BILLY IDOL SHOULD BE DEAD

Punk rocker Billy Idol's journey from underground star to pop icon: his fame, drug struggles, and powerful return to music. Billy Idol Should Be Dead is an intimate, unflinching and wildly entertaining portrait of Billy Idol, the punk provocateur who became one of rock & roll's most recognizable and enduring stars. Directed by acclaimed filmmaker and music-video visionary Jonas Akerlund, the documentary looks beyond Idol's trademark sneer, peroxide hair and leather-clad image to examine the ambition, excess, danger and resilience behind a career spanning nearly five decades. Beginning with Idol's emergence from the British punk movement as a member of Generation X, the film follows his transformation into an international solo star whose fusion of punk attitude, hard rock and the visual possibilities of the MTV era produced such defining songs as "White Wedding," "Rebel Yell," "Dancing with Myself," "Eyes Without a Face" and "Mony Mony." Rather than simply revisiting the hits, Akerlund traces the experiences behind them and the contradictions of an artist who repeatedly pushed himself to extremes while continuing to evolve and perform. The story encompasses extraordinary success as well as the darker consequences of rock & roll excess, including Idol's near-death experiences and the personal and professional upheavals that could easily have ended his career. What emerges is as much a survival story as a music documentary: an examination of how Idol endured the volatility surrounding his fame and remained an active creative force long after many of his contemporaries disappeared from the spotlight. Idol is joined by an exceptional group of friends, collaborators and fellow musicians who provide perspective on his music, personality and influence. Participants include longtime guitarist Steve Stevens, Miley Cyrus, Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong, Guns N' Roses bassist Duff McKagan, Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones, The Who's Pete Townshend, Nile Rodgers, Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump and Perri Lister, among others. With Akerlund bringing the perspective of a filmmaker deeply versed in both music and visual culture, Billy Idol Should Be Dead presents the story of a genuine rock survivor who lived through nearly everything the mythology of rock & roll could throw at him--and somehow came out the other side.