Steve Howe

The Yes, Asia and GTR legend explains why drinking and playing guitar are "stupidly incompatible"

- BY JOE MATERA

What was your first guitar?

I wanted a guitar when I was 10, but it took until I was 12 before my parents gave in. We went to a shop in King's Cross in North London, and they had guitars hanging up, including a few electrics, but I was interested in an archtop with F-holes. For about £12, I got this foreign-made-six string archtop with F-holes that looked like a Framus but wasn't. I struggled on that guitar for a couple of years.

What was the first song you learned to play?

"Tea for Two," a simple tune with three notes. But I pretty much immediately progressed from that, because at the time it was all about instrumental bands like the Shadows with twangy guitars, which was just before the Beatles came out.

What was your first gig?

It was at school, when I was about 14. There was this kid who was a drummer, and one day he said, "Let's put a band together and do a show!" I don't think we rehearsed or tuned up; we just showed up and played the gig by calling out Shadows tunes like "The Frightened City" and "Apache." Honestly, it was awful and we sounded terrible.

Ever had an embarrassing moment on stage?