Billy Idol and Steve Stevens | The Magnificent Others with Billy Corgan
4/8/20261 hr 13 min
Billy Corgan sits down with icons Billy Idol and Steve Stevens for a conversation about how a genre gets built from scratch—and what it really takes to make something last. Idol and Stevens trace their origin story from a chance meeting in New York to a 40+ year creative partnership that fused punk, dance, and rock before anyone thought it could work. Corgan pushes deeper into the creative decisions behind it all—rejecting “punk purity,” trusting instinct over rules, and using technology as a tool instead of a crutch. They also get into MTV-era fame, excess, and what it’s like bui...
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First 90 secondsBilly Idol· Guest0:00
Somehow putting it all together was, was a hell of a lot of fun.
Steve Stevens· Guest0:03
If you're a guitarist in Europe and you admire the person you're working with, that's all you need.
Billy Corgan· Host0:10
But you were building a, a genre of music that didn't exist.
Steve Stevens· Guest0:13
You can't help but be proud of it.
Billy Corgan· Host0:15
Rock is, it's such an incredible thing, and, you know, it's, it's like a form of playing with fire.
Billy Idol· Guest0:21
Yeah, everybody's got a Billy Idol story.
Billy Corgan· Host0:23
Your name was always of the, the headline. [laughs] Gentlemen, thank you for being here today. I'm very excited.
Steve Stevens· Guest0:33
Great. Great.
Billy Corgan· Host0:33
As a longtime fan and admirer, it's awesome to talk to both of you.
Steve Stevens· Guest0:37
Awesome.
Billy Corgan· Host0:37
Because I'm a guitarist, of course, first.
Steve Stevens· Guest0:39
Yeah.
Billy Corgan· Host0:40
[laughs] So I always start with the guitar, and then you. [laughs] Right? Right.
Steve Stevens· Guest0:43
Great.
Billy Corgan· Host0:44
'Cause back in the '80s, I'm like, "What pedal is he using? Oh, and Billy."
Steve Stevens· Guest0:47
Oh, then... Right, right.
Billy Corgan· Host0:48
[laughs] [laughs] Right?
Steve Stevens· Guest0:49
Yeah.
Billy Corgan· Host0:49
Anyway, congrats, 44-ish years of partnership.
Steve Stevens· Guest0:52
Yeah. Yeah.
Billy Corgan· Host0:52
Not a perfect partnership- Yeah ... but certainly a perfect partnership in p- productivity. And obviously your connection is strong 'cause you're here together.
Steve Stevens· Guest1:01
Yeah.
Billy Corgan· Host1:01
And with the documentary just about to come out here.
Steve Stevens· Guest1:03
Right on. Yeah.
Billy Corgan· Host1:04
It's exciting. Uh, so let's start there. Um, did somebody put you two together? Was it, was it a... You know, was it a producer or a record label? Or how did that...
Billy Idol· Guest1:15
Well, I don't... I had a manager, American manager, Bill Aucoin. He managed, uh, Kiss. And, um, he knew Steve, really.
Billy Corgan· Host1:24
Mm.
Billy Idol· Guest1:24
He, he was... He'd been following Steve's career in New York around the clubs or whatever with-