‘Guitar Saved Me!’: Jeff Beck Looks Back in Never-Before-Heard Interview Audio - Rolling Stone

“The lone friends I had were beauteous low-life,” Jeff Beck said, looking backmost astatine his puerility successful recently unearthed audio of an interrogation with Rolling Stone’s Kory Grow. “They were 1 measurement distant from jail, astir of them. The guitar saved maine from that.”

Beck – who died this week astatine the property 78 – looks backmost astatine his full career, from the Yardbirds to the Jeff Beck Group to his fusion epoch and beyond successful the interview, which tin beryllium heard successful its entirety successful the caller occurrence of our Rolling Stone Music Now podcast. “I’ve ne'er made the large time,” Beck said, “and mercifully, probably. When you look astir and spot who has made it huge, it’s a truly rotten spot to beryllium erstwhile you deliberation astir it. Maybe I’m blessed with not having had that.”

The astir two-hour-long tribute occurrence besides features caller interviews with 3 guitar legends: Mike Campbell of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Vernon Reid of Living Colour, and Joe Satriani. Elsewhere successful the episode, Andy Greene joins big Brian Hiatt to sermon Beck’s full career.

“Jeff Beck astir apt stood retired the astir successful presumption of spontaneous, quirky, but melodic stuff,” says Campbell. “It was ever surprising, like, ‘How’d helium travel up with that?’ Plus, helium looked great!” Campbell besides reveals 1 happening helium had successful communal with Beck: Both of them kept guitars successful their bathrooms, conscionable successful case.

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“Jeff didn’t attraction astir perfection,” says Reid. “He cared astir inhabiting the space, the moment, the emotion… When helium truly plays with textures and conscionable wrings each of this pathos retired of the instrument, I mean, that’s bonzer to me.”

Download and subscribe to our play podcast, Rolling Stone Music Now, hosted by Brian Hiatt, connected Apple Podcasts oregon Spotify (or wherever you get your podcasts). Check retired six years’ worthy of episodes successful the archive, including in-depth, career-spanning interviews with Bruce Springsteen, Mariah Carey, Halsey, Neil Young, Snoop Dogg, Brandi Carlile, Phoebe Bridgers, Rick Ross, Alicia Keys, the National, Ice Cube, Taylor Hawkins, Willow, Keith Richards, Robert Plant, Dua Lipa, Questlove, Killer Mike, Julian Casablancas, Sheryl Crow, Adam Duritz, Johnny Marr, Scott Weiland, Liam Gallagher, Alice Cooper, Fleetwood Mac, Elvis Costello, John Legend, Donald Fagen, Charlie Puth, Phil Collins, Justin Townes Earle, Stephen Malkmus, Sebastian Bach, Tom Petty, Eddie Van Halen, Kelly Clarkson, Pete Townshend, Bob Seger, the Zombies, Gary Clark Jr., and galore others. Plus, look for dozens of episodes featuring genre-spanning discussions, debates, and explainers with Rolling Stone’s critics and reporters.