British bad boy Billy Idol performs his hits at Mayo Performing Arts Center tonight, June 5 at 8 pm. Tickets are $75-150.
In late 1976, as cultural history was being rewritten nightly in the streets of London, William Broad was reborn as Billy Idol. With his star-catching name and head full of peroxide spikes, Idol was an instant rock star. Few knew his adopted moniker was initially Billy Idle, a name originally given to him by a disparaging schoolteacher; even at the birth of this superstar, there was a self-deprecating little boy peaking out from behind the Idolatry.
As part of the group Generation X, Idol would bring splashes of positivity, pop, and romance to a scene that had heretofore been defined by its negativity, musical atonality, and nihilistic attitude towards the opposite sex. From celebratory anthems like "Youth Youth Youth" and "Ready Steady Go" to intensely personal essays like "The Prime of Kenny Silvers" and "English Dream," Generation X expressed a fearless desire to use the new music as a way of expressing vulnerability and an affinity with rock history, consistently evoking the optimism of punk's new beginning while rejecting the easy pessimism of punk's apocalyptic outlook.
The group split in 1980, reformed as Gen X, and Idol became intrigued by the idea of integrating the spacious and mobile grooves of dance music into his sound. This spirit of invention was especially alive in "Dancing With Myself," the extraordinary track that opened side one of the sole Gen X album. Released at the onset of the 1980s, in a few magical minutes "Dancing With Myself" brought together all the divergent tribes of the 1970s and created a compelling and original object of its time that achieved timelessness. Although "Dancing With Myself" did not break any sales records at the time of its initial release, it created a remarkable stir in clubs throughout the world, where DJ's were beginning to redefine what dance music would sound like in the decade to come.
After initially combusting on the dance floors of late-night New York City clubs like Hurrah, Area and the Mudd Club, the song was re-released as an Idol solo release, followed shortly by the thumping, shaking "Mony Mony." Although
Billy Idol wasn't exactly conquering the American charts yet, he had planted his flag firmly on new shores, and was beginning to attract significant attention for his blend of melody, rhythm, and attitude.
Idol's keen sense of cultural trends and his charismatic ability to lead the way placed him in the ideal position to capitalize on an extraordinary new outlet for music called MTV. Idol was the right man at the right time, creating camera-ready music made credible by his punk rock back-story and take-no-prisoners attitude. Soon, he was as familiar a face on American TV screens as the cowboy heroes of his Long Island youth. With an extraordinary sidekick - guitarist
Steve Stevens, whose sparks of glam and skill made him a perfect companion in Billy's campaign to conquer America - it all exploded into a platinum supernova of raised fists and soaring choruses.
Billy Idol began the 1980s in an apartment on Manhattan's then-grubby Upper West Side furnished with only a mattress on the floor and a black and white TV; he ended the same decade with numerous platinum albums and sold out tours worldwide. He garnered three Grammy nominations, one MTV Video Music Award (and ten nominations), and a prestigious Brit Award. From 1982's "White Wedding" and "Hot In The City" (both of which landed in America's Top 40) to 1984's anthemic "Rebel Yell" and seductive "Eyes Without A Face" (the latter reaching # 4 in the U.S. charts), followed quickly by "Flesh for Fantasy" and "Catch My Fall," straight through to 1986's "To be A Lover,"
Billy Idol racked up an extraordinary run of hits. In 1987 his recording of "Mony Mony" reached number 1 in the Billboard singles charts and he followed in 1990 with "Cradle of Love," which reached number 2.
2014 saw
Billy Idol not only getting back into gear and returning to form, but mastering new forms. Idol's autobiography, Dancing With Myself, tells of all the ups and downs of the man who is, was, and forever would be Idol. From the basements where punk rock was born to the Hollywood Hills, from partying with the Rolling Stones to a deathbed reconciliation with his father, Dancing With Myself is a full and honest picture of a life lived loving, playing, and almost dying for rock'n'roll.
Idol's new album, Kings & Queens of the Underground, is instantly recognizable as classic Idol and recalls his very best work, but with a healthy dose of maturity, musical depth, and charismatic reflection. Kings & Queens of the
Underground hums with aggression, subtlety, rhythm, romance, and roar, as Billy continues his mission, with
Steve Stevens at his side, to find a musical lexicon that integrates half a century of rock history into an artful, original, attractive noise.
Billy Idol is back again, never having left. He's always been with you, every time you wanted to share with someone the feeling rock 'n 'roll gave to you.
Mayo Performing Arts Center, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, presents a wide range of programs that entertain, enrich, and educate the diverse population of the region and enhance the economic vitality of Northern New Jersey. The 2014-2015 season is made possible, in part, by a grant the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as support received from the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, F.M. Kirby
Foundation and numerous corporations, foundations and individuals. The Mayo
Performing Arts Center has been designated a Major Presenting Organization by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.
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