Idol — the iconic figure from Generation X who rose to Smash Hits fame thanks to snarky lyrics — may still be around after nearly dying in an awful motorcycle accident in 1990 that left him severely injured and on life support.
He survived, yet his life changed significantly.
Born William Broad
Billy Idol rose to fame as one of the pioneers of punk rock and new wave music, known for his striking appearance and rebellious attitude that have won him decades of admirers worldwide.
Early life for Jonathan was not smooth sailing. After briefly attending Patchogue High School and Worthing High School in England, his family relocated back to Patchogue New York and then later back again where he attended Ravensbourne and Worthing schools respectively. Although briefly enrolling at Sussex University due to lack of academic interest – but soon leaving after one year due to limited exposure.
Idol co-founded Generation X with guitarist Tony James in 1976 and began creating original material. After three albums were recorded and released, Generation X disbanded and Idol embarked on his solo career, moving to New York City and signing on with former Kiss manager Bill Aucoin for management duties. From 1982’s self-titled debut through 1995’s Cyberpunk album release he produced numerous hits such as the catchy “White Wedding”, “Hot in the City”, and the sensual “Eyes Without a Face”, creating his musical signature combination of pop hooks with punk attitude and dance beats that defined his musical lexicon – something few other musicians could match.
Raised in Long Island
British singer and pioneer MTV star Billy Idol spent his early years on Long Island, living on Conklin Avenue and attending grade school here. Although his family eventually returned back to England, Idol remains passionate about American culture.
Billy Idol made waves in the 1970s British punk rock movement with his group Generation X before embarking on a solo career that earned him international renown.
Idol’s keen sense of cultural trends put him in the right place at the right time to capitalize on an exciting new music channel: MTV. Alongside guitarist Steve Stevens, they created camera-ready music tailored for this medium that captured young America’s attention – from hard-driving Devil’s Playground through to more recent recordings like Kings and Queens of the Underground which combine aggression, subtlety, rhythm, romance.
Moved to New York
Billy Idol first relocated to New York City in 1981 after leading British punk rock band Generation X and set his sights on solo success. Here he lived the shabby, cracker-cracked life of an emerging musician; taking full advantage of both subway lows and skyscraper highs to pursue his goal of stardom.
Moving to New York also helped him shed the punk image he had established with the Bromley Contingent of Sex Pistols, with Idol’s dramatic bad boy persona making him one of the biggest rock stars, particularly once MTV started rotating hit songs from their band such as “White Wedding” and “Rebel Yell.”
As of today, 67-year-old Idol remains an influential force. Last year he released an energetic rocking EP, then embarked on an unforgettable show at L.A.’s Roxy to commemorate 40 years since he first performed there – before flying with his band across South America and Europe this month for performances!
Moved to Los Angeles
Idol’s keen understanding of cultural trends made him the ideal person to capitalize on the remarkable new music channel known as MTV. His combination of punk rock history, no-holds-barred attitude and charismatic presence made him an instant hit with viewers; similarly his guitar playing pal Steve Stevens also became popular.
But even as Idol slipped deeper into drug abuse, his creative instincts kept him one step ahead of the zeitgeist. Even after losing his apartment on Manhattan’s gritty Upper West Side, his bad habits never disappeared completely.
Around the time he recorded Charmed Life, Idol was involved in an intense motorcycle accident which came perilously close to killing him and resulted in Robert Patrick taking over a major role in James Cameron’s Terminator 2 (the part later went to Robert Patrick instead). Idol’s limp forced him away from machismo roles and into exploring dance-music producer Keith Forsey whom he described as a master of synthesizer; their collaboration resulted in 1993’s Cyberpunk which combined aggression, subtlety rhythmics rhythmics and romance into an artful and attractive noise.