Billy Idol to perform locally
MORRISTOWN — British bad boy Billy Idol performs his hits at Mayo Performing Arts Center on Friday, June 5 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $75 to $150.
In late 1976, William Broad was reborn as Billy Idol. Few knew his adopted moniker was initially Billy Idle, a name originally given to him by a disparaging schoolteacher; even at the birth of this superstar, there was a self-deprecating little boy peaking out from behind the Idolatry.
As part of the group Generation X, Idol would bring splashes of positivity, pop, and romance to a scene that had heretofore been defined by its negativity, musical atonality, and nihilistic attitude towards the opposite sex.
From celebratory anthems like "Youth Youth Youth" and "Ready Steady Go" to intensely personal essays like "The Prime of Kenny Silvers" and "English Dream," Generation X expressed a fearless desire to use the new music as a way of expressing vulnerability and an affinity with rock history, consistently evoking the optimism of punk's new beginning while rejecting the easy pessimism of punk's apocalyptic outlook.
The group split in 1980, reformed as Gen X, and Idol became intrigued by the idea of integrating the spacious and mobile grooves of dance music into his sound. This spirit of invention was especially alive in "Dancing With Myself," the track that opened side one of the sole Gen X album. Released at the onset of the 1980s, in a few minutes "Dancing With Myself" brought together all the divergent tribes of the 1970s and created a compelling and original object of its time that achieved timelessness.
After initially combusting on the dance floors of late-night New York City clubs, the song was re-released as an Idol solo release, followed shortly by "Mony Mony."
Billy Idol began the 1980s in an apartment on Manhattan's then-grubby Upper West Side furnished with only a mattress on the floor and a black and white TV; he ended the same decade with numerous platinum albums and sold out tours worldwide. He garnered three Grammy nominations, one MTV Video Music Award (and 10 nominations), and a prestigious Brit Award. From 1982's "White Wedding" and "Hot In The City" (both of which landed in America's Top 40) to 1984's anthemic "Rebel Yell" and seductive "Eyes Without A Face" (the latter reaching # 4 in the U.S. charts), followed quickly by "Flesh for Fantasy" and "Catch My Fall," straight through to 1986's "To be A Lover," Billy Idol racked up an extraordinary run of hits. In 1987 his recording of "Mony Mony" reached number 1 in the Billboard singles charts and he followed in 1990 with "Cradle of Love," which reached number 2.
2014 saw Billy Idol not only getting back into gear and returning to form, but mastering new forms. Idol's autobiography, "Dancing With Myself," tells of all the ups and downs of the man who is, was, and forever would be Idol.
Idol's new album, "Kings & Queens of the Underground," is recognizable as classic Idol and recalls his very best work, but with a healthy dose of maturity, musical depth, and charismatic reflection.
The Mayo Performing Arts Center is located at 100 South St. in Morristown. For more information or tickets contact the box office at 973-539-8008 or www.mayoarts.org.