How Steve Vai’s Hands Wound Up in Foo Fighters Movie ‘Studio 666′

Steve Vai revealed that his hands are seen shredding guitar in the Foo Fighters’ movie Studio 666 - a moment that echoes his appearance in the 1986 film Crossroads.

The comedy-horror feature, set for release on Feb. 25, premiered at the Fonda Theatre in Hollywood this week. Vai was among the guests of honor and later tweeted about his involvement and how much he enjoyed the experience.

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“What a hoot!” the guitar virtuoso said. “The movie is just off-the-charts gory and funny. Our favorite Foos are cast in a haunted house where Dave [Grohl] becomes possessed and starts doing strange things. ... There’s this one scene where Dave is trying to explain to the band what he wanted them to play, but he is half out of his mind and starts wailing wildly.”

The problem for director B.J. McDonnell was that Grohl “doesn’t actually shred as a guitar player,” Vai noted. But there was a solution: “I actually live a three-minute walk from where they were filming. So Dave called me and asked if they could shoot my hands shredding for the scene. It was a glorious blast of demonic shred pleasure, and when I saw it in the theater, I had to throw my head back and laugh out loud.”

The guitarist said he had a “really great” time the day he was on set. “The Foos made a fantastic movie that their fans are going to 'eat up raw,'" he noted.

Vai made a similar kind of appearance in Crossroads, where he played Jack Butler, the Devil’s guitarist – though he’s seen fully onscreen, not just his hands. In the climactic scene, he duels with and finally loses to young musician Eugene Martone, who's recently discovered the legend of blues icon Robert Johnson selling his soul to Satan in return for his talent.

You can watch the scene below.