🎸“I Said, ‘You Have No Idea How Many Things I’ve Stolen from You.’ And He Said, ‘Yes, I Have.’” — Randy Bachman’s Jaw-Dropping First Encounter with Stephen Stills at Neil Young’s 70th

🎸“I Said, ‘You Have No Idea How Many Things I’ve Stolen from You.’ And He Said, ‘Yes, I Have.’” — Randy Bachman’s Jaw-Dropping First Encounter with Stephen Stills at Neil Young’s 70th

Rock and roll is a world built on riffs, rebellion, and unexpected moments  and few tales capture all three quite like the unforgettable exchange between Canadian rock legend Randy Bachman and American icon Stephen Stills at Neil Young’s 70th birthday bash.

It was a party packed with guitar gods and generational voices, but for Bachman  famed for his work with The Guess Who and Bachman-Turner Overdrive  one moment stood above the rest. Speaking recently in an interview, Bachman recalled his bold introduction to Stephen Stills with a mix of reverence and rockstar mischief.

“I walked up to Stephen and said, ‘You have no idea how many things I’ve stolen from you,’” Bachman recounted with a grin. “And without missing a beat, he said, ‘Yes, I have.’”

The exchange sent a shockwave of laughter through the room  but beneath it was a shared understanding that defines rock’s greatest innovators: influence isn’t theft, it’s tradition.

Bachman has long credited Stills as one of his guitar inspirations, admiring his work from Buffalo Springfield to Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. That night at Neil Young’s milestone celebration, the air was thick with nostalgia, but also respect among peers whose chords and lyrics helped define the sound of a generation.

“It wasn’t said with malice,” Bachman clarified. “It was more like, ‘We all borrow, we all build on each other.’ And in that moment, I felt like I had been acknowledged by one of my heroes.”

The story is more than just a funny anecdote  it’s a reminder of the deep, cross-border creative ties that run through rock history. Neil Young, a Canadian icon himself, brought together titans of the craft that night, many of whom had shaped and shadowed each other’s careers over decades. For fans of classic rock, moments like these offer a glimpse into the brotherhood that exists behind the amplifiers and arena lights.

And for Bachman, who helped soundtrack the ‘70s with hits like Takin’ Care of Business and American Woman, it was a full-circle moment. The kid who once studied Stephen Stills’ playing with wide-eyed admiration was now swapping barbed compliments with him at a legend’s birthday.

“That’s rock and roll,” Bachman said. “You grow up learning from your heroes and if you’re lucky, you get to tell them.”