He pursued music during the mid-1970s punk rock era despite a lack of hope or perceived future because he loved the craft.

“initially we did the music back in the mid 70s during a punk rock time there wasn't much hope or anything we decided if there's nothing there's no future we're gonna do what we love and that's what I did I did the music because I loved it it wasn't for any other reason really”

Generation X stood out among other punk bands because they wrote songs about being young that have successfully stood the test of time.

“Generation X stood out because they wrote songs about being young and you can be young-ish for a while but you're only young for like one summer it's a lightning strike and if you blink you miss it and over three albums on Chrysalis records and a bunch of singles around those three albums Generation”

Billy Idol successfully embraced the original spirit of punk rock by defining it as the freedom to be self-created.

“in a way um you know I I think that he embraced the original Spirit of punk rock which had become somewhat of an Orthodoxy and stylistically rigid he embraced the idea of it being punk rock being about Freedom about it being the freedom to do exactly what you believed in to uh be you know self-creat”