“When John smashed that guitar above my head, I knew it was coming. But it was terrifying nonetheless”: Stephen Bishop on friendship, luck, and his impossible-to-miss Ferrington guitar

Stephen Bishop.

Stephen Bishop, the prolific songwriter who penned the 1976 soft rock hit On and On, and who infamously had a guitar smashed over his head in Animal House, is back on the road after a brief retirement.

He’s 74, but his approach hasn’t changed. “I've always preferred to keep things simple,” he tells Guitar World. “Give me a good guitar, a microphone, and a great song, and I’m happy.”