by Billy Idol
First published 2014
Billy Idol opens his memoir with unflinching honesty about his journey from English childhood to punk rock fame. He traces his path through Sussex University, his time with the Sex Pistols scene, and his years in punk bands Chelsea and Generation X. Idol reveals the personal costs of his solo career success, including the wild lifestyle of sex, drugs, and rock and roll that defined his era. He explains how collaborations with guitarist Steve Stevens created hits like "White Wedding," "Eyes Without a Face," and "Rebel Yell." The book chronicles both his survival through the chaos and his role in punk's emergence into mainstream pop culture. Idol writes with the same raw energy that made him an MTV icon, offering readers an insider's view of music history as it happened.
Genres: 20th-century, autobiography, biography-memoir, music, 21st-century, punk
Vibes: emotional, intimate, raw
Tropes: insider-perspective, rags-to-riches
Setting: England, Sussex
Period: Punk Rock Era
336 pages · Hardcover · Touchstone
Content warnings: addiction, drug-use