Ricky Byrd

The former Joan Jett guitarist - who just released the new NYC Made - discusses adopting Jeff Beck's amp philosophy and, of course, getting pelted with 9-volt batteries

- JOE MATERA

What was your first guitar?

I was around nine when I saw the Rolling Stones and the Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show. I was instantly attracted to George Harrison and Keith Richards' guitar playing, so I asked my mom if I could get a guitar. She was working at a handbag company, and her boss gave her a gift - for me - on my birthday, a no-name acoustic. That little acoustic was how I first learned to play guitar. The second guitar I got, which was my first electric, didn't even have a name, but it was from a store called Lafayette Electronics. It looked like a Gibson ES-335, but it was cheap and came with a little amp.

What was the first song you learned to play?

The Turtles' "Happy Together," because it had a riff I could learn. I wound up doing a show-and-tell at my public school in the Bronx where I grew up, and I played "Happy Together." I noticed the girls were all smiling at me, and being 10, I was like, "Well, now - that is interesting!"

What was your first gig?

I was in a band called Ruff Stuff, and we started playing in our local neighborhood place that was like a coffee, wine and cheese place. It had a stage in the front, and the gig was for a dance. We played all kinds of British stuff. I don't think we even got paid.