Book ~ "Dancing With Myself" (2014) Billy Idol

From Goodreads ~ In this bold and candid memoir, music legend Billy Idol shares his life story - from his childhood in England to his rise to fame during the height of the punk-pop revolution - revealing intimate details about the sex, drugs, and rock and roll that he is so fabulously famous for - all told in his own utterly indelible voice.

An integral member of the punk rock revolution whose music crossed over into ’80s pop mainstream - and one of MTV’s first stars - Billy Idol remains an iconic music legend. Now, in his long-awaited "Dancing With Myself", he delivers a lively, candid account of his journey to fame - including intimate and unapologetic details about his life’s highs and lows - all rendered with the in-your-face attitude and exuberance his fans have embraced. Idol brings to life the key events that shaped his life, his music, and his career, including his early childhood in England, his year at Sussex University, and his time spent hanging out with the Sex Pistols and as a member of punk bands Chelsea and Generation X.

He shares outtakes from his wildly and unexpectedly successful solo career and stories behind his string of popular hits, including “White Wedding,” “Eyes Without a Face” and “Rebel Yell”, which involved close collaboration with Steve Stevens and ultimately led to the creation of some of the most groundbreaking music videos ever seen.

I like reading bios/autobios and thought Billy Idol would have an interesting story.

Idol (born William Broad) will be 63 next month.  He is an English musician, singer, songwriter and actor. He first achieved fame in the 1970s as a member of the punk rock band Generation X in England.  In the early 1980s, he moved to the U.S. and started  a solo career.  I've never heard Generation X but was a fan of his albums in the 1980s (I'd had them on cassette!).  And I've seen him playing himself in the movie The Wedding Singer many times.

In this book, Idol tells his story.  He was born in England and lived in the U.S. for a while when he was young (his father had taken a job there).  They moved back to England when he was a teenager.  He got into the punk rock scene and wanted to be a musician.  This book follows his career, his addictions, his personal life (he has two children from a couple relationships) and his music.

Idol definitely has a story to tell and I found it interesting.  There is a lot of detail so fans of Idol and music in general should enjoy it.  I liked the writing style and found him to be honest.