Legendary rocker Billy Idol performed Thursday night (October 7th) on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, putting the spotlight on his new single “Bitter Taste.”
Idol was joined by his full band, which includes his longtime guitarist Steve Stevens, for the performance. As the rock icon told Heavy Consequence when he recently caught up with us via video Zoom, “Bitter Taste” offers a reflection on his near-fatal 1990 motorcycle accident.
“The thought of trying to deliberately write a song about the pandemic, I didn’t think that was such a good idea,” Idol explained. “But I thought maybe I could think of time in my life that was challenging to me, something I had to overcome, which was scary and frightening … and it would reflect what’s going on with the pandemic for people. And I thought about my motorcycle accident.”
“Bitter Taste” appears on Idol’s recent release, The Roadside EP, marking the veteran rock singer’s first new music in seven years. The four-song effort also contains the new tunes “Rita Hayworth,” “U Don’t Have to Kiss Me Like That,” and “Baby Put Your Clothes Back On.”
Idol recently wrapped up a string of headlining US shows, but will return to the stage later this month for a four-gig Las Vegas residency, running from October 16 through 23rd at The Cosmopolitan. He’ll follow that up with a handful of acoustic shows with Steve Stevens in late November and early December. Tickets for both the residency and the acoustic concerts are available here.
Watch Billy Idol’s performance of “Bitter Taste” on Jimmy Kimmel Live! below, followed by our career-spanning interview with the rock legend.
