William Michael Albert Broad, better known as Billy Idol, is a rock musician who, after splitting with his old band, Generation X, went solo and thus became one of the most iconic figures of the 1980s. He is most famous for the songs "White Wedding", "Rebel Yell" and "Dancing With Myself", which are radio staples to this day.
Idol has released a total of six studio albums, one EP, a Christmas album, and several compilation albums. He faded away in the early 1990s after the disastrous release of Cyberpunk, popping up again in a memorable cameo in The Wedding Singer. He continues to tour to this day with guitarist and longtime collaborator Steve Stevens.
Billy Idol provides examples of the following tropes:
- Breakup Breakout — Man, did he ever.
- Gratuitous French — "Eyes without a Face"
- Greatest Hits Album — Vital Idol, Idol Songs, Greatest Hits and The Very Best Of Billy Idol: Idolize Yourself.
- Intercourse with You
- Jossed — Idol himself denies "Dancing With Myself" is about masturbation.
- Metal Scream — "WITH A REBEL YELL SHE CRIES MORE, MORE, MORE... OWWWW!!!"
- Money Song — "Mony Mony" (which is a cover...)
- New Sound Album — Cyberpunk was recorded with an Apple computer and was his first (and last) attempt at a Concept Album.
- Performance Video — "Rebel Yell."
- Pop Punk
- Scary Musician, Harmless Music
- Self-Titled Album — His debut in 1982.
- Shotgun Wedding — "White Wedding" (And people still play it at weddings, based on the title alone.)
- Stage Names — Real name William Broad. He apparently chose it because his teachers described him as idle...
- Subdued Section — Inverted in "Eyes without a Face".
- The Dead Can Dance — The video for "Dancing With Myself."
- Verbal Tic — "OWW!"
- Zombie Apocalypse — The "Dancing With Myself" video again.