Billy Idol

Billy Idol (born William Michael Albert Broad, 30 November 1955 in Middlesex) is an English rock musician.

He first achieved fame in the punk rock era as a member of the band, "Generation X." He then embarked on a successful solo career, aided by a series of stylish music videos, making him one of the first stars on MTV. Billy continues to tour with guitarist Steve Stevens and has a massive fan base all around the world.

Biography

Early life and career

William Broad chose the name, "Billy Idol" after remembering a comment a teacher had written on a report card. The teacher called William, "idle." It was a comment which would stay in William's mind for a long time. William realized he had to change the spelling of the word idle to idol because Eric Idle of Monty Python fame was quite popular at the time. The word, "idol" also could also mean that he was a, "rock idol." Many musicians during that time had a stage name. William admired , "The Sex Pistols" and a few members of that band had given themselves a stagename. John Lydon became, "Johnny Rotten" and John Simon Ritchie became, "Sid Vicious."

William progressed well with his studies and his family eventually moved to Bromley in Kent. In 1971, William transferred to the strict Ravensbourne Grammar school. He failed to achieve the necessary requirements for a place at University. His parents became quite upset and eventually enrolled him in a school that was more relaxed. William was allowed to re-take his placement exams at the Orpington College of Further Education. He could grow his hair out, and wouldn't have to wear a school uniform. He soon secured himself a place at Sussex University and took classes in English & Philosophy in Sept of 1975.

Punk Rock soon came knocking at William's door, and he totally immersed himself in the scene. He became part of a Sex Pistols fan club called the Bromley Contingent. Their admiration for the shocking & boundary breaking band, The Sex Pistols, grew & wherever the Pistols went, so too did the Contingents.

In 1975, William decided to start his own band called, "The Rockettes." After William met Tony James, he decided to drop out of school to focus on music.

In the Summer of 1976 a fellow by the name of Gene October put an ad in the Melody Maker searching for guys who liked Television and the Ramones. William Broad soon joined Gene October (vocals), John Towe (drums) and Tony James (bass) to form the band, "Chelsea." William would change his name to, "Billy Idol" and would be the bands guitar player.

In 1976, Billy and Tony James decided to leave Chelsea and form their own group. They formed a band with John Towe and started playing shows. Tony found a '60's paperback called, "Generation X]], a romantic account of Mods and Rocker violence, under Billy's bed, and thought it would make a great name for the group.

Billy decided the band needed to find a guitarist so he could stick to being the groups lead singer. Billy spotted a young guitarist named, Bob "Derwood" Andrews from Fulham at a local youth club one night and asked him to join the group. John Towe eventually was kicked out of the band and the group found Mark Laff, who was playing with minimalist group Subway Sect.

The band became a big deal throughout London and eventually record caompanies started showing up at shows. Generation X was a very image concious band. They were more about the image than they were about the music. Tony even stated in an interview that he would never allow a fat person in the group.

Generation X signed to Chrysalis Records in 1977, and were on the rising to success when they crashed under the weight of it all. Generation X was the first punk band to appear on the BBC's, "Top of the Pops" program. The band were on the rise, even touring in countries like Japan. The band went through many changes in personnel, and Billy and Tony also realised that their manager Stewart Joseph was mishandling their money.

Billy, Tony and new member Terry Chimes decided to carry on as a trio wven though they needed a guitar player. Keith Forsey was brought in to help record their third and final album. Steve Jones of Sex Pistols fame was brought in to play guitar on a few tracks. John McGeoch, guitar player from Siouxie & The Banshees was also brought in to help finish the album.

Dancing With Myself was released as a single in the UK but failed to become the big hit the band was waiting for. The band found new guitarist Steve Andrews and asked him to join the band. The new album was called, "Kiss Me Deadly" and in 1980, the band embarked on a short but successful tour.

Like most bands, Generation X couldn't hold itself together and the members soon parted ways. Producer Keith Forsey took hold of Billy Idol's career and quickly moved him to New York in hopes of catptuing an American audience.

It was about this time that Billy got his famous, "Octobarina" tattoo on his left arm. Octobarina is a Russian heroine. The spirit of the October Revolution. Octobriana's mission was to fight for the Russian People, against the oppressive Soviet Government and all sorts of outlandish threats. The tattoo could be seen throught the Dancing With Myself video.

Billy was soon becoming an MTV staple with his videos for "White Wedding" and "Dancing with Myself."

In 1983, "Dancing With Myself" was released in the U.S. in an effort to introduce Idol to American audiences not yet as familiar with him. The music-video (directed by Tobe Hooper, produced by Jeffrey Abelson, and conceptualized by Keith Williams) was played in heavy rotation on MTV for six months. The Dancing With Myself video sparked a whole new era of feature film directors that would try their hand at directing music videos.

"White Wedding" was rumored to be a "nasty put down" by Idol and then-girlfriend Perri Lister, directed at Idol's sister for thinking that getting married was the answer to getting pregnant. In the 2001 recording of VH1 Storytellers Idol refutes that, saying his sister's wedding was simply inspiration for the song, which quickly took on its own form. Years after the video, Idol's sister is still married with three children. Idol and Perri broke up in 1990. They have a son together named Willem Wolfe Broad.

Billy eventually met guitarist, "Steve Stevens" and started writing material for a solo album.

Rebel Yell and the 2000's

Idol's second LP, Rebel Yell (1984) was a blockbuster success, and established Idol's superstar status in the United States with hits like "Eyes Without a Face", "Flesh For Fantasy", and the title cut; Idol also became very popular in Europe thanks to this album and its singles, particularly in Germany, Italy, Switzerland and later in his native UK.

Billy released Whiplash Smile in 1986, which sold very well. The album included the hits "To Be A Lover", "Don't Need A Gun" and the country-flavored "Sweet Sixteen."

A remix album was released in 1987 called, "Vital Idol." The album featured a live cover of Tommy James' "Mony Mony" (the studio. The single did well topping the US charts in 1987.

Steve Stevens parted ways with Idol after Whiplash Smile. In 1986, Steve appeared with Harold Faltermeyer on the, "Top Gun" soundtrack. Their contribution was the instrumental, "Tog Gun Anthem." Steve decided to go solo creating his own band called, "Steve Stevens and the Atomic Playboys."

Billy was involved in a relationship with a woman of the name Linda Mathis (born and raised in Pasadena, CA). Though there was a thirteen year age difference, they began seeing each other regularly. At the age of 19, Linda became pregnant, and chose to move in with her mother to have her child. It was a girl named Bonnie Blue Broad, born August 21, 1989.

Billy was involved is a serious motorcycle accident in February of 1990. He was hit by a car while driving home from the studio one night. The accident almost cost Billy his leg. Doctors managed to pull him through, but against his doctors orders Billy set out to promote his new album.

The new album, "Charmed Life" was due for release and a video for the single, "Cradle of Love" had to be shot. The song had been featured in the Andrew Dice Clay film, "The Adventures of Ford Fairlane film)." Since Billy was unable to walk, he was shot from the waste up. The video would feature video footage of Billy singing in large frames throught an apartment while the very young and beautiful Betsy Lynn George was trying to seduce a modest and mild mannered business man. The video was a huge hit and was placed in heavy rotation on MTV. Billy and Betsy Lynn George recreated the opening of the video for the 1991 American Music Awards.

Billy had always been a huge Doors fan, and he was asked to take part in the new movie The Doors, directed by Oliver Stone. Since Billy was barely able to walk his part in the movie was greatly cut out.

Against his doctors orders, Billy decided to tour behind the, "Charmed Life" album. Billy could be seen walking with a cane onstage. He also had a special gauntlet made for his hand. This tour would be the first without Steve Stevens. Mark Younger-Smith had become Billy's new guitarist.

Billy's stage show was quite ellaborate. A massive fist was designed to hang over the crowd. The words, "Rude Dude" were written across the fingers. During the show the fist would rotate and flip off the audience. The hand can be seen in the video for, "Prodigal Son."

In 1993, Billy released Cyberpunk, which fell on deaf ears. Music had changed in 1993, and a lot of the bands that were popular in the eighties were now being pushed to the wayside. The album is considered to be ahead of its time by many people, and was considered to be experimental for the time. The album was recorded in a home studio using a Macintosh computer, which was a fairly new concept at the time.

Billy recorded the album with Mark Younger-Smith and producer Robin Hancock. Special editions of the album were issued with a floppy disc which contained a screen saver.

Idol sank into drug addiction in the mid nineties, nearly dying of a GHB overdose in 1994. Upon his discharge he calmed down and began to focus more on fatherhood.

In 1996 Billy appeared in a live version of the Who's Quadrophenia.

Idol returned to the popular eye in 1998, when he played himself in The Wedding Singer, an Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore 80s romantic comedy, where "White Wedding" was used as the title track.

In 2001 Billy reunited with guitarist Steve Stevens to write and record a new album.

Vh1 aired, "Billy Idol - Behind the Music" on April 15th, 2001. The Behind the Music series was very popular at the time, and each band or artist that was featured on that program usually gained a resurgence of interest after the show had aired. Billy Idol and Steve Stevens were no exception.

On April 19th, 2001, Billy and Steve took part in a VH1 Storytellers show. The reunited duo set out to play a series of acoustic/storytellers shows prior to recording the Vh1 special. The acoustic tour was a big success, and Billy eventually started adding new material into the show.

Another Greatest Hits CD was issued in 2001. Keith Forsey's Don't You (Forget About Me) appears on the compilation. Although Forsey originally wrote it with Idol in mind, Idol turned it down and eventually the song was given to Simple Minds who would go on to make it a worldwide hit in 1985. The album also includes a live acoustic version of "Rebel Yell" which is taken from a performance at L.A. station KROQ's 1993 Acoustic Christmas concert.

File:SherinianIdolBandLo-Crop-1.jpg

Billy Idol on the set of In The Summertime video (2006)

He was also featured in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, where the character Spike claims Billy's look and attitude is based on him.

In 2000, Idol was invited to be one of the guest vocalists on Tony Iommi's album. His contribution was on the song Into The Night, which he also co-wrote. That same year his voice also starred as Odin, a mysterious alien character, in the animated fantasy film Heavy Metal 2000.

Idol was embarrassed at the 2002 National Rugby League Grand final, when a power problem resulted in no one being able to hear him singing.

"White Wedding" appeared on popular videogame Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, playing on fictional Classic Rock radio station, K-DST.

Devil's Playground, which came out 22 March, 2005, was his first new studio album in nearly twelve years. This album was heavily promoted with use of the Devil's Playground album website, which was made by Squad in early 2005. The Devil's Playground album includes a cover of the classic song Plastic Jesus.

Idol played a handful of dates on the 2005 Vans Warped Tour and also made an appearance the UK's Download Festival at Donington Park . Then in 2006, as his only UK live date, he appeared headlining the Sunday night of GuilFest. That same year he made an appearance on Viva La Bam.

In 2006, Billy guested on his keyboardist Derek Sherinian's solo album Blood of the Snake, covering the 1970 Mungo Jerry hit, "In the Summertime". A video was also made featuring Idol and former Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash.

In November 2006, Idol released a Christmas album called Billy Idol: Happy Holidays. It includes classic Christmas songs like "Frosty the Snowman", "Jingle Bell Rock", and "Silent Night", plus some originals.

Discography

Albums

Don't Stop (EP) - 1981 #71 US
Billy Idol - 1982 #45 US
Rebel Yell - 1984 #2 UK / #6 US / #2 Germany / #40 Netherlands / #16 Switzerland
Vital Idol - 1987 #4 UK / #10 US (1987 release) / #8 Germany / #24 Switzerland
Whiplash Smile - 1986 #2 UK / #6 US / #9 Germany / #19 Netherlands / #4 Switzerland
Idol Songs: 11 of the Best - 1988 #2 UK / #14 Germany / #6 Switzerland
Charmed Life - 1990 #15 UK / #11 US / #5 Germany / #51 Netherlands / #4 Switzerland
Cyberpunk - 1993 #20 UK / #48 US / #13 Germany / #50 Netherlands / #15 Switzerland
Greatest Hits - 2001 #74 US / #12 Germany / #30 Switzerland
VH1's Storytellers: Billy Idol - 2002 #14 Germany / #76 Switzerland
Essential Billy Idol - 2003
Devil's Playground - 2005 #78 UK / #46 US / #15 Germany / #32 Switzerland
Happy Holidays - 2006

Singles

Starting with the 1983 re-release of "White Wedding", Chrysalis issued Billy's singles with an IDOL vanity catalogue numbering system, much like Nine Inch Nails's halo numbering system. This lasted for roughly seven years and sixteen singles (including various re-issues) until the release of "Prodigal Blues" in 1990.

Year	Song	UK singles	U.S. Hot 100	U.S. Mainstream Rock	U.S. Modern Rock	Germany Top 75	Italy Top 50	Switzerland Top 50	Album
1981	"Dancing With Myself"	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	Don't Stop
1981	"Mony Mony" (Tommy James and the Shondells cover)	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	Don't Stop
1982	"Hot in the City"	58⁽¹⁾	23⁽²⁾	11	-	-	-	19⁽³⁾	Billy Idol
1983	"White Wedding"	6⁽⁴⁾	36	9	-	-	-	-	Billy Idol
1984	"Rebel Yell"	62⁽⁵⁾	46	4	-	-	-	-	Rebel Yell
	"Eyes Without a Face"	18	4	3	-	10	14	21
	"Flesh for Fantasy"	54	29	8	-	11	30	20
1985	"Catch My Fall"	63⁽⁶⁾	50	24	-	11	-	-
1986	"To Be a Lover"	22	6	2	-	28	16	7	Whiplash Smile
1987	"Don't Need a Gun"	26	37	10	-	36	-	29
	"Sweet Sixteen"	17	20	26	-	2	30	12
	"Mony Mony (Live)"	7	1	27	-	38	-	13	Vital Idol
1990	"Cradle of Love"	34	2	1	7	38	8	11	Charmed Life
	"L.A. Woman"	70	52	18	12	-	28	-
	"Prodigal Blues"	47	-	35	-	-	31	-
1993	"Shock to the System"	30	-	7	23	-	17	37	Cyberpunk
1993	"Mother Dawn (Hold Me)"	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	Cyberpunk
1994	"Speed"	47	-	-	-	-	-	-	Speed Soundtrack
2005	"Scream"	-	-	26	-	54	-	-	Devil's Playground
2005	"Cherie"	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	Devil's Playground

¹ Re-released in the UK in 1988, charted at #13 in the Top 75.
² Re-released in the U.S. in 1988, charted at #48 in the Hot 100.
³ Swiss release in 1988.
⁴ UK release in 1985.
⁵ Re-released in the UK in 1985, charted at #6 in the Top 75.
⁶ UK release in 1988.

References

Guinness Book of British Hit Singles - 16th Edition - ISBN 0-85112-190-X
Guinness Book of British Hit Albums - 7th Edition - ISBN 0-85112-619-7

External links