Billy Idol: Kids need an anger outlet

Billy Idol doesn't think kids have music to pour their aggression into nowadays.

As one of the original punk rockers, Billy became a worldwide star thanks to hits like White Wedding and Rebel Yell.

But comparing music from the '70s and '80s to modern day tunes, Billy says teenagers today no longer have an outlet to unleash their anger.

"Kids don't have the music to pour their aggression into," Billy mused to British magazine The Big Issue. "That was our way of fighting back. Music is a way people can express their angst in a way that doesn't necessarily take in commercial concerns. It goes beyond an idea of selling records."

While Russell Brand is currently trailblazing a revolution, Billy remembers the musical rebellion that took place when he was first starting out. Following the massive success of the Sex Pistols, social outcasts were turning to a new way of life which music was starting to reflect.

"Punk rock opened the door to people like me – the marginalised. We got a chance to do something artistic with our lives. Everybody was exploring the artistic side partly because the Pistols said there is no future, there's no future for you. That was a rallying call. That was the revolution," he commented.

At 58 Billy is now starting to reflect on his many years in the industry. He recently released his autobiography Dancing with Myself which took six years to pen.

"Two of that was probably me typing with two fingers," he laughed. "I wanted to have a very definite style. Bob Dylan's Chronicles was incredible as is Patti Smith's [Just] Kids. I could see how good they were but that's not what you aim for. You aim for how good you can be."