Though she’s won the third most awards in GRAMMY history, Alison Krauss isn't resting on her laurels or worrying about whether she'll break any records. That kind of thing could change her creative flow, and she's all about the work. "It could infect what I would want to do next, and I have to be very natural," she says from her Nashville home. For a legend of the country and bluegrass world, expecting anything else would be sacrilege.

That kind of golden focus brought Krauss to one of the apexes of Recording Academy history. At the 51st GRAMMY Awards, her collaborative album with Robert Plant, Raising Sand, won Album of the Year, Best Contemporary Folk/Americana Album, Record of the Year for "Please Read The Letter," Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals for "Rich Woman," and Best Country Collaboration with Vocals for "Killing the Blues." That armful of awards made Krauss the sixth female artist to win five GRAMMYs in a single night—the others being Alicia Keys, Beyoncé, Amy Winehouse, Norah Jones, and Lauryn Hill.

Even after winning a GRAMMY or receiving a compliment from a gushing fan, it's telling that Krauss' first instinct is to call her parents. The roots of her work are innately threaded through generations of nostalgia and familial warmth, an energy that hums through any Krauss recording. Raising Sand showcases that vibrance perfectly, especially as it so sweetly connects Krauss' instincts together with those of Plant's and producer T Bone Burnett’s. But in the midst of those legendary voices, Krauss' radiates, bringing everything together in an arc of amber affection.

In the heart of Women's History Month, Krauss spoke with the Recording Academy about connecting to the spirit of bluegrass through memory, working with Robert Plant, and the night she won five GRAMMYs.

Alison Krauss: What top GRAMMY winner record does she hold?

What are you working on at the moment?

I've got some tracks that I'm finishing, and we're deciding whether we're going to use them for a project in 2020, depending on how we feel about the collection! I also have some vocals to do on other projects that I haven't got through yet. I don't know if it's allergies or what, but I caught the flu a few months ago and my throat’s still not clean enough to record something that will be around forever. I'm just going to keep on waiting a little bit.

Absolutely, if you strain your voice, that's going to be incredibly harmful in the long-term. You really do sound so natural on your records, so ensuring you don’t have to force that is important.

Whenever I've compromised my voice, I just never forget. At least for me, if I don’t feel absolutely 100% certain I’m ready, it's always going to feel unfinished and I’ll just want to hide under the table every time I hear it.

How do you find inspiration in Nashville?

I have to be by myself, and I have to see and listen to the things that inspired me as a kid. The themes of bluegrass and traditional music come from a few generations ago, and the romanticism with that kind of music comes from longing for the past. I like going to museums. I like going driving, too, which reminds me of riding around in the car as a little kid. I can't necessarily even set the mood, it just has to come when it comes. But the busier that I've gotten, just with normal life, the less those times show up. As a kid you're nurturing whatever is first on your list. At a certain point, all I thought about was music. But as you get older, your heart is tugged in other places.

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That’s especially difficult because as a musician, you're almost required to create. You're very focused on understanding that you need to compartmentalize different versions of your life.

I cannot force my feelings, and I can’t compromise. So going into the studio, if I'm distracted and I have something pulling on my mind, I don't want to end up with a fake version of myself.

I remember my father driving me to a fiddle contest in Arkansas from Illinois when I was 11. I had an album by Tony Rice that I was obsessed with; it was called Cold on the Shoulder. We had a cassette player and he let me play that thing 11 hours in a row. He never asked me to switch it up or to take a break. And then he let me do that on the way home too. He listened to the same album for 22 hours, because he knew for whatever reason that it mattered. I think about how much you are becoming who you are when you're immersed, when you're soaking in something like that. When my son started to have an interest in music, I did exactly the same thing. The CD player was his because I didn’t want to interrupt that process.

There's a reason everybody responds to music: it makes them feel like who they are. When they listen to something from when they were kids, they feel like who they were then. It's too big to interrupt. On that drive, my father knew something was happening, and he allowed it. That freedom to find yourself is really big.

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How has your connection to country and bluegrass music changed as you've gotten more experience in the industry and worked with more people? What about that type of music continues to speak to your musical spirit now?

I continue to be someone that longs for the values of bluegrass—the words to those songs and the way that they're written. It's a poetic style and it's a timeless kind of music. The subject matters are home, family, land, and God, and it's just incredibly beautiful and poetic. It's very romantic in its simplicity. Most people who grew up in that music all say they think they were born in the wrong era. Things may have changed over the years, but the poetic kind of abstractness of what we've recorded through the years never lost that message—not to me. Plus, I have a lot of the things that my mother grew up with her house, and we connected on bluegrass, so I think there's a real personal connection to that time. You're romanticizing what makes those people from two generations ago that you’re seeing photos of. Is it what they experienced or is it what they daydreamed about? Young people have plenty of free space to daydream, when you’re figuring out who you are. My whole musical life started looking out the window at cornfields while we drove around. I think of all the teeny people today on their phones, taking that daydream time and breaking it up. And I think, "Gosh, those future musicians don’t get to have that daydream time." For me that was incredibly valuable, that quiet time.

A lot of artists say, “I'm not nostalgic, I don't want to turn back."

Oh, no! I don't want to turn back either—I don't want to turn back on me. You can't recreate who you are. You need to stay honest, or it just doesn't work. People respond to the truth in something. I want to listen to someone where I feel like I'm getting who they are. You've got to be a vessel for your work.

That said, you have to be connected to important moments in your past—like, for example, that life-changing evening when you won five GRAMMY awards! When you started making music, were awards close to your radar?

No, no, no. I didn't even think I'd get to do this for a living. Even though I was passionate and obsessed, I just didn't even think like that. I was thinking about Tony Rice, Ricky Skaggs, Ralph Stanley, and Larry Sparks. I was obsessed with those records. That was all I did, but I didn't think I would get to end up doing it. I didn't think I'd ever look in the audience and see people singing along with our songs. The first time I saw, I was blown away. [Laughs.]

It feels like a very private thing for you. Your passion comes from your family and your history.

It's true, though; there was some isolation. That kind of music in general was not accessible. If you made bluegrass, you were kind of in your own club. You couldn't find it on the radio. People traveled all over the country to get to be with other people who played that music, and they'd play like crazy—play in the parking lot, play in the lobby of the hotel. But it was a lot of fun. I have some really great, sweet memories of that time.

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How did you feel going into the awards ceremony that night?

Well, Robert [Plant] is just so much fun, just silly and so sweet. He is such a great personality and person, and I had a lot of fun doing all that stuff with him. T Bone was funny, too. I know people liked the record and we had a great time. Really the funny thing with that album in the first place, when we got together, Robert was like, "Let's give it three days, and if it doesn't work and we don't like it, we can just move on." But T Bone said, "Oh, we'll record the full time."

I've always said that every record you make is like your last and your first. You'll never do another one and you've never made one. [Laughs.] It was like that for me, and I think it was that way for Robert too. That night was fun—but I was mostly concerned about my dress staying up. [Laughs.] I was stepping on it and getting really frustrated. And Robert was like, "Now watch it, because people will see you getting mad!"

That's such a miniscule thing that you forget might bother you, but when you are in public and you're about to win an award that becomes a big thing. Were you nervous?

Nervous isn't the word, but uncomfortable is a more natural word. [Laughs.] It was pretty surreal. We'd been on tour up until that point, and people would come in and say things, like, "Oh, the record's doing good." But it was still a surprise. It was just really sweet, the way it all happened. Robert is such a light, and he's one of those folks where you know exactly why that person has had an effect on so many people as he has. I just thought that he was just a great person. The first conversation that he and I had was about Ralph Stanley. He has such a knowledge of music, and both he and T Bone have incredible musical histories and that made for a great experience. I was really happy to get to have that natural musical experience.

He may have a really expansive career, but was there something that you brought that Robert had never experienced? It sounds like he wouldn't work with anyone if he isn't learning and growing as well, just like you.

Well, he'd never done harmony to that point. The kind of harmony that I grew up with is very consistent. You're doing a very stacked trio, and it's very consistent. Everybody knows where to come in, and the plan is to always come in at the same time. There's not a lot of improvising within that harmony. The high part may do some, but the lead stays straight on those choruses so that everybody has their part to showcase the trio. With Robert, his singing was always so free and changed all the time. It would be really funny for him to have to keep doing it the same way twice. But when we sang together, the more different we were, the more it worked. I just enjoyed my time with him and with T Bone.

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By the time the evening was over, you'd joined the ranks of Alicia keys, Beyoncé, Amy Winehouse, Norah Jones, and Lauryn Hill as women who have won five GRAMMYs in one night. Were you aware of the company that you joined in that moment?

Not at all—it's just a surprising life for me. I didn't even think I would do this for a living, let alone win awards like that. It makes me a bit uncomfortable because I don't see myself in that company. They are so strong.

Do you not see yourself though as that voice and that beacon in your industry?

I'd have to say I don't. But I am beyond touched that I would be recognized or have my name with those ladies. Those are very powerful women. When you were reading the list out, I was sinking in my chair. [Laughs.]

I'm sure any of those women would feel the same. It is a strange thing to suddenly be put in that position; you put yourself there through your work.

I don't reflect a lot on it, because I feel like if I were to pay attention to that, I feel like it would possibly affect the next thing I record. It could infect what I would want to do next, and I have to be very natural.

I'm sure a lot of women have come to you and either asked you for advice or just told you how inspiring you are.

I've had some incredible women say they were inspired, or had moments of inspiration by what we've done in the past, and I’m so grateful for that. I just think, "Really?" It’s a really humbling experience, and I'm so touched when somebody shares one of those moments. Even just talking about it is making me a little bit weepy. Those are the kinds of things I don't tell anybody about, but I'll call my mom and dad. It's really a beautiful thing to think your work might have inspired someone.

Beyond that night, you now stand as having won the third highest number of GRAMMYs in the Academy's history, which is just phenomenal. Are you hoping to catch up to Quincy Jones and the classical conductor Georg Solti?

I have experienced more than I could've ever dreamed of. It’s been a good plan to keep as much of that work process separate from thinking about the outcome or the results of it.

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Updated Friday Oct. 13, 2023 to include info about Kendrick Lamar's most recent GRAMMY wins, as of the 2023 GRAMMYs.

A GRAMMY veteran these days, Kendrick Lamar has won 17 GRAMMYs and has received 47 GRAMMY nominations overall. A sizable chunk of his trophies came from the 58th annual GRAMMY Awards in 2016, when he walked away with five — including his first-ever win in the Best Rap Album category.

This installment of GRAMMY Rewind turns back the clock to 2016, revisiting Lamar's acceptance speech upon winning Best Rap Album for To Pimp A Butterfly. Though Lamar was alone on stage, he made it clear that he wouldn't be at the top of his game without the help of a broad support system. 

"First off, all glory to God, that's for sure," he said, kicking off a speech that went on to thank his parents, who he described as his "those who gave me the responsibility of knowing, of accepting the good with the bad."

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He also extended his love and gratitude to his fiancée, Whitney Alford, and shouted out his Top Dawg Entertainment labelmates. Lamar specifically praised Top Dawg's CEO, Anthony Tiffith, for finding and developing raw talent that might not otherwise get the chance to pursue their musical dreams.

"We'd never forget that: Taking these kids out of the projects, out of Compton, and putting them right here on this stage, to be the best that they can be," Lamar — a Compton native himself — continued, leading into an impassioned conclusion spotlighting some of the cornerstone rap albums that came before To Pimp a Butterfly.

"Hip-hop. Ice Cube. This is for hip-hop," he said. "This is for Snoop Dogg, Doggystyle. This is for Illmatic, this is for Nas. We will live forever. Believe that."

To Pimp a Butterfly singles "Alright" and "These Walls" earned Lamar three more GRAMMYs that night, the former winning Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song and the latter taking Best Rap/Sung Collaboration (the song features Bilal, Anna Wise and Thundercat). He also won Best Music Video for the remix of Taylor Swift's "Bad Blood." 

Lamar has since won Best Rap Album two more times, taking home the golden gramophone in 2018 for his blockbuster LP DAMN., and in 2023 for his bold fifth album, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers.

Watch Lamar's full acceptance speech above, and check back at GRAMMY.com every Friday for more GRAMMY Rewind episodes. 

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When Alison Krauss walked into the 2006 GRAMMYs ceremony, she was already one of the winningest artists with 17 GRAMMYs. But with three more impending victories, the bluegrass icon was ready to make history.

In this episode of GRAMMY Rewind, relive the evening Krauss became the most awarded female artist — surpassing Aretha Franklin, with whom Krauss was previously tied for the record.

"Thank you very much!" Krauss exclaimed as she hit the stage alongside Union Station members Dan Tyminski and Jerry Douglas to accept their Best Country Album award for Lonely Runs Both Ways.

"We've got two folks at home that are watching us tonight, so we'd like to say thanks from Barry [Bales] and Ron [Block] too," she explained.

Krauss later praised her manager, Denise Stiff, and the album's engineer, Gary Paczosa, for always "doing such an amazing job."

The band also took home an award that night for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal ("Restless") and Best Instrumental Performance ("Unionhouse Branch") — marking a clean sweep for Krauss and her group.

Krauss has since won seven more golden gramophones, bringing her total to 27 to date. As of press time, Beyoncé holds the record for the most wins by a female artist — and any artist, for that matter — at 32.   

Press play on the video above to watch Alison Krauss and Union Station accept the award for Best Country Album at the 48th Annual GRAMMY Awards and check back to GRAMMY.com for more new episodes of GRAMMY Rewind.

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It's rare that a genre can be traced back to a single artist or group, but for funk, that was James Brown. The Godfather of Soul coined the phrase and style of playing known as "on the one," where the first downbeat is emphasized, instead of the typical second and fourth beats in pop, soul and other styles. As David Cheal eloquently explains, playing on the one "left space for phrases and riffs, often syncopated around the beat, creating an intricate, interlocking grid which could go on and on." You know a funky bassline when you hear it; its fat chords beg your body to get up and groove.

Brown's 1965 classic, "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag," became one of the first funk hits, and has been endlessly sampled and covered over the years, along with his other groovy tracks. Of course, many other funk acts followed in the '60s, and the genre thrived in the '70s and '80s as the disco craze came and went, and the originators of hip-hop and house music created new music from funk and disco's strong, flexible bones built for dancing.

Legendary funk bassist Bootsy Collins learned the power of the one from playing in Brown's band, and brought it to George Clinton, who created P-funk, an expansive, Afrofuturistic, psychedelic exploration of funk with his various bands and projects, including Parliament-Funkadelic. Both Collins and Clinton remain active and funkin', and have offered their timeless grooves to collabs with younger artists, including Kali Uchis, Silk Sonic, and Omar Apollo; and Kendrick Lamar, Flying Lotus, and Thundercat, respectively.

In the 1980s, electro-funk was born when artists like Afrika Bambaataa, Man Parrish, and Egyptian Lover began making futuristic beats with the Roland TR-808 drum machine — often with robotic vocals distorted through a talk box. A key distinguishing factor of electro-funk is a de-emphasis on vocals, with more phrases than choruses and verses. The sound influenced contemporaneous hip-hop, funk and electronica, along with acts around the globe, while current acts like Chromeo, DJ Stingray, and even Egyptian Lover himself keep electro-funk alive and well.

Today, funk lives in many places, with its heavy bass and syncopated grooves finding way into many nooks and crannies of music. There's nu-disco and boogie funk, nodding back to disco bands with soaring vocals and dance floor-designed instrumentation. G-funk continues to influence Los Angeles hip-hop, with innovative artists like Dam-Funk and Channel Tres bringing the funk and G-funk, into electro territory. Funk and disco-centered '70s revival is definitely having a moment, with acts like Ghost Funk Orchestra and Parcels, while its sparkly sprinklings can be heard in pop from Dua Lipa, Doja Cat, and, in full "Soul Train" character, Silk Sonic. There are also acts making dreamy, atmospheric music with a solid dose of funk, such as Khruangbin’s global sonic collage.

There are many bands that play heavily with funk, creating lush grooves designed to get you moving. Read on for a taste of five current modern funk and nu-disco artists making band-led uptempo funk built for the dance floor. Be sure to press play on the Spotify playlist above, and check out GRAMMY.com's playlist on Apple Music, Amazon Music and Pandora.

Say She She

Aptly self-described as "discodelic soul," Brooklyn-based seven-piece Say She She make dreamy, operatic funk, led by singer-songwriters Nya Gazelle Brown, Piya Malik and Sabrina Mileo Cunningham. Their '70s girl group-inspired vocal harmonies echo, sooth and enchant as they cover poignant topics with feminist flair.

While they’ve been active in the New York scene for a few years, they’ve gained wider acclaim for the irresistible music they began releasing this year, including their debut album, Prism. Their 2022 debut single "Forget Me Not" is an ode to ground-breaking New York art collective Guerilla Girls, and "Norma" is their protest anthem in response to the news that Roe vs. Wade could be (and was) overturned. The band name is a nod to funk legend Nile Rodgers, from the "Le freak, c'est chi" exclamation in Chic's legendary tune "Le Freak."

Moniquea

Moniquea's unique voice oozes confidence, yet invites you in to dance with her to the super funky boogie rhythms. The Pasadena, California artist was raised on funk music; her mom was in a cover band that would play classics like Aretha Franklin’s "Get It Right" and Gladys Knight’s "Love Overboard." Moniquea released her first boogie funk track at 20 and, in 2011, met local producer XL Middelton — a bonafide purveyor of funk. She's been a star artist on his MoFunk Records ever since, and they've collabed on countless tracks, channeling West Coast energy with a heavy dose of G-funk, sunny lyrics and upbeat, roller disco-ready rhythms.

Her latest release is an upbeat nod to classic West Coast funk, produced by Middleton, and follows her February 2022 groovy, collab-filled album, On Repeat.

Shiro Schwarz

Shiro Schwarz is a Mexico City-based duo, consisting of Pammela Rojas and Rafael Marfil, who helped establish a modern funk scene in the richly creative Mexican metropolis. On "Electrify" — originally released in 2016 on Fat Beats Records and reissued in 2021 by MoFunk — Shiro Schwarz's vocals playfully contrast each other, floating over an insistent, upbeat bassline and an '80s throwback electro-funk rhythm with synth flourishes.

Their music manages to be both nostalgic and futuristic — and impossible to sit still to. 2021 single "Be Kind" is sweet, mellow and groovy, perfect chic lounge funk. Shiro Schwarz’s latest track, the joyfully nostalgic "Hey DJ," is a collab with funkstress Saucy Lady and U-Key.

L'Impératrice

L'Impératrice (the empress in French) are a six-piece Parisian group serving an infectiously joyful blend of French pop, nu-disco, funk and psychedelia. Flore Benguigui's vocals are light and dreamy, yet commanding of your attention, while lyrics have a feminist touch.

During their energetic live sets, L'Impératrice members Charles de Boisseguin and Hagni Gwon (keys), David Gaugué (bass), Achille Trocellier (guitar), and Tom Daveau (drums) deliver extended instrumental jam sessions to expand and connect their music. Gaugué emphasizes the thick funky bass, and Benguigui jumps around the stage while sounding like an angel. L’Impératrice’s latest album, 2021’s Tako Tsubo, is a sunny, playful French disco journey.

Franc Moody

Franc Moody's bio fittingly describes their music as "a soul funk and cosmic disco sound." The London outfit was birthed by friends Ned Franc and Jon Moody in the early 2010s, when they were living together and throwing parties in North London's warehouse scene. In 2017, the group grew to six members, including singer and multi-instrumentalist Amber-Simone.

Their music feels at home with other electro-pop bands like fellow Londoners Jungle and Aussie act Parcels. While much of it is upbeat and euphoric, Franc Moody also dips into the more chilled, dreamy realm, such as the vibey, sultry title track from their recently released Into the Ether.

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Living Legends is a series that spotlights icons in music still going strong today. This week, GRAMMY.com spoke with Billy Idol about his latest EP,  Cage, and continuing to rock through decades of changing tastes.

Billy Idol is a true rock 'n' roll survivor who has persevered through cultural shifts and personal struggles. While some may think of Idol solely for "Rebel Yell" and "White Wedding," the singer's musical influences span genres and many of his tunes are less turbo-charged than his '80s hits would belie.  

Idol first made a splash in the latter half of the '70s with the British punk band Generation X. In the '80s, he went on to a solo career combining rock, pop, and punk into a distinct sound that transformed him and his musical partner, guitarist Steve Stevens, into icons. They have racked up multiple GRAMMY nominations, in addition to one gold, one double platinum, and four platinum albums thanks to hits like "Cradle Of Love," "Flesh For Fantasy," and "Eyes Without A Face." 

But, unlike many legacy artists, Idol is anything but a relic. Billy continues to produce vital Idol music by collaborating with producers and songwriters — including Miley Cyrus — who share his forward-thinking vision. He will play a five-show Vegas residency in November, and filmmaker Jonas Akerlund is working on a documentary about Idol’s life. 

His latest release is Cage, the second in a trilogy of annual four-song EPs. The title track is a classic Billy Idol banger expressing the desire to free himself from personal constraints and live a better life. Other tracks on Cage incorporate metallic riffing and funky R&B grooves. 

Idol continues to reckon with his demons — they both grappled with addiction during the '80s — and the singer is open about those struggles on the record and the page. (Idol's 2014 memoir Dancing With Myself, details a 1990 motorcycle accident that nearly claimed a leg, and how becoming a father steered him to reject hard drugs. "Bitter Taste," from his last EP, The Roadside, reflects on surviving the accident.)

Although Idol and Stevens split in the late '80s — the skilled guitarist fronted Steve Stevens & The Atomic Playboys, and collaborated with Michael Jackson, Rick Ocasek, Vince Neil, and Harold Faltermeyer (on the GRAMMY-winning "Top Gun Anthem") —  their common history and shared musical bond has been undeniable. The duo reunited in 2001 for an episode of "VH1 Storytellers" and have been back in the saddle for two decades. Their union remains one of the strongest collaborations in rock 'n roll history.

While there is recognizable personnel and a distinguishable sound throughout a lot of his work, Billy Idol has always pushed himself to try different things. Idol discusses his musical journey, his desire to constantly move forward, and the strong connection that he shares with Stevens. 

Steve has said that you like to mix up a variety of styles, yet everyone assumes you're the "Rebel Yell"/"White Wedding" guy. But if they really listen to your catalog, it's vastly different.

Yeah, that's right. With someone like Steve Stevens, and then back in the day Keith Forsey producing... [Before that] Generation X actually did move around inside punk rock. We didn't stay doing just the Ramones two-minute music. We actually did a seven-minute song. [Laughs]. We did always mix things up. 

Then when I got into my solo career, that was the fun of it. With someone like Steve, I knew what he could do. I could see whatever we needed to do, we could nail it. The world was my oyster musically. 

"Cage" is a classic-sounding Billy Idol rocker, then "Running From The Ghost" is almost metal, like what the Devil's Playground album was like back in the mid-2000s. "Miss Nobody" comes out of nowhere with this pop/R&B flavor. What inspired that?

We really hadn't done anything like that since something like "Flesh For Fantasy" [which] had a bit of an R&B thing about it. Back in the early days of Billy Idol, "Hot In The City" and "Mony Mony" had girls [singing] on the backgrounds. 

We always had a bit of R&B really, so it was actually fun to revisit that. We just hadn't done anything really quite like that for a long time. That was one of the reasons to work with someone like Sam Hollander [for the song "Rita Hayworth"] on The Roadside. We knew we could go [with him] into an R&B world, and he's a great songwriter and producer. That's the fun of music really, trying out these things and seeing if you can make them stick. 

I listen to new music by veteran artists and debate that with some people. I'm sure you have those fans that want their nostalgia, and then there are some people who will embrace the newer stuff. Do you find it’s a challenge to reach people with new songs?

Obviously, what we're looking for is, how do we somehow have one foot in the past and one foot into the future? We’ve got the best of all possible worlds because that has been the modus operandi of Billy Idol. 

You want to do things that are true to you, and you don't just want to try and do things that you're seeing there in the charts today. I think that we're achieving it with things like "Running From The Ghost" and "Cage" on this new EP. I think we’re managing to do both in a way. 

**Obviously, "Running From The Ghost" is about addiction, all the stuff that you went through, and in "Cage" you’re talking about  freeing yourself from a lot of personal shackles. Was there any one moment in your life that made you really thought I have to not let this weigh me down anymore?**

I mean, things like the motorcycle accident I had, that was a bit of a wake up call way back. It was 32 years ago. But there were things like that, years ago, that gradually made me think about what I was doing with my life. I didn't want to ruin it, really. I didn't want to throw it away, and it made [me] be less cavalier. 

I had to say to myself, about the drugs and stuff, that I've been there and I've done it. There’s no point in carrying on doing it. You couldn't get any higher. You didn't want to throw your life away casually, and I was close to doing that. It took me a bit of time, but then gradually I was able to get control of myself to a certain extent [with] drugs and everything. And I think Steve's done the same thing. We're on a similar path really, which has been great because we're in the same boat in terms of lyrics and stuff. 

So a lot of things like that were wake up calls. Even having grandchildren and just watching my daughter enlarging her family and everything; it just makes you really positive about things and want to show a positive side to how you're feeling, about where you're going. We've lived with the demons so long, we've found a way to live with them. We found a way to be at peace with our demons, in a way. Maybe not completely, but certainly to where we’re enjoying what we do and excited about it.

[When writing] "Running From The Ghost" it was easy to go, what was the ghost for us? At one point, we were very drug addicted in the '80s. And Steve in particular is super sober [now]. I mean, I still vape pot and stuff. I don’t know how he’s doing it, but it’s incredible. All I want to be able to do is have a couple of glasses of wine at a restaurant or something. I can do that now.

I think working with people that are super talented, you just feel confident. That is a big reason why you open up and express yourself more because you feel comfortable with what's around you.

Did you watch Danny Boyle's recent Sex Pistols mini-series?

I did, yes.

You had a couple of cameos; well, an actor who portrayed you did. How did you react to it? How accurate do you think it was in portraying that particular time period?

I love Jonesy’s book, I thought his book was incredible. It's probably one of the best bio books really. It was incredible and so open. I was looking forward to that a lot.

It was as if [the show] kind of stayed with Steve [Jones’ memoir] about halfway through, and then departed from it. [John] Lydon, for instance, was never someone I ever saw acting out; he's more like that today. I never saw him do something like jump up in the room and run around going crazy. The only time I saw him ever do that was when they signed the recording deal with Virgin in front of Buckingham Palace. Whereas Sid Vicious was always acting out; he was always doing something in a horrible way or shouting at someone. I don't remember John being like that. I remember him being much more introverted.

But then I watched interviews with some of the actors about coming to grips with the parts they were playing. And they were saying, we knew punk rock happened but just didn't know any of the details. So I thought well, there you go. If ["Pistol" is]  informing a lot of people who wouldn't know anything about punk rock, maybe that's what's good about it.

Maybe down the road John Lydon will get the chance to do John's version of the Pistols story. Maybe someone will go a lot deeper into it and it won't be so surface. But maybe you needed this just to get people back in the flow.

We had punk and metal over here in the States, but it feels like England it was legitimately more dangerous. British society was much more rigid.

It never went [as] mega in America. It went big in England. It exploded when the Pistols did that interview with [TV host Bill] Grundy, that lorry truck driver put his boot through his own TV, and all the national papers had "the filth and the fury" [headlines].

We went from being unknown to being known overnight. We waited a year, Generation X. We even told them [record labels] no for nine months to a year. Every record company wanted their own punk rock group. So it went really mega in England, and it affected the whole country – the style, the fashions, everything. I mean, the Ramones were massive in England. Devo had a No. 1 song [in England] with "Satisfaction" in '77. Actually, Devo was as big as or bigger than the Pistols.

You were ahead of the pop-punk thing that happened in the late '90s, and a lot of it became tongue-in-cheek by then. It didn't have the same sense of rebelliousness as the original movement. It was more pop.

It had become a style. There was a famous book in England called Revolt Into Style — and that's what had happened, a revolt that turned into style which then they were able to duplicate in their own way. Even recently, Billie Joe [Armstrong] did his own version of "Gimme Some Truth," the Lennon song we covered way back in 1977.

When we initially were making [punk] music, it hadn't become accepted yet. It was still dangerous and turned into a style that people were used to. We were still breaking barriers.

You have a band called Generation Sex with Steve Jones and Paul Cook. I assume you all have an easier time playing Pistols and Gen X songs together now and not worrying about getting spit on like back in the '70s?

Yeah, definitely. When I got to America I told the group I was putting it together, "No one spits at the audience."

We had five years of being spat on [in the UK], and it was revolting. And they spat at you if they liked you. If they didn't like it they smashed your gear up. One night, I remember I saw blood on my T-shirt, and I think Joe Strummer got meningitis when spit went in his mouth.

You had to go through a lot to become successful, it wasn't like you just kind of got up there and did a couple of gigs. I don't think some young rock bands really get that today.

With punk going so mega in England, we definitely got a leg up. We still had a lot of work to get where we got to, and rightly so because you find out that you need to do that. A lot of groups in the old days would be together three to five years before they ever made a record, and that time is really important. In a way, what was great about punk rock for me was it was very much a learning period. I really learned a lot [about] recording music and being in a group and even writing songs.

Then when I came to America, it was a flow, really. I also really started to know what I wanted Billy Idol to be. It took me a little bit, but I kind of knew what I wanted Billy Idol to be. And even that took a while to let it marinate.

You and Miley Cyrus have developed a good working relationship in the last several years. How do you think her fans have responded to you, and your fans have responded to her?

I think they're into it. It's more the record company that she had didn't really get "Night Crawling"— it was one of the best songs on Plastic Hearts, and I don't think they understood that. They wanted to go with Dua Lipa, they wanted to go with the modern, young acts, and I don't think they realized that that song was resonating with her fans. Which is a shame really because, with Andrew Watt producing, it's a hit song.

But at the same time, I enjoyed doing it. It came out really good and it's very Billy Idol. In fact, I think it’s more Billy Idol than Miley Cyrus. I think it shows you where Andrew Watt was. He was excited about doing a Billy Idol track. She's fun to work with. She’s a really great person and she works at her singing — I watched her rehearsing for the Super Bowl performance she gave. She rehearsed all Saturday morning, all Saturday afternoon, and Sunday morning and it was that afternoon. I have to admire her fortitude. She really cares.

I remember when you went on "Viva La Bam" back in 2005 and decided to give Bam Margera’s Lamborghini a new sunroof by taking a power saw to it. Did he own that car? Was that a rental?

I think it was his car.

Did he get over it later on?

He loved it. [Laughs] He’s got a wacky sense of humor. He’s fantastic, actually. I’m really sorry to see what he's been going through just lately. He's going through a lot, and I wish him the best. He's a fantastic person, and it's a shame that he's struggling so much with his addictions. I know what it's like. It's not easy.

Musically, what is the synergy like with you guys during the past 10 years, doing Kings and Queens of the Underground and this new stuff? What is your working relationship like now in this more sober, older, mature version of you two as opposed to what it was like back in the '80s?

In lots of ways it’s not so different because we always wrote the songs together, we always talked about what we're going to do together. It was just that we were getting high at the same time.We're just not getting [that way now] but we're doing all the same things.

We're still talking about things, still [planning] things:What are we going to do next? How are we going to find new people to work with? We want to find new producers. Let's be a little bit more timely about putting stuff out.That part of our relationship is the same, you know what I mean? That never got affected. We just happened to be overloading in the '80s.

The relationship’s… matured and it's carrying on being fruitful, and I think that's pretty amazing. Really, most people don't get to this place. Usually, they hate each other by now. [Laughs] We also give each other space. We're not stopping each other doing things outside of what we’re working on together. All of that enables us to carry on working together. I love and admire him. I respect him. He's been fantastic. I mean, just standing there on stage with him is always a treat. And he’s got an immensely great sense of humor. I think that's another reason why we can hang together after all this time because we've got the sense of humor to enable us to go forward.

There's a lot of fan reaction videos online, and I noticed a lot of younger women like "Rebel Yell" because, unlike a lot of other '80s alpha male rock tunes, you're talking about satisfying your lover.

It was about my girlfriend at the time, Perri Lister. It was about how great I thought she was, how much I was in love with her, and how great women are, how powerful they are.

It was a bit of a feminist anthem in a weird way. It was all about how relationships can free you and add a lot to your life. It was a cry of love, nothing to do with the Civil War or anything like that. Perri was a big part of my life, a big part of being Billy Idol. I wanted to write about it. I'm glad that's the effect.

Is there something you hope people get out of the songs you've been doing over the last 10 years? Do you find yourself putting out a message that keeps repeating?

Well, I suppose, if anything, is that you can come to terms with your life, you can keep a hold of it. You can work your dreams into reality in a way and, look, a million years later, still be enjoying it.

The only reason I'm singing about getting out of the cage is because I kicked out of the cage years ago. I joined Generation X when I said to my parents, "I'm leaving university, and I'm joining a punk rock group." And they didn't even know what a punk rock group was. Years ago, I’d write things for myself that put me on this path, so that maybe in 2022 I could sing something like "Cage" and be owning this territory and really having a good time. This is the life I wanted.

The original UK punk movement challenged societal norms. Despite all the craziness going on throughout the world, it seems like a lot of modern rock bands are afraid to do what you guys were doing. Do you think we'll see a shift in that?

Yeah.  Art usually reacts to things, so I would think eventually there will be a massive reaction to the pop music that’s taken over — the middle of the road music, and then this kind of right wing politics. There will be a massive reaction if there's not already one. I don’t know where it will come from exactly. You never know who's gonna do [it].

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