📮 Postal Playlist #2 – Postcards from the Past
If you read Signed, Sealed, Delivered and Set to Music or Postal Play List # 1, then you already know I’ve developed a teeny-tiny obsession with songs that mention postcards, letters, and anything that can be stamped, sealed, and sent with love—or lust.
And while I do love me some Elvis (the man could curl a lip like nobody’s business), let’s be honest…
Billy Idol didn’t just curl his lip—he snarled it.
Spiky peroxide hair. Leather pants so tight they probably had their own zip code. That look in his eyes that said, “I’ve done things you’re not old enough to Google yet.” And his music? It vibrated throughout my entire being.
I was possessed.
Like Linda Blair in The Exorcist—if Linda had better taste in eyeliner and a backstage pass.
👩🎤 October 22, 1990 – The Night It All Went Down
I was 26. My sister Cheryl, my bestie Jennifer, and I piled into a car and road-tripped 2.5 hours to Costa Mesa to see Billy Idol in concert. Faith No More opened, but we were there for the main event. The venue was outdoors, and we had the cheap seats, but our ambitions were VIP-level.
We spotted the roped-off section near the stage, guarded by security and meant for high-dollar ticket holders. Did that stop us? Absolutely not. The second Faith No More wrapped, we slithered, sashayed, and no doubt about it, we straight-up trespassed our way to the front of the stage.
We danced. We screamed. We flirted shamelessly. And we melted into puddles every time Billy so much as breathed near a mic.
It wasn’t just a concert.
It was a life event.
🧨 Flashbacks, Fingerless Gloves & Fabulous Mistakes
The 1980s were my golden era.
New wave music. Fingerless gloves. Pretty in Pink. Dirty Dancing. Boom boxes. Mixtapes. All-night danceathons. After-hours parties that should’ve come with a court date. I was living my best eyeliner-smudged life and making questionable decisions with fabulous people.
And Billy Idol? He was the soundtrack to all of it.
📬 Postcards from the Past — A Song That Time-Traveled to Find Me
Fast-forward to October 22, 2014—24 years and 5 days after that unforgettable night—and what does Billy do?
He releases a song called Postcards from the Past.
I mean, come ON. The universe was clearly trying to tell me something. Probably:
“Hey, remember that time you almost lost your voice screaming Flesh for Fantasy in a leather mini? You’re gonna want to hear this.”
“These are postcards from the past / Years and years of my life gone by fast…”
It’s moody. It’s gritty. It’s a midlife gut-punch wrapped in guitar. And listening to it made me feel every inch of the years I’ve danced, loved, lived—and mailed the occasional breakup letter with red lipstick kisses.
🌴 That Time I Waded Through a Concert Like a Groupie Mermaid
Years later, I saw Billy again—this time in Vegas, at the Beach at Mandalay Bay.
Yes, the stage was on water.
My friend Andrea and I kicked off our sandals and waded into the shallow end like groupies on a mission. Our husbands trailed behind, probably calculating how much therapy this moment would eventually cost them. But we didn’t care.
It was summer. It was sweaty. It was Billy Freakin’ Idol, and I was not going to let a little chlorinated beach stop me from getting closer.
🎶 My Forever Favorites
If it has Billy’s name on it, I’ve played it. But here are the tracks I’ll never skip:
- Blue Highway
- Catch My Fall
- Eyes Without a Face
- Cradle of Love
- Flesh for Fantasy
- Daytime Drama
- Endless Sleep
- John Wayne
- White Wedding
- Prodigal Blues
- Hot in the City
And let’s not forget his Generation X days–before he was Billy Freakin’ Idol because English Dream and Valley of the Dolls still rock in my soul.
📺 Go Get Your Flashback Fix
💬 Spill It:
What’s your favorite Billy Idol song?
Tell me in the comments and let’s talk snarls, eyeliner, and excellent musical decisions.
Until next time—
Stay loud, stay postmarked, and keep on rockin’
~ JarieLyn ~
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Signed, Sealed, Delivered and Set to Music
“You know when I first started out, they shut all the doors, But I laughed at all the doors, and I kicked em’ down”
One of the biggest surprises for me with Billy Idol was when he appeared in the Wedding Singer, loved, loved that part! I never saw him in concert but what wonderful memories you have!!!!
Hi, Melissa, The Wedding Singer is one of my favorite movies. I was surprised to see Billy Idol in the movie as well. It was pretty funny.
This was such a fun read—your energy jumps off the page! I think it’s so cool how you tied your personal memories to Billy Idol’s music. Maybe you could put together a playlist of your favorite tracks and the stories behind them? It would be an awesome way for other fans to connect with the nostalgia you shared. He really is one of those artists who keeps inspiring people across decades.
Hi Linda, I’m so glad you think this was a fun read. That’s what I was hoping for. I love the idea of putting together a playlist of my favorite tracks. I’ll have to marinate with that and see how it goes. Thanks for your feedback.
Hahaha, this cracked me up!
It was like reading a novel of a teenage crush. He’s not all that cute but kinda freaky now.
However, I did enjoy his song lyrics!
I’m sure you were having a great nostalgic time there….
This Billy guy really did a number on you, didn’t he?
Did you ever meet him and chatted with him like those crazy fans?
I agree that Billy Idol isn’t very cute, but he does give off a sexy vibe and he really is one of my favorite singers. I love his music a lot. I never talked to him, only got close enough to the stage to smile and flirt.
Hi JarieLyn
Okay, first of all groupie mermaid mode at Mandalay Bay?! ICONIC. I laughed out loud imagining your husbands trying to keep it together while you and Andrea waded in like it was some holy pilgrimage to the Church of Billy Freakin’ Idol. The image of you “slithering and sashaying” into the VIP zone back in 1990 deserves its own biopic. Honestly, your love for postcards, eyeliner, and tight-leather rebellion had me wishing I could time-travel back to a night of cheap seats and glorious bad decisions.
Ravin, what can Isay? Those were the good old days. Wild, young, and free! Thanks for commenting.
JarieLyn,
This piece on Dearly Postmarked, “Snarls, Stage Crashes & Postcards: My Lifelong Affair With Billy Idol,” is such a fun and nostalgic ride, not just for fans of Billy Idol, but anyone who’s ever let a concert become a life event. The author’s energy leaps off the page, road trips, trespassing to the front row, wading into a pool-stage in Vegas, all vividly told and utterly infectious. You can feel that teenage mix of rebellion and vulnerability; it’s less a concert recap and more a time capsule of Youth™.
What stood out to me:
– Snarky and vivid first acts: The storyteller places us right back in 1990, young and fearless (“we straight‑up trespassed our way to the front of the stage!”), it taps into that heady belief that nothing bad can happen in a moment of pure adrenaline.
– Emotional arc through time: Returning 24 years later with “Postcards from the Past” shows how music can mirror our own journeys, hitting differently as life goes on. The line “Years and years of my life gone by fast…”
feels deeply resonant.
– Comic, sweet honesty: The image of adults wading into a pool to get closer to Idol, while their husbands probably calculated therapy costs—is comedic perfection. It’s not just fandom; it’s love, a little bit absurd and full of joy.
All in all, it’s warm, relatable, and authentically conversational. No deep analysis or criticism, just a wholehearted celebration of what Billy Idol has meant across decades. If you’re in the mood for a personal trip down memory lane and the echo of electric guitar snarls, this is a lovely piece to dive into.
Got a favourite Billy Idol era or memory yourself? I’d love to hear it!
Kind regards
Martin
Thank you so much Martin. I appreciate such wonderful feedback. It was fun creating this post because it took me right back to that exact moment.
Enjoy your day!