Steve Stevens On Writing The Next Billy Idol Album, His Musical Influences, His New York Roots, Future Career Plans & More
As a successful musician for decades, Steve Stevens has a lot of claims to fame. As Billy Idol’s long-time lead guitarist, Stevens co-wrote most of the Idol anthems still regularly heard around the world. He won a Grammy for his work on the “Top Gun Anthem” from the hit Tom Cruise movie. He has played on recordings by Michael Jackson, P!nk, Diana Ross, Joni Mitchell and Robert Palmer, to name a few key artists. Steve was also featured on the E! reality show Married To Rock as his wife Josie was one of its stars. In turn, it is not surprising that Stevens has his own signature guitar via Knaggs Guitars, a signature amplifier via Friedman Amps, and signature guitar pickups via Bare Knuckles.
The on-going COVID-19 pandemic has kept Steve Stevens off the road, but Stevens has kept busy in recent months with a variety of projects. For starters, he is currently working on new Billy Idol material, to be released this year, with the likes of Sam Hollander (Panic! At The Disco, Blink 182, Weezer) and Butch Walker (Fall Out Boy, Weezer, Pink, Katy Perry, Dashboard Confessional). He has been doing Rock ‘N’ Roll Fantasy Camp Masterclasses; future classes will be shown here. He performed a flamenco set as part of the Rolling Live Studios and Morrison Hotel’s online “festival,” which beneffited the National Independent Venue Association’s Save Our Stages campaign and MusiCares. He also has an impending solo project in the works with guest vocalists, in addition to a flamenco project.
On January 17, 2021, I had the pleasure of speaking with Steve Stevens via Zoom, as embedded below. We spoke about the forthcoming Billy Idol album, but also talked about all facets of Stevens’ career, including his influences and New York roots. An unbelievably nice and patient person who answered everything with thought and clarity. And as it turned out, we both attended the same summer camp here on Long Island, New York: the Usdan Summer Camp For The Arts.
More information on Steve Stevens can be found online via www.stevestevensguitar.com; if you sign up for the mailing list via Stevens’ website, you will get a previously-unreleased track called “Captive Traveler” for free. Stevens can also be found on Cameo, Instagram and Twitter.
About the Author
Darren Paltrowitz Darren Paltrowitz is a New York resident with over 20 years of entertainment industry experience. He began working around the music business as a teenager, interning for the manager of his then-favorite band Superdrag. Since then, he has worked with a wide array of artists including OK Go, They Might Be Giants, Mike Viola, Tracy Bonham, Loudness, Rachael Yamagata, and Amanda Palmer. Darren's writing has appeared in dozens of outlets including the New York Daily News, Inquisitr, The Daily Meal, The Hype Magazine, All Music Guide, Guitar World, TheStreet.com, Businessweek, Chicago Tribune, L.A. Times, and the Jewish Journal. Beyond being "Editor At Large" for The Hype Magazine, Darren is also the host of weekly "Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz" series, which airs on dozens on television and digital networks. He has also co-authored 2 published books, 2018's "Pocket Change: Your Happy Money" (Book Web Publishing) and 2019's "Good Advice From Professional Wrestling" (6623 Press), and co-hosts the world's only known podcast about David Lee Roth, "The DLR Cast."
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