Chris Stein’s favourite guitarist
The guitarist and founding member of Blondie, Chris Stein, helped define the sound of the 1970s. His own unique guitar styling became the soundtrack of the New York punk scene as the band became a staple at the CBGBs alongside the Ramones, Patti Smith, Talking Heads and Television. But his own personal favourite guitarist might come as something of a surprise.
Stein is known best for his catchy riffs and his ability to mix punk and new wave sounds into more radio-friendly rock hits. Without him, we wouldn’t have hits like ‘Sunday Girl’, ‘Heart Of Glass’ or ‘Dreaming. Really, without his relationship with Debbie Harry, we wouldn’t have Blondie at all, given that the pair made the jump together to leave their old band, the Stilletos, in order to begin their own project.
Stein doesn’t tour with the band anymore due to health issues, as he revealed in 2022 that he’s struggling with Atrial Fibrillation, which causes irregular heartbeats. However, he remains a recording band member, playing a vital role in their 2017 release Pollinator. Whether he’s up on the stage with the band or not, Stein is Blondie, playing equally as valuable of a role in the group as Debbie Harry herself.
But when it comes to his own influences, Stein pulls from many different areas. Despite being a defining figure of the early punk scene, his own tastes seem to lean more towards the more pop. In particular, Stein calls Ricky Wilson from The B-52s his favourite guitar player.
While The B-52s were part of the new wave scene, they drew heavily from 1960s pop and rock ’n’ roll. Best known for hits like ‘Love Shack’ and ‘Rock Lobster’, they’re not a band you instantly think of when you think of Chris Stein, Blondie and the edge of the New York punk scene. But Stein revered him, saying: “He was just awesome, in his own quirky style.”
Upon first listen, it’s easy to miss the intricate guitar styling of Wilson. The opening riff of ‘Rock Lobster’ is iconic but has never quite got its roses as one of the most well-known riffs in music history due to the song’s comical feel. Stein, however, urges everyone to pay closer attention to it, telling Music Radar to “listen to Rock Lobster because it’s not normal. That simple part is played in probably a very weird and exotic way.”
It’s not even just Ricky Wilson’s guitar sounds and styling that stood out to Stein. The actual set-up of Wilson’s instrument caught his attention, making the player stand out as a totally unique figure. Stein recalls being mind-boggled by Stein’s set-up, “I saw guitars of his where he would have the middle two strings, the D and the G strings, removed.”
Playing intricate and timelessly catchy riffs with two strings missing, it’s hard to imagine such a thing. Some guitarists might call it sacrilege to mess with a guitar in such a way or claim Ricky Wilson wasn’t using the full extent of the instrument, but when you listen back to the B-52s and Wilson’s work, he clearly didn’t need it to become an icon.
Upon reflection, you can hear elements of Ricky Wilson’s playing in Chris Stein’s work with Blondie. Especially in the chugging verses and catchy riffs that never become too overpowering or overshadow the vocals, there are definitely similarities between the two players that may never have been typically associated with each other.
