Billy Idol Returns to Punk Roots With New Bandmates

Billy Idol looks, sings and sneers just like he did when he first broke onto MTV, and there's a reason he's stuck around a lot longer than many of his '80s contemporaries.

"People have a very romantic view of the 1980s," Idol tells Spinner when asked about the longevity of his career. "In music, you must weed out a lot of the novelty and one-hit wonders and what you have left is the best of people in the '80s or early '90s. I'm part of the good side. What we had were classic songs. We were real. We weren't one-hit wonders. We definitely had 10 or 12 songs on the charts and a bit of a pedigree."

Yet the pioneer punk rocker best known for his work in Generation X and solo hits including 'White Wedding,' 'Dancing With Myself,' and 'Eyes Without a Face' almost faded away with the decades in which he reigned due to drugs, alcohol and a wild-child lifestyle.

"I stopped doing a lot of the things that burnt me out," says Idol. "I gave up all the drugs, all the booze, but I'm still into women. That's one thing I don't mind indulging, but I don't feel like I am burning myself out, burning the candle at both ends. I have it under control and I'm still very much excited about what I do."

Now teamed up again with guitarist extraordinaire Steve Stevens and bass player Stephen McGrath, Idol has brought guitarist Billy Morrison and drummer Jeremy Colson into the band.

"Jeremy was 9 when [Generation X's album] 'Valley of the Dolls' was released," Idol says with a hearty laugh. "He was a fan."

In fact, both Colson and Morrison cut their musical teeth on the music Idol created, and they've brought more of that early punk edge back to the band.

"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 is also writing with his band and has introduced a few new songs during concerts including 'Love Is Strange,' 'Scarred for Life' and 'Kings and Queens of the Underground.'

"We've also mixed in some old Generation X stuff [into the sets] including 'King Rocker' and 'Running With the Boss,'" Idol says. "I haven't done those songs for 30 years. People around me are very invigorated by it. This isn't just a job -- we are a real band and it feels like we are really going somewhere. That in itself is exciting."