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June 29, 2024 16 mins

Listen to the MixCloud version of this episode at: https://www.mixcloud.com/veteranrockers/veteran-rockers-podcast-episode-3-billy-idol/

Billy Idol is a singer, songwriter, musician, and actor who is both British and American. As the lead singer of the band Generation X, he rose to prominence in the 1970s after emerging from the London punk rock scene. He then started a solo career that brought him prominence on a global scale and elevated Idol to the lead position during the MTV-led "Second British Invasion" in the US. The term "Billy Idol" originated from the way a schoolteacher described him as "idle" ldol started out as a punk rock guitarist in a band called "Chelsea" in late 1976. Idol founded Generation X with Tony James, his former bandmate. The band, which included Idol as the lead singer, was successful in the UK and put out three studio albums on Chrysalis Records before breaking up. Idol relocated to New York City in 1981 in order to work with guitarist Steve Stevens on his solo endeavors. Billy Idol, his 1982 studio debut album, was a commercial hit. With music videos for the hits "White Wedding" and "Dancing with Myself," Idol quickly cemented her place on MTV, which had only recently launched. The popular songs "Rebel Yell" and "Eyes Without a Face" from Idol's 1983 second studio album, Rebel Yell, made the album a huge sales success. He put out Whiplash Smile in 1986. Idol released Idol Songs: 11 of the Best, a greatest hits album, in 1988 after scoring three UK top 10 hits ("Rebel Yell," "White Wedding," and "Mony Mony"). The album earned platinum in the UK. Subsequently, Idol released the concept album Cyberpunk (1993) and Charmed Life (1990). Idol devoted the latter part of the 1990s to his private life, keeping it hidden from the public. Devil's Playground (2005), Kings & Queens of the Underground (2014), and an EP titled The Roadside (2021) and The Cage (2022) marked a new era for Billy Idol.

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