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'80s superstar Billy Idol survived his drug-fueled heyday
and is rocking his role as a dad and grandpa.

By Brianne Tracy in People

hen Billy Idol released his second album, Rebel Yell , three weeks before his 28th birthday in 1983, the career shift was seismic. "We went from clubs to theaters to arenas in one year," recalls the rocker, 68, who had already gained some steam from his time in the punk band Generation X between 1976 and 1981 and with his self-titled debut solo LP in 1982. "It was incredible."

During the Rebel Yell era, Idol's career skyrocketed, thanks to hits like "Eyes Without a Face" and the title track, as well as his music videos, which played on a loop on MTV. Offstage, Idol -- born William Broad to parents Bill, an accountant, and Joan, a stay-at-home mom, in Middlesex, England -- became just as well-known for his wild antics in the throes of his addiction to alcohol and drugs. (He once serenaded a crowd with an impromptu version of Rebel Yell 's title track while standing naked on the window ledge of his hotel.)

Four decades later, life looks a lot different for Idol, now a dad to three (Bonnie, 24, with ex Linda Mathis; Willem Wolf, 35, with ex Perri Lister; and Brant, 39, who he only recently discovered was his son) and a grandpa to four (Bonnie has daughters MaryJane Rebel and Poppy, while Brant has daughter McKenzie and son Mason). While chatting on the phone about the new deluxe expanded edition of Rebel Yell ( out now ), he's soft-spoken as he describes how a life-changing motorcycle accident in 1990 led him to his current drug-free lifestyle.

Still, hints of the old Idol remain. His signature spiky blond hair remains perfectly intact, and while talking about his 2020 collaboration with Miley Cyrus, "Night Crawling," he lets out a deep growl of a laugh as he explains that the song hearkened back to his "club crawl" days. "I went through the crazy times of the '80s, and I'm at this point now where I've got the best of both worlds: I've got the recognition factor, but at the same time, I'm left alone," he says. "I've got a rock and roll lifestyle, but I'm also a granddad with a strong family."

Here Idol shares some of the wisdom he's gained over the years -- and why it's always a nice day to start again.

It's true what they say about what happens when the door closes.

When Generation X broke up, one of the doors that opened was I could go solo. I met [producer] Keith Foresy while doing the last Generation X album, and I knew with him I could go a long way. Then when MTV happened, the whole world started to recognize me. I knew I had to set the pace with the imagery and style of my music videos, just like I did with my music.

Give your parents some grace.

I didn't try in school from 14 to 16. I was just into music and had a bit of [ADHD] -- they didn't know about that then. So if I liked something, I could do it, but if I didn't like it, I found it impossible. My dad couldn't understand. He was an accountant, and I was useless in mathematics. The poor guy just thought I wasn't trying.

Now I understand a bit more about my dad. It took me a long time. I was hoping my dad would love me how I wanted him to love me. I realized in my late 40s, 50s, that my dad was loving me the way he could love me, and I should be grateful for that. He did a lot of great things for me, like taking me to live in America for a few years when I was a child. I stopped giving him a hard time and realized, "Nobody's built to be a parent."

Addiction can cause loss in ways you can't anticipate.

There were things about getting high that started getting in the way of what I really wanted to do. I was going to have a big part in the Doors movie in 1991, but because of the motorcycle accident, I really started to think, "Should I try and go forward and not be a drug addict anymore?" Gradually I did achieve some sort of discipline.

Know your limits. For me, "California sober" works.

I'm not the guy I was in the '80s, the drug-addicted person. I mean, AA would say, "You're always a drug addict." And that may be true. But I don't do anything that much anymore. I just don't. Steve Stevens and Billy Morrison in my band are both sober, and that helps a lot. I can have a glass of wine every now and again. I suppose I'm California sober. I just tell myself I can do what I want because if I tell myself I can't do anything, I want to do it. So I tell myself, "You can do anything you like," and then I don't actually do it. I'm really lucky I can be like this, otherwise I don't think I'd be here. I would've killed myself a long time ago.

Being a granddad is so much fun...and a lot less pressure.

Poppy and McKenzie have both been to my shows, so they see what Granddad does. McKenzie, after she came, she wanted to come the next night. She danced the whole show. What's lovely about being Granddad is you're not disciplining them. Usually I paint pictures with them or play with them however they want. The pressure isn't the same as being a parent. It's lovely seeing my daughter with her own family and Brant with his own family -- he has a career pouring concrete. I know one day Willem will probably have his own family too.

Work hard, but don't take yourself too seriously.

Miley Cyrus is a lot of fun, but she takes her music seriously, much like me. I'm happy because I am doing what I love. That is a big factor in being happy in life. I'm living my dream. I want to go on until I drop, basically, I'll rock till I drop.  

A new photo book goes behind the scenes with the
Boss as he rises from Jersey boy to music royalty.

By Rachel DeSantis in People

hen Lynn Goldsmith first entered the New York City studio where Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band were recording in the late 1970s, she had two priorities -- and neither involved the Boss. First, she wanted to dry off from the blizzard outside. Second, she needed to find her rocker pal Patti Smith, who'd invited her there that day. But as fate would have it, the now-legendary photographer found herself sitting in on Springsteen's session following a request from the musician himself. "He was cute!" Goldsmith, 75, says of why she stuck around. "I've always had certain types, and Bruce fit the bill."

Goldsmith believes the meeting was a setup arranged by Smith, and something did click that day. Before long she was part of the E Street Band's entourage, snapping photos as they recorded and toured their 1978 album Darkness of the Edge of Town. (And yes, she briefly dated Springsteen.)

Born to Run had put the band on the rock map in 1975, but they were still on the cusp of superstardom. Goldsmith's photos from that era -- which she's compiled into a new book, Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band -- offer an intimate peek at the hustle and heart of Springsteen and his band. "There's plenty of books that are just on Bruce, but I feel the band is what empowered him to be the Springsteen that he is," Goldsmith says of the star, 74, who wrote the foreword. "I wanted it to be something not only for the fans but for him and [his family]. What I can offer with photographs is a memory, and that's what adds a real meaning to my work."