Richard Bienstock

Richard Bienstock

Rich is the co-author of the best-selling Nöthin' But a Good Time: The Uncensored History of the '80s Hard Rock Explosion. He is also a recording and performing musician, and a former editor of Guitar World magazine and executive editor of Guitar Aficionado magazine. He has authored several additional books, among them Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck, the companion to the documentary of the same name.

Articles by: Richard Bienstock

Samantha Fish, Slash and Christone ‘Kingfish’ Ingram (studio portrait)

"It just seemed like another really good way to bring people together": How Slash re-electrified the blues for the hard times

By David Sinclair, Richard Bienstock published

Slash released an album of blues and soul standards that no one was expecting, then took the show on the road to support community causes

Jimmy Page, Jimi Hendrix, Eddie Van Halen and Rick Nielsen

32 of the greatest onstage moments in the entire history of the rock guitar

By Amit Sharma, Polly Glass, Henry Yates, Ian Fortnam, Paul Henderson, Richard Bienstock, Joe Bosso, Andy Aledort, Damian Fanelli published

Celebrating the pioneering, the spectacular, the unexpected and the unrepeatable

Van Halen with Dace Lee Roth, posing next to a swimming pool

The 50 best Van Halen songs - the ultimate American party soundtrack

By Chris Gill, Richard Bienstock published

Eddie Van Halen was a game-changing guitar player, but it was his band's exuberant songs that gave his genius the power to soar - and here are 50 of the best

Stryper in 1985

How Stryper found God and brought Christianity to Sunset Strip, by those who were there

By Tom Beaujour, Richard Bienstock last updated

The book Nothin' But a Good Time: The Uncensored History of the '80s Hard Rock Explosion tells the epic story of hair metal, including the rise of Stryper and their controversial yellow and black attack

The story behind Poison's Every Rose Has Its Thorn

By Richard Bienstock last updated

On December 24, 1988, Poison topped the US charts with this song. Bret Michaels poured his broken heart into a power ballad about an unfaithful girlfriend

Pearl Jam in 1992

Pearl Jam's Ten: "It was a mind-f*** but it was awesome"

By Richard Bienstock published

Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready looks back at the making and the aftermath of their game-changing debut album Ten

Qello World Tour

Qello Concerts World Tour is your All Access Pass to the best live performances from rock’s most legendary acts

By Richard Bienstock published

Three weeks, 23 countries, 65 stages – sign up now for major savings and to unlock free concerts

Mike Campbell & The Dirty Knobs

Mike Campbell on The Dirty Knobs, Fleetwood Mac, and the ghost of Tom Petty

By Richard Bienstock published

It’s taken them 15 years and a tragic death, but longtime Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers “co-captain” and current Fleetwood Mac guitarist Mike Campbell’s side-project The Dirty Knobs have finally released their debut album

Skid Row

The Story Behind The Song: Youth Gone Wild by Skid Row

By Richard Bienstock published

Canadian frontman Sebastian Bach's rock anthem kick-started sales of album that would go on to sell five million copies

Dave Navarro & Eric Gales

What happened when Dave Navarro met Eric Gales

By Richard Bienstock published

One is a former teenage prodigy, the other is in Jane’s addiction. We sit down with guitarists Eric Gales and Dave Navarro, “two junkies of the worst kind”

George Lynch

The Six-string Interrogation: Dokken's George Lynch

By Richard Bienstock published

Dokken and Lynch Mob string-bender George Lynch answers the questions no guitarist wants to answer...

Dokken in 1985 (George Lynch right)

Interview: Dokken's George Lynch on the band's 'complicated' reunion

By Richard Bienstock published

Dokken are reforming for a series of Japanese shows. Guitarist George Lynch tells us how it happened, and reveals the chances of it happening again...

Q&A: Rob Halford/KK Downing/Glenn Tipton

By Richard Bienstock published

The Judas Priest triumvirate come together to discuss their concept album about 16th-century French prophet Nostradamus.