Supporting your idol (pun intended) is every guitarist or band's dream, and for BRONCHO's Ryan Lindsey, the opportunity has presented itself multiple times. Over the years, the Oklahoma-based indie rock band has made fans out of Josh Homme, Jack White, and Billy Idol guitarist, Steve Stevens.
“We toured the whole US with Billy Idol, and so I got to watch Steve Stevens every night,” Lindsey tells Guitar World. “And, on and off the field, he's awesome. Really great, nice guy, and also just a killer on the guitar. He’s a part of so many songs of my life that have really meant something to me.”
And while Lindsey admits that it was “so long ago” and that he “can't remember specifics,” he did remember a little stage-related incident that may or may not involve beer and pedalboards…
“It's all coming back! I'm like, ‘Wait, maybe there was some trauma that I buried’ – and it was spilling my beer on Steve Stevens' pedalboard. I quickly wiped it up and didn't tell anybody. It's foggy in my mind, but as we're talking about it, I'm like, wait, I need to do that hypnotic regression therapy…”
“I'll be like, hypnotized, and be like, ‘I spilled a beer… Steve Stevens…’ ‘And how did it make you feel? ‘Terrified!’” he adds with a laugh. “But we had a lot of respect for them. They are legends. And that tour was so great.
“The first show, we drove from Oklahoma straight to Philly, and got on the Billy Idol tour. And I do remember this: the first moment we walk out, I just hear some voice from the crowd saying, ‘You suck!’ It was the perfect way to start the tour!”
BRONCHO released their first album in seven years, Natural Pleasure, in April – an introspective record that still champions the band's quintessential playfulness – and are currently on tour across the States.
Guitar World's full interview with Ryan Lindsey will be published in the coming weeks.
