Chris is just a serious musician, but a great cat too. I mean, watching the documentary, I laughed when I learned he was on acid when he wrote “Ride Like the Wind,” or how he funded his demos with a weed business! I just fell in love with him all over again. He’s just like us—serious about music, but totally relatable.
This is going to be one fun tour in 2025 – crossing age and musical barriers, like only true Yacht Rock can do…right? For the entire interview click here
