Steve Stevens on avoiding Eddie Van Halen copycats
Steve Stevens revealed that he never felt the need to copy Eddie Van Halen’s guitar style, even though many players in the late 1970s and 1980s did. After Van Halen’s debut album was released in 1978 and Eddie’s solo “Eruption” became famous, guitar playing changed forever. Many musicians began trying to sound exactly like Eddie.
However, Stevens believes the problem wasn’t Eddie himself, but record labels chasing the next big thing. As he explained in an interview, record companies were signing anyone who could shred or tap on guitar.
“Record labels were signing anyone who could tap and shred. The good ones, like Warren DeMartini and George Lynch, found their own voices, unlike guys that were just Eddie clones.”
Why Steve Stevens chose his own path
Stevens said part of the reason he never tried to sound like Eddie Van Halen was because of his background. He wasn’t part of the Los Angeles scene where Van Halen had the biggest impact, and he didn’t grow up feeling pressure to copy that style.
“I wasn’t from L.A. I didn’t grow up watching Van Halen thinking, ‘Oh shit, what do we do now?’ A lot of guys did. Eddie shook up the world, no doubt. I became friends with him later, but I never wanted to play like him.”
Instead of chasing flashy solos, Stevens says his main focus has always been songwriting and collaboration, something reflected in his work with artists like Billy Idol and Michael Jackson.
Being a band player comes first
Stevens has worked with many major stars, but he says Billy Idol’s band has always felt like home. For him, being part of a group matters more than showing off technical skill.
“I’m definitely not looking for my moment of glory three minutes into a song, waiting for the guitar solo. I enjoy being part of the band more than anything and having that dialogue with the guys on stage, playing and locking in with the drummer.”
Eddie Van Halen never planned the shred craze
Despite how influential he became, Eddie Van Halen never meant to start a wave of guitar shredding. According to his longtime friend Steve Lukather, Eddie was surprised by the impact he had.
“I remember him telling me once, ‘Man, I didn’t mean to start all this madness,’ but he really did change the entire game.”
Eddie himself once said his famous tapping technique came from experimenting, not from trying to invent a new style.
“I started dickin’ around, and said: fuck! This is a totally another technique that nobody really does… because it is a totally different sound.”
In the end, while Eddie Van Halen reshaped rock guitar forever, musicians like Steve Stevens chose to honor that influence by finding their own voice instead of copying it.
