BLACK HAIR HASARDEUR

Guitar heroes became rare! Already the Synthie Pop wave center/in the middle of the 80's shook powerfully at the throne of the sechssaiten-Artisten of type of sixstring, the brittle Schrammel sounds of the Grunge gave the scene at the beginning of the nineties the remainder. Some the Heroen survived nevertheless: Satriani, Eddie Van Halen, Steve Vai. and also the former Billy Idol guitarist Steve of stevens is still one, which gives new impulses to the category. Now it acknowledges with the Supergroup " Black Light of syndromes " and plans themselves in addition still another Fleming CO project!

For a long time one heard of Steve of stevens nothing more. The former guitarist of Billy Idol, which was promoted to 1983 with the multi-platinum album, Rebel Yell ' quasi over night to the superstar, belonged to end of the 80's to the most outstanding and most in demand musicians of the skirt scene. The professional world praised at that time its spectacular play, which from surprising Oktavspruengen, breath-robbing cheat with the misery hook, to hard power Chords and yield Singlenotes, spectacular solo trips up to the legendary sound of machine gun in, Rebel Yell ' (in similar design by the way the 1993 in, Look in ago Eyes ' on the Vince Neil solo album, Exposed ' again emerged) existed. Still during its time with Billy Idol it received the invitation to play for Michael Jackson on its Song, Dirty Diana ' afterwards operated it primarily as a musicianmusician musician at sound TRACKS, among other things for, to Ace Ventura ', speed ' and also, Top Gun ' (for which it received a Grammy in February 1987 even). Center of the 90's became it then rather quietly around the black-lured American.

Now that suddenly dips meanwhile 38jaehrige in a hochkaraetig filled Supergroup with ex-Zappa or Jeff Beck Drummer Terry Bozzio and bassist Tony Levin (among other things admits from Peter Gabriel, King Crimson, Paul Simon, Lou Reed, etc..) again up. In accordance with the initials of their surnames this Trio Black Light of syndromes (BLS = Bozzio, Levin, stevens) calls itself and zelebriert on its debut album of the same name varied hard skirt, fusion, Flamenco, Blues and progressive style items par excellence. Particularly Steve of stevens is characterised to date rather unusual play ways also for it. Additionally - in such a way it betrayed in the following interview - plan it for the very near future the publication of a solo album, on which it plays Fleming CO guitar. By the way: Of his Intermezzi as skirt Solist (, Atomic Playboy ', 1989) and brief Sideman of ex-Moetley-Cruee-Blondchen Vince Neil up, Exposed ', wanted to hear Steve of stevens against it at the dearest nothing more. From quite different causes, as one can reread.

G & B: Steve, how it came to this spectacular co-operation with Terry Bozzio and Tony Levin?

Steve: Terry planned such a project already for some time. It and its manager a plan had sketched, for which musicians they wanted to look out in addition. They set me, together with some other guitarists, on a long list and considered, which of those was most suitable probably. Terry meant finally: " Steve of stevens is a probably most unusual musician on this list. We will times call that. " Thus sometime the telephone and Terry rang asked with me: " ability we times in Los Angeles meet shortly? I come shortly to L.A., in order to give a One one to Drums Show, and we could meet thereafter. " I said: " clearly, let it us in such a way make! " Thus we met on the day after the Show.

G & B: Their three already times together on the stage confessed?

Steve: No, never. We spent five days together in the studio, until the disk was finished. And war's then. On the sixth day already Tony had disappeared already again.

G & B: Let us first about your musical starts speak. Were you how old, when you got your first guitar?

Steve: I was still young, very young even, when I began to play guitar. My father was it, who brought the first instrument with home. I was at that time even only 6 � years old. I began thus to employ me with this thing. Plays cannot call one that probably yet, which I on the guitar organizes. It was more an uncoordinated on it Herumschlagen, hahaha! Additionally I positioned myself at the beginning its own tendency, with which I played then. A daily went past an acquaintance of my father and tuned the guitar correctly. Man, I was sour, because first I could not begin nothing at all more thereby, but with the time it became fortunately ever better.

I had an older brother, who heard very much music. First, which fascinated me and which I tried to after-pass on at that time, were the Rolling Stones and the Beatles. Also actually kriegte sometime I this condemned thing into the grasp. All musicians in my neighbourhood made at that time Folk, and so made also I mean first experiences with the music of people such as James Taylor, Joni Mitchell or Simon & Garfunkel. I learned Folk Music to play accurately. Some houses Phil Ochs, its sister continued to live was my first guitar teacher. It showed me very many things of Arlo Guthrie, Woody Guthrie, traditional Folk Songs thus. With thirteen got I mean first electrical guitar. Possibly such a Japanese thing. Strictly speaking it sounded terrible, but it looked genuine cool. With this guitar I came into contact to other music. LED zeppelin were at that time even in all mouth, and also I liked them. Then I heard types, which fascinated me terribly in the radio, because he made the most unbelievable things on the guitar. Its name was Steve Howe, it was the guitarist of Yes. and it brought me on a journey to the progressive skirt of tape of the early 70's, to people e.g. Robert Fripp, Steve Hackett, Keith Emerson. They were simply the perfect models, in order to orient itself on the guitar.

G & B: And when did you create your first tape?

Steve: I was actually still too young, in order to create own tape. I played simply with other musicians, went through in Cover tape, etc.. I pushed the week sometime to tape, which played each evening three sets, equivalent five times. That was naturally a great experience for me. Here experienced I mean actual formation as the musician. We played each evening a lot of well-known Songs after. However not only this typical of things, but also genuinly fastidious pieces. Naturally we played also LED zeppelin, but besides likewise Songs of tape such as Tony Williams Lifetime. We had also an in-hour Medley from Yes pieces, e.g. of, valley OF Topographic Oceans ', and we played things of Gentle Giant. I believe, which people has it well please, but we were already genuinly crazy types.

G & B: Then you made with Billy Idol admits!

Steve: Yes, exactly. I played in tape, which took up an album for Iceland record (the name that tape was " Fine Mali bus "; d. Verf.). We were sent on the Bahamas, in order to bring the disk in there. It was by the way my all first experience with a tone tonstudio. The producer was called Jimmy Miller (among other things Rolling Stones, The Plasmatics; d. Verf.). We made a type... aehm... for Punkrock (laughs) - I believed, then one could call it earliest. In any case one war's a rather wild mixture. The disk was however never published. I returned thus to New York and looked myself after work over. Therefore I contacted among other things also Bill Aucoin, the manager of Kiss, and played him the album. The disk did not please him particularly, but it liked what I played on it. Thus it suggested to me leaving this tape and piercing me otherwise. It tried to arrange for me a new formation. We looked a singer and some suitable musicians up. All this dragged on over approximately two months, until Aucoin meant sometime: " hear to boy, we get even Billy Idol, the singer von Generation X, from England here over here. That could be something nevertheless for you. " Thus I met with Billy. Honestly said: The first meeting did not strike me even over. That can introduce yourself you surely figurativy: I sat there, with long black hair to down to the ass, and me opposite Mr. Punkrock maximumpersonally, with short, high-standing blond finery. I loved a heap exactly that music, which the Punkrocker hated abyss low. But we began somehow nevertheless to jammen a few marks in its apartment. Billy noticed that I unite Songs of Lou Reed play could. Thus exactly things, which I had always played in Cover tape, for example, Coney Iceland baby ' and so on. Billy was complete from the socks. He meant: " what, you know, Coney Iceland baby ' and it can play also still original? " I said: clearly, man! I am of New York, there play one Lou Reed music. " That let the ice between us melt. I offered to it that I would be thereby if he arranges tape...

Story: Matthias's mineur
Photo: S. Neumeier, Magna Carta, L.J. the Eifel, Sabian, Ariola, WEIA

gitarre and bass