Idol, Billy

Billy Idol

Billy Idol (born William Michael Albert Broad on November 30, 1955 in Middlesex, England) is an English hard rock musician. Idol lived in Worthing before attending Sussex University for only a year before joining the Bromley Contingent of keen Sex Pistols fans. During this period, Idol decided to become a musician and formed a band called Generation X in 1976 (see 1976 in music).

Generation X signed to Chrysalis Records and released three successful albums before breaking up. Idol moved to New York City and began working as a solo artist and working with Steve Stevens, soon becoming MTV staples with "White Wedding" (below right) and "Dancing with Myself". Idol's second LP, Rebel Yell (1984, 1984 in music) was a blockbuster success and established Idol's superstar status in the United States.

Idol did not release a new album until 1986 (see 1986 in music); Whiplash Smile sold very well and proved to be a smash-hit. Stevens soon left for a solo career and Idol continued. A cover of Tommy James' "Mony Mony" did well on MTV and Idol played Cousin Kevin in a performance of Tommy. Just before the release of Charmed Life in 1990 (see 1990 in music), Idol was in a motorcycle accident in which he almost lost his leg. The album sold extremely well, but Idol decided to take a break and acted in The Doors, directed by Oliver Stone. The follow-up to Charmed Life was 1993's Cyberpunk (see 1993 in music), which was a flop in the States, and Idol sank into drug addiction, nearly dying of an overdose in 1994.

The picture cover of the 1982 White Wedding single

Idol returned to the popular eye in 1998, when he played himself in The Wedding Singer, an Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore romantic comedy, where "White Wedding" was used as the title track. Idol appeared on VH1 Storytellers and issued a wildly successful Greatest Hits CD in 2001.

Idol was embarrassed when at the 2002 Australian Rugby League Grand Final, a power problem resulted in no one being able to hear him singing. This at least proved that he didn't lip-sync his performances.

In the 2004 PlayStation 2 game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, the song White Wedding was included in the lineup of classic rock radio station KDST.

Devil's Playground, which came out March 22, 2005, is his first new studio album in nearly 12 years.

Discography

Albums

1. Don't Stop (ep) (1981) #71 US
2. Billy Idol (1982) #45 US
3. Rebel Yell (1984) #6 US, #36 UK
4. Vital Idol (UK) (1985) #7 UK
5. Whiplash Smile (1986) #6 US, #8 UK
6. Vital Idol (US) (1987) #10 US
7. Idol Songs: 11 of the Best (1988) #2 UK
8. Charmed Life (1990) #11 US, #15 UK
9. Cyberpunk (1993) #48 US, #20 UK
10. Rebel Yell: Expanded (1999)
11. Greatest Hits (2001) #74 US
12. VH1's Storytellers (2002)
13. Essential Billy Idol (2003)
14. Devil's Playground (2005) #46 US

Singles

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

1. "Dancing With Myself" (1/1981)
2. "Mony Mony" (9/1981)
3. "Hot In The City" (8/1982)
4. "White Wedding" (10/1982)
5. "White Wedding (re-release)" (9/1983 - IDOL 1)
6. "Rebel Yell" (1/1984 - IDOL 2)
7. "Eyes Without A Face" (6/1984 - IDOL 3)
8. "Flesh For Fantasy" (9/1984 - IDOL 4)
9. "White Wedding (Vital Idol re-release)" (6/1985 - IDOL 5)
10. "Rebel Yell (re-release)" (9/1985 - IDOL 6)
11. "To Be A Lover" (9/1986 - IDOL 8)
12. "Don't Need A Gun" (2/1987 - IDOL 9)
13. "Sweet Sixteen" (5/1987 - IDOL 10)
14. "Mony Mony (Live)" (10/1987 - IDOL 11)
15. "Hot In The City (Remix)" (1/1988 - IDOL 12)
16. "Catch My Fall" (8/1988 - IDOL 13)
17. "L.A. Woman" (8/1990 - IDOL 15)
18. "Prodigal Blues" (1990 - IDOL 16)
19. "Shock To The System" (1993)
20. "Heroin" (1993)
21. "Speed" (1994)
22. "Scream" (2005)

Quotes

• "Everybody got it wrong. I said I was into porn again, not born again." [1] after being injured in a motorcycle incident.

See also

• Coral Castle, a stone structure where Idol recorded his song Sweet Sixteen.
• Bromley Contingent

External links

• Idol's homepage, containing a list of all his songs.
• "Devil's Playground" Review
• Billy guitarist Steve Stevens on "Devil's Playground"
• Caricature of Billy Idol
• Polish Fan Site