Aging flesh for fantasy: Billy Idol

Billy Idol always seemed destined for mainstream success. Armed with peroxide-blond spikes, an Elvis-inspired sneer, and a knack for writing MTV hits that were far more hard rock than hardcore, Idol became an easy '80s icon starting with his eponymous solo debut. Though he continued to score chartwise through the rest of the decade, his drug addictions caught up with him in the '90s, leading to a near-fatal GHB overdose. There was also that near-career-suicide concept album, Cyberpunk. Still, he proved resilient, surviving those mishaps for a new-millennium return to stage and studio.