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By Vanessa Juarez
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He still has the signature hair, leather pants, and most importantly, that crazy-man smirk. He's "Billy F---ing Idol," and if he's trying to be vital again, so far he's not doing a bad job. Just days ago, fans and music industry folks at the annual South By Southwest Music Festival (SXSW, for short) stood in a line that wrapped around the corner from Stubb's BBQ in Austin, Texas, to get a glimpse of the re-energized 1980s icon. Inside, married women screamed for Billy while their husbands stood back respectfully.
Idol's new album, "Devil's Playground," is stuffed with gyrating numbers, like the whiplashing found in "Rat Race" and "Scream." It took Idol two near-death experiences (one involving a motorcycle accident, another a drug overdose) and 12 years of chewing on new material to spit it all out onto a record (it hits shelves March 22). After a soundcheck, NEWSWEEK's Vanessa Juarez met with Billy Idol on his tour bus to discuss what it's like to be back. Excerpts:
NEWSWEEK: What the hell have you been doing for the last 12 years? Knitting? Blacksmithing?
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Billy Idol: [Laughs.] Knitting, yes. Well, no, I just think it's a combination of corporate music America swallowing up the movement of the '70s and '80s. I got caught up in that in the '90s. Not only that, I was on the edge of burnout with my ideas. I had a couple of kids, too. I never meant it to be 12 years. I don't know how that happened.
So is that why you're at SXSW, taking the indie road?
Well, that's a lot to do with it. I was never a corporate artist. I found out all I had to do, really, was to follow my own path in terms of my music and everything. Think about that and not chase fashion, you know.
Is performing on stage at this age easier or harder than it was 20 years ago?
I can't hear anything so [laughs] I'm just guessing what I sing. Yeah, I mean obviously being 4,900-years-old, one has to package one's energy. Twenty years ago, I had bags and bags of energy to burn. You had to take drugs to burn the energy off, you just couldn't do it on stage. Over the last 20 years, I've had to re-energize, and part of that was exercise. If I package right, I have enough energy, and you're going to see that tonight.
It sounds like you threw the last 15 years into a blender and out came "Devil's Playground."
The point about it all is you can't get away from the fact that music has moved through the '90s. You've had grunge, you've had rap-rock. You're going to have fun with technology as long as it works in with the music--and I think it does. If you've got a rocket that can reach the moon, you're not going to just go into orbit, you're going to go to the moon. [Laughs.] So we're going to the moon.
So is that why you're at SXSW, taking the indie road?
Well, that's a lot to do with it. I was never a corporate artist. I found out all I had to do, really, was to follow my own path in terms of my music and everything. Think about that and not chase fashion, you know.
Is performing on stage at this age easier or harder than it was 20 years ago?
I can't hear anything so [laughs] I'm just guessing what I sing. Yeah, I mean obviously being 4,900-years-old, one has to package one's energy. Twenty years ago, I had bags and bags of energy to burn. You had to take drugs to burn the energy off, you just couldn't do it on stage. Over the last 20 years, I've had to re-energize, and part of that was exercise. If I package right, I have enough energy, and you're going to see that tonight.
It sounds like you threw the last 15 years into a blender and out came "Devil's Playground."
The point about it all is you can't get away from the fact that music has moved through the '90s. You've had grunge, you've had rap-rock. You're going to have fun with technology as long as it works in with the music--and I think it does. If you've got a rocket that can reach the moon, you're not going to just go into orbit, you're going to go to the moon. [Laughs.] So we're going to the moon.
Most people would consider the '80s your heyday. Do you associate that as being a good time for you, or do you hate the '80s?
No, I had a really great time. I thought I kicked a-- in the '80s. I kicked a-- in the '90s when I wanted to. I'm kicking a-- now. What people don't realize is for something to come into fruition it takes a while. Then if you have success, the wave is going to roll on, and it's going to take a while before you're going to be able to catch the next wave. It's a bit of a surfer analogy, but it's true. And I've seen my career go up and down into valleys of a couple of years.
You've said before that you wish journalists would ask about your songwriting more. We're asking: what are some lines that you're proud of?
On this album I've got a good one. On the last song, "Summer Running," it goes: "I can escape/I've got Batman's cape/I can cover myself and baby, I'm flying, I'm flying tonight." [Laughs.] I feel a certain sense of freedom through the music. That's what I'm singing about, really--Batman's cape.
The press release for your album says that "Scream" is a "down and dirty love romp."
Yeah, it's down and dirty, it's high and mighty, it's Billy F---ing Idol.
Do you ever romp to your own songs?
Yeah. Yeah. Definitely, I can romp to my own songs if I want. [Laughs.]
You got the name Billy Idol from a grade-school teacher who once wrote on your report card "Billy is idle." Have you told him to bugger off? Well, I did by my whole career. "F--- you, I'm right." The best thing is you can use these dumb things in life that at one point was actually very hurtful and caused me a lot of s--t from dad. It was on my school report in gigantic letters. I think most school teachers write in cursive. This guy wrote it in capital letters. Anyway, I've turned this around on that teacher and make them pay me money for his giving me s--t. [Laughs.] I love me. That's the best revenge.
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