Billy Idol’s Longtime Guitarist, Steve Stevens, Shares the Real Reason He Turned Down Joining David Lee Roth’s Band

Known for his outrageous energy on stage, David Lee Roth gained fame thanks to his time with the hard rock band Van Halen. Although performing well together on stage, the singer left the group numerous times. Wanting to explore a solo career, Roth once discussed the idea of musician Steve Stevens joining his solo band. While a longtime guitarist of Billy Idol, Stevens recently shared he had several reasons not to join the band, including Eddie Van Halen. 

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Sitting down with Guitar World, Stevens discussed his career in the music industry and the time Roth wanted to join forces. Although nurturing a friendship with Van Halen, the guitarist didn’t want to put a wedge between him and the former musician. “Ed’s tone…I always looked at it as sacred ground. I can appreciate other guitar players, but I’ve never been one of those guys to mimic other players. I was approached to join David Lee Roth’s band initially, and I didn’t want to be Eddie part two, you know?”

With years passing, Stevens seemed content with the decision he made at the time. “By the time I met Dave I had already played with Eddie and hung out with him. I really liked the friendship and I just thought, ‘I’m not the right guy.’ And I didn’t want to leave Billy either.” He added, “I was approached while we were finishing up Billy’s third album, Whiplash Smile, and I’m a committed band guy. I just thought, ‘It’s not the right thing for me. ‘Plus, I’m too short – those guys are all tall!”

[RELATED: Steve Stevens Recalls Getting a Glowing Compliment From Michael Jackson—Only To Find Out Jackson Told Eddie Van Halen the Same Thing]

Steven Stevens Confirms Billy Idol Is Working On New Music

Not working with Roth, the job eventually went to Steve Vai. And for Stevens, he praised the work they produced. “I think [he] has a strong enough personality, and as a stylist, to make it his own. But I was in fear of falling into…hearing Dave’s voice and hearing Ed’s tone.”

Outside of Stevens looking into the past, he also confirmed that Idol would be releasing an album. Marking his first album since 2014, the guitarist promised, “In some respects it’s a return to the aggressive punk rock. Nobody does late ’70s, early ’80s punk better than Billy Idol. There’s a lot of bands that are influenced by that, so we might as well own it.”

(Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for iHeartMedia)