“I’ve been fighting with my demons for so long, They’ve become my friends” sings Billy Idol on “The Cage” the title song of his forthcoming four-song EP. Outside the realm of personal necromancy and in the judgment of popular culture, Idol has a bunch of all other friends in 2022. You can hear his voice “Rebel Yell” on nationwide TV locations for T-Mobile, and he registered “Dancing with Myself!” for the prime-time NBC competition show that appropriates its headlines. Meantime, young actors like Miley Cyrus are partnering with Idol, bringing him to a whole new audience. “Cage” the album is scheduled for release in September on Dhani Harrison’s Dark Horse Records, initiated by a music falling on August. 17. That brand/The composer lineup may be an unexpected pairing, but Dhani tells his man, George, I would have accepted: “My dad was a Billy Idol fan. One time we were watching Beavis and Butt-head and they played Dancing with Myself, and I remember my dad loving Billy and Beavis and Butthead.” The song shows that a film is in The works with Grammy-winning Swedish composer Jonas Akerlund, of Madonna “Ray of Light” stardom. With all this stuff in the hull — plus a forthcoming European journey With Television beginning, and the reopening of a Las Vegas residency in late fall — “Idol”, who turned 67 in November, is anything but the resigning category. “The Cage EP” is the uplifting successor to last year’s totalitarian four-track “Roadside EP” a movement of energy with the workouts of the lock and the donations of newbies like co-producer Tommy English, Joe Janiak and Sam Hollander. It both marks the latest stage in the four-decade long melodic relationship between Idol and bassist Steve Stevens, whose method of mixing thug power with dance-floor surpassed reverts to their original collaboration with Giorgio Moroder, Paladin and Keith Forsey on music like “Essential of the Past” “Rebel Yell” “Dancing With Myself” and “White Wedding.” The four new songs on The EP are rooted in Idol’s past but firmly planted in The present, show how the singer turns his own personal history into rocking anthems with strong hooks and choruses, from the epic, whisper-to-a-scream “Running from the Ghosts” a song about his triumph over his drug addiction, to the blues-rock of “Rebel Like You” tribute to his 2-year-old granddaughter, who dressed up like Idol circa 1973 “Dancing with Myself!” to see him in his residency in Las Vegas. The disc’s highlight may be The spoken-word rap/R & B/funk of “Miss Nobody!” where Billy once again embraces outsiders, he saw this feisty homeless woman outside the studio in MacArthur Park where they were recording , and had him musing about how there is no such thing there but the grace of God will go to any one of us. “These new songs are celebrations since Steve and I are celebrating ourselves” says Billy. “It’s kind of wild to still be making music we’re excited about.” “We both grew up on The Beatles” brings Stevens to City, “where every song and album were completely different. Billy and I both see music as a bit of a journey. Here’s a method to our madness, but at the same time, we throw away the formula and try other approaches. There are no rules. It’s just two guys with acoustic guitars, and let’s see what we got.” When he and his group visited at the end of this year, they have been entered by Akerlund, who became captivated by doing an Idol film — which is being created by Live Nation Productions — after reading his 2015 memoir, “Dancing With Myself” and Idol’s audio story. “I told Billy, This is a film… We need to tell This story, ‘” Akerlund says, who has won four Grammys for his song “Movies” and his movie with Madonna and Paul McCartney. “What incredible timing Billy has had in his career. He was there when punk-rock happened in London, then moved to New York just as MTV was exploding, and now he’s in Los Angeles. I personally love his narrative, the amazing performances in his living room. And the song has affected many folks.” Steve Stevens and Billy Idol Skyler Barberio Idol were part of the famed Bromley Contingent, the group of fans which coalesced around the Sex Pistols — as captured in Danny Boyle’s recent FX series “Pistol” which included a fleeting glimpse of a peroxide-blonde Billy causing havoc. Forty-five years later, the association cointinues. He has played with ex-Pistols Steve Jones and Paul Cook as well as Tony Levinson and James Brown, from his original 70s band, Generation X – Generation Sex, which performs a mixture of Pistols and Gen X covers. Idol liked Boyle’s FX series. “I truly loved Steve Jones ‘text, which it is centered on” says Idol. “If this set clarifies young folks about what these guys are crazy did 45 years ago, when we were experiencing a period when the market wasn’t even playing basketball with us and individuals were saying” that’s just no destiny. “, it will be a positive thing. It’s hugely what’s happening at the moment. Our response was to simply do what we enjoyed, like playing and listening to music. It’s a good history lesson. We assumed in song that much, We considered it could produce a rebellion.” Idol’s self-created persona – a combination of Elvis Presley’s sneering, leather punk rock and a hellbent attitude have been remarkably resilient, the music sounds as fresh and relevant today as it has ever been. He has always been influenced by a variety of different kinds of music, from the reggae-dub elements of Gen X to the crisp disco beat of “Dancing With Myself.” Billy Idol Steven Sebring “Billy is willing to try anything” says Stevens. “He’ll go down the rabbit hole of some crazy concept, whereas a lot of established singers are stuck in their ways. Fortunately, Billy is not one of those guys.” He and Idol will hit the road later this summer, including some California deadlines, whereupon travel to South America for Rock in Rio and even some reveals helping Green Day, then a premiering journey across the U. S. K. And Europe with legendary punk-rockers Television beginnings. He will take part in five showcases in November at the Cosmo in Las Vegas. Although hardly in the resigning category, Idol got a glimpse of what it might be like when the superbug restricted his headlining events. Idol has been able to play the overprotective uncle to his two grandchildren, centuries two and seven months, by his girl Bonnie Blue, one of his two kids (and with Willem Wolf Broad, his father by his former veteran buddy Perri Lister). “It’s obviously been one of the upsides of the flavivirus, that I wanted to spend quality time with them. Sure, it wasn’t that bad for me.” He expressed satisfaction within a four-year relationship with actor-model China Chow. Idol’s longevity and current prominence in pop culture begs the question of induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, where contemporaries like Duran Duran and Eurythmics have been honored. “If it occurs, Good” says Stevens. “If not, What could you do?” “My bonus is the viewers” added Idol. “But that would have been great — a great item. If me and Steve could be honored around the same period, it would be amazing. He needs it.”.
