Having narrowly escaped death several times, mainly due to his legendary excesses of booze and drugs, including a serious motorcycle accident, Billy Idol, 54, is fully savouring his new life of sobriety and still going strong with his trademark sneer, raised fist, and raspy voice.
Displaying a muscular physique that would put most twenty-year-olds to shame, Idol has no problem in keeping up his shirtless appearances onstage. The singer has been enjoying a second career, sparked by his 1998 cameo in the smash hit film The Wedding Singer.
In addition to veteran Steve Stevens and Stephen McGrath, two young bandmates, who grew up playing Idol’s music, Billy Morrison (guitar) and Jeremy Colson (drums) have been added to the line up, helping revive the band’s punk edge, according to Spinner.
“Our sound is more like the records now, actually,” Idol says of his full-bore return to punk. "[The band members’ immersion in punk and rock] is a huge factor in that because my music was always rock ‘n’ roll dance music, really. We’ve injected a lot of fun and a new sensibility into the sound.”
Idol and the band are writing new songs, including Love Is Strange and Scarred for Life, and introducing them during concerts.