
Episode #20
#20 - Rock Journalist Reveals Why Jeff Beck Never Became a Mega-Star | Steve Rosen
Get Steve Rosen's new book, The Original Punk: Jeff Beck Stories here: https://amzn.to/45E8Ivh Jeff Beck was on the original Woodstock poster, but the Jeff Beck Group fell apart just before one of rock’s defining events. Veteran rock journalist Steve Rosen explains why Beck repeatedly walked away from the kind of success that could have made him as big as Led Zeppelin—and why Rosen still considers him the most gifted and innovative guitarist ever. Drawing on interviews with Beck from 1973 to 1989, Rosen revisits the guitarist’s missed Woodstock appearance, the Rolling Stones offer he declined, his unpredictable band changes, and the music that made him a legend among musicians. Rosen also shares the terrifying moment he realized he had failed to record his first Jeff Beck interview—and the unexpected kindness that saved it. CHAPTERS 00:00 The Jeff Beck Interview Tape Steve Almost Lost 00:29 Steve Rosen and The Original Punk 01:43 Why Jeff Beck Was the Greatest Guitarist 04:16 Why Jeff Beck Never Became a Mega-Star 06:44 Steve’s First Jeff Beck Interview in 1973 12:21 The Recording Mistake That Nearly Ended Everything 21:09 Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, and the Yardbirds 27:00 Did Led Zeppelin Borrow Jeff Beck’s Sound? 29:13 Why Jeff Beck Turned Away From Fame 36:33 Why Jeff Beck Couldn’t Keep a Band 44:01 How Blow by Blow Changed Everything 49:22 Jeff Beck’s Famous Musician Admirers 53:41 Why Jeff Beck Blew Off Woodstock 56:13 Jeff Beck’s Temper and Onstage Walkouts 59:28 Hot Rods, Guitars, and Jeff Beck’s Legacy

