Dear Internet,

A few weeks ago, Steph, Sloth, Mr. Lisa, and me saw Billy Fucking Idol in concert.

And that show was fucking magnificent! As I said on the socials, I (54F) would leave my partner (47M) for Billy Fucking Idol (70M) if Billy asked me to.

In a million years I would not have thought I would see Billy Fucking Idol in concert and grow obsessed with him. Idol’s first hits (after the dissolution of Generation X) came out when I was a pre-teenager. I knew the songs, sure, but as I got older, I got into New Order, Pet Shop Boys, and other ilk of the mid-1980s bands before heading into Grunge and Madchester. Idol was not on my radar.

But then! Steph and I watched Billy Idol Should Be Dead (Hulu) one night while we were hanging out and I remember thinking, “Holy shit. I had no idea he was this amazing!”

Sure did not.

With Mr. Lisa and I coming into town on our way to Kentucky, Sloth said “Hey, how about we go see Billy Idol?” as he was playing at the local amphitheater. I responded with a FUCK YES! BRING IT ON!

So, we did!

Sloth and Steph get lawn which was perfect as we were all dancing like loons (except for Mr. Lisa as he is anti-fun). I had such a great night and Billy was fucking amazing. A++ would dump Mr. Lisa in a heartbeat for Billy Idol.

I created a playlist of all of Billy’s work from Generation X to his most recent album.

When I was listening to the playlist (shuffle of course), Spotify will pop up the video for the song. When “White Wedding” came on, I got pregnant during the refrain of “It’s a nice day for a…white wedding” as he does this perfect sneer and his voice dips when he gets to “white wedding.” Be still my ovaries.

A few weeks before Billy, I went solo to Detroit to see Peter Hook (former bassist for Joy Division and New Order). Mr. Lisa did not go with me as he’s not a fan of post-punk and he gave no shits about JD or NO. Peter Hook tours a lot and I missed his last show when he showed up in Detroit a few years ago, but this time I was determined to not miss it.

I booked a hotel a few blocks away so after primping and preening, made my way to the venue where the doors just opened. I walked by the merch table and decided to grab a t-shirt on my way out (big mistake) and headed into the main area. I bought an overly expensive ($17) 20 oz can of Yuengling and made my way through the crowd to the floor. I may be 54 but there is no fucking way you’re going to find me in the seats. I will remain a floor fan for life.

I stayed in that same spot for over nearly 3.5 hours. I danced, I sang, I rocked out. I got into a tussle with a mediocre white man that I stepped away from. I was mindful of my voice and tone and didn’t cause a fuss. Mr. Lisa is totally fine when I’m assertive and taking up space but he does worry when I’m alone (like I was this night) and if mediocre white man started violence, I’d be fucked with no support. (And Mr. Lisa is not wrong if that if he was with me, mediocre white guy wouldn’t have said a word.)

There was no opener and the show was split into two halves. First half was the complete New Order album, “Get Ready.” The second half was a mixture of JD and other NO songs with JD songs mainly taking up space. The second half changes from show to show so I had no idea what to expect. I did get to hear “She’s Lost Control” (a long time fav) and “Love Will Tear Us Apart” live which I never thought in a million years would happen.

Set list below:

I also created a playlist of all the songs they’ve sung on tour and it’s been reposted by the band:

I lamented on social media that there might be a chance, albeit slim, that one of two exes might be in attendance as our musical tastes are similar. I knew one lived in the Detroit area but the second one I wasn’t so sure but who knows? I was bopping around near the beginning of the intermission and glanced to my left. About 10’ away and one row back was POSSIBLY ex #2. I stared for about 10 seconds trying to verify but then whipped my head back towards the front of the stage. (Btw, I was about 4 rows from the front of the stage. Close enough to see what side Hooky’s hair was parted (left).) I felt what could be eyes on me during the night but I didn’t turn my head again to check. I could not be civil to him even after all these years (he physically abused me) so I kept my own council.

After the show was over (no encore), I weaved through the crowd to the merch stand where it had been decimated. Only a few XXXL shirts and some trinkets were available. The band has an official online shop so I was able to grab a shirt. But lesson learned! I would have gone during intermission but the place was so packed and I would have lost my prime spot.

That was the thing that really surprised me is that there were a ton of fans wearing New Order and Hooky gear but I only saw a few people with JD garb. The crowd knew all the songs, obviously, but the representation of JD was low. While there were a lot of us middle aged Gen Xers, the crowd swung to the under 40s. Ian Curtis committed suicide when I was 7 and now I’m 54 so that there were at least one generation behind me that knew their music made my heart full.

Another cool thing (to me) is that both Billy Idol and JD/NO are in the class of 2026 inductees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and I got to see them both play this year. Exciting!

RRHoF is shilling both bands merch and of which are several books. I was able to procure via the interlibary loan

• Dancing With Myself by Billy Idol

• This Searing Light, the Sun and Everything Else by Jon Savage (about JD)

• Substance: Inside New Order by Peter Hook

I have a fairly decent collection of books that I own pertaining to JD and NO, post-punk, and Madchester, but I haven’t read them in awhile. I excited for this batch to show up!

Speaking of JD, I finally found a tattoo artist who will bring this image to live:

(sans the wording)

There are slight variations as to what that iconic is but Peter Seville, the design artist who worked with JD/NO for decades, is quoted in Rolling Stone:

Saville explained that the image was the first time the frequency of a pulsar signal was demonstrated, beginning with a research group at Cambridge. “The diagram itself is a cutting of the continuous read out and then a stacking,” he said. “So what you’re seeing is this comparative chart of the frequency and the accuracy of the signal.” He went on to discuss how fascinated he was with fans adopting the diagram on apparel and tattoos for their own interpretation.

This is what I’m hoping for:

I have no idea where to place it yet. Somewhere on my left forearm or my right calf I’m thinking. It probably won’t happen until late 2026 or early 2027.

Speaking of reading, I’ve been a fucking beast this year. As of this writing (September 26) I’ve read 144/150 books. Per the Goodreads challenge, I’m 34 books ahead of schedule.

Here is a sampling of what I’ve read this year:

• Slow Horses by Mick Herron; thriller (Slough House book 1, yes, the book is the basis of the TV show of the same name)

• The Ghost Fields by Elly Giffths; mystery (Ruth Galloway book 7)

• Dom-Com by Adriana Anders; contemporary romance/kink

• Dead Weigh by Hildur Knútsdóttir; horror, translation (Icelandic)

• Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir; sci-fi (loved the movie so much, read the book, really liked the book)

• Exit Strategy by Martha Wells; sci-fi (Murderbot Diaries book 4, yes, the book is the basis of the show Murderbot Diaries played by future ex-husband, Alexander Skarsgard)

• Eyes on Me by Sara Cate; erotica/kink (Salacious Players Club book 2)

• Normal Women: Nine Hundred Years of Making History by Philippa Gregory; non-fiction, history

• For Whom the Belle Toils by Jaysea Lynn; romantasy (Hell’s Belles book 1)

• Shakespeare Was a Woman and Other Heresies: How Doubting the Bard Became the Biggest Taboo in Literature by Elizabeth Winkler; non-fiction, history

When I tell people I will read just about anything, I’m not kidding. Obviously having read nearly 150 books this year, this is just a sampling. I did have a moment where I reading mostly historical romances but I got over heaving virgins and rakish men. With the non-fiction, I’ve been nurturing rage on the injustice of women (see Normal Women and Shakespeare Was a Woman as examples) so my eye has been unintentionally wandering that way. In my current reading pile, I’ve got Economica: A Global History of Women, Wealth, and Power, Girly Drinks: A World History of Women and Alcohol, and The Very Secret Sex Lives of Medieval Women: An Inside Look at Women & Sex in Medieval Times. It is not as if I was seeking these books out intentionally but began when I wanted to read Normal Women and Gregory had dozens of pages of references and bibliography. I went through that and started adding books to a tag in Goodreads to follow up later. It then became a rabbit I’m chasing down a hole because most non-fiction books have bibliographies and that’s how I get interested in other titles.

(I’m also reading other non-women centric non-fiction books.)

As for fiction, I may hear someone talk about a book, read a review, or catch a mention in a social situation, I scope out the summary and decide. TV shows and movies based on books (Slow Horses, Murderbot Diaries, and Project Hail Mary) that pique my interest also factor into the equation. If an author has a robust back catalog like Olivia Dade, Sarah MacLean, Sara Cate, or Erica Ridley, I will backtrack and start there.

As for when to read, I opt to read after work for a few hours than watch TV or when I have downtime. Before bed for sure, and also on the road if I have extra time before I need to do something. I rarely read a print book these days unless it’s something I can’t get via Libby, I’ll buy the occasional eBook if I cannot get it on Libby or via interlibrary loan.

I’m severely underpaid so pennies must be watched.

I have the rest of the day ahead of me and I plan on reading and work on my novel. Talk to you in a few weeks!

lisa x