Dancing with Myself (A Bestselling Musician Memoir) Paperback – September 29, 2015

I was a Billy Idol fan way back when, but I knew little about the man. DANCING WITH MYSELF is a fabulous look at the emergence of punk in England in the 1970s, told from someone who made it happen. It is also a horrifying look the amount of drugs one can consume and still function; in Billy Idol’s case, it is unfathomable, and it’s a wonder that he survived. In a way, one could say that drugs kept him alive; I still can’t believe it! The thing is, for the first time I really understood what being an addict means, because Billy Idol does have an addictive personality, drugs, sex, music; anything; it’s obvious that he could control something that captured his attention, or rather his sense; yet he remained philosophical about the whole thing.Billy Idol is very candid, unapologetic, and honest; he does admit that he behaved like a fool and that it cost him, however in his case not financially, but artistically and emotionally. His inability to control his addictions literally cost him the love of his life. He is the kind of person who could have told me: “I didn’t mean it, I didn’t do it on purpose”, and I would have believed him – which is rare in my case – because he obviously could not, and this is where I understood the complexity of addiction. Billy Idol also surprised me in several ways: first of all, and probably most notable for a rock star, is his respect of women, even if he cheated on some, and he is extremely loyal, which is not that common in the musical world. He is also not an egotistical maniac, although he knows what he is good at, he readily praises those who deserve it, most of all Steve Stevens his long-time guitarist. I was also agreeably surprised at how well-spoken Billy Idol is; he is well-read, and it shows; DANCING WITH MYSELF is exceptionally well written. He also has that dry British sense of humour that I appreciate. DANCING WITH MYSELF also includes a very helpful index, and even in the digital copy, tons of fabulous photos, both black and white and colour. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I highly recommend it. And I dare you not to sing along!

This book was one I could barely put down. Billy Idol’s life and career are fascinating whether you’re a fan or not. (Full disclosure - I am a great fan). His childhood was very sweet, surprisingly middle class. His rise to fame was as wild as you’d expect. His motorcycle accident was horrific and life changing. He’s had the same romantic ups and downs anyone can relate to and he’s definitely a romantic underneath all that brash bluster. His musical partnership with Steve Stevens is discussed as much as his relationships with his mother, father, and sister, and his own children. He also doesn’t shy away from any of the unsavory parts of his life and behavior. He takes responsibility for his actions always.He’s very well read and intelligent and it comes across in his writing. It’s very poetic in many ways. This was not ghostwritten - it’s Billy all the way.I highly recommend it.

I was lucky enough to see Idol in Vegas before Covid shut things down and was SO glad that I did! That got me interested in his life, so I was happy to pick up this book and start reading it. I am always interested in how they became what they are, and this book does not disappoint! Great read!

Billy sums up his life and who he is quite succinctly and writes in the Epilogue, "I am hopelessly divided between the dark and the good, the rebel and the saint, the sex maniac and the monk, the poet and the priest, the demagogue and the populist...I feel pulled by the tides of passion, anger, lust, corruption, madness, sin..The corporeal body struggles until its death, the wind was sown, and the whirlwind followed."Please check out my notes I took throughout the book for some things that stood out to me.I thought this was a well-written memoir and I am thoroughly impressed that he wrote this without a ghost writer. Yes, there some slow parts, but I liked that throughout the book, Billy is introspective and emit a great understanding of his life. He does apologize a lot in it, especially to his ex-love, Perri. He talks extensively of his drug abuse and it's quite the portrayal. I also think Billy should explore a career in erotica writing because he sure knows how to describe a sex scene and they are real events he was an active participant in! lol This comes as no surprise, but I was pretty impressed by his ability to describe these events with such vivid detail.After reading about his life, I think I've come away with a newfound respect for Billy as an artist and as a man. He's definitely one lucky bastard to still be walking this earth and performing, but he seems humbled by the events of his life and he's just enjoying it now and doing what he loves, which includes spending time with his now adult children and nurturing their interests, performing and of course, riding his Harley.

This was a long book with a lot of detail on the life of musician Billy Idol. He has always had music in his life, though his father was initially against Billy’s decision to pursue a career as a singer. As someone who enjoyed his music when I was in my teens, I for one am glad that he followed his dream and pursued his passion.A lot of his career followed the theme of Sex, Drugs, and Rock & Roll that was often true of many singers and bands in those days. This theme seemed to control most of his life, to the point where at times it was a wonder that he was capable of much of anything and truly a wonder that he didn’t manage to accidently kill himself from an overdose. This book did not shy away from the darker aspects of his life. It discussed everything, both the good and the bad, in honest detail from the perspective of the man who lived through it all.I think the part of the book that I enjoyed the most, was at the end. It included a number of pictures from throughout his life, as well as pictures of his parents before they were married. I did enjoy reading this book. His life was not always easy, but it was definitely interesting.

Just finished this book. Its a great read & a good insight into the destructive world of 80's rock. Billy Idol is one of my heroes & this book revealed things i never knew. Funny, Touching & Brutally honest. One of my favourite biographys so far.

I'm a bit biased when it comes to Billy Idol because I'm a fan but I loved his honesty in this book and glad he's lived to tell the tale.

good book.

Bought as a present and they love it!!

Brilliant book