How The Beatles changed Billy Idol’s dream
You’d be excused for assuming that Sid Vicious might have been a more pivotal influence on Billy Idol than a 1960s rock band, given his penchant for leather chokers, hairspray and heavy punk riffs. Undoubtedly, the Sex Pistols had a monumental impact on Idol in the mid-1970s as he joined the Bromley Contingent of Sex Pistols disciples, but his musical ambitions were realised back in the early ‘60s as The Beatles entered the limelight.
Born in 1955, Idol (then known as William Broad) was exposed to the close of the American rhythm and blues golden era and, later, the early onslaught of the British invasion. In 1962, a seven-year-old Idol decided to learn percussion due to an early penchant for rhythm and giving things a good whack. But by the time he was ten, Idol was cast under the familiar spell of The Beatles.
In an interview with Classic Rock, Idol was asked: “Did you have musical ambitions before joining the punk scene?”
“I started out trying to play the drums when I was about seven years old,” he remembered. “Then I realised John Lennon and Paul McCartney were at the front, writing the songs, playing the guitars, so I started teaching myself the guitar at ten, to have something to sing along to.”
Idol became fascinated by the attention John Lennon and Paul McCartney received from the swathes of ecstatic ladies in the audience. He foresaw more satisfaction in a future as a Lennon or McCartney over that of Ringo Starr, who sat in the background dutifully keeping the beat. With this, Idol began to teach himself to play the guitar.
After this pivotal moment, Idol set his sights on the centre stage to become a singer and guitarist, but he would have to wait for another decade to realise the sound he wanted to make and the way he wanted to dress.
Later in his interview with Classic Rock, Idol explained that the blooming music scene of the 1960s birthed a variety of exciting musical styles. These different styles inspired a new generation of musicians, but punk gave them the tools and confidence to explore the passion.
In 2006, Billy Idol gave a nod to The Beatles with a punk-inspired cover of ‘Tomorrow Never Knows’. Listen here.
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