How Steve Stevens’ Influences Shaped His Iconic Sound

Steve Stevens credits a wide range of influences that molded him into the musician that he is today, giving him a long career which notably includes his ongoing collaboration with Billy Idol. There's the "punk rock ethos," which is to be expected. But the guitarist also came up loving progressive rockers like Yes, Genesis and King Crimson.

While Stevens is well-known for '80s hits with Idol like "Rebel Yell," "Eyes Without a Face" and "White Wedding," he took an interesting path getting there. One key was realizing that he wanted to be known as a musician and not just a guitarist. There was more of a lasting career with the former, in his estimation.

He uses Genesis as his launching point to unwind a bit of his formative backstory. "They were musically adventurous, but you know, with Peter Gabriel in the band, they were visually exciting as well," he tells the UCR Podcast. "That's what I always tell musicians, that if you're going to do something that's really technical [make sure there's a strong visual element]. Probably the first concert I ever want to see was Emerson Lake and Palmer on the Brain Salad Surgery tour. So we're talking 1973 at Madison Square Garden. It was visually incredible, and Keith Emerson made what he was doing so exciting. The guy was a rock star, the Jimi Hendrix of keyboards. [Plus] the sound and visuals were great [and] they had projections."

There were other things feeding his growing vocabulary of course, that went further back. "I started on guitar when I was seven and a half, and the initial stuff was all the folk [music] that was happening. I didn't get an electric guitar till I was 13," he explains. "So [I was hearing] James Taylor, Joni Mitchell, John Fahey, you know, blues stuff, Hot Tuna, with Jorma Kaukonen. I had this background of folk [as a result]. Then I started to take classical guitar lessons and I had a teacher who delved into some jazz stuff. So when I heard the progressive guys, they were utilizing all these styles within the context of a rock band. Certainly, Steve Hackett played some beautiful classical guitar pieces and some psychedelic stuff, very Robert Fripp influenced. So what I loved about him was I could take all this stuff that I had already learned, and apply it to a rock band. [That was different] than guys like [Eric] Clapton, who is a brilliant guitar player, but basically plugged in and played [White] blues. For me, it just didn't tickle my fancy as much as the guys who were really stylistically going everywhere."

The Current Tour with Billy Idol

Decades into his own career, Stevens is now seeing today's versions of his earlier musically curious self on YouTube offering up their take on how to play the songs he's seen become legendary. "They mostly get it wrong," he chuckles, going on to praise their efforts. Those same players can go straight to the source later this summer when Idol and Stevens return to the road to continue their tour with Joan Jett. "This is probably the biggest tour we've done since Rebel Yell, [or] possibly Whiplash Smile," he shares, before pulling back the curtain on the conception of the production. "We felt the time was right. When we sit down to talk about lights and all of that, I say, 'Don't forget, the best special effect we have is the chemistry between Billy and I.'"

"We don't want pyro, that's not the type of band we are," he outlines. But they're having fun bringing a big production to the stage that features technology and also, plenty of nostalgic accents that highlight their career accomplishments. "There's projections of some of the classic videos that we did back in the '80s during the [appropriate] songs. So people that grew up with with us through those years are reminded of that stuff. And then as there's some really cool visuals that are happening, that we were able to play with [connected to] some of the song themes. There's also some good animation happening. I think we try to be as as creative as as possible with this stuf

Fans who find their way out to this summer's shows with Idol will see Stevens playing his new signature guitars from Ciari. The innovative line of instruments, which he also used on the pair's newest album, Dream Into It, feature a number of intriguing enhancements including Rebel Yell pickups and notably, a design that allows the guitars to be folded up for transport inside a backpack.

Listen to Steve Stevens on the 'UCR Podcast'

The UCR Podcast

Sun

38 MIN

It’s a Nice Day to Talk to Steve Stevens

You've probably heard Steve Stevens' musical work in a lot of different places. From the world-famous theme for the blockbuster Top Gun movie in the '80s to his '90s adventures with Motley Crue's Vince Neil and beyond. But you've definitely heard a few of the many massive hit songs he crafted in collaboration with Billy Idol. The pair's newest concoction is Idol's Dream Into It album, which was released earlier this year. Steve joined Matt to discuss the new music, plus a variety of other topics including his new Ciari signature guitars. They also get into a number of other things including progressive rock, Eddie Van Halen, Robert Palmer, last year's Rock Hall tribute to Ozzy Osbourne and more

Billy Idol Live in Austin - May 4, 2025