Billy Idol
a.k.a. William Albert Michael Broad

"Yeah... the touchstone that Joss gave me was Sid Vicious, because he wanted the Sid and Nancy of the vampire world, and after he cast me, he came over and said "Less Olivier and a little more Tim Roth, if you would . .." So I've been trying to give him that if I can. Some people have said he got Billy Idol and not Sid Vicious (laughs)... well, I'm not Sid Vicious, but I think the Billy Idol part -- that's the hair." JM (TEXT)

Q: The second season gave us Spike [James Martsers], the sexy-sinister platinum-blond bloodsucker. Who came up with his look?
Joss Whedon: That would be me. There's a little Billy Idol, a little Kiefer Sutherland in The Lost boys, and every guy in a black coat. I really thought the peroxide would define his face better, though James does curse my name for the burning scalp. (Source)

Joss wanted the Sid and Nancy of the vampire set. I'm not sure if he got that [laughter]. People keep saying that he got Billy Idol, but you do your best." JM (TEXT)

"The biggest misconception people have about me is that I'm stupid." -Billy Idol

Billy's accoustic vocal style and snarling explosive stage act had launched a string of hits including: "Hot In The City" (US number 23), "Eyes Without A Face" (US number 4/UK number 18), "White Wedding" (UK number 6), "Rebel Yell" (UK number 6 when rereleased), and "To Be A Lover". (Source)

BILLY IDOL: GENER@TION WWW

Billy Idol Bio / Billy Idol Bio @ RollingStones.com

Billy Idol fanpage

Idol Worship By STEVE TILLEY -- Edmonton Sun (TEXT)
and
Idol Chatter: The sneer is back By MIKE ROSS -- Edmonton Sun (TEXT)
and
A timeline of BI's carrer (TEXT)
"It was very overwhelming, really," Idol says in a phone interview. "It was very hard to overcome your own past, if you know what I mean. I think in a way it was better to leave the music and maybe live my own life so then I'd have things and emotions and feelings to write about later on when I wanted to come back to music. I saw the time was ripe where we could say, 'look at these old songs' - and you could see them for what they truly are. They weren't just caught up in the moment."
"It wasn't as if I was doing 100% punk rock music with Billy Idol, but I did feel that it was 100% punk rock attitude. By the time I got to America, I felt my music had expanded beyond just the three-minute punk rock and even the basic images you get with punk rock songs. I think I'd moved on in my life. I was singing much more about love songs. I'd expanded. It was impossible for me to just stay in that genre. But it's brilliant always having that punk rock attitude behind what you were doing." (Source)

The Bromley Contingent
"Billy Idol started his musical career in 1976 as a member of the Bromley Contingent, a group of followers of the Sex Pistols, which included members of the Clash and Siouxsie & the Banshees. The then Mr. Broad changed his name to Idol. A school teacher had returned a paper proclaiming him "idle" in class; he then twisted the word into a parody of rock idols. A parody that would later define his comment on his." (Source)

Diary of Punk - A timeline of the development of Punk

Punk is dead. - Quotes and explanations from various 'leaders' of the British punk scene during the 1970's.

About Punk-Wave and The Sex Pistols