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Hey Prime members, you can listen

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the app today. From

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Built-in Productions, it's The Great

0:13

Creators. Conversations about creativity

0:15

with some of the most

0:17

celebrated actors, musicians, and performers

0:19

of our time. I'm

0:29

Guy Roz and on the show today,

0:31

rock icon, Billy Idol. We

0:33

were these cast off kids who'd

0:35

found the other 10 people who were like

0:37

us. And it

0:39

was music that was connecting us. Were

0:42

we thinking this was going to go mega? No. No.

0:46

We were doing it out of the love of

0:48

doing it. This is what we believed. We were going

0:50

to do it whether there was a

0:52

future or not. You

0:54

can't really tell the story of punk rock

0:56

in America or the story of

0:58

MTV without mentioning Billy Idol. He

1:01

had that look. Spiky, bleach blonde

1:04

hair, leather jackets, chains, and of

1:06

course his curled lip. And

1:09

he had the sound. He combined

1:11

punk, rock, dance, even disco to

1:13

write hits like White Wedding, Rebel

1:15

Yell, and of course, Dancing with

1:17

Myself. That combination made

1:19

Billy Idol one of the first and

1:21

biggest stars of the MTV era. And

1:24

today he'll take us through his whole journey and open

1:26

up about his very rock and roll lifestyle.

1:28

Plus, the workout regimen that allows him to

1:30

go on world tour at the age of

1:32

68 and the story

1:35

behind the hit Rebel Yell. It involves

1:37

the Rolling Stones and a lot of

1:39

bourbon. That's all coming up after

1:41

this break. Audible

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Calm. That's A-N-G-I, or

3:11

download the app today. Hey, before

3:13

we bring Billy in, two things. First,

3:15

there is some adult language in this

3:18

conversation in case you're listening with kids

3:20

nearby, just a heads up. And

3:22

one more thing, later in the conversation, you'll

3:25

hear Billy open up about his drug

3:27

use many years ago, and he's pretty

3:29

candid about enjoying certain aspects of

3:31

that lifestyle. But I should

3:33

say that off-air, Billy asked us to

3:35

make it clear that in no way

3:37

is it meant to glorify or advocate

3:39

hard drug use. All right. So with

3:41

all that said, enjoy my

3:43

conversation with Billy Idol. Billy

3:48

Idol was born William Michael Albert Broad

3:50

in 1955, right outside of London. When

3:53

he was a toddler, though, his family

3:56

moved temporarily to the United States. Oh,

3:59

my first memory. memories are American. I mean,

4:01

yeah, I had New York Yankee pajamas and

4:04

we have home movies

4:06

that we took. So a lot of my memories

4:08

are, you know, they're as if it's a home,

4:11

it's a, it's a

4:13

Prudefilm. Everything looks like the Prudefilm,

4:16

that code and color, you know. So

4:18

yeah, the first memories were I had an American

4:20

accent. That's the first, I

4:22

don't remember having an English accent, you know. Can you do

4:24

an American accent even after living in America? I lived in,

4:26

of course I did. I mean, once

4:29

you're watching Disney, the Disney, Disney, all

4:31

the English were fops. I mean, you

4:34

know, they were showing you the American Revolution,

4:36

the revolutionary time period, and of course all

4:38

fighting the English. So the last thing

4:40

I wanted to be when I was at school was British, so

4:42

I watched all the cowboy films

4:45

and I would speak, I would

4:47

go to school in Long Island talking as

4:49

if I'm from Texas thinking that's how everybody

4:51

spoke in America. Because I didn't want to

4:53

be, you know, I didn't want to be,

4:56

so I very quickly got an American

4:58

accent, you know, and yeah,

5:00

my first memories are of America, of

5:02

Long Island really, of those kind of

5:05

blistering summers with the sun and

5:07

then, you know, the blizzards

5:09

and hurricanes in the winter and stuff,

5:11

you know. And also the

5:14

air raid sirens, the nuclear

5:17

bomb warning sirens. And

5:19

so I remember things like that,

5:21

you know, very clearly. I remember

5:23

those summers and those winters and

5:26

everything in America. Yeah, that's my first memories are

5:28

America. Billy,

5:30

as a, I mean, you grew up at a

5:32

time, and certainly in Britain, where, you know,

5:36

it was this kind of stiff upper

5:39

lip time. How would you describe your

5:41

parents in their relationship with

5:43

you? Were they warm

5:45

and loving, or were

5:47

they more kind of standoffish? Well,

5:50

my mother was Irish for a start, and

5:53

super warm. I mean, mum's super

5:55

social. She's a

5:58

lovely person. She's very sort of loving and... And

6:00

Dad was too really, but he was a

6:03

bit more British, a bit more reserved. You're

6:05

right, there was a,

6:07

my Dad did a little bit of that British reserve,

6:09

you know, that we

6:12

kind of knew as a British

6:14

characteristic. But

6:17

he wasn't cold or anything like that. He was a very

6:20

loving, warm person really. I mean I was lucky.

6:22

It was only just when I got

6:24

into music and later on and maybe puberty

6:27

and stuff that I started having

6:29

problems with my parents and stuff. But my

6:31

early childhood I remember it was, you know,

6:33

it was lovely really. I mean I was

6:35

lucky. I had really lovely parents. Yeah.

6:38

He had a business and he

6:40

would have you work for the business. What

6:42

did he do? Well Dad did it. He

6:45

was a salesman, you know, initially. He was actually a cost

6:47

and works accountant. That's what he'd done

6:49

at college and university. Then

6:53

he'd gone on to, initially he,

6:55

at the time,

6:58

just before he went to America, he worked

7:00

slotted angle. He was selling slotted angle shelving,

7:02

you know, and stuff like that. And before

7:04

that he'd sold typewriters. And

7:07

then he became, when he went to America,

7:09

he became sales manager of

7:11

Blue Point Laundry on Long Island.

7:14

And then we came back to

7:16

Britain and he sold medical equipment

7:19

like a bomerometer, the pressure, the

7:22

blood pressure machine, which used

7:24

to be on the wall in every doctor's

7:26

office. So Dad was a

7:28

great salesman. And then later on he started

7:31

his own business where he sold

7:33

power tools. He hired and buy power tools

7:35

and he had a ladder hire. So

7:38

I did work for him, especially that

7:40

summer of 76 when

7:43

I was, you know, about to

7:45

join Chelsea and Start Generation X.

7:47

And I was working

7:50

at my dad's thing in the daytime

7:52

and then going up from

7:55

Charlton and going

7:57

just across the river Thames up north

7:59

to... rehearsed with Chelsea

8:01

and stuff. So I only worked

8:04

for them that

8:06

summer really. Yeah.

8:09

And Chelsea, for I think your fans will know,

8:11

was sort of the first band you joined before

8:14

Generation X. I'm curious

8:16

because just before you did that, because

8:18

really it was sort of around 1976

8:21

when your sort of rock and roll life began,

8:23

but you were a college student. You went to

8:25

the University of Sussex in Brighton in 1975. So

8:28

I have to imagine you were actually

8:30

a pretty decent student in school because it

8:32

wasn't that, it wasn't a time where every

8:35

kid went to college and certainly not in

8:37

the environment that you

8:39

grew up in. Well, me and my friends,

8:41

we believed in the music revolution that was going

8:43

on. We were very much following that wherever I

8:45

lived. Yeah. The friends I had,

8:47

we were just super, we were

8:49

super into music. That's what we were into. And

8:52

so me carrying on education was purely

8:54

to avoid working, so that I had

8:57

time to be in a group. My

8:59

mum even said to me, she

9:02

died a couple of years ago in 20,

9:04

but she said a couple of

9:06

years before she died, she said, why

9:09

did you do English literature at Universe? That's

9:11

what I thought it would help with writing

9:13

lyrics, mum. She sort of went, that's

9:17

what you were doing. And of course, I was dreaming

9:19

about being in a group because music,

9:22

yeah, acting was incredible, but the coolest thing to

9:24

be was in a band. That's

9:27

what it was in the 60s and 70s.

9:29

It's now acting. Acting kind of took over

9:31

in the 80s or 90s or

9:33

whatever. It's acting now, you know. But

9:36

back when I was young, the thing to

9:38

be was being a band, you know. And

9:41

we were just super into music. And

9:43

music was sort of like, ah, it's

9:45

what gave you hope, watching

9:47

the groups we loved. And

9:50

yeah, right from six years old, I

9:52

fell in love with the Beatles and

9:55

I loved the Stones and the Animals and

9:57

them and the Who. watching

10:00

all the music there was a you

10:02

know Ready Steady Go this music you

10:04

know program on Friday on the weekend

10:06

starts here was a slogan and they

10:08

had all like they had live Ready

10:11

Steady Beatles, Ready Steady Who, Ready Steady

10:13

Stones they also had

10:15

all the soul acts from America live

10:17

you know sometimes they're miming

10:19

but sometimes they'd be live Martha Reeves

10:21

and the Vandalas, Benny King so you

10:23

watch it we're just like drinking it

10:25

in we're just drinking music yeah anything

10:28

you saw you just drank you know drank

10:30

it in. When you started playing

10:32

guitar because you started as a kid I mean

10:35

you started you actually started to play the drums

10:37

when I was seven then but I didn't really

10:39

have it for yeah I just had a kick

10:42

drum which had a pedal

10:44

and I used to pretend the bed was

10:46

the snare and then when

10:49

I was about 10 I realized well Ringo's at

10:51

the back you know yeah and

10:53

John and Paul were writing all the songs

10:55

so you really need to play a guitar

10:57

and you want to be at the front

10:59

singing you know because that's what I was

11:01

you know that's that's what I was really

11:03

really excited about was the music revolution that

11:06

was going on. Tell

11:09

me about I think

11:11

this was a hugely pivotal moment in your

11:13

life you were young I mean you

11:15

were probably 21 and

11:17

you were you went and saw the Sex

11:19

Pistols in London I mean this is

11:21

like anarchy in the UK

11:23

comes out and this song kind of blows

11:26

your mind when you when you

11:28

first hear it right yeah well the thing about

11:30

the pistols was they started to write their own

11:32

songs you know initially they were doing all covers

11:34

you know and then they started to write their

11:36

own songs I think pretty vacant I heard well

11:38

if they were doing a couple of their own

11:40

songs I didn't quite realize you

11:43

know they had Lazy Sodden 17 I

11:45

think but then suddenly they did pretty

11:47

vacant which was fantastic and

11:49

then of course anarchy in the UK and

11:52

you just realized that all these guys are

11:54

not only our age and I was sort

11:56

of learning to play their instruments on stage

11:58

basically which was exciting to us because there

12:01

had been this period in rock through

12:03

the late 60s where you had to

12:05

be this incredible musician. The people in

12:07

that section were like session guys. They

12:10

were great, great, great music. John Paul

12:12

Jones, they were session cats in

12:14

some ways. A lot of those guys, it's

12:17

just the level of musicianship was so high that

12:19

you started to think you can never do it.

12:22

And then that was the great thing about listening

12:24

to the Velvet Underground and then later on the

12:27

New York Dolls and then later on the music from CBGBs in

12:29

1974, the Ramones and stuff, you

12:33

realize that other people, they

12:36

weren't following Led Zeppelin and people

12:39

like that. They were going back to how

12:41

rock and roll had started and how simple

12:43

it was, primitive in

12:46

a way and sort of re-finding

12:48

the spirit of rock and roll. And

12:52

so we were really following that and in a

12:54

way that sort of opened us up to you

12:56

don't have to be the greatest musician. And

12:59

most of those guys, when the Beatles started

13:01

out, they weren't the greatest musicians. They were

13:03

learning as they went. I mean, that's what

13:05

they were doing in Hamburg for hours upon

13:07

hour, playing eight hours a night.

13:10

They were really learning their

13:12

instrument, learning to be in a band, learning to be

13:14

on stage, everything. And so

13:18

the pistols were kind of like, oh

13:20

man, here we are. Other people like

13:22

us, same age, same kind of age

13:25

group, not that

13:27

great at playing their

13:29

instruments yet, but you could tell they're

13:31

going to be good. And

13:33

they're really good enough for what we were looking for because

13:36

it was this idea that you

13:38

didn't have to be so incredible

13:40

a musician. You could learn as you went. And

13:43

that's kind of what they opened up a

13:45

number of doors. Them and the Clash

13:47

in lots of ways. The

13:49

music bands in America, as I

13:51

say, the CBGBs band, Blondie, Ramones,

13:54

Talking Heads, I think they're all

13:56

people who were learning to play as they went. You

13:58

know, really, that's the feeling. we got. And

14:00

that's what we're looking for. We're looking for, how

14:02

the fuck can we get into this? And

14:06

so not only be fans of the

14:08

music revolution, but be pushing the music

14:10

revolution along. Yeah. I

14:13

love this idea that, I mean, you had a bunch

14:15

of friends, you were all into music, and

14:18

you see the Sex Pistols

14:20

essentially turn music on its

14:22

head. Because up until that point,

14:25

the perception was you had to be this

14:27

great musician, like Jimmy Page, or you had

14:29

to be an incredible

14:31

guitar player. And all

14:33

of a sudden, here they hear guys,

14:35

they're not great musicians, but they're making

14:37

music that's so relevant, that's having such

14:39

a massive cultural impact. Yeah, saying things

14:41

that were needed to be said, for

14:43

our generation. He was our age now saying

14:47

what we believed and what was happening to

14:49

us. Because a lot of the musicians had

14:51

all gone to America. And

14:54

they weren't really singing about

14:56

what was happening to young people in

14:58

Britain anymore. They were singing about,

15:00

I don't know, being

15:03

in the Dakota building, surrounded

15:05

by whiteness. We were sort

15:07

of like kids who, we

15:10

were dealing with the economic

15:12

sort of situation

15:15

in England, which was like fucking terrible.

15:17

There was a terrible depression. And America

15:19

was depressed in the mid 70s. And

15:21

if America's depressed, Britain is

15:24

fucked. And I can't imagine what Ireland's like,

15:27

because Britain's fucked, Ireland's really had

15:29

it. So we were sort

15:31

of dealing with that really. And also,

15:36

everybody was fighting whatever government was.

15:39

It's not so different from how America

15:41

is becoming now. No, it's not.

15:43

That's what it was like back in the 70s

15:45

and 80s. It's a little bit, there's kind of

15:48

just the way people

15:50

are now, very angry and feeling

15:55

like they're not the future isn't there in

15:57

America. Americans are starting to talk about that.

16:00

I mean, well, I

16:02

don't believe that America is still a

16:04

great country and there is a massive

16:06

future here, but that's kind of a

16:08

very similar things I'm seeing now. It's

16:11

funny how America is almost 20 years

16:13

behind, whatever happens to Britain, America happens

16:15

to America 20 years later, it seems

16:17

like. And yeah,

16:19

so people in the 70s, the whole,

16:22

the unions were fighting whatever government was

16:24

in control and then

16:26

we were sort of, we

16:29

were kind of the people who were inheriting

16:31

this broken system, you know, that's what was,

16:33

they were handing us nothing, you know, you

16:37

know, if you went to the, the jobs

16:39

guy at school or something, if you went

16:41

to talk to him, I mean, yeah, he's

16:43

basically telling you there aren't any jobs, you know,

16:45

it doesn't matter if you're a

16:47

college grad or you've left school at 14,

16:50

there's no jobs, that's what he's telling you,

16:52

forget it, you know, forget it, there is

16:54

no future. So the pistol singing, there's no

16:56

future, that's, it was true for us. And

17:00

so we were sort of like having to carve out

17:02

our lives really and sort of, and

17:04

one way we could, one way we

17:06

could sort of be the newspaper for our generation was

17:08

music, you know, that's kind of what we were doing.

17:10

We were like the, the

17:13

punk rock music was kind of the

17:15

newspaper, the news items for our generation.

17:17

I mean, some people even took it

17:19

to where they did fan scenes, you

17:21

know, and that was the

17:23

kind of, you know, talking about, we were sort

17:25

of writing them what was happening to us in

17:28

music, you know, but also the headlines of what

17:30

was happening to us were in the song titles,

17:32

you know. When

17:34

you, when you got into music, Billy,

17:37

I mean, you see the pistols, you're,

17:40

you are a musician and you, the

17:42

first band that you, that

17:44

you helped create is Chelsea and then very,

17:47

not that long after you formed Generation

17:49

X with Bob Andrews and

17:51

John Toh. And

17:53

did you, I mean, did you imagine at that

17:55

time that this would be like a career, because

17:58

the sex pistols were, They were

18:00

a the band and you know or did

18:02

you imagine that you would form a band

18:04

and all of a sudden you would also.

18:07

Had this big audience or what what'd you

18:09

think being in a band would mean for

18:11

you? As. It is that a permanent

18:13

life thing. Was it quits? you know just

18:16

in the see what happens know the punk

18:18

rock thing was like to we didn't expect

18:20

that to go big Mega mean is hardly

18:22

anybody into a a mainline. The people we

18:24

realize this we will like the you know

18:27

he was these cost of kids. Who'd.

18:29

Found the other ten people who were

18:31

like us since or the other twenty

18:33

or maybe in Lenglen there was two

18:35

hundred people who were like us. You

18:37

are made of five hundred with as

18:40

to out the whole country and of

18:42

badness and lots of ways we were.

18:44

It was music that was connecting us

18:46

and say fashioned you know them And

18:48

Vivienne Westwood stole Malcolm Mclaren as easily

18:50

as sex. Yeah I'm a kind of

18:52

a a place that become bit of

18:54

a nodal point. For. What was

18:56

going on? But most most people yeah yeah

18:59

yeah you really? yeah yeah no we didn't

19:01

say anything was gonna happen, we were saying

19:03

to each other. Look at this last six

19:05

months. Great last year sense as two years

19:08

great. But same what

19:10

happened was the pistols did put our

19:12

record so we can all you can

19:14

may well be men the state so

19:16

we'll make this Cbgb spans was done

19:18

to make records so he did see

19:20

all you can't make records and in

19:22

believe Joni June the television's some they

19:24

put our white label say is I

19:26

may be used and have to make

19:28

somehow make your own recourses which we

19:30

did do one point bootlegged ourselves made

19:32

out. A was an

19:34

illegal recommends read. Yes, bootlegging

19:36

ourselves. Stats are precincts thousand

19:39

books, but some. Yes,

19:42

a lot of it was as. we

19:45

didn't think was gonna last to one

19:47

is suddenly the pistols or with because

19:49

they had advocated Uk as a single

19:51

i think say at. Queen we're

19:53

gonna be on this see the

19:55

magazines program that was on at

19:57

six o'clock in the evening. Go

20:00

South by Southwest or something. neither accountable to

20:03

school. But Bill Grundy was the host and

20:05

dad of Queen couldn't do it. so the

20:07

Pistons did it. And then

20:09

the pistol swore. At the

20:11

man Bill Grundy kind of.the pistol sit

20:14

on a swore say as he johnny

20:16

said shit and then after that road

20:18

or jones he saw just scientists to

20:20

bill grandeur of your of your roi

20:23

you're You're a fucking raw. P

20:26

C shit is just to say would

20:28

have recently because I don't give a

20:31

shit. That's the thing about drugs. he

20:33

doesn't get much units and of course

20:35

there was some lorry driver somewhere in

20:37

England truck driver who like soul decent

20:39

and put his boots who is television

20:42

or for a breakthrough and that so

20:44

the next day and sort of the

20:46

A British newspapers old easy newspapers and

20:48

the Daily news Sunday three or four

20:51

newspapers those the most people read the

20:53

same in good a news in it's.

20:55

What was the sales? And this years

20:57

and they've. Found. Just exploded.

21:00

Every. Kid and he just exploded A punk

21:02

rocker does it was like wow this is the

21:04

most rebellious the you could be. But

21:07

up until that point we think to this

21:09

was gonna go mega know Now the last

21:11

thing we so we were doing it for

21:13

out of the love of doing this is

21:15

what we believed it will gonna do it

21:17

whether there was a future or not because

21:19

they were telling us does no small yeah

21:21

they were telling us there's no seats in

21:23

as you to feed said that case we're

21:25

gonna do the thing we love. That's.

21:28

Will Weasel and some other people he

21:30

was saying. Arrives

21:32

you know into music. Be. A

21:34

photography could pick up a camera. There

21:37

and take pictures of the scene. maybe

21:39

old old make close to my old

21:42

makes around. Trying out. Sort.

21:44

Of now so do it yourself. in a less

21:46

what we're all about. Oh so do it yourself.

21:48

in a less what we're all about but know

21:50

where we think it's going to go. mega know

21:52

we weren't know he the last thing we so

21:54

and then kaboom he went. So. Now

21:56

I wasn't thinking of a gigantic feet

21:58

as gonna lead. The massive future the

22:01

Billy Idol I'm is it. Kind of

22:03

a fun job name. even the names

22:05

like. Is

22:07

gonna be ideally. But then I realized you

22:09

know this girl. You

22:12

know I'm Eric Idle in Monty Python. This

22:14

is real name so is like a guess.

22:17

I. Had sort of tell Caroline Kunal sounds

22:19

cause we the bromley concerns we followed

22:21

the Sex Pistols she was doing it

22:24

and article and to several whom she

22:26

was and journalist writing as I have

22:28

been billie idea leave but. As

22:30

Eric title such as what he got twenty four

22:32

hours think about us have been Twenty four hours

22:34

went by. I said i'll

22:36

be Billie idea well in school they

22:39

possess yet I and idols Billie Joe

22:41

in on us all over to be

22:43

my than Billy Idol in.spencer was just

22:45

a fun stupid neighbors yeah and you

22:47

never So you're going to have to

22:50

live with the rest of the last

22:52

know really? I mean. But

22:54

you know it's just a. But. Look

22:56

he was more right for the eighties and

22:58

he was the seventy seen nuts when ascended.

23:01

Yeah your does your you were born I

23:03

should mention to for people that are you

23:05

horrible yeah Michael Albert Broad and I'm an

23:07

answer you became Billy Idol Id oh else

23:09

I read a story that's that and maybe

23:11

of it's apocryphal but that one of your

23:13

teachers and school used to call you billy

23:15

idol I d L e because you are

23:17

easily were lazy in the as well say

23:20

com and I mean out of my read

23:22

form and the a repo and he and

23:24

his Id and capital the idea of my

23:26

dad's. Gonna kill idea leave my dad's

23:28

gonna kill me and us and I

23:30

also got like ten out of a

23:32

hundred chemistry forty now of hundred for

23:35

Latin, the United States salty now of

23:37

and and some physics of as much

23:39

as much as gonna let alone than

23:41

the teacher rights and spoken of sonos

23:43

days a road longhand curses of a

23:46

he went on capital printed letters they

23:48

didn't do that sets them and you

23:50

are real sharing a bill guy says

23:52

name was of with can still remember

23:54

this. The. Chemistry teacher named Bill

23:57

Prices. May he

23:59

rest in peace. The A might still be

24:01

alive a wonderfully want to see I might

24:03

be what if he knows I that he

24:05

nine on to the and with a he

24:08

he inspired a rock legend Billie you see

24:10

you become Billy Idol in Nineteen, Seventy Six

24:12

and Generation X. I mean you guys got

24:14

a recording contract of Chrysalis and Seventy Six.

24:16

I mean you were not and you're a

24:19

massive band but you were not an insignificant

24:21

act. I mean do you remember where your

24:23

parents like proud of you? They're like oh

24:25

my god this our son who dropped out

24:27

of college is is that a recording contract

24:30

was it as you remember any any reaction

24:32

from them as well as they were horrified

24:34

at first when I actually collection was set

24:36

time that a full on you know. Of.

24:39

No going back. to have only been a

24:41

university year you know, had just done the

24:43

first year. So I was saying to them

24:45

straight out yeah, I'm gonna leave the. I'll

24:48

be leaving university in I'm join in a punk rock group

24:50

and I don't think they. They

24:52

knew would a rock and roll group was were

24:54

dancing, they knew when and punk rock, ruthless and

24:57

imagine the done even know how thousand and and

24:59

so the sheer horror and then they just really

25:01

scared for the really they were just scared of

25:03

you know, like is he was destroying his life.

25:05

you know, like and may be up in autism

25:07

We didn't. Because

25:09

we know that we didn't care, We

25:11

know we we were gonna do this

25:14

thing. Whatever. You know that's the saying

25:16

when believed in it. And also you

25:18

know we could see. We.

25:20

Could see what was happening. You know that

25:22

to. That

25:25

once The Pistols we went to Boom and

25:27

then the class. Everything you just took off

25:29

in England. I'd never took off in America.

25:31

Punk rock, never really took on Ramones, never

25:34

got really big in America. in as a

25:36

kind of big on the indie. Stations

25:38

and that but they received in England and

25:40

as was massive even first was D though

25:43

because that is number one with yeah facts

25:45

and they were so he receives a punk

25:47

rock just took off in England so we

25:49

went from like when we didn't think there

25:52

was a future in this thing to light

25:54

yes now every record come in England one

25:56

is around punk rock group and so we

25:59

went from the. Nobody giving a shit

26:01

to bite. You. Know

26:03

the powers that be wanting an older echo

26:05

comes wanders around punk rock as just what

26:07

happened. So yeah, you could even shoes. We

26:09

even held off for a year. we could

26:11

have been held of longer. We could have

26:13

held off the two years of that. Maybe

26:15

this will be should deaths. You know that

26:17

we held off about a year and them

26:19

we signed a deal and we got exactly

26:21

what we're looking for. a deal with an

26:23

independent record company. So young, punk, open these

26:25

gonna do always that that. Led

26:28

to some freedom even inside Desist.

26:33

Will be right back with Billy Idol

26:35

as quick break stay with us a

26:37

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Wonder Eat at bite.com That's

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byte.com. Start. Your confidence

27:24

journey today with bite! Every

27:28

day or world gets a little

27:30

more. of

27:32

a little further apart. But

27:35

then there are moments to remind

27:37

us to be more human. Thank

27:41

you for calling him He

27:44

can science. Don't. Worry lucky Taking

27:46

care of a meta we understand and

27:48

looking out for each other is in

27:51

new or grounders. Empathy

27:55

is our best. Hey,

28:00

welcome back to The Great Creators. I'm Guy Roz.

28:02

Let's get back to my conversation with Billy Idol.

28:06

Billy, I'm curious about how your

28:08

music evolved even in those early

28:10

days because Johnny Rotten was, I

28:13

mean, he wasn't shouting, but

28:15

he wasn't quite singing. It wasn't a... It

28:18

wasn't necessarily melodic and even your

28:21

early music kissed me deadly. Your

28:24

approach to punk was very different. I mean,

28:26

it was punk and it was, but it

28:29

was very musical and it was very... There

28:31

was a melody

28:33

into it and you were criticized for that

28:35

from the punk scene because that

28:38

was what you were sounding like, but how

28:41

did you develop that kind of sound? The

28:43

thing is, I believe there's people like David

28:45

Bowie or Lou Reed or the

28:47

people in punk who were in

28:49

punk and say that in the 60s or

28:51

then the New York Dolls and then later

28:53

on the Ramones. They're all telling

28:56

you, find out who

28:58

you are and be it. So

29:00

even though I love the pistols, I wasn't going to

29:02

copy Johnny Rotten, you know, singing. You know, you just

29:04

work. You're going to do... You're going to find out

29:06

who you were and and

29:10

also that was the other thing you

29:12

knew right from the start. You're

29:18

just full on copying someone. You're not going to

29:20

get anywhere. You had to find out who you

29:22

were and that's what we sort of were doing

29:24

by writing the songs and even,

29:26

you know, finding the name of the group and

29:28

everything. It was all to like create our own

29:31

thing that was just as

29:33

powerful in its own way. But

29:35

it was very much true to us, you

29:38

know, that's that's and that's what the

29:40

Clash were doing watching the Clash. I

29:42

mean, Mick Jones didn't sing like Johnny

29:44

Rotten. He didn't play guitar like Jones.

29:46

You know, Mick Jones of the Clash.

29:49

It was quite different. The Clash, all the

29:51

punk groups were very different. I mean, the

29:53

Clash were different to Susan the Banshee. Susan

29:55

the Banshee's are nothing like Generation X. Generation

29:57

X, nothing like the Buzzcocks. Buzzcocks are nothing.

30:00

nothing like Devo. If

30:03

you think about the first wave of carnaudia, we

30:05

weren't copying each other. We

30:09

were vibing off what

30:11

was going on, but we weren't yet

30:13

full on it. And that was the mission. The

30:15

mission was to find out who

30:18

you are and be it. And you

30:20

had to find out who you were as a

30:22

singer, as a songwriter, as a musician, everything. It's

30:26

so interesting that you mentioned David Bowie,

30:28

because I was a kid when your music came

30:32

out, and it was a huge part of my

30:34

childhood. And I just, in

30:36

the last couple of days, been listening to a lot

30:38

of your music and was listening to Hot in the

30:41

City. And wow, I mean, because that's a really early

30:43

song of yours as a solo artist. And you

30:46

can hear so much. It's almost like an

30:48

homage to David Bowie. I

30:51

hear your

30:53

love for David Bowie in that song. Am

30:55

I mishearing that? Well, no, of

30:57

course, I loved Bowie. I mean, we grew

30:59

up with him. He

31:02

was like a beacon of light to us, just

31:06

even changing his image. And

31:08

I don't know, claiming he's gay when he probably wasn't

31:10

completely. It was kind of wild. It

31:13

was fun. He made things

31:15

fun in the 70s, because the 70s were really kind

31:17

of boring. There was a lot of crap going on.

31:19

That's why we started Punk in the first place, because

31:21

there was Sweet Fuck All going on in England. That's

31:24

it for David Bowie. And even he bugged

31:26

off to America. So it was like, yeah,

31:29

we were sort of kids, the sons, the

31:31

children of David Bowie doing our own thing,

31:33

you know. When

31:36

Generation X split up, you decided to move

31:38

to America in 81. And

31:41

what were your prospects? I mean, did you have... Were

31:43

there people who sort of said to you, hey, Billy,

31:45

you've got something? Like, Generation X is fine,

31:48

but you really have a talent and you

31:50

should go pursue a solo career

31:53

because you can really make it. Was that the

31:55

message you were getting? Well, yeah.

31:57

By the time I was coming to America,

31:59

we'd... really, five

32:01

years had gone by and you know five years

32:04

of really learning the job

32:06

really in a way that's really what I

32:08

was doing in those five years in England

32:10

you know finding out how to record music,

32:12

how to write music, how to sing music,

32:14

finding out you know who I was but

32:16

then also yeah gradually

32:19

learning how to record you know getting

32:21

better at it and then

32:24

really sort of steering where you wanted to

32:26

go musically you know and but

32:28

yeah the record company by that

32:30

time you know was saying well

32:32

you've kind of done it here what it what

32:34

about because they know they knew I was gonna go

32:37

solo and you say

32:39

kind of said well you've done it here really what

32:41

what about what about going to the States and of

32:43

course to me I was like great that's what I've

32:45

been trying to do just anyway you know get

32:48

to America in a lot of ways and

32:51

the scene the first kind of thing of punk

32:53

was called a dying out in lots of ways

32:55

by 1981 there was so yeah

32:57

it was really the

33:02

record but also by that time had an American

33:04

manager below coin was already managing Generation X and

33:06

he knew and also he kind of knew that

33:08

there was a 24-hour

33:11

music channel coming in America which

33:14

I would be perfect yes the

33:17

MTV kind of knew about it because he

33:19

had links to television he

33:21

below coin had come out of television

33:23

in the 60s and then I'd managed

33:25

kiss and then started

33:28

managing Generation X and then he carried

33:31

on managing me and so

33:33

I had links to America

33:36

and also the record company was saying well

33:38

you know yeah why

33:40

not go somewhere else to kind of reignite your

33:42

career and I knew if I stayed in England

33:44

you'd end up sort of propping

33:46

up a bar really and most people

33:48

thinking your has been it's just the way it would

33:51

things move through England really

33:53

fast Britain really fast music

33:55

styles and fashions whereas

33:57

in America things hang around a lot longer you

33:59

know just do. So we kind

34:01

of knew that I knew if I

34:04

stayed in England and tried to sort

34:06

of reignite my career as

34:08

Billy Idol solo, it

34:10

was much better idea to go somewhere else

34:12

and what better place to go than New

34:14

York, you know, go to America, New York,

34:17

because that's where punk rock had come

34:19

from initially, you know, anyway. A

34:22

lot of great music could come out of England,

34:24

you just knew out of New York, you

34:26

just knew you're going to find someone there, a

34:28

like-minded person and then of course,

34:31

Bill O'Coin knew Steve Stevens, that was

34:33

the other thing that Bill knew, had

34:35

known Steve and had been supporting

34:37

Steve and so really he put us

34:40

two together, which was there

34:42

you go. That's what I was looking

34:44

for, I need an incredible guitarist. That's one

34:46

thing David Bowie teaches you too, he

34:48

always had an incredible guitarist, you know, like

34:51

Mick Ronson and then Earl Slick, you

34:54

know, whoever it was, he always had an incredible

34:56

lead guitarist. So you kind of had it. And

34:59

so Bill brought you and Steve Stevens together? Yeah,

35:01

he did. I mean, I was looking at other

35:03

people but once I met Steve and really realized

35:06

how good Steve was, I

35:08

realized man, I found the guy, I found the

35:10

guy who can do whatever I want, you know.

35:14

It's interesting, a lot of people probably would be surprised

35:16

to hear this but when you released

35:19

Dancing with Myself and Moni-Moni in

35:23

1981, they did not chart, neither of

35:25

those songs charted at all. They didn't,

35:28

I mean, they didn't, they were not hits. No,

35:30

but where they were initially hits was in there

35:32

was this New York, there was kind of a

35:35

new wave dance chart in New York and

35:38

like places like Dance Interior, they were playing

35:41

Dancing with Myself for like 20 minutes to half

35:43

an hour, and people just danced to it for

35:45

like half an hour, you know, it's like I

35:47

couldn't believe it. It was like, you know,

35:50

because I'd gone to America thinking, well, who is

35:52

Billy Idol? I don't really know, you know, I

35:54

knew Billy Idol was in Generation X, but who

35:56

is? But of course, once I got

35:58

to America and I sort of I went to

36:00

this club, Hararz, and I realized, oh,

36:02

the DJ put dancing myself on. And then people,

36:05

the people were all around the bar. You know,

36:07

they were around the bar getting a drink, and

36:09

then the next minute, this

36:11

DJ put this song on, and they all left

36:13

the bar and went kind of, there

36:16

was all these tables and chairs and cetes

36:18

and lounge chairs, and they pushed them over,

36:20

and the next minute, they're all going crazy

36:22

on the dance floor, and I thought

36:24

to myself, well, great, now I can get a screwdriver.

36:26

Excuse me, can I have the screwdriver? By the time

36:28

I got the drink, I thought, right, wonder

36:31

what that song was, they all went crazy. And

36:34

then I listened, and I went, fuck me, Stiff,

36:36

it's dancing with myself, and I just knew, this

36:40

is all I've gotta do, this is my, I've

36:42

just gotta follow this up in this new

36:44

wave dance chart. So that's why

36:46

I did Moanee Moanee, really, was just to

36:49

find another song to keep this dance chart

36:51

thing going, because that's what was in the

36:53

clubs and everything, and a lot of the

36:56

new music coming out of England, even the,

36:58

I'd sort of, in the last generation, X

37:00

album, straighten out the beats we were using,

37:02

they're more danceable, and I

37:05

was thinking about that anyway, because

37:08

I suppose I was just picking up on what

37:10

was starting to happen in England anyway, and

37:12

we kind of imported it into America.

37:17

The idea of rock dance music, of

37:19

new wave punk dance music, this is

37:21

the way it could continue, and

37:24

there were other groups, like the Simple Minds and people

37:26

like that in England, or even Joy Division, had

37:29

very straight beats and things.

37:31

And by the

37:33

way, that's really what I was

37:35

doing, I realized, oh, I just need to follow up.

37:39

And then, of course, we started to think about

37:41

an album, writing songs that people would listen to,

37:43

and that's where I did something like Hot in

37:46

the City, that's when, I think that's the first

37:48

song I tried to write. First song track, and

37:50

the first song that, and for me, it sounds

37:52

a bit spring-screen to me, it's

37:54

like fire. It does, it sounds like

37:56

David Bowie, me spring-screen, yeah. I

38:00

was really ripping Springsteen off really. And

38:03

thinking, I was going through the

38:05

first summer that

38:08

I'd lived in New York where it's

38:10

just insanely humid. So, and I was

38:12

walking around like I was in the Warriors,

38:14

I was in the film of the Warriors,

38:16

I just wore like my jeans, a leather

38:18

cutoff, no T-shirt, it was

38:21

so fucking hot. And

38:23

I just thought, man, yeah, it's hot here. And

38:25

by the way, I'm hot. I'm

38:27

hot in the city. It's silly, but

38:29

that's kind of, it was that simple. It's

38:33

also such a different kind of, like there's

38:35

an urgency in dancing with myself. Like you

38:38

can hear the punk roots

38:40

of that song. And Hot

38:44

in the City is a completely different kind of song. I

38:46

wonder, it's a little

38:48

bit of a digression, but I wonder about image, right?

38:50

Like you said, I didn't know, I knew who I

38:52

was in Generation X and I was trying to figure

38:54

out who I was as Billy Idol. So explain

38:58

that to me a little bit. I mean, you were a guy, did

39:01

you believe you were? Well, you see, when I

39:03

heard that song though, when I heard the DJ

39:05

playing Dance With Myself, it answered, I didn't, I

39:07

know who Billy Idol is. He's the guy who

39:09

did Dancing With Myself. He's the guy, because that's

39:11

what I wanted to do, is my idea to

39:14

do music like Dancing With Myself, that

39:17

have this straight beat and

39:20

very simple chords and danceable

39:23

as well. And so

39:26

you did, and then you just had to think, also I just had

39:28

to think of my love of rock and roll, and

39:31

sort of put it all together. I like

39:34

soul music, I liked a lot of soul

39:36

music, I liked rhythm and blues, I

39:38

like punk, let's somehow put it all

39:40

together. I like some techno music. That's

39:43

why I was working with Keith Fauci in

39:45

lots of ways, because he was a drummer

39:47

who was working with, I

39:51

can't remember anybody's name anymore. He's

39:54

a guy that I feel love. But

39:57

yeah, he'd worked with Giorgio Moro, Keith had worked

39:59

with Giorgio Moro. in Germany was his

40:01

drummer. He was really the guy playing

40:03

the drums and all the Donner Summer

40:05

track. He even wrote me songs for

40:07

Donner Summer. He'd written hot stuff for,

40:10

I think he wrote the lyrics. And

40:13

then he'd written flash dance with a

40:15

feeling lyrics and got an Oscar. He

40:17

won an Oscar track. But he was

40:19

looking to be a producer really. And

40:21

then Bill O'Coin, when I

40:23

said to Bill O'Coin one day, I said,

40:25

look, what we really need is a rock

40:27

and roll dance disco, I said, for want

40:29

of a better word, producer. And he went

40:31

to Giorgio Moroder. Giorgio didn't want to do

40:34

it, but Keith wanted to do it. So

40:36

that's why we worked with Keith Forsey on

40:38

the last generation X album, which really in

40:40

some ways is like the first Billy Idol

40:42

solo album, because it starts

40:44

having that, the triumvirate of

40:47

me and Keith.

40:49

And then later on, it's going to be Steve Stevens. You

40:51

know, at that time it was Tony James, but there was

40:53

a three man team putting

40:55

the album together. So

40:57

that's the thing I knew I even

40:59

though I was kind of at first in New

41:02

York wondering who who is Billy Idol, once I

41:04

saw they were into dancing with myself, I

41:06

knew what I've got to do is get Keith Forsey and

41:08

just got to figure out some kind of follow up to

41:10

it. And that's why I did Moanee Moanee, because I knew

41:13

it was kind of a drum song. I

41:15

knew we could do that easily. And

41:17

I said to Keith, what about doing Moanee Moanee? And he

41:19

said, fantastic. Come out here to LA, I'll

41:21

put a band together. And

41:24

we'll record, you know, and I had Hot in

41:26

the City, I'd played him. So

41:29

he said, we'll record Hot in the City,

41:31

we'll do Dancing with Myself. And there was

41:33

another song Untouchables, we redid. And then I

41:35

wrote another one quickly while I was out

41:38

in LA, Baby Talk. So because the record

41:40

company was saying an American record company, Chris

41:42

List was saying, why don't you

41:45

put out an EP, the pretenders had just put

41:47

out an EP. And it's a

41:49

great way to sort of serve an album, let's

41:51

put out an EP and just sort of introduce

41:53

yourself. And of course, we put Dancing

41:55

with Myself on the EP. That

41:58

was I think it was doing stuff, right? We

42:00

held back Hot in the City

42:03

because the guy from the record

42:05

company said, it's

42:08

too good. That's a single. It's too good

42:10

for the EP. Let's hold it back for

42:12

the album. So Hookah By

42:15

Crook, somehow I was now, I knew

42:19

who Billy Idol was. I started to find,

42:21

I really knew. Actually, I knew

42:24

who he was. Once I

42:26

saw the reaction to Dancing With Myself, I knew

42:28

who Billy Idol was. After

42:30

that, it was just, I've just got a bit. Yeah.

42:35

I remember when I was a kid, you were

42:37

scary a little bit, because you had

42:40

this punk hair, and you wore chains

42:43

and earrings, and you had spikes everywhere, and

42:45

there was a fierceness in your curled lip.

42:49

It was a little scary. I remember some

42:51

of your videos were scary. How important

42:54

was it? I mean, how

42:56

much did you think about the image

42:58

you were cultivating, about who

43:01

you wanted to be as an

43:03

MTV visual star,

43:05

in addition to being, making

43:08

music that people liked? I don't

43:10

know. It's funny, really. You're just kind of doing

43:12

things as it happened, and you're just sort of

43:15

almost finding out, as

43:17

I say, you're

43:20

kind of finding out who you were just by doing

43:22

things, by writing songs, by,

43:25

you know, all right, we're going to do videos. Okay,

43:29

I'm going to come up with the

43:32

basic vibe of the video, whether

43:34

I came up with the whole thing or not.

43:37

And that's why, because I was walking around New York,

43:39

I had no money. But, you

43:41

know, all those Catholic stalls, I was passing

43:43

all those Catholic stalls with all the cheap

43:45

rosaries, so I just started to put things

43:47

around my neck, you know. And

43:49

then next minute, you know, someone would give me something, you

43:51

know, someone out of the audience would give me some

43:54

kind of thing, and

43:56

I just started to put more and more shit around

43:58

my neck. It was all

44:00

kind of just coming out of a DIY,

44:04

in a do-it-yourself punk rock ethic. We're

44:06

still living, thinking that way, and

44:09

just sort of bringing that to America in some

44:11

ways. And then kind of

44:13

like, yeah, that's it. Just

44:16

making sure that you, you know, I

44:18

was presenting the vibe of what I wanted to do,

44:21

so that at least the people around me got

44:24

it from me. It wasn't someone else coming up with

44:26

the ideas. And then White

44:28

Wedding, it was like, you

44:30

know, the video. I've really seen,

44:32

I had this kind of horror

44:34

book of old, you know, silent and

44:37

early kind of universal

44:39

horror, you

44:43

know, the Frankenstein and everything. And

44:45

there was lots of Boris Karloff films, where

44:47

he was either in the silent movie, or

44:50

say the Black Cat, where it's like he's

44:52

a priest with an altar, and behind him

44:54

are these white crosses. So there was things

44:56

in silent movies, or those early thirties movies,

44:59

that you knew, man, I can take

45:01

some of that imagery. Because

45:04

everything they were doing was wooden glue and

45:06

paint. You know, things

45:08

like Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, it's

45:11

the basic psychotic background to

45:13

his mind. It's just somebody's

45:15

painted. You know, it's

45:17

like they're almost making videos, really, like we would,

45:19

they got zero money. So they're

45:21

just using what they could. And I thought about all

45:23

of that, and I thought, that's what I'm gonna do.

45:26

I'm gonna take some of these horror things, gonna

45:29

take some of this imagery I like, and

45:31

then it's all wooden glue

45:33

and paste, why not? So

45:36

yeah, so when we did White Wedding, yeah,

45:39

let's have basically an altar with crosses

45:41

everywhere. And because I probably showed him

45:43

the picture of this, of Boris

45:45

Karloff, I probably showed the director, David Mann, the

45:48

picture of this Boris Karloff Black

45:51

Cat, or wherever it is, where he's, yeah,

45:53

he has this black altar with these white crosses

45:55

behind him. You know, I don't know where it

45:58

is. And he looks insane, you know. And

46:00

so I just would take bits

46:03

and pieces out of imagery that

46:05

I liked really and put it

46:07

into the videos and it surround

46:10

me with it. And

46:13

yeah, like Eyes Without a Face video is kind of

46:15

me a little bit. I

46:17

said show David Malick, let's do a bit

46:19

of a cabinet of Dr. Caligari in a

46:21

way, a little bit of a psychotic. Because

46:24

the guy in Eyes Without

46:26

a Face is, it's

46:29

almost like a murdering

46:31

love song. Yeah.

46:36

We're talking now 40 years after

46:38

the release of Rebel Yell and it's amazing.

46:43

That record had originally nine tracks on

46:45

it. Four of those nine tracks charted

46:47

Rebel Yell, Eyes Without a Face, Flesh

46:49

for Fantasy, Catch My Fall. These

46:51

were these dominated MTV at

46:54

the time. And I'm curious to

46:57

get a sense of your discipline

46:59

at the time. I mean, this

47:01

was not a great sort of

47:03

personal time in your life. You

47:05

were a substance abuser, but you

47:07

also were incredibly prolific. You were

47:09

writing not just a lot of

47:11

music, but really successful music. How

47:14

were you doing that given that your

47:16

personal life was kind of,

47:19

you know, let's say not the

47:21

greatest? Well, really,

47:24

you know, I was carrying on

47:26

doing what I'd done in Generation X really, except

47:28

now I'm writing the lyrics as well, you know,

47:30

because Tony used to write the lyrics in Generation

47:32

X and I wrote the music. So

47:34

now I'm just carrying on writing, you

47:36

know, my own music and now I'm sort of

47:39

forcing myself to write lyrics really, which at half

47:41

the time, they're kind of, I don't know, they're

47:44

all that good really, but didn't really matter. What

47:46

mattered was I had

47:48

enough of it so that I

47:50

could cement the idea of Billy Idol on

47:52

people. You know, that's kind of what I,

47:55

so as long as I had, as long

47:57

as I seem to be getting somewhere and I, you know, as a.

48:00

I had done five years in England

48:02

where I was almost learning how to

48:04

do everything. Now I was implementing all

48:06

the things I'd learned and

48:09

going beyond punk rock in a way. That's

48:13

the other thing. I didn't just think. I

48:15

was thinking beyond punk now. I'm thinking what

48:17

I want to truly billy idol music. That's

48:20

what I was thinking. Just like Chuck Berry

48:22

had Chuck Berry music and there was beatle

48:24

music and there's going to be billy idol

48:26

music. So I was thinking like that.

48:31

Also I just believed I'd grown up with

48:33

albums that people went all over the musical

48:35

map. I mean say the Beatles or the

48:37

Rolling Stones, Ed Zeppelin, it doesn't really

48:39

matter. Even the Ramones. They

48:42

didn't just, it sounds as if they're playing

48:44

everything. Actually they went all over a musical

48:46

map in lots of ways. A

48:48

lot of groups that I loved did that. Look

48:51

at the Clash. I mean their albums are like

48:53

that. They're just like, whoa, they do everything. They

48:55

do surf music. They do blues.

48:58

They do reggae. It's

49:01

a little bit like we all grew

49:03

up with very, what you call it,

49:05

eclectic albums. So

49:08

yeah, once I was really doing my own

49:10

music, I just thought

49:12

beyond the punk rock thing and I just

49:14

went with what I liked, what

49:17

suited my voice as well. That's the other thing.

49:19

I was finding out about my voice. In

49:23

Generation X I hadn't quite realized the low tones

49:25

I've got. But

49:27

in Billy Idol I really discovered the low tones

49:30

that I have and I could use those. And

49:32

it gave me a whole other place to go singing

49:34

which meant there's a whole other place for

49:37

this Billy Idol solo music to exist.

49:39

This whole other voice that

49:41

I didn't really use in Generation X. I didn't know I

49:43

had it. And

49:45

I discovered yeah, the crooning voice which maybe

49:48

some people made fun of it but it

49:51

made me different. It made me

49:53

different and it

49:55

gave me a ballad voice and I also

49:57

had a rock voice. So you went beyond.

50:00

punk really and it

50:02

just meant I could sing about more

50:04

things that were more true to me

50:06

really as a person because

50:09

in Generation X I was singing

50:11

Tony's lyrics a lot you know

50:14

and yeah this is now me

50:16

singing my own lyrics and kind

50:18

of enjoying that as well I was enjoying

50:20

finding out what

50:22

I cared about what I and so

50:25

yeah it was all kind of mining

50:27

yourself too but of course we'd we'd

50:29

we'd grown up through the 60s and

50:32

70s dreaming of these moments

50:34

dreaming if this could happen what

50:36

you do not

50:38

that it was all prepared or anything but there

50:41

was a little bit like it was a massive

50:43

release of like I've got stuff

50:45

stored up which started to come

50:47

out I think and

50:49

I think that's what you're watching that's what you're

50:52

watching in the 80s it's really me discovering myself

50:54

and also discovering where I could go with my

50:56

voice where I could go with my musicianship and

51:00

I'm not the greatest musician but just shows

51:02

you what you can do if

51:05

you believe in yourself stay

51:10

with us clap more with Billy Idol right

51:12

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focused. Hey,

52:33

welcome back to The Great Creators. I'm Guy

52:35

Roz. Here's more of my conversation with Billy

52:38

Idol. You

52:40

were, I think, fair to say

52:42

not always healthy, right? You were

52:44

drinking a lot, using drugs. Yes,

52:46

become a heroin addict. Would you say

52:49

you were happy during that time in your

52:51

life or no? Yeah, I

52:53

was happy. I was getting somewhere with the

52:56

thing I loved also too. We'd embrace drugs

52:58

as teenagers, you know, so yeah. And funny

53:00

enough, drugs can help you to focus. I

53:02

mean, that's one of the things I think,

53:05

you know, if you're just maintaining on heroin,

53:07

it actually, it

53:09

helps you to focus. It didn't

53:12

stop me writing music. That was the thing. It didn't,

53:14

in fact, if anything, you kind of get into your

53:16

own, it's very

53:18

womb-like heroin. So you get

53:20

into kind of your own space. I mean, like

53:22

people like Keith Richards, all he ever did was

53:24

make mixtapes all the time. All you think about

53:26

is music, because that's a thing you love. So

53:29

all you're doing for hours on end is playing

53:31

music, making mixtapes, trying to write a song, and

53:34

then listening to somebody else's album, you know, listen

53:36

to latest Gun Club or whoever it is and

53:39

going, man, that's fucking great. What am I gonna do?

53:41

You know, and in

53:44

some ways, the drugs didn't, they didn't, the

53:47

honeymoon period of the drugs didn't stop you

53:50

writing music. But yeah, I

53:53

mean, you're pretty normal when you're just not high on

53:55

heroin, when you're just maintaining, you're very normal, you know,

53:57

you're just like, it's just you, you just live a

53:59

voice. avoiding being sick is what you're doing. You

54:01

take a little bit so you're not sick. Then at

54:04

nighttime you might do a bit more of a big

54:07

line so you actually do nod out

54:09

and stuff. But a lot

54:11

of times you're kind of maintaining. When you like that,

54:13

you're just a normal person. It was just... The

54:17

other thing too is I had this kind of space

54:20

I had to fill, a musical

54:22

space. I had a

54:24

mental... Eventually there was a record that was

54:26

always there with nine tracks

54:28

or eleven tracks or whatever that needed

54:30

to be filled. I

54:33

just carried on doing what I'd done in Generation X

54:35

which was like when I got an idea, I just

54:39

tried to put some lyrics to it. I

54:42

went to a party with the Rolling Stones and

54:45

they were all drinking this southern

54:48

sour mash. I didn't know what

54:50

it was. They had this dark bottle in their hand. In front

54:52

of me was Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood

54:54

and Mick Jagger. I don't know whose birthday

54:56

party. Must have been one of those guys'

54:58

birthday. I can't remember. It's like Ronnie Wood's

55:00

Brownster. They were drinking this stuff. I

55:04

followed the label up to their mouths because I was going,

55:06

I wonder what it is they're drinking. I could see, oh,

55:08

there's a rebel officer on it. I kind of knew. I

55:11

went into history. I've been to American history. I love it.

55:14

I knew about the Civil War and I went, oh, so

55:16

it's kind of like a Jeb Stuart guy on that bottle.

55:21

I said, what is this stuff? Did you have it

55:23

made up? They went, no, no, it's a southern sour

55:25

mash. It's called Rebel Yell. It's from Tennessee. And I

55:27

went, Rebel Yell. I said, are you guys

55:31

going to use that as a title? I

55:34

mean, you

55:37

know, they kind of started to look at each other. I was going to

55:39

hope they're not going to use it. I kind

55:41

of said out loud, I kind of went, well,

55:43

you know, Street Fighter man, Jumping Jack Flash, Rebel

55:46

Yell. Does that sound like a Stones? And they kind

55:48

of went, no, I don't think we will use it.

55:50

I went, right. I'm

55:52

going home right now. I've got a title. I'm

55:55

just going to not make it about the Civil War. I'll

55:58

make it a cry of love, a female orgasm. Me

56:00

cry of love and i went home

56:02

and next day or police started to

56:04

started to write it you know and

56:07

that's got a basically got a verse.

56:10

And last night and little dancer came a

56:12

dance as as Perry. This day she was

56:14

in love with her and she was a

56:16

dancer. So it's Sing

56:18

About Perry. By. Our relationship

56:20

priests you had a pirate are

56:23

and then nuts and then us.

56:25

Yes, In. The midnight i

56:27

said it's an orgasmic cry of love she

56:29

cries moo moo moo as as keen on

56:32

about sell things and then you can imagine

56:34

if and when she got a sunni rebels

56:36

year you start going was the other side

56:38

slips and to rebel yielded said some ton

56:40

of really slow best. I'd

56:43

really like reggae of said let's make it

56:45

a slow but as as. A

56:50

non soft substance. Murder

56:52

Love so you know the So in

56:54

that size. Wow. say see those sets

56:56

he just start bouncing of yourself and

56:58

then nuts and then later I'm fresh

57:00

for fantasy. Was kind of like who

57:02

lets arrives got lighter? well we wanted

57:04

and that we want that. We start

57:06

off right Nasa punk rock song initially

57:08

but then after was taught to a

57:10

less. Class. So this

57:13

movie flesh All Fantasy was his name

57:15

of this forties movie. Nice to watch

57:17

this flesh, full senses as and has

57:19

bounced off that and the than we

57:21

did. We start of writing a lot

57:23

of punk rock song but then after

57:25

a while with such get yet as

57:27

for censorship. sexy so that we slowed

57:29

it right down and turned it into

57:31

a groove because which probably done eyes

57:33

without a face and system. And to

57:35

go with an obese this keep that

57:38

so divides it's taken a kiss. Keep

57:40

bouncing off yourself. By

57:43

the way, that whiskey Rebel yell.

57:46

says. Not made anymore and that labeling

57:48

that hold the rebel think in in

57:50

in twenty twenty they they changed it

57:52

because rebel yell of courses sissies to

57:54

the Civil War and the Confederacy and

57:56

started to changed since the name but

57:58

I didn't know that story that. Oh

58:00

you're literally came for them a drink and

58:02

they they had a bus a nerve and

58:04

which stands for drinking and the crazy at

58:06

at what I did as photo shoot where

58:08

I was so stood on a million bottles

58:10

of rebel yell is so when are when

58:12

it was over me and this the lady

58:14

second we started drink once he's powerful space

58:16

and after valve now I have the worst

58:18

hangover and widow and a good he got

58:21

like a third of the way through the

58:23

as worst hangover I never had a had

58:25

to go back to my apartment and have

58:27

to launch Maryland on a cell better. When

58:31

how the fuck have a drink and

58:33

stuff? assess? What How? How? How The? How

58:35

The Hell. Were you Emmys today? musicians?

58:37

Rock and roll stars they travel with

58:39

like personal trainers on the road like

58:42

Taylor Swift isn't very disciplined like eat.

58:44

this is a different time. Rock and

58:46

Roll was sex, drugs and rock and

58:48

roll and and that was a big

58:50

part of it. Had as you has

58:52

you maintain that life. I mean how

58:55

are you able. To. It as it

58:57

is under one and that sounds like it

58:59

helped to create him feel creatively. but on

59:01

the other hand clearly you stopped using because

59:03

you would have been dead. as a certain

59:06

wouldn't wanna know you can only do stuff

59:08

like that for certain amount. I did enjoy

59:10

that something in my mind on my mother

59:12

was a nurse you know and are you

59:14

gonna know that you can't to sings forever

59:17

In our some reason I knew man you

59:19

can't do this for a certain amount of

59:21

time. you can do it. So maybe that's

59:23

what saves me because somewhere I knew you

59:25

cannot. You. Cannot stay addicted to

59:28

have to get office best. Spent

59:30

a good ten years. You.

59:32

Know kind of living a

59:34

drug, drug lifestyle and. Kind.

59:36

Of enjoying in some ways to serve. As

59:40

an Isis, we'd grown up with

59:42

drugs. We were in those teenagers.

59:44

We'd grown up smoking hash and

59:46

then taken said tunnels and journals.

59:49

And then later Man Drax. And

59:52

then that kind of videos acid we took

59:54

lied to you know for us was set

59:56

to acquire the audacity to splice to Do

59:59

you know that. What we were doing

1:00:01

and then sort of also like wasn't next

1:00:03

step is heroin time. And

1:00:06

the so it's almost like but you know

1:00:08

par for the polls in some ways you

1:00:10

know I wasn't sure and helplessness make so

1:00:12

people that doesn't mean that one as as

1:00:14

part of what saved me probably because you

1:00:16

know my mother being a nurse I just

1:00:19

didn't. Like. the i do shooting

1:00:21

up in the zoos snorts are really at

1:00:23

which is this can be is just as

1:00:25

addictive but in a really acts as a

1:00:27

needle is even like the. Power.

1:00:29

Of tend to that sense. yeah maybe

1:00:32

that's will save me. I didn't go

1:00:34

the whole way in some ways because

1:00:36

that's yes, an element of me that

1:00:38

did. I did, I didn't need to

1:00:40

you know, as gay and high enough

1:00:42

on the on zones on snowing it

1:00:44

really. So I'm for yes. I

1:00:47

was living this kind of full on

1:00:49

rock'n'roll lifestyle and enjoying it really. Yeah,

1:00:52

I'm It's interesting you talk about. How

1:00:54

it helped you concentrate a marijuana. Hope I

1:00:57

hope the a December so nice. frightened

1:00:59

because other people go out should be said

1:01:01

that right Israel happened I'm a race

1:01:03

was is it off the me writing songs

1:01:05

and of anything else to say when

1:01:07

you're maintaining it said probably help help me

1:01:10

focus a little bit but chess. But.

1:01:12

They're not been so I wasn't lot of

1:01:14

only do one I've been doing for the

1:01:16

last five years anyway you knows this like

1:01:18

that's all we were doing and Generation X

1:01:20

was like Tony with come up with some

1:01:22

Lyrics or Ty Law or were Dancing with

1:01:25

myself we're and we were in Japan and

1:01:27

then. We

1:01:29

went to the some Saturday night fever kind

1:01:31

of his ninety seventy eight when we were

1:01:33

in Japan and he was still Saturday and

1:01:35

I see them they will dressing like John

1:01:37

Travolta units but then assets Sonia said. Dancing

1:01:42

with each other that dancing says around Reflections

1:01:44

at Dancing with themselves and Tony went to

1:01:46

the don't some the Silva to be a

1:01:48

good title so so later on when we

1:01:50

go back to England one night I went

1:01:52

out and now of was coming to the

1:01:54

studio and morning and I got there early.

1:01:57

And seventy was there? No was there. But

1:01:59

I remembered. Yeah, that title. That

1:02:02

don't see myself child. So I started to

1:02:04

play my guitar and and by the time

1:02:06

Tony turned up at the studio I had

1:02:08

a full on I had to to in

1:02:10

I did or the and the dirt dirt

1:02:12

Dirt Dirt does don't see with news and

1:02:14

then a set the tone so not gotta

1:02:16

tune for a don't that song dance that

1:02:18

title. Don't see myself nice about the some

1:02:20

of the worst so own. Oh great now

1:02:22

we've finished the words of together but that's

1:02:24

just what we were doing so I was

1:02:26

gonna now I was doing that myself. you

1:02:28

know is doing that to myself. I've got

1:02:30

this bit of a June Fourth need a

1:02:32

bit of us are to find a title

1:02:34

for you know and and then you put

1:02:36

it together. you know. That

1:02:39

to the access to send sees

1:02:41

this film flesh all sense he

1:02:43

will. Fall

1:02:45

fantasy would be the tiles, the sub

1:02:47

sixteen oh so we're and then sat

1:02:49

right and something simple like catch Rifle

1:02:52

which is on Reddit Rebel Yell out

1:02:54

in the green light. yes hello When

1:02:56

I really exist like this our own

1:02:58

Well I. Stays.

1:03:01

You. Know success something and it

1:03:04

seems. That

1:03:06

even the two years as a big success

1:03:08

of you Sing and About I can see

1:03:10

and point where. It. Won't carry

1:03:12

in a connoisseur minister? catch my

1:03:14

full of his speaker think of

1:03:17

as a sexual thing to in

1:03:19

a catch might fall. as

1:03:21

they can land a double way. but really I was

1:03:24

yet was on the sort of saying to people are

1:03:26

one day. I won't

1:03:28

be of I'll have to get also stuff and of.

1:03:31

Probably have to disappear from a business

1:03:33

carnival happens. We're.

1:03:36

Talking You know as a mentioned forty

1:03:38

years after the release of this record

1:03:41

and. How at the tell

1:03:43

me how people react to you when

1:03:45

they see you. I mean I mentioned

1:03:47

you know how meaningful and it in

1:03:49

importantly songs or for me what people

1:03:51

say when they meet you do they

1:03:54

sing the songs Tic Tac teach you

1:03:56

how do how people respond how they

1:03:58

respond or over the years. This record.

1:04:01

Yeah, I mean that's just as they do

1:04:03

your courses. People shouting at me. A

1:04:07

White Wedding. I used to go through

1:04:09

that Washington Square that park in New

1:04:11

York. Yeah, drug dealers would be just

1:04:13

that. White

1:04:15

Wedding crashed. In

1:04:19

a mony Mony marijuana I've got. Yep, so

1:04:21

see me coming Said a soda stop Codons

1:04:23

it's hottest days of my success. Yeah and

1:04:25

then you know not to say I could

1:04:28

watch. It has a point when I was

1:04:30

watching people dance to dance in the cells

1:04:32

a half an hour at a time and

1:04:34

as Jersey J puts it on a few

1:04:36

times a night, see what should people dance

1:04:38

around? A for somebody? that kind of why

1:04:40

you know, say kind of watching the reaction

1:04:43

to it you know use yeah is so

1:04:45

how people reacted to it and and then

1:04:47

as we played More as you know, We

1:04:49

started to play in clubs. I

1:04:51

think that the white on Rebel

1:04:53

Yell why weddings clubs gonna sing

1:04:55

and then may be small theaters

1:04:57

and then play with Rebel Yell?

1:04:59

he off in clubs small theaters.

1:05:02

Next minute we're in arenas. And

1:05:04

by the end of two, we're in. Readers who

1:05:06

knows his symptoms. Sorta. Uses.

1:05:09

Arenas pathways get by the time I said

1:05:12

that of say some stuff at least on

1:05:14

to Play Arena said. So

1:05:17

yea just really exploded and them are

1:05:19

the same tone the videos or own

1:05:21

Mcv Anna you know a thing as

1:05:23

well say was gay maximum Play and.

1:05:26

Everything was successful. You know

1:05:28

everything was. Everything was working.

1:05:32

At as you sort of.

1:05:35

You know enough about this new

1:05:37

book that in Nineteen Eighty Four,

1:05:39

that was really a breaking point

1:05:41

for you because you almost died

1:05:43

from it from drug overdose and

1:05:45

you had to get your life

1:05:48

together right and and ended his

1:05:50

arm. How did it affect your

1:05:52

ability To you Think. As.

1:05:54

A musician because you continued

1:05:56

and continue to write and

1:05:58

perform and. Do do you

1:06:01

feel like. Actually,

1:06:04

You. Were able to learn how to. Become.

1:06:08

A better. Musician. Performer:

1:06:10

Writer: After

1:06:13

that period of time. Where

1:06:16

I'm I'm not the greatest thing and that's one of the

1:06:18

things I knew. You

1:06:20

know I just north of the night

1:06:22

I was the you know I sound

1:06:24

over time than of got better you

1:06:26

know Alex see oh I see if

1:06:28

you keep working your instrument. He

1:06:31

gets better you know at so

1:06:33

work. But. I didn't really know

1:06:35

that back then I just was dating with

1:06:37

what I got really wasn't a great singer

1:06:40

or anything like that but a sound not

1:06:42

found a way I could be a singer

1:06:44

assume it's and them. Yeah.

1:06:47

I mean, I didn't. Get. Off

1:06:49

drugs I'm in a do you know I

1:06:51

just would. It would swamp one drug for

1:06:53

another. A you know Ryan on Era when

1:06:55

when I'm on the road so I'm gonna

1:06:57

drink a drink myself Stupidity. blow us all

1:06:59

the units yeah and Smug tongues, marijuana and

1:07:01

then and I could get when I go

1:07:03

back home I'd go back on a yacht

1:07:05

or Perry would send me methadone through you

1:07:07

know and on the Rebel Yell to she

1:07:09

said be submissive don't suppose seven and again

1:07:12

I'd get a bit of the because I

1:07:14

was jones and really badly a Rebel Yell

1:07:16

to i'm in a Cell terrible pain oh

1:07:18

that's hours. Daily without just overload on

1:07:20

something else. And

1:07:23

then on the so I never really got off,

1:07:25

in fact got worse and Nineteen Eighty six I've

1:07:27

spent a year on it seriously on and I'm

1:07:29

frightened to death of getting off it. And

1:07:31

then I sort of sad but I had to

1:07:34

get offered to go on the road. you

1:07:36

know that didn't want to be on the road

1:07:38

searching for drugs ahmad and now so as that's

1:07:40

what I was doing it was horrible was well

1:07:42

because of the was going through these I had

1:07:45

to get off and then I discovered if

1:07:47

you smoke hope you don't feel that withdraw from

1:07:49

careful when suddenly became a a full on

1:07:51

coke smoker you know which was. The worst

1:07:53

possible thing and could have done so. If

1:07:55

you listening to this people are they don't

1:07:57

do what I don't suffer as existence. How.

1:08:00

Don't don't do some. He knows you

1:08:02

know again. Eventually I you know eventually.

1:08:04

I I had a motorcycle accident ninety

1:08:06

ninety and I was in hospital for

1:08:08

a month says with a broken a

1:08:10

messed up leg in a were had

1:08:12

a whole piece missing from my late

1:08:14

which they managed to six and it

1:08:17

was. I was on morphine on the

1:08:19

most purists strong dismal scene and after

1:08:21

that I said to myself in a

1:08:23

man when he that it into be

1:08:25

the highest. And. Then

1:08:27

I was able to. Put. In the rearview

1:08:29

mirror after that. Was lucky that I could do

1:08:31

that. Really? Wow.

1:08:34

several to welcome to. Sort of an

1:08:36

agreement with myself, you know? Yeah, and

1:08:38

he's done. it is done it to

1:08:40

death He can't keep on doing. You've

1:08:43

gotta get away from it or it

1:08:45

will destroy you. It's

1:08:47

destroyed. You really gotta get away

1:08:49

from it. So I did. You

1:08:51

know I somehow got away from.

1:08:54

You You and Perry lists are

1:08:56

you were never married but you

1:08:58

had at a son Willem who

1:09:00

is still your son Have yes

1:09:02

and and. Tell

1:09:04

me about I meet at I mean assuming now

1:09:07

years later you pry have a. Pretty.

1:09:09

Good relationship with with pallister or

1:09:11

maybe cases here. Of

1:09:14

yes sir yes. Yes,

1:09:17

Obviously we didn't stay together forever Mean.

1:09:21

That we broke up when he was year or something

1:09:23

because of his videos. Still a bit of a drug

1:09:25

addict and. Wasn't. And

1:09:27

so that Nineteen Ninety Three, you. So

1:09:30

I really started to stay put things in

1:09:32

them finance and then I was fall off

1:09:34

the wagon every now and again. But

1:09:36

never went back on to heroin, you know, But

1:09:43

gradually over, as you know, ten years

1:09:45

or something. Gradually bit by bit. I

1:09:49

did go to a for a bit in

1:09:51

Iowa. And stuff

1:09:53

like to go to a rehab about five

1:09:55

days and then I can stand. but. A

1:09:58

gradually I did. The break of myself

1:10:01

and then I'll start to make sure. You.

1:10:04

Know like is a cyber punk record I

1:10:06

didn't make that sucked up in i really

1:10:08

want to smoke some pot. yeah that's a

1:10:11

record. The came out as gay, ninety three.

1:10:13

Or. Four Yeah, I'm. Billy,

1:10:16

Tell me about touring today. Great

1:10:18

You are you? you? You perform

1:10:20

your get your on the road.

1:10:22

I know you're performing a big

1:10:24

Says Big show in Portland in

1:10:26

a couple months of this interview

1:10:28

and and I mean. It's

1:10:31

different when you're sixty eight, right? getting up

1:10:33

there and belting it out for two hours

1:10:36

than it is when you're twenty eight. But

1:10:38

tell me. Plenty was

1:10:40

like for you now to go out

1:10:42

there and to perform. Some

1:10:44

of the songs are many sites. Where.

1:10:46

One thing about me is I'm a bit

1:10:49

of a not been enough. For instance when

1:10:51

I moved to Los Angeles and Nineteen eighty

1:10:53

Seven I started to work I wanted to

1:10:55

ride motorcycles to see the seen on This

1:10:58

is the perfect place to ride Harley Davidsons

1:11:00

and whatever Motorcycles is just the perfect place.

1:11:02

So I wanted to earth I opposites skinny

1:11:04

drug addict so you know wanted to. Buff.

1:11:07

Myself up so started

1:11:09

to workouts and. So

1:11:12

there's upside to me that sir isn't

1:11:14

just destroying himself as a blip is

1:11:16

a big part of me that is

1:11:19

self sabotage. Mother's just as much a

1:11:21

part mean as preserving himself and so

1:11:23

in a one size. that that helped

1:11:26

a lot the of the discipline of

1:11:28

working out for four days a week.

1:11:30

I was the I carried on During

1:11:33

that twenty five years. I still work

1:11:35

out. Three. Days now I do

1:11:37

three days but actually the the amount

1:11:40

of work our I do's is four

1:11:42

days in I just changed don't from

1:11:44

weights. I used to do weights for

1:11:46

twenty five years or did weights and

1:11:48

then I started to do I'm Polities,

1:11:51

Trx and some ways. I

1:11:53

changed up like strengthening and

1:11:55

stretch. The.

1:12:00

So. I've always thought to. Have

1:12:04

always yes this part to me destroying myself

1:12:06

at his apart missed. Preserving.

1:12:08

Reserving much as crazy as and no one

1:12:10

would understand that. That's what I'm not a

1:12:12

regular drug addict as well as the other

1:12:15

thing I'm I'm not. I couldn't drink a

1:12:17

little bit of alcohol. I don't after. He

1:12:20

I can stop Guy could say no

1:12:22

to. To. Poke and stuff. it's

1:12:24

on offices upon me that would love

1:12:26

to be doing all that. but you

1:12:28

is another part me that knows you

1:12:30

did your time. You. Digit

1:12:33

time and. Is

1:12:35

had to since ninety nine to nine have

1:12:37

gone states so broaden. The guys go on.

1:12:39

I've never gone on so I don't drink

1:12:41

or anything out of the old days I

1:12:44

use of a bar on stage in about

1:12:46

I mean of be light of their between

1:12:48

over there be so but not nozzle Barbie

1:12:50

know to may not have let whiskey or

1:12:52

have a beer and as like a you

1:12:54

notes off with his show always did a

1:12:57

massive tumbler of volcker an orange you know

1:12:59

says so that the audience like oh my

1:13:01

god is just absolutely your met my eyes

1:13:03

ally in a saints complete. Success

1:13:05

in life in a second there but that

1:13:08

was just in the eighties. you know we

1:13:10

didn't have any monitors and stuff. flu using

1:13:12

the monitors are stage to never hear you

1:13:14

so I couldn't never hear myself because I

1:13:16

don't sing above the music so so part

1:13:19

of it was upon himself anyway fuckers who

1:13:21

cares. But once once I got the Iliad

1:13:23

technology and we and we were getting and

1:13:25

I was also done to put drugs and

1:13:27

rear view mirror center started to you know.

1:13:30

I was working out on the road

1:13:32

or was not getting high when as

1:13:35

going on stage or was taken so

1:13:37

can hear myself some really working my

1:13:39

voice Lesser saw the happened twenty twenty

1:13:41

twenty four years ago he sued me

1:13:43

and them. So

1:13:45

the as big part of me that

1:13:48

and is part of me this destroying

1:13:50

himself with his big part of me,

1:13:52

this build himself up yes, cysts, crazy

1:13:54

and always tossed on an odd it's

1:13:56

i am a little bit of a

1:13:58

not have got to admit. I'm

1:14:01

just curious when you

1:14:03

see. That. Twenty eight,

1:14:06

Twenty seven year old kids

1:14:08

singing. Dancing. With myself in

1:14:10

a when you see him and that

1:14:12

curled lip and he is so thin

1:14:14

you know and you still I still

1:14:16

a good death. But I mean you

1:14:18

know this a lengthy guy with the

1:14:20

spiky haired this kid the you see

1:14:22

you in there it is it is

1:14:25

it. Do you feel like you're a

1:14:27

different person today? Are these See him

1:14:29

and say that is the same person.

1:14:31

The way I ready that's under same

1:14:33

person is just yeah. I'm sixty. So

1:14:35

instead of twenty eight twenty nine. Be.

1:14:39

A nicer Elvis the yeah I

1:14:41

was young young to have with

1:14:43

the all the energy and drives

1:14:45

that you have you know and

1:14:47

and also was he was doing

1:14:49

I loved as well. That's the

1:14:51

thing I was succeeding at to

1:14:54

I Love done. That Rebel Yell

1:14:56

album in particular was really me

1:14:58

cementing my place with America you

1:15:00

know in terms of soda really

1:15:02

sort of county my celebrities and

1:15:04

dumb. So

1:15:06

worth. Yeah, I mean yeah, I'm not.

1:15:08

I'm not. I'm obviously not

1:15:11

that. Young. Chap

1:15:13

anymore but sir, see. I'm

1:15:16

still. I'm still. You know, in a way

1:15:18

you know I'm still hims just yet. Or

1:15:20

Sicilia sixty Eight years Yeah and says. Twenty.

1:15:23

Eight is. Says forty

1:15:25

more years you forty years later.

1:15:27

But yeah still believe in the

1:15:30

bring in the energy and be

1:15:32

no on stage and I I

1:15:34

still believe in what we're doing

1:15:36

and. Just the same

1:15:38

as I did back then. so says.

1:15:40

there's lots of things about me that

1:15:42

says. This.

1:15:44

Touchstone Things I do. That.

1:15:48

Aren't so different in a way? Yeah

1:15:50

and earth Yeah was the with his

1:15:52

new album. Making a new album the

1:15:55

dream mins without making and of yes

1:15:57

that's full of energy is I see

1:15:59

useful. The ending album so you know

1:16:01

is still so too is. So.

1:16:04

Believe in the music we're making. That was it

1:16:06

is so different. you know, really for what we

1:16:08

did before. Yeah. I

1:16:11

mean, it's also have a mate

1:16:13

is it's gotta be kind of

1:16:15

incredibly gratifying, right? to. To

1:16:18

be able to. Sell. Out. Huge

1:16:20

venue still at at at this point

1:16:23

in your life and career like your

1:16:25

Madonna's doing it at a global tour

1:16:27

and. And he

1:16:30

or she selling out these values

1:16:32

and you people wanna hear, see

1:16:34

why? Hear your music. I mean,

1:16:36

there's fifteen songs easily of yours

1:16:38

that. Everybody knows all the

1:16:41

words to you know so the see it

1:16:43

means to eat You talk about catch my

1:16:45

fall as a song about you know what?

1:16:47

the scan all collapse of some point and

1:16:50

I might be irrelevant or in here you

1:16:52

are still relevant. It's. This phase in

1:16:54

your life and career which. Has.

1:16:56

To be kind of amazing. I mean

1:16:58

the I can plan for that know

1:17:00

I mean this is touch and go

1:17:03

the I'm still here as well as

1:17:05

the other thing but sir I am

1:17:07

here and us are really care and

1:17:09

you know of go people around me

1:17:11

like Steve Stevens who really cares? Where

1:17:13

will we do nothing less the saying

1:17:16

you know underneath it all underneath the

1:17:18

drugs overreacting now or whatever all the

1:17:20

clothes, hairstyles, where it is underneath it

1:17:22

owes us both. New Ridiculous. Three believes

1:17:24

what he's done. Who.

1:17:26

Believes the something great about the

1:17:29

something about it that's fundamental to

1:17:31

us as people. Is

1:17:34

fundamental to me anyway.

1:17:36

And something about doing this.

1:17:40

So. Much

1:17:43

housing. Is nice I set myself

1:17:46

free. Shuttle.

1:17:48

Has I would have worked for my dad would

1:17:50

have been a nightmare because he's a beautiful person.

1:17:52

Bus don't try to work for him because he

1:17:54

knows how he wants the job done and you

1:17:56

can never do it. Well. Enough

1:17:58

for hims so. He's a beautiful guy,

1:18:01

but yeah, I

1:18:03

had to. I couldn't

1:18:05

have worked for him. So, you know, I couldn't have worked

1:18:07

for Dad. I had to, I had

1:18:09

to do this people. This is what I had to do

1:18:12

in some ways. And and

1:18:16

I really care about it. I really

1:18:18

care about music. I care about what

1:18:20

I do so

1:18:22

much that that has kept me alive.

1:18:25

Love it. Billy Eitel. Thank

1:18:28

you so much. Thank you

1:18:30

guys. Hey

1:19:13

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1:19:15

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Wondery means business. Behind

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