Live at the Wiener Reigen

Guitarist Cliff Stevens: Blues instead of booze

A welcome regular: Cliff Stevens at his last appearance at Vienna's Reigen in May 2023.

(Bild: Alfred Pulletz)

Canadian Cliff Stevens is one of the most prominent blues guitarists in North America, but the devil alcohol almost destroyed his career. He is now sober and reformed and will be performing live at the Wiener Reigen in a few days' time. A conversation about temptations, setbacks and the power of music.

He currently wears his hair a little shorter, but when Cliff Stevens usually walks down the aisle, the visual resemblance to Eric Clapton is striking. The five-day beard, the slightly reddish mirrored sunglasses and an outfit of the German studies professor brand at least suggest at a certain distance that it could be "Mr. Slowhand" himself. In any case, what the two have in common is an unshakeable love of the blues. When it comes to career success, the two clearly fork in the road, but the 67-year-old Stevens can also look back on an eventful career. His enthusiasm for music and the guitar began early on. In 1968, he attended a Cream concert in his native Montreal and was quickly hooked, followed by a gig by Johnny Winter in 1970 and from then on, Stevens could no longer be separated from his electric battle axe.

Early fall
Stevens developed into a well-booked guitarist on the Canadian scene, especially in the late 70s and early 80s, who hired himself out to various bands, often toured the world and experienced memorable moments such as appearances at the Montreal International Jazz Festival. But the bright highs were all too quickly followed by painful lows. "I had a serious drinking and drug problem, which really escalated at times," he tells us in the Krone interview, "my life was one big party back then. I was on stage six days a week and there was free alcohol backstage. We played and partied. On my only day off, I went to the nearest bar to party with people." Of course, excessive alcoholism was not just a problem for Stevens himself, and awareness of the dangers involved was nowhere near as high as it is today.

"Back then, everyone drank and took drugs, that was the norm in rock'n'roll. I wouldn't have known what else to do, the scene was extremely hedonistic." Stevens' alcohol problem got so out of hand that he hung up his music career for the first time at the tender age of 26. While many artists today indulge in online whining and completely absurd appeals for donations in the event of failures or setbacks, Stevens grabbed himself by the scruff of the neck and became a cab driver after rehab. "The first six weeks as a dry alcoholic were brutal. I couldn't sleep or build relationships because I was too shy. I despaired, but sometimes you have to be patient. At first I was sober for seven years, but then I relapsed and fell off the wagon for three years. The second time was even harder, but I fought my way out."

Day by day
While Cliff was fighting his way back from the swamp of booze, he had to follow the downfall of his brother, who died three years ago as a result of excessive alcohol consumption. "He just didn't have the luck I had," he recalls, "I just had two epiphanies that it couldn't go on like this. He didn't have it. Nuances are often decisive. I stopped drinking for the first time on December 23, 1998 and since then I've been trying to keep it that way from day to day. So I can proudly say that I haven't touched a drop in this century," he continues with a laugh, "and I smoked my last cigarette in 2001. I'm still feeling my way forward and am happy every day that I don't reach for a fag or a glass of beer."

Cliff Stevens in an interview with "Krone" editor Robert Fröwein.

(Bild: Alfred Pulletz)

With this iron discipline, Stevens has cemented his career as a profound blues guitarist for a good quarter of a century. Life and music have a completely different quality. "I get the band together, we go into the studio and record everything. There are no delays and no excuses, I could never have done that before." In terms of active sports, he could do more, as Stevens admits, "especially the tours in Europe are dangerous. I love Knoppers, I eat them all the time. And you don't stay fit on tour by loading and unloading equipment." Stevens usually plays a six- to seven-week spring tour every year, mainly in Central and Eastern Europe. Traveling and hauling is no walk in the park at 67, but the two hours per evening on stage still compensate him for every hardship. "Of course, I sometimes ask myself why I still do this to myself, but the band has a lot of energy and we play well. People notice that too."

Taking it easy
Stevens released his last studio album to date in 2022 with "Better Days". Plans for a new one have been flourishing for some time, but the musician is no longer stressing in the autumn of his career. "If it wasn't for the love of music, there would be no point," he laughs, "we're not selling any more albums. You have to tour and that's difficult for small acts like us. In Canada, there's also no great support system that would help me in that respect." He particularly enjoys touring in Europe. "I have Scottish and Irish roots and I feel that people here have internalized the blues. In the Czech Republic last year, I also had an unusually young audience because they are also interested in real music." When Stevens is not in Europe, he likes to stay in Montreal and play gigs in his home town. "I don't have to do everything anymore. That's the luxury I allow myself."

Live at Reigen
On May 8th, Cliff Stevens will be coming back to Vienna to perform at Reigen as part of his current European tour. Tickets and all further information about the performance of the passionate Canadian guitarist are still available at www.reigen.at.