Billy Idol reflects on one of the scariest moments in his life in his new song and music video, “Bitter Taste.” The 65-year-old musician’s first release in seven years, “Bitter Taste” was recorded during the pandemic, looking back at his near-fatal motorcycle accident in 1990. “I think everyone has been feeling more reflective (during the pandemic). So, it seemed quite logical and natural to write something about my motorcycle accident,” Idol said in a statement seen by Rolling Stone. “Certainly, the motorcycle accident was the catharsis, the wake-up moment. A little bit of me got left on that roadside. But it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing in the end; it was a wake-up call. Maybe on that roadside I left behind the irreverent youthful Billy and opened the door for a more attentive father and a more sensitive musician.” The crash nearly resulted in Idol losing a leg and left him unable to walk for close to a year. “Hello, good-bye / There’s a million ways to die / Should’ve left me way back, should’ve left me way back by the roadside,” he sings on the explosive song. “It’s a bitter taste.” It’s the first glimpse at his upcoming EP The Roadside, produced by Butch Walker, out September 17 via George Harrison’s Dark Horse Records. The four-track EP will feature also songs “Rita Hayworth,” “U Don’t Have to Kiss Me Like That,” and “Baby Put Your Clothes Back On.”
