BILLY IDOL Who Celebrates His 70th Birthday About Rock Music
30 November 2025
Billy Idol was born named William Michael Albert Broad
in Stanmore, Middlesex, UK on 30 November 1955.
Happy 70!
Generation X
BILLY IDOL Is Back And Still Dancing With Himself
Daily noise that works faster than a stream of caffeine
1 March 2025
Photo credit: Haydn Wiltshire
Here comes Billy again.
Idol (born William Michael Albert Broad, 69 years ago) started his career with
London‘s punk band Generation X (1975-1981). After the band broke up smart
money-greedy American marketing people discovered him, signed him and
trasnformed him into a mainstream punk rebel. And it worked big bucks time.
Two years ago he and his old Gen X bandmate Tony James and the Sex Pistols‘ drummer
Paul Cook and guitarist Steve Jones got together for some gigs billed as Generation Sex.
Photo by Turn Up The Volume – Utrecht, The Netherlands – 2023
He’s nominated for this year’s Rock and Roll of Fame event.
And he recorded a new solo LP, his 9th and first in 11 years.
It’s titled Dream Into It. It appears on April 25th.
The first single STILL DANCING a nod to Generation X’s 1981 hit
Dancing With Myself. Idol took the song along as he went solo.
Idol: “Still Dancing” is really a reflection of my whole journey. From the punk rock period through to now. And I’m still looking towards the future, still living the life I set out to live.
At the start of the song I’m recalling the early times in London, when I was living in squats
or at friends’ apartments, all my belongings in a plastic bag. Everybody at home or work told you what you were doing was never going to happen. But punk rock gave me an opening. I was surrounded by people who loved the music as deeply as I did and you were going to throw caution to the wind, believe in what you were doing and grab on for dear life.
As the song says, there have been many moments along the way where I’ve been self destructive. But what’s seen me through is that unflinching belief in the music that
started all those years ago. That’s been the greatest gift of all.
Wake up, people,
Billy is still rocking.
WATCH
STREAM
BILLY IDOL And TONY JAMES (Generation X) + STEVE JONES And PAUL COOK (Sex Pistols) = GENERATION SEX
2 July 2023
GENERATION SEX? Take two Generation X (1976-1981) punks, Billy Idol (vocals) and Tony James (bass). Add two sex pistols (1975-1978 and several reunions), Steve Jones (guitar) and Paul Cook and you have a punk supergroup.
The veterans got together for the first time in 2018, playing a series of gigs and went back home afterward. But these are music junkies, so this year they returned for another series of gigs (festivals and indoors). One of them was in Utrecht, The Netherlands, last Tuesday.
I travelled to our neighbours to sniff some of the good old punk nostalgia.
And? It was big fun, no more, no less. They sounded as a cover band of their own respectively classics, that came to rock out, nothing more, nothing less and to invite
us to go bananas to all the golden oldies they cranked-up (setlist below) what we all
did of course.
Billy Idol‘s presence was a bit of a letdown. Instead of flaming up the crowd, he stood there most of the time as a shy boy despite the fact that he was a natural-born frontman all his life. On the other hand we had riff maniac Steve Jones who produced enough electricity to get us all loaded for the full show. Lots of dancing by ourselves.
Glastonbury last weekend
PICTURE THIS
“So what’s up, Billy?”
Tony and Billy, old mates
Riffin’ Steve
“So that’s how you play guitar”
Anarchy in The Netherlands
GS: Facebook
All photos by Turn Up The Volume
Gone But Not Forgotten! GENERATION X Fronted By BILLY IDOL (1976–1981)
16 March 2023
Band: GENERATION X
Who: Glam and glitter punks from London
fronted by blonde God Billy Idol. Born as
William Michael Albert Broad 67 years ago.
Active: 1976-1981 / 4 studio LPs
Gen X looked like a teenage boys band playing teenybopper punk
and build a massive fan base mostly with their shouty riff-rock-fueled
singles and, of course, Billy‘s looks. After the split in 1981 Idol moved
to America to start a titanic solo career (remember White Wedding?).
Bassist Tony James formed eccentric-looking novelty band Sigue Sigue
Sputnik that went down quickly.
Three top GEN X moments.
– DANCING WITH MYSELF –
(From their final LP)
– YOUR GENERATION –
(Debut single)
– LIVE 1977 –
(Before Billy turned blonde)
GENERATION X: Facebook – Story
Poster This – GENERATION X – 1978
Great concert posters from the past
12 November 2022
GENERATION X
Marquee London
31 March 1978
C’mon Billy
GENERATION X: Bio – Discography
Poster This! GEN X 1977
GENERATION X Released Final LP ‘KISS ME DEADLY’ 40 Years Ago Today
23 January 2021
Band: GENERATION X (London UK)
Active: 1976–1981, 1993
Album: KISS ME DEADLY
Released: 23 January 1981 – 40 years ago today
AllMusic said: “Billy Idol and bassist Tony James rehearsing
for their post-Gen X careers, respectively as a solo artist and
as the leader of Sigue Sigue Sputnik.” Score: 3/5.
Billy Idol: “The biggest misconception people
have about me is that I’m stupid.”
Key single: Dancing With Myself
Billy Idol solo…
Full album…
.
GENERATION X: Bio
