Ricky Byrd – who helped Joan Jett make songs like I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll and I Hate Myself for Loving You famous in the ‘80s – takes a calculating approach to guitar.
“I’m always trying to be a little tricky,” he says. “After I finish my lines I’ll go, ‘Let’s see those motherfuckers try and figure that one out!’”
He became sober 28 years ago, while still a member of the Blackhearts, and it’s an important aspect of his playing. But he says he wouldn’t change a thing about his past.
“I have zero regrets about what I had to get through to get here. It’s the way it was supposed to go. I’m sorry if I hurt people or wasn’t up to my potential, but them’s the breaks.”
He recalls that most of his debauchery was off stage, adding: “I’m not saying I was never hungover on stage. But I could count on one hand the number of times I was really blasted onstage. It was really after the show, and I did it in excess.”
He reflects: “I get people telling me, ‘I’m clean and sober, and I still listen to your music. It helps me stay that way.’ What more can you ask for as a recovery guy and a songwriter?”
How often do you play guitar these days?
“There’s an acoustic in the den and a Strat sitting at the couch, but I usually pick up the acoustic. I don’t do it as much as I used to – as you get older, there’s life stuff that you gotta do. I used to sit play for six hours to blues records, but that’s long in the past.”
Do you feel like you’ve settled into your sound, or is it still changing?
“The record I have out now, NY Made, is my sound now. There’s nods to what I grew up on, which I put in on purpose. I saw the AI answer to the question, ‘What does Ricky Byrd sound like?’ and I agree with most of it – melodic solos and focus on rhythm. Voice-wise it had me pegged.”
Do you still use a lot of gear from your days with Joan Jett?
“Not at all. I can’t even tell you the last time I used a Marshall amp. When I go, ‘Let’s try a Marshall,’ and we put it in, I go, ‘I don’t like that!’ Marshalls hurt my ears these days. I strictly use Fenders. I have a tiny pedalboard with the essentials – tuner, overdrive, delay, and maybe a chorus, straight into a Fender amp.
“As far as guitars I’ve got an ES-335, a couple of Les Pauls from the early ‘70s, and a Franken-Tele, which is body parts, with nothing Fender about it – but it sounds amazing! And I have a ’73 Tele.”
Would you tell your younger self to steer clear of Marshall?
“Oh, no! I loved the way they sounded back then. But now it’s not getting the sound I want for the music I play. In fact, my favorite live amp is a 15-watt Fender Pro Junior from the early ’90s. It’s got two knobs – volume and tone.
“When I had a Marshall stack I’d put them side by side with a 100-watt head. I took a couple of tubes out and got it down to like 50 watts. The Blackhearts were a loud band – which I’m sure has something to do with my hearing at this point!
I was more of a blues and rock guy. Joan had a more punk influence. We came at rock ‘n’ roll from two different angles
“I had Fenders then too, but for the Blackhearts I needed Marshalls. I think Joan was using a Music Man, if I’m not mistaken. But my go-to sound with her was Marshall; that was right for me.”
How do you look back on what you were able to accomplish with the Blackhearts songs?
“There wasn’t much thought given to them! The written song is one thing, but in the studio I’m an on-the-fly person. I don’t really work out my solos in advance. I like that panic mode when they hit the record button, and you go through five takes of a solo, and pick the best one or maybe comp it.
“Back then, if I remember correctly, I would do a rhythm part, Joan would do a rhythm part, then when it came time for the solo, I’d sit in the studio, hit record and see what would come out. I might have given it a bit more thought for the I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll solo.”
How so?
“At the very beginning I pulled for the demo version she did with some of the guys from the Sex Pistols. I remember asking Leslie West, ‘How should I go about this song?’ He said, ‘Play a melody.’ And if you listen to Mountain’s stuff, it always had a melodic style to it. I think my playing does that, you know?”
What made you the right player to team up with Joan at that time?
“The combination of our playing. Our styles and influences cross on some things, but I was more of a blues and rock guy. Joan had a more punk influence. But we both love T. Rex, and glam, and my stuff has glam undertones. We came at rock ‘n’ roll from two different angles, which made the sound.”
How do you feel your sobriety has impacted you as a player?
“Has my playing gotten better? Oh, yeah. Have my vocals gotten better? Oh, yeah. Has my songwriting gotten better? You guys be the judge. But you can listen to my records, and everything got better.”
Do you have any regrets about the way you played before you got sober?
“You can’t have regrets. Everything happened the way it was supposed to happen. Was I good back then? Yeah – but I’m a way better player now, and a way more interesting player. I think of things now that I would never have thought of back then. I still play with reckless abandon, but my reckless abandon is… better!”
There’s a song from NYC Made called RnR’s Demise (Has Been Greatly Exaggerated). Can we assume that you feel guitar-driven music is in a good place?
“My point is that the music business for rock ‘n’ roll is in pieces right now as far as getting airplay. The opportunities are not what they used to be when I was with Joan, or even before that.
I don’t believe rock ‘n’ roll is dead or dying; it’s just suffering
“It’s very rare that rock ‘n’ roll breaks into the top 40, but there are people who are playing Madison Square Garden that I’ve never heard of, and they’re rock ‘n’ roll bands. They make it happen because they tour a lot – but even that’s different. It’s difficult to make a splash, but I’m very excited because I’ve gotten amazing reviews.
“With that song, my point was that there’s a garage somewhere in Sheboygan with a bunch of 14-year-olds bashing away, with the neighbors banging on the door for them to turn it down! There will always be that.
“So I don’t believe rock ‘n’ roll is dead or dying; it’s just suffering. Could it come back? I guess so. But I don’t know.”
- NY Made is on sale now via Wicked Cool Records.
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