Billy Idol’s Secret Weapon: The Secret of Steve Stevens, the Guitarist Chosen by Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones

Perhaps, without the humble service of Sancho Panza, Don Quixote would not have become the person he is and the man who represents humanity today. Behind every great man is a great woman or great collaborator. Secret weapon.

This might be a good way to summarize the following rebuttal. steve stevensback guitarist billy idolThat might be unfair, though, since he was actually one of the architects of that nebulous concept called “80s music.”

It was his guitar and Keith Forsey production that made this singer so new when he entered the American market with hit songs such as “Songs”. Faceless eyes, bodies for fantasy Either dance with yourself.

Stevens used a complex color palette at the time, a product of his talent and of the influences he will confess in this conversation. clarionbefore the Billy Idol show. This Saturday, November 15th at Movistar Arena.

It was manager Bill Aucoin. kiss And he is the man behind that success and the visionary link between the duo of Idle and Stevens. Kiss was already a consolidated product on the market, and Aucoin also wanted to challenge others like Five Malibus, a group owned by Stevens.

“We recorded an album, but they never released it to the market,” Steve says. “And I felt like things couldn’t go any further. But Aucoin told me he wanted to continue to be my manager and to form a band for me. Three weeks later, he asked me if I knew who Billy Idol was and if he could help. I talked to Billy and told him that I knew a lot of musicians in New York, that I was going to help him put together a group, and that he thought I was just as innocent a guitarist as that.”

Although they grew up in different countries (Billy Idol was British, Stevens was a pure New Yorker) and had different tastes, it didn’t take long for them to reach an understanding. “I went to the Fame School in the movie, which was just around the corner. CBGB, So I knew what punk was and what style Billy came from. ”

And he added: “I wasn’t a punk guitarist, but I was excited because there was a punk guitarist, Robert Fripp.” king crimsonOne of my heroes moved to the city. Guitarists that influenced me were people like Jimi Hendrix and Steve Howe from Yes, but when I heard the third album by Billy’s previous band, Generation, I told Billy about it and he agreed that it was great. And I think he understood that I needed that type of guitarist more than a punk guitarist.

level yell This album became one of the great albums of the ’80s, with a million-selling superstar hiding beneath every tile. “At the time, the two faces of MTV were Billy Idol and Madonna,” Stevens explains.

faceless eyes It was a melancholic song with verses in French, a female voice, a guitar in the middle going like the moon in a storm, pure distortion, coupling and swells, and it belonged to Steve Stevens.

The sound was so shocking that michael jackson recorded badan album with the thankless task of succeeding. thrillerthey thought of recreating what Eddie Van Halen had done. beat it. But… who could play in such an amazing way? Quincy Jones quickly found the name of Billy Idol’s guitarist.

“For me, it was a complete surprise, because I wasn’t a session musician – Stevens confesses -; They flew me to Los Angeles and took me to the same studio where I recorded my first album with Billy Idol. But I was used to recording with him, my producer Keith Forsey, and my recording engineer. So while I was on the plane, I was in the studio. I thought, “There’s going to be thousands of people, how can I focus on what I have to play?” I had nothing to do with that. I opened the door to the studio that I knew was “Well, there were only Quincy Jones and Michael Jackson and the engineer, so it was like being at home.”

Stevens built the set so he could figure out what the songs would be. dirty diana. “The mission was very clear because the original version of the song was about eight minutes long and they had to edit it. I knew they liked it, so I put part of it in three takes. It took two and a half hours, but at the end they said to me, ‘It’s done, we like it, we’re satisfied.’

between the exits of whipping smile With the birth of Billy Idol in 1986 and the call of Michael Jackson, events occurred that further expanded the sonic imprint Steve Stevens would leave on his music.

Harold Faltermeyer, who had played on some songs on Idol’s third solo album, suggested Stevens add guitar to the instrumental music he was developing for the film with Tom Cruise. top gun.

“It was the Betamax era,” Stevens laughs. “And Harold shows me all the aerial footage from the movie, which was very modern at the time (it’s a little primitive now), and asks me if I’d like to play over that footage. Of course I do, but Harold doesn’t play the keyboard. I worked only on C, and I had a guitar sample, but it wasn’t the most exciting thing. So I imagined Jeff Beck playing over that music, and that inspired me.”

Then agendas and life plans conspired against the continuation of the duo of Stevens and the rebellious Billy Idol. “Billy decided to move to Los Angeles and I left my entire family behind in New York. At the same time, Ted Templeman offered me a contract for a solo venture called Atomic Playboys, but it didn’t really work out because I was so spoiled having worked with some of the best singers in the world: Billy Idol, Michael Jackson, Joni Mitchell (Billy Idol, Michael Jackson, Joni Mitchell).” Chalk marks in the rainstorm With Idol), Robert Palmer. It’s hard to find someone to fit into those shoes, and Perry McCarty was very nervous. “It was a band that required too much effort.”

While Billy Idol was successful, fascinating life (1990) album cradle of love reached No. 2 on Billboard shortly after he again asked Stevens to collaborate on new music, but it took a while for that to happen. devil’s playground However, despite the passage of time and the fact that in 1990 Billy Idol had a motorcycle accident and required a huge recovery, Steve Stevens never left his side again. They were bread and butter and meant nothing.

Now, they continue touring with the help of technology, allowing Stevens to travel with them. guitar made to size: Steve Stevens Signature Ascender. “Jonathan Spangler of Ciari Guitars comes from the medical industry. He’s a big name in implants and prosthetics, and he wanted to design a guitar. He presented me with a prototype and told me what needed to be modified to my liking, and he did it.”

Stevens concluded, “The good thing about coming back to work together was that the relationship never fell apart, so we didn’t have to apologize or be friends again. The first thing we did was do something for the soundtrack of the movie.” Speed: Maximum speed (1994, with Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock) and realized that the chemistry between us remained the same. ”

He continued: “I think we value each other’s talents more now that we’re older. As you get older, you’re less afraid to express your emotions, and Billy is still my favorite singer. When he does a take on a song on a record (into a dream (published this year), I’m always on the other side of the glass, marveling at its magnificence. And I tell you, life is too short not to tell the people you love how much you appreciate them. ”