Billy Idol’s guitarist Steve Stevens says the frontman hid much of his drug and alcohol habit from him and the rest of the band while on the road in the 80s.
Idol recalls his addiction struggles in his book Dancing With Myself. And while Stevens says drink and drugs were in the studio, he admits he didn’t know the levels of the singer’s excesses while on tour.
Stevens tells Guitar International: “It’s amazing, because he kept a lot of that from me. I wasn’t privy to it. We would drink and do little bit of drugs in the studio, but that wasn’t really the place for it.
“While on tour everyone would retreat back to their hotel rooms, we were never like, ‘I have a brick of heroin, wanna join?’”
Stevens says that the “lunacy exhibited” was because they wanted to make the music as good as it could be, but adds: “I’m sober now, but back when I drank I could never play under the influence.
“I would have to wait until the session was over to have a drink or partake in anything. I’m proud to say that nothing on the records or anything that I played on, has ever been under the influence.”
Stevens is currently on tour with Idol and played at this month’s Download festival. But he says once he’s off the road he’s planning on releasing a “classic prog heavy” album next year.
He continues: “It’s more of a band project than a solo CD. It’s very much in the classic rock vein and will have a signer. I just can’t say who.
“We’ve written a few songs and I’m really excited about it. It’s a very organic sounding band. There is no regard to song length or tempo or changes. It’s reminiscent of when bands were allowed to do what the fuck they want to do. It’s like a classic prog heavy CD.”
Billy Idol tour dates
Jun 22: Paris Zenith, France
Jun 24: Hamburg Stadpark, Germany
Jun 25: Odense Funen Village, Denmark
Jun 27: Varberg Fastningshornan, Sweden
Jun 28: Stockholm Grona Lund, Sweden
Jul 01: Cologne Open Air, Germany
Jul 03: Saarbrucken Saarlandhalle, Germany
Jul 07: Leipzig Arena, Germany
Jul 08: Vienna Open Air, Austria
Jul 10: Lucca Summer Festival, Italy
Jul 11: Brescia Summer Festival
Jul 13: Zagreb Calling, Croatia
Jul 16: Emmendingen I Em Music Open Air, Germany
Jul 18: Vechta NDR1 Kultstars, Germany
Jul 19: Husum NCC Nordsee Congress Centrum, Germany
Jul 21: Rostock Stadthalle, Germany
Jul 25: Munich Sommernachtstraum, Germany
Aug 07: Reno Grand Sierra Theatre, NV
Aug 08: San Francisco Golden Gate Park Outside Lands, CA
Sep 10: Council Bluffs Stir Concert Cove, IA
Sep 15: Louisville Iroquois Amphitheatre, KY
Sep 18: Nashville Ryman Auditorium, TN
Sep 21: Hollywood Hard Rock Live, FL
Sep 23: Orlando Hard Rock Live
Sep 24: Clearwater Ruth Eckerd Hall, FL
Sep 28: New Orleans House Of Blues, LA
Sep 29: New Orleans House Of Blues, LA
