Billy Idol’s legacy as a music icon is so jam-packed with mind-blowing highs and drug-fueled lows that it’s hard to imagine a film that can effectively cover it all. Yet, Jonas Akerlund’s new documentary, Billy Idol Should Be Dead, not only encapsulates the insane success and spirals Idol endured, but also captures it through a visually stunning, emotionally taut vision.
The film depicts Idol’s life from starting as a nobody in a growing UK punk scene with his band Generation X to his older years still performing after surviving multiple brushes with death. Right from the opening scene of Idol reflecting on an overdose that nearly cost him his life, Akerlund builds this intriguing thematic arc that persists throughout the documentary. The film’s admittedly grim title contains this intriguing dual meaning that explores the sort of miraculous perseverance of Idol’s artistic and personal existence. The first, and most literal, meaning touches on the gutting impact of Idol’s drug use, which worsened as he moved to the US and evolved into a god-like entity in the music world.
The discussion around Idol’s struggles with addiction generally embodies those influential pressures explored in many celebrity documentaries. That burning taste of the limelight and neverending need to write the next hit that’s more successful than the last creates a desire for escape that’s sadly obtained through chronic drug use. Now, in general, this isn’t anything new for music docs and is mostly captured through pretty stock-standard interviews. However, Ackerlund achieves a noteworthy depth that taps into the heartbreak of Idol hitting nearly-fatal lows. Idol’s drug use is talked about in a deeply human way that holds nothing back. No one, not even Idol, is afraid to dig into the reality of him almost killing himself and touching on the monster he became at times. Even a tragedy explored outside of drugs involving an accident that nearly caused Idol to lose his leg is remarkably gutting and Ackerlund excellently utilizes archive footage to immerse viewers into Idol’s shattered perspective.
Ackerlund further heightens the emotion through these beautifully animated sequences. There are these awesome, retro-feeling animated sections that showcase transitions in Idol’s life or illustrate how bad things got for him. Sometimes they give his move from punk to pop some deserved flair or capture him at his worst with drugs by turning him into a Godzilla-like monster terrorizing those around him. Yet, these moments never strip away the emotion of his crashes. When we see Idol turn into the gigantic monster everyone described him as, it never feels cool or fun. Rather, it elevates the devastating nature of Idol hitting tragic lows and ends up being an effective way to tell his story. Ackerlund blends visual and tender storytelling flawlessly, and it’s where these relatable tethers of Idol deeply latch onto you. More importantly, it’s what makes Billy Idol Should be Dead truly unique – which is crucially important in a sea of same-feeling music documentaries.
This idea that Idol “should be dead” also has another side to it that connects to his career facing many obstacles that almost derail it entirely. In sort of a stunning fashion, the film expertly depicts moments that could’ve seen Billy Idol never become Billy Idol. Moments like Idol not being accepted in the punk community because of his looks and upbringing, transitioning to a new genre, or ventures into film being ripped away by an ego-fueled producer are just a few things that could’ve been the final nail in the coffin. But, that final nail never came and it’s fascinating to not only see how Idol skirted disaster, but transcended in the process. In moments where it seemed like his career wasn’t about to take off, almost by fate, it rose from ashes to push him further towards stardom.
The fairly smooth transition from punk to pop solidified Idol’s talent in huge ways that fueled songs like “Dancing With Myself” or his cover of “Mony Mony.” His connection to the rise of MTV is legitimately captivating with how he played a pivotal role in their initial concept and basically pioneered a new age for music videos with “White Wedding.” It’s where Idol is shown as a pure innovator, and the continued determination he emits to improve his craft is what makes his impact in music palpable to this day. This is where the film really shines as it lets viewers get a real peek into Idol’s retrospective and connect with his humble reaction to being who he is. Not to mention, there are some great personal moments with him having a revelation with his family that ends things on a sweet note and leaves viewers, especially longtime fans, in a state of comfort seeing his whole journey play out.
Best of all, the negative and positive elements of the title’s dual meaning are incredibly well-balanced to tell a tonally cohesive narrative that’s satisfyingly strung together. Billy Idol Should Be Dead is a must-watch documentary that charts the life of a (somehow) living legend whose charisma and raw talent persisted through dark times and seemingly impossible odds. It elevates Idol’s legacy to all-time highs and showcases his story in a visually pleasing, effortlessly emotional manner that flips your perspective on Idol as an artist.
