Fresh off his Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nomination, Billy Idol Should Be Dead hits theaters this week
It’s looking like 2026 is bound to be the year of Billy Idol. The icon just secured a nomination for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and is the subject of the new documentary Billy Idol Should Be Dead.
Directed by Jonas Åkerlund, the trailer features stars like Miley Cyrus (who linked up with Idol on her 2020 song “Night Crawling“), Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong, and Guns N’ Roses’ Duff McKagan, who discuss Idol’s impact and influence. “I watch Billy Idol footage like it’s porn,” Cyrus says. “There’s no one hotter than Billy-fucking-Idol.”
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The trailer opens with footage of an interview with a young Idol, where the journalist asks Idol what he’d do with the money if he became a rock star. “I’d spend it on drugs,” he tells him. The rest of the clip is spent exploring his career — from his MTV superstardom to his motorcycle accident in 1990 — and how he’s lived nine lives. “It’s easy to say it’s the drugs,” he says in the clip, across animation. “But what about if it’s me? What about if it’s me doing this?”
Earlier this week, Billy Idol Should Be Dead debuted in theaters in Los Angeles and New York City, with a wide-release planned for Thursday. His Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nod marks the second time he’s been nominated. Other nominees this year include Phil Collins, Oasis, Sade, Mariah Carey, Pink, Shakira, Iron Maiden, Lauryn Hill, Black Crowes, Jeff Buckley, Melissa Etheridge, Joy Division/New Order, New Edition, Luther Vandross, and Wu-Tang Clan. Hopefully, 2026 is Idol’s year.
