A 31 years of his last performance in Buenos Aires, Billy Idol returned to the Argentine capital to offer two recitals. the first happened on Sunday at the Velez courtwhere he acted prior to the performance of Green Day. The other, on Tuesday at Luna Park, alone and with sold-out tickets. Before getting on the stage of the stadium erected in Corrientes and Madero, the English artist took some time to share with the press his impressions regarding this return to the country, as well as to talk regarding his upcoming album. carry by title The Cage, and will be available from next September 23. It is an EP, made up of four songs, which has its first promotional cut in “Cage”. Although the single is a hard rock which represents very well the sound imprint of the singer, perhaps the curious fact is that it will appear through Black Horse Records: the record label of the late beatle George Harrison.
Once he entered the conference room of the hotel where he is staying, in the Recoleta neighborhood, the musician showed in a very good mood and even bordering on shyness. Despite their 66 years, and having led a life of the oldest rock normality, Idol was seen in great condition. At least sitting there. Although his lucidity backed it up. After affirming that the Argentine public is fantastic, and that he never managed to forget it, the singer-songwriter immediately referred to his new material. And it is that his departure coincides with the celebration of the 40 years since the appearance of his first solo albumtitled the same as him and containing the theme that assured him a place at the zenith of rock: “Dancing With Myself”. Despite the fact that punk was the first style that identified him, as that anthem attests, other musical styles (among which new wave and cyberpunk stand out) crossed his work without making a dent in his artistic identity.
When referring to the type of theme with which he faced The Cage, Idol did not cease to be surprised by the 40 years of that release and made a brief tour of the brand new repertoire. “At some point I fell in love with rock and roll, and in 1976 I decided that I would make it my lifestyle,” said the former frontman of the band Generation X. “From that moment on, I found different topics to address, among which what happens to my friends or what happens around me stood out. Promptly The Cage alludes to the two years in which we were locked up because of the pandemic. He just wanted to talk regarding it, and how crazy he was. We almost made friends with the demons and zombies, which would seek to enter any window they might find. But that doesn’t only happen in a pandemic, it can happen at any time. Especially when you feel like you’re being held back by society, life, or the world around you.”
As a preview of the album, while he was making them, the also actor announced that this handful of songs would be loud, powerful and fun. Now that he is regarding to leave, he was asked if he had anything else to say. “One of the songs, ‘Running from the Ghost,’ is regarding how Steve Stevens (guitarist of his band and right hand of Idol) and me We run away from drugs. Which is still one of my fears,” he revealed. “While ‘Rebel Like Me’ is a song that can be for any woman, including my granddaughter. We performed it together in Las Vegas.”
The musician from Stanmore, but whose life and work has his other homeland in the United States, took advantage of that followingnoon dialogue to show what he always wanted with his sound. Not just now, but when he got to New York. “I always looked a ‘Billy Idol’ sound. As with many artists who inspired me, I never wanted to stick to one style. As much as my attitude is still punk rock”.
Although he never stopped producing new music, even though his discography has not been as prolific in recent years (the predecessor of The Cage appeared in 2014, and is called Kings & Queens of the Underground), what happened at least these days in Buenos Aires offers an idea that the work of Billy Idol is also valued by new generations of audiences. “I thought that this new adventure was going to last six months, and if that happened, I thought it was fine. Everything I do is for the love of it, and that’s why I’m still active, “he justified. “But what happened here overwhelmed me. I thank the Argentine public for being so terribly incredible.” If the British musician managed to get to this point in his career, it partly has to do with the harmony he has with Steve Stevens. And he acknowledged that at the press conference, where he also confessed that David Bowie is the artist with whom he would have liked to compose at least one song.
After all these years on stage, now totaling 46, Idol understood the value of wearing a more careful life. “Everything I do matters a lot to me, and being a singer, my voice is my main instrument,” he said. “And for that I exercise, I do pilates and I also practice reiki. That’s all I do to make a show like Sunday’s go well.” Speaking of his status as a singer, the legendary artist, apart from his blonde hair (where those hairs stand out like a pair of splinters regarding to jump), has as main identikit his particular voice. And that over time he has had to adapt to his age (as evidenced on the Vélez court), which reveals his dignity and honesty. In this regard, he recognized that he is not the best singer, but he always tried to maintain his style. Unlike some singers who are in circulation, and who do not deny the opportunities offered by resembling or imitating other people.
