Steve Stevens Talks About Billy Idol, Guitars, Flamenco and Josie

By: Rick Landers

We met up with guitarist, Steve Stevens, in his dressing room at the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts in Vienna, Virginia, an hour before he and the Billy Idol Band would launch into a rock tirade that brought the sold out fist pumping crowd to its feet – for the entire show.

Armed with a stunning gold flake embedded Knaggs guitar, reflecting light beams exploded off the axe and into the crowd, Stevens cranked out classic Idol riffs of his own design.

Idol would take center stage and do his fist pumps and high powered vocals, while Stevens hammered the joint with searing lead guitar. The highwired  coupling of the two had fans pumped and yanked in new fans to the fold.

The Idol-Stevens team has worked together since 1982 and Stevens’ guitar prowess is evident on Billy Idol [1982], Rebel Yell [1983], Whiplash Smile [1986], along with another six albums.

Stevens has also worked with Michael Jackson, Vince Neil and others doing session work and for those of you who have seen the film “Top Gun”, you might recognize Steve’s score work on the “Top Gun Anthem” [1986].

His impressive solo albums include: The World According to Steve Stevens; Atomic Playboys; Akai Guitar Sample Collection; Flamenco a Go-Go and Memory Crash. 

Stevens plays a number of guitars that include Godin acoustics and electrics. He also pulled the trigger on  his new Steve Stevens Signature limited edition axe made by Knaggs Guitars.

Steve shared credits with his lovely wife, Josie, who starred in the television reality series, Married to Rock, that would help her launch her own fashionable clothing line named, Josie Loves JValentine.  The couple work and travel together when Steve’s on tour and Josie manages the business aspects of his career.

During the show, Steve took center stage several times with riveting guitar solos that added more thunder to the rave up that night at Wolf Trap.

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Rick Landers: When you and Billy [Idol] first met, did you guys immediately hit it off?

Steve Stevens: Yeah.

Rick: Did you get each other or did it take a little bit of time to actually build the friendship?

Steve Stevens: Yeah, it did take time, because he had just moved to New York. In the States, as guitar players, we didn’t like to delineate between punk rock or heavy rock. You know, I liked all good guitar playing.

I dug the Ramones, the New York Dolls and all that stuff at the same time as liking Robert Fripp, who had moved to New York and progressive rock. It wasn’t a political statement.

But Billy, coming from England, it was about punk rock and was all about dinosaurs walking the earth. So when we met, we started talking about stuff and I said, “Yeah, I like Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page.

Fortunately, I’d been in a cover band, and this band played everything from Tony Newman’s Lifetime to Lou Reed.

He mentioned something about Lou Reed, and I said, “Yeah, I know all about “Coney Island Baby”. He went, “How do you know that?”

I said, “Yeah, I’m a guitar player, it’s not like a political things So eventually we just hung out and we started jamming on things. I said, “Look, you know, you just moved to New York. I know every musician in New York. I’ll help you put together a band and, hopefully, when it comes time to consider the guitar player, hopefully, I’ll be that guy. If I’m not, glad to have helped you out.”

I’d already been signed to Aucoin Management, who had started managing Billy solo. So, we were under the same management umbrella.

Once his producer, Keith Forsey, came into the picture, Keith realized, well if Billy would have gotten another punk rock guitar player, he might as well have stayed in Generation X.

Rick: He wouldn’t have moved forward.

Steven: Yeah. So he was bringing in all these other elements, although we had to find common ground that was more interesting.  I always feel it’s better to have somebody who is more proficient and capable and gear them back, than trying to push somebody who isn’t as capable, and trying to push them forward. So you can idle, ideally. It was like any situation, just getting to know each other as personalities.

Rick: You’re not like in the ‘80s, when you went solo.

Steve Stevens: Yeah, all these people I had met when I was with Billy from early ’82, initially until 1988. We finished up the Whiplash Smile tour, and then I started to get calls.

I got offered a deal with Warner Brothers and I signed a solo record deal. I actually signed my deal while I was still in Billy Idol’s band. It was understood that I was going to go off and do something.

Rick: You were little known here in the states. And you just broke out.

Steve Stevens: Yeah, but not initially. People looking back at it now might think it was like an immediate thing, but the first album, even though “White Wedding” was on it, we didn’t get a gold record or anything, and we didn’t get much airplay.

MTV was the first. People think that that first record was much more successful than it was because Billy was such an MTV staple. The actual record sales didn’t do that well. It wasn’t until Rebel Yell that we started to play bigger places and get substantial record sales.

Rick: Billy was one of the first people on MTV, right?

Steve Stevens: He was certainly one of the early faces of MTV.

Rick: I remember it, Rebel Yell.

Steve Stevens: Yeah, yeah. I remember being in New York at the time and I went to the launch party for MTV. I didn’t have cable TV, so I didn’t know what it was. I went to a party and Bow Wow Wow and the Stray Cats played.

But, yeah, I would say it was pretty instrumental in our success.

Rick: You’ve had success for 30 years or something like that? You’ve moved from the early ‘80s until now. How do you keep up the adrenaline rush just doing this night after night, keeping it going?

Steve Stevens: I love playing guitar. It’s really simple. It’s really incredibly simple. I wake up in the morning, when I’m home, have a cup of coffee, and I pick up the guitar.

Nothing bad in my life has ever occurred because of playing guitar. There might be some crappy business deals that have gone on, or whatever, outside that. But the core thing of playing guitar has always been a great thing for me. And I’m still fascinated by it. I’m still trying to get better and I still love playing music.

Rick: Do you practice or do you just noodle around just sort of searching for stuff and something just pops up?

Steve Stevens: Different, always different. We’ve been writing for almost four months. During that time if I pick up the guitar, the goal is usually to come up with a song idea, or score changes, or riffs or something. But then I’ll go through some phases where I need to find some new stuff – new techniques.

For example, I play in a cover band called Camp Freddy with Billy Morrison. And I’ve played with them for years. One of the last shows was around Christmastime. Zakk Wylde got up and played.

His technique is smart and flowing. I’m a sucker for that, right-hand, alternate picking stuff. I saw him playing and said, “That guy can really play.” I found out that he had just come out with a series of DVDs, so I ordered them. And I said I’m going to sit down and cop some of this. I think you have to be humble enough to want to become a better player and realize that there’s a lot of other people have other things to offer. I go through phases of writing, just working on scales. I’m not afraid to practice.

Rick: Your guitar playing is so broad. I saw you playing some flamenco. I thought, “Who is this guy?” So, you’ve got a flamenco album. How did that come about?

Steve Stevens: I got a guitar in my hands when I was about seven-and-a-half-years old, but I didn’t get an electric guitar until I was 13. All those years I was playing folk and classical, and back then it was like the singer/songwriter Joni Mitchell and James Taylor. I had all that and Neil Young, as well.

And then I went to summer camp when I was 10 or 11, and the guitar teacher there was a flamenco guitarist. He had escaped the Nazis in the Second World War. He said that one thing that he had with him was his guitar. As a kid, you see this guy and basically music helped save his life. When he picked up the guitar, there was all of this emotion and flamenco is a romantic thing and percussive.

I said to my folks, “What’s flamenco?” My dad brought me to see the Jose Greco dance company. I found out this flamenco is this whole thing of dance and music and women who had these elaborate costumes. I just fell in love with it. I’ve always followed it, and then I found out about Paco de Lucia, Jimi Hendrix and this flamenco.

So, I’d already done an album and it was like, I couldn’t play any heavier. I couldn’t play any louder. It was the pinnacle for me of the heavy rock thing. And it was at that point, too, that I decided I’d get sober and change my behavior. I said, you know I’m going to stop playing the electric guitar and rediscover why I picked up this instrument to begin with. I went, I’ll play flamenco. It’s the thing I started with. I loved it. It was very pure, and there was an innocence about it. So, that’s why I did the record.

Rick: And you’re still playing guitar, so it’s not like you left something.

Steve Stevens: No, and to keep me really interested about it , what I did was combine flamenco, and I’d just gotten a  pro system I thought, “Wow!”, flamenco guitar with dance rhythms and loops and things like that. Because I play with a flat pick; I’m not a finger-style player. What I was trying to do was to combine flamenco with the dance music. So, that’s what that record was.

Rick: So you moved from the groups, working with other people and going solo. What do you prefer? Do you like playing solo more than being in the group?

Steve Stevens: And that’s the cool thing about being a guitar player; we can do other things, whereas the singers get the glory and the fame, we get the work. [Laughter]

While I was with Billy, I got to play with the Thompson Twins, Nile Rodgers. I’ve worked with Robert Palmer, guys that are not with us anymore. I was fortunate to work with these incredible musicians.

And I always approach the guitar…my dad was an offset printer, and I thought if I can attack the work ethic like that. And when I did my flamenco record, I actually went to France and traveled with my guitar and worked with an Algerian singer.

I thought, it’s amazing that I could travel the world and collect song ideas with people with just my instrument. And that was enough to be just kind of feed this traveling. That’s the way I look at it.

We’re able to come to a city that we were never there, and put tickets up on sale, people come see us, and we play. It’s a craft and that’s what having a career is about as opposed to having a hit record. It’s great if you have hit records and you’re fortunate to have a hit record. That’s great, but we have a career.

Rick: You get to see the world. A lot of people don’t get around to that.

Steve Stevens: Yeah, and you know my wife travels with me and I get to share all this stuff with the love of my life. It’s great.

Rick: When you’re playing, do you prefer playing something that is high speed or do you like to hold the note? If you could play one thing, which would it be? To hold that one note that’s exquisite?

Steve Stevens: Yes, if I was as good as Gilmore [Laughter] and just play one note. If the sound is great, there’s nothing better than getting one note that’s really singing and get the feedback, and all that.

Rick: The emotion?

Steve Stevens: Yeah, and it doesn’t always happen. But, I don’t like to just play fast for the sake of playing fast. It’s gotta be, like there are guys just from the beginning of the solo to the end, It’s just boring to me.

Rick: And the space between notes are as important as important as the notes in a solo.

Steve Stevens: Absolutely…like Miles Davis.

Rick: What acoustics are you playing now?

Steve Stevens: Yeah, Godin, I’ve got one of them, actually, I have three Godins, an electric, which does mini triggering and piezo on the bridge. I use that for “Flesh for Fantasy”, super clean, and I’m also triggering horn parts with that. And then the nylon string Godin Multiac, which I use for my guitar solo and then the  steel string

Multiac for any of the acoustic stuff.

Rick: I know that you were working with Joe Knaggs Guitars.

Steve Stevens: Yeah, yeah, we have a signature guitar and just introduced so I’m playing that. It’s cool. I sort of shied away from doing a signature guitar for many years . I had a Hamer guitar that I had. But Peter Wolf, who I worked with back in the Hamer days, approached me and a percentage of the proceeds go to help musicians in recovery. But, it was time. It’s a limited edition, it’s a handmade instrument, it’s American made, and it’s a really quality guitar that I’m proud to put my name on it.

Rick: Have you been to the shop?

Steve Stevens: Not yet. They all came down to the show and brought me a guitar. So, I’ve got three Knaggs guitars, in fact.

Rick: Your Signature guitar has pink on it

Steve Stevens: I wanted it to be like an old ‘60s drum kit and actually material we had was the same material that you used on, like Grestch drums.

Rick:  Ludwigs and stuff?

Steve Stevens: Yeah, that pearlescent pink stuff. I only wanted a limited number of guitars. All we’re making are 99 of them. I said, well, you know I wanted the color black and I think binding makes the guitar tidier. I happened to be online, and I saw this material. Actually, to be honest with you, I didn’t actually , to be honest with you, think they’d go for it when I said pink. [Laughter]

Rick: They probably said that after you left. [Laughter]

Steve Stevens: No, I was surprised. Then they came back and said, “How about we do the case inside pink too?”

Rick: Like a California Girl case?

Steve Stevens: Yeah. It’s really sexy, the guitar. It’s really nice, and it’s such a high-quality instrument and now we’ve become family.

And there’s never been one aspect where I asked to change something or asked for something that he ever said, “We can’t do that.”

It’s always been, “Sure, whatever you need.” It’s basically like I have a guitar company at my disposal and eventually I won’t. It will grow. Right now, I’m like a pig in shit! [Laughter]

Rick: That’s great.

Steve Stevens: Yeah, it is now. So, I think more and more people are going to be checking out the company. It’ll get huge.

Rick: I know Billy Morrison does a lot of things for the adrenaline rush, motorcycles, swam with sharks a couple of years ago.

Steve Stevens: Yeah, he did that the other day.

Rick: Did he?

Steve Stevens: Yeah, when we were in Florida.

Rick: So, do you go for adrenaline-rush experiences, or do you like chilling at home with your wife?

Steve Stevens: Yeah, since we did reality TV, she started to get more involved in taking care of my work stuff. She’s just naturally, really good at those kinds of things.

Rick: She’s great to work with, by the way.

Steve: Everybody says that.

Rick: Really responsive.

Steve Stevens: And she’s like a secret weapon, because people think, based on the way she looks, she’s going to be some ditsy broad or something. But, she’s fucking sharp and very methodical. Where I’m none of those things.

Rick: The ying and yang thing?

Steve Stevens: Yeah, but she’s on the road with me so when we get time off we like to go get away to Hawaii or Mexico or something. I’m not into racing. It’s never been my thing. I didn’t get a license until I was 45-years old.

I didn’t have a car in L.A. I was every cab driver’s best friend. So it’s never been my thing, cars, I don’t get excited. Now that I have a license and a car, it doesn’t excite me like a guitar. I get a new guitar, it gets into bed with me. You know, it’s a different thing. I think on our time off, we like to kind of relax.

Rick: Besides guitar, what else do you play around with, hobbies or whatever?

Steve Stevens: You know I’m a computer geek.

Rick: PC or Mac guy?

Steve Stevens: Mac guy. I got a home studio, plug-ins and Pro Tools, and all that kind of stuff. I love technology. My brother’s an industrial designer. So, we’re always sending each other stuff and I love architecture and books – just love technology and computers.

Rick: Do you have any experiences or recommendations for younger people who are coming into the business, to help understand business and to realize that it is a business? What would you convey to them?

Steve Stevens: You know, I forgot who made this statement, “It’s not what you learn; it’s what you learn from your mistakes that allows you to grow.” You can fuck up no matter what. Nobody has a track record in any business that doesn’t make mistakes or makes a shit load of money and loses it. It’s part of life.

I would say that if you want to pursue a career in music, you have to be willing to do it whether you make $5.00 or 5 million dollars. Going back to playing in a cover band, or the bar circuit, I would still do it. You have to have a passion about it.

And I think that there are people who are musicians who are good in business. I’ve never been one of those guys. I don’t concern myself with that. My wife watches out for that kind of stuff. But you have to love what you’re doing. You have to have a passion about it. Because there will be times when things aren’t working out that well.

You’re either getting shitty gigs or inner band politics, because that stuff is bound to happen. If you’re a successful band, well, that guy’s writing all the songs and getting all the publishing.

People get jealous and things like that. You have to be able to weather that. You have to be able to not let it affect your excitement about playing music. And I think the fact that I’m almost oblivious to a lot of that stuff, allows me to still be excited about playing guitar.