Billy Idol
- Music Artist
- Actor
- Composer
Born William Michael Albert Broad in Middlesex, England, in 1955, the
first child of Bill and Joan Broad. When he was 2, his father moved the
family to Long Island, New York, in pursuit of the American dream. They
returned 4 years later (now with a baby sister, Jane) to Dorking.
America made a big impression on Billy; he loved the big cars and rock
music. The family moved next to the Running Horses Public House in
Mickleham, until 1963, while their home in Goring, Sussex, was being
built.
The time in Goring would be a happy period for the Broads. Billy
enjoyed a fairly normal childhood, hanging out with his pals and
getting up to the usual mischief strong-willed boys are wont to. The
Broads were a religious family who regularly attended church, Billy
joined the Boy Scouts in Goring, though was reputedly asked to leave
after getting caught kissing a girl. Idol was a bright student, and
passed his 11 plus, but he was bored at school. When a teacher wrote
"Billy is Idle" in the margin of one of his works, it stuck in his mind
and later inspired his stage name. Nevertheless, Billy progressed well
and, when the family moved to Bromley in Kent in 1971, he transferred
to the Ravensbourne Grammar School.
The distractions of London, however, were not conducive to studying,
and he failed to achieve the requirements for university entrance. His
disappointed parents arranged for him to retake his exams at Orpington
College of further education. Idol enjoyed the more relaxed environment
here and, a year later, had secured his place at Sussex University. He
began his course in English and Philosophy in September 1975. This
coincided with the explosion of punk rock, which captured the
imagination of Idol far more than his studies. He started hanging out
with a group of like-minded friends at the in-venues in London,
instantly recognizable by their Malcolm Mclaren SEX shop clothes and
peg pants. They became known as the Bromley Contingent (the contingent
included Susan Dallion (Siouxsie Sioux),
later of
Siouxsie and the Banshees) and
began following the anarchic
Sex Pistols to every gig. At this
time, Bill Broad changed his name to Billy Idol and decided he wanted
to be a real part of the musical revolution. This meant dropping out of
university and forming his first band, The Rockettes, with his
classmate, Steve Upstone. They played covers of various bands,
The Animals,
The Beatles and
The Doors. They gigged in the campus cafeteria
and did one gig outside the University at the local youth hall, though
they never recorded. They also did an audition for famed music managers
Malcolm McLaren and Bernie Rhodes, who
told Steve that he was the real star. This and his father's doubt and
disapproval only served to make Billy more determined.
When Billy met Tony James, a fellow student, and became Chelsea, then
Generation X, they started to get noticed. The final Generation X
lineup - Tony James on bass, John Towe on drums, Bob Andrews on guitar
and Idol as lead vocals, played their first live show in November 1976
and began writing and recording original material. In 1977, Chrysalis
Records offered them a contract. After 3 albums and with management
problems, band discord and the decline of the punk movement, Billy
decided it was time to go solo. He relocated to New York and hooked up
with Kiss manager
Bill Aucoin. In 1981, the EP "Don't Stop"
(comprising a cover of
Tommy James' 1960s hit "Mony Mony"
and a pair of remixed Generation X tracks, including "Dancing With
Myself") landed him a solo deal with Chrysalis. He found the perfect
collaborator and partner in guitarist
Steve Stevens and released the
self-titled "Billy Idol" in 1982. Idol made full use of the MTV
explosion - the hugely successful videos for "White Wedding" and
"Dancing With Myself" showcased his peroxide spiky hair, sneer and
leathers to great effect. The stage was set for the hugely successful
"Rebel Yell" in 1984. These early years were wild with Billy's
hell-raising antics generating as much (if not more) publicity than his
music. An eight-track best-of, "Vital Idol", was released in 1985 and
the popularity of the live video of "Mony Mony" on MTV kept him in the
spotlight. 1986 saw a new release, "Whiplash Smile" - it sold well and
saw him nominated for a second Grammy for Best Male Rock Vocal
Performance (the first was for "Rebel Yell"), but some felt it failed
to live up to expectations. Stevens left to form his own band shortly
afterwords.
Idol was ready to try new things, moving to Los Angeles, taking on a
new band and appearing in an all-star stage version of
The Who's "Tommy". In 1990, however, around the
time of the release of his new album, "Charmed Life", Idol was involved
in a serious motorcycle accident when he ran a stop sign on his Harley.
He almost lost a leg and was confined to bed for 6 months. He battled
back bravely - the video for the first single, "Cradle of Love", showed
him from the waist up - at the time, he was paralysed below. The album
was a success, his fourth in a row to achieve, at least, platinum
sales. Idol decided to take a break and try his hand at acting, making
his screen debut in Oliver Stone's
The Doors (1991) in 1991. His next
appearances before the camera were less auspicious, after pleading
guilty to punching companion Amber Nevel outside a West Hollywood
restaurant in 1992. He paid $2700 in fines and was required to appear
in a series of anti-drug commercials.
The year 1993's "Cyberpunk" saw a new-look Idol, he had changed his
famous peroxide spikes to dreadlocks, and his sound to synthesized
techo beats. The album flopped, and Idol sank into drug addiction. He
had another brush with death in 1994 when he overdosed and had to be
treated in a Los Angeles hospital. Upon his discharge, he calmed down
and began to focus more on fatherhood. Although he has never married,
Idol has two children - a son from his long term relationship with
former Hot Gossip Dancer Perri Lister,
William Broad, born in June 1988, and a daughter, Bonnie Blue, from
another relationship, born 1989. The next few years were quiet until
1998, when a cameo appearance in the hit movie,
The Wedding Singer (1998),
began an Idol revival. In 1999, his recognition was confirmed with his
second wax model opening in Las Vegas. He teamed up with Stevens, once
more, and found the old magic was still there. A more extensive
"Greatest Hits" was released in 2001 and sold over half a million
copies in the USA alone, 2002 saw two VH1 specials - Behind the Music
and Storytellers.
Idol is currently working with Stevens on new material, some of which
has featured in the most recent tours over the past four years. It may
be some time since the hedonistic, hell-raising days but his unbridled
passion for music and performing remain and the shows are still
no-holds barred. Despite his bad-boy image, offstage Idol is said to be
quite gentle and sensitive, knowledgeable with a good sense of humour
and vegetarian.
first child of Bill and Joan Broad. When he was 2, his father moved the
family to Long Island, New York, in pursuit of the American dream. They
returned 4 years later (now with a baby sister, Jane) to Dorking.
America made a big impression on Billy; he loved the big cars and rock
music. The family moved next to the Running Horses Public House in
Mickleham, until 1963, while their home in Goring, Sussex, was being
built.
The time in Goring would be a happy period for the Broads. Billy
enjoyed a fairly normal childhood, hanging out with his pals and
getting up to the usual mischief strong-willed boys are wont to. The
Broads were a religious family who regularly attended church, Billy
joined the Boy Scouts in Goring, though was reputedly asked to leave
after getting caught kissing a girl. Idol was a bright student, and
passed his 11 plus, but he was bored at school. When a teacher wrote
"Billy is Idle" in the margin of one of his works, it stuck in his mind
and later inspired his stage name. Nevertheless, Billy progressed well
and, when the family moved to Bromley in Kent in 1971, he transferred
to the Ravensbourne Grammar School.
The distractions of London, however, were not conducive to studying,
and he failed to achieve the requirements for university entrance. His
disappointed parents arranged for him to retake his exams at Orpington
College of further education. Idol enjoyed the more relaxed environment
here and, a year later, had secured his place at Sussex University. He
began his course in English and Philosophy in September 1975. This
coincided with the explosion of punk rock, which captured the
imagination of Idol far more than his studies. He started hanging out
with a group of like-minded friends at the in-venues in London,
instantly recognizable by their Malcolm Mclaren SEX shop clothes and
peg pants. They became known as the Bromley Contingent (the contingent
included Susan Dallion (Siouxsie Sioux),
later of
Siouxsie and the Banshees) and
began following the anarchic
Sex Pistols to every gig. At this
time, Bill Broad changed his name to Billy Idol and decided he wanted
to be a real part of the musical revolution. This meant dropping out of
university and forming his first band, The Rockettes, with his
classmate, Steve Upstone. They played covers of various bands,
The Animals,
The Beatles and
The Doors. They gigged in the campus cafeteria
and did one gig outside the University at the local youth hall, though
they never recorded. They also did an audition for famed music managers
Malcolm McLaren and Bernie Rhodes, who
told Steve that he was the real star. This and his father's doubt and
disapproval only served to make Billy more determined.
When Billy met Tony James, a fellow student, and became Chelsea, then
Generation X, they started to get noticed. The final Generation X
lineup - Tony James on bass, John Towe on drums, Bob Andrews on guitar
and Idol as lead vocals, played their first live show in November 1976
and began writing and recording original material. In 1977, Chrysalis
Records offered them a contract. After 3 albums and with management
problems, band discord and the decline of the punk movement, Billy
decided it was time to go solo. He relocated to New York and hooked up
with Kiss manager
Bill Aucoin. In 1981, the EP "Don't Stop"
(comprising a cover of
Tommy James' 1960s hit "Mony Mony"
and a pair of remixed Generation X tracks, including "Dancing With
Myself") landed him a solo deal with Chrysalis. He found the perfect
collaborator and partner in guitarist
Steve Stevens and released the
self-titled "Billy Idol" in 1982. Idol made full use of the MTV
explosion - the hugely successful videos for "White Wedding" and
"Dancing With Myself" showcased his peroxide spiky hair, sneer and
leathers to great effect. The stage was set for the hugely successful
"Rebel Yell" in 1984. These early years were wild with Billy's
hell-raising antics generating as much (if not more) publicity than his
music. An eight-track best-of, "Vital Idol", was released in 1985 and
the popularity of the live video of "Mony Mony" on MTV kept him in the
spotlight. 1986 saw a new release, "Whiplash Smile" - it sold well and
saw him nominated for a second Grammy for Best Male Rock Vocal
Performance (the first was for "Rebel Yell"), but some felt it failed
to live up to expectations. Stevens left to form his own band shortly
afterwords.
Idol was ready to try new things, moving to Los Angeles, taking on a
new band and appearing in an all-star stage version of
The Who's "Tommy". In 1990, however, around the
time of the release of his new album, "Charmed Life", Idol was involved
in a serious motorcycle accident when he ran a stop sign on his Harley.
He almost lost a leg and was confined to bed for 6 months. He battled
back bravely - the video for the first single, "Cradle of Love", showed
him from the waist up - at the time, he was paralysed below. The album
was a success, his fourth in a row to achieve, at least, platinum
sales. Idol decided to take a break and try his hand at acting, making
his screen debut in Oliver Stone's
The Doors (1991) in 1991. His next
appearances before the camera were less auspicious, after pleading
guilty to punching companion Amber Nevel outside a West Hollywood
restaurant in 1992. He paid $2700 in fines and was required to appear
in a series of anti-drug commercials.
The year 1993's "Cyberpunk" saw a new-look Idol, he had changed his
famous peroxide spikes to dreadlocks, and his sound to synthesized
techo beats. The album flopped, and Idol sank into drug addiction. He
had another brush with death in 1994 when he overdosed and had to be
treated in a Los Angeles hospital. Upon his discharge, he calmed down
and began to focus more on fatherhood. Although he has never married,
Idol has two children - a son from his long term relationship with
former Hot Gossip Dancer Perri Lister,
William Broad, born in June 1988, and a daughter, Bonnie Blue, from
another relationship, born 1989. The next few years were quiet until
1998, when a cameo appearance in the hit movie,
The Wedding Singer (1998),
began an Idol revival. In 1999, his recognition was confirmed with his
second wax model opening in Las Vegas. He teamed up with Stevens, once
more, and found the old magic was still there. A more extensive
"Greatest Hits" was released in 2001 and sold over half a million
copies in the USA alone, 2002 saw two VH1 specials - Behind the Music
and Storytellers.
Idol is currently working with Stevens on new material, some of which
has featured in the most recent tours over the past four years. It may
be some time since the hedonistic, hell-raising days but his unbridled
passion for music and performing remain and the shows are still
no-holds barred. Despite his bad-boy image, offstage Idol is said to be
quite gentle and sensitive, knowledgeable with a good sense of humour
and vegetarian.