Steve Stevens: Rebel Yellin' And Story Tellin'
Brian Baker, Contributor
Thursday, February 24, 2000 12:00 AM

Steve Stevens Discusses His Flamenco Music, Billy Idol, And More!

Steve Stevens' phenomenal worldwide success as the moody and muscular six stringer for pop punk sneer-mister Billy Idol has been a comfortable role to maintain since the early '80s. That success, coupled with a co-writing credit on some of Idol's biggest hits (including "Eyes Without a Face" and "Rebel Yell") have assured Stevens that he would be able to pursue different career options without having to sweat the rent.

To that end, he has contributed to a number of both uncharacteristic and expected tribute albums (1998's second Merry Axemas disc, the Stevie Ray Vaughan tribute), as well as his work with the Atomic Playboys, Vince Neil, Michael Monroe, and a host of others, and recording a not so out of character album in 1997 with bassist Tony Levin and drummer Terry Bozzio (Black Light Syndrome). But it was Stevens' involvement with Twang!, the Hank Marvin and the Shadows tribute in 1996, that led to his latest left turn, Flamenco A Go Go, an album so astonishing yet so baffling that some longtime fans may go from banging their heads to scratching them.

Nearly five years ago, Stevens was tapped to submit a track to a Shadows tribute album that was being compiled by Miles Copeland. Attracted by the wealth of talent that the project boasted, including Brian May and Ritchie Blackmore, Stevens was hesitant to commit because he didn't particularly know Marvin's work.

"I thought, 'What the hell am I going to do that these guys aren't going to do better? They grew up listening to the Shadows and I didn't. They're going to be playing from the heart,'" says Stevens on the eve of a handful of Flamenco A Go Go supporting dates. "They sent me a compilation of Shadows things, and there was this track called "The Savage." The changes reminded me of Spanish guitar changes, so I interpreted it for flamenco guitar. Upon hearing the track, Miles said, 'Hey man, would you like to make a whole record like this?' So I said, 'Yeah, okay, sure,' not really thinking about it. When I finally sat down to start, I spent one weekend and came up with the first three songs on the record."

Stevens first became aware of flamenco guitar from an album featuring Al Di Meola, John McLaughlin, and flamenco legend Paco de Lucia. "My first thought was, 'Who's the other guy?' I knew Di Meola and McLaughlin were fast guitar players. I started buying Paco's records. The important thing about Paco is that before him the guitar was an accompanying instrument, meant to accompany dancers and singers. He was the first to put it out front, and to employ other instruments. So he was the first to push flamenco guitar to the front."

The great thing about Stevens' prior success is that it liberates him to pursue ventures like Flamenco A Go Go without fear of failure. That the album has been recorded and is available is success enough for him at this point. And he feels as though he has little to prove, either to his fans or himself.

"I don't think I have to really decide," he says to those who would keep him forever locked in the early '80s. "I don't think I have to be one thing or another. Given my own direction, this is where I want to go. This doesn't preclude me from working with other people or keep me from being a rock and roll guitar player. But it is the first time that I've been able to express my own vision. To be honest, it really wasn't a big master plan that I'm going to make a flamenco record. It just naturally fell into place where I just didn't want to include electric guitars on this record. And I started on nylon string guitar, so it just seemed like an obvious direction. I'm able now to pursue music that is important to me as a person, because that's where my heart is at. Something inside me tells me to express myself in this way."

Flamenco A Go Go, and Steven's obsession with flamenco master Paco de Lucia, is likely a career shift that's been a long time in the making. Stevens has been a hired gun and has been painted into a particular stylistic corner for so long that he began to question his motivations and the results.

"I came to a point after working with Vince Neil where I had to decide why I picked up the instrument," Stevens confesses. "It was a self-realization point in my life. As a kid, I wasn't aware of how records people sold. I would go to the import section and get these weird Van der Graaf Generator and progressive rock albums. It didn't matter if it was on the radio or any of my friends knew who it was. I bought those records because I loved the music, and that musicians were trying to be inventive. Like the Beatles. Trying to be inventive and still touch somebody's soul."

And so Billy Idol's guitar lieutenant continues to keep a number of irons in the fire. With the unexpected yet gorgeous Flamenco A Go Go under his belt, Stevens is in the midst of finishing sessions for a second Black Light Syndrome album with Levin and Bozzio, and gearing up (or down, as the case may be) for a handful of flamenco live dates which may turn into a supporting slot on the upcoming Sting tour. And more Billy Idol work may be in Stevens' future as well, as the pair re-teamed for a since-shelved album in 1998 and for a trio of late 1999 live dates, culminating in an outdoor New Year's Eve gig in Tempe, AZ.

In the meantime, Stevens is concentrating on the beautiful labor of love that is Flamenco A Go Go. "To me, flamenco is the speed metal of acoustic guitar music," Stevens says with a laugh. "Some of the players are just blindingly fast. I wanted to do a record where I was given the opportunity to be flash when I needed to be and to use technique, but I didn't want to do it in the context of another shred guitar record, because that's not my thing. But me doing it on acoustic guitar doesn't seem to put people off."

Anyone strictly looking for Steve Stevens' patented brand of concussive volume and inventive power chording is bound to be disappointed, but those with an appreciation for his incredible craftsmanship and touch will find yet another reason to love his work and range. "Certainly, these pieces aren't written for traditional flamenco guitar. A flamenco purist will tell you that this isn't a flamenco album, and they're right. The title of the album merely reflects that there is just one kind of guitar on the album, not one style."

Pictures taken from & used with permission.