| "This album is the story of the resurrection of Billy Idol," says William Broad, a.k.a. Billy Idol, from the other side of a swanky Toronto hotel room. With his "Thou Shalt Not Steal" wristband, platinum-blond spiked hair and preference for leather pants and vests, the scene feels somewhat surreal. Here’s a bona fide punker to the core being treated like royalty.
But at this point, a solid 30 years into his career, shouldn’t he be?
Surviving everything from the "death of punk" to a crippling motorcycle accident to 1993’s Cyberpunk (a techno-laden experiment that resulted in plummeting sales), it’s almost shocking to think that Idol has managed to get his shit together and release a new album. Devil’s Playground (Sanctuary/ EMI) is his first new set of songs in a dozen years.
"I went through a dark period around 1996 where the songs weren’t coming out," admits Idol. "I kept trying, but they weren’t up to scratch and I didn’t want to make a record (just) because I could make a fortune off the record company – not such a great idea because they just take it back out on you.
"There had to be some classic moments for it to be a Billy Idol record, and I wasn’t creating that. It took me a while to get it together and create songs worthy of being Billy Idol songs. When that finally happened, well, it was time for me to take the leap and record."
No wonder Idol feels that this is a resurrection of sorts. Condemned to performing a greatest-hits tour for the last half-decade, he is ecstatic to finally have some fresh meat for us rotting vegetables. With the return of key longtime collaborators Steve Stevens (responsible for the distinctive guitar tone on such tracks as "White Wedding") and producer Keith Forsey, the sneering crooner truly has risen from the ashes.
But even this new material has a certain familiarity to it. Dealing with fears of backlash from revisiting past successes, Idol admits that this is the first time he’s felt comfortable referencing his early punk outfit, Generation X, since going solo in the early ’80s.
"Some songs on this record do go back to the energy of Generation X. They’re fun and they go across the Billy Idol world. It took me a while, but I realized I could use the energy of Generation X, the attitude of ‘Rebel Yell’ and the mixture of the greatest hits on one album," he says. "We tried the punk Billy. At times, I would question that with Blink 182 and Green Day – ‘Ooohh, you’re trying to copy them!’ Wait! I did that in 1976.
"I’m not trying to out-punk – I just want to write decent songs. So if that means I want to go back to Generation X or every other Billy you know, I can. The next record? I like a lot of reggae so I’d like to have a chill side to it, but this record is just energetic. Even the love songs are fast. It’s all ‘swing along with Billy Idol.’"
Delving into the nitty-gritty of Devil’s Playground is where Idol truly becomes animated, though. In what seems like a stream-of-consciousness rant, he ties all the songs together. "Things are going wrong, but they eventually right themselves. That’s what this album is about – my life, in a way.
"It starts off with the craziness of super-overdrive – you’ve attacked the powers that be, and now they’re bringing the world down on you," he continues. "You join the rat race in your heart; the alcohol hiding inside your plastic Jesus isn’t spirituality – it’s spirit-uality. But eventually it all comes together. That’s what makes it worthwhile. Things don’t have to be perfect; it just has to come out right."
Apparently Idol has figured it out. Thanks not only to the return of key Idol conspirators (Stevens, drummer Brian Tichy, bassist Stephen McGrath and keyboardist Derek Sherinian), but also to his ability to embrace past successes instead of fearing them, Devil’s Playground is easily one of Idol’s most familiar yet adventurous releases to date. When paring down his rationale behind it, Idol uses one of the least punk rock of analogies.
"Well, it is like baking a cake in a way," he deadpans. "If you don’t get the ingredients right, it doesn’t rise. Or else the people masticating it might throw up…." |
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