Billy Idol Wonders if Cycle Accident Was a ‘Actually Good’ Second

Billy Idol mirrored on his 1990 motorbike accident, by which he got here near shedding a leg.

The incident derailed his fledgling film profession – he’d been lined as much as star in Terminator 2: Judgment Day because the T-1000 cyborg, ultimately performed by Robert Patrick.

In a latest interview with Traditional Rock, Idol mentioned the life-changing second was the topic of final yr’s music “Bitter Style.” “It’s me reflecting again on this accident: Was it one thing horrible, or was it one thing actually good, the place I took inventory of all the pieces and began to comprehend that I needed to take management of myself by way of the drug dependancy?” he mentioned.

“And I did begin, however I didn’t actually begin to steadily pull again till ’93 or ’94. It took me a very long time to return to phrases with the drug dependancy, to get it underneath management and get a way of self-discipline, as a result of there was no actual management. These days, I’ve taken again management and I’m a lot happier as a result of I’m again to being me.”

Watch Billy Idol’s ‘Bitter Style’ Video

Idol mentioned his quick rise to fame by way of MTV was a part of the explanation he turned to medication. “All of a sudden everyone knew who you had been,” he remembered. “And that’s somewhat bizarre. Once I got here to New York, I’d stroll round and solely the few individuals who had been into punk rock knew who I used to be. Now, all of a sudden, everyone did. And it was a giant change that was actually exhausting to cope with as a result of it reduce off your freedom. I began to dwell in tiny little rooms as a result of once you walked exterior you walked right into a world of mayhem. And it drives you somewhat nuts. So that you begin overloading on medication. As a result of what else is there to do? In order that was an issue.”

Whereas he did seem within the 1991 film The Doorways, it wasn’t fairly as deliberate. “I initially had a very good half, Michael Madsen’s half, however I had that motorbike accident,” he mentioned. “I most likely ought to have gotten into appearing much more, nevertheless it took me a very long time to get management of myself by way of drug dependancy.”