Quick Takes: Billy Idol, Sting, John Oates, Dennis DeYoung

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  • 40 years since becoming an MTV icon, Billy Idol finds himself breaking hearts in a whole new manner today. Idol has been posting home movies on Instagram of his infant granddaughter Poppy Rebel. The clips show Poppy climbing stairs and even bopping along with Idol to his chart-topping remake of "Mony Mony."
    • Idol's daughter, Bonnie Blue Broad, told Today, that despite the distance, Idol has always been a very present and active part of his granddaughter’s life: "We moved to Texas when Poppy was four months old and that nearly broke his heart because he was coming over a few days a week to see her. He FaceTimes a lot — almost too much! We'll be at dinner and he's like, 'That's OK. I'll just watch her eat.'" (Today.com)

       

  • Sting appeared on a recent episode of Jeopardy!, guest-hosted by Katie Couric, and sent in a brief clip of him performing the Jeopardy! theme song — with some newly-written lyrics: "Of all the things in my CV / Everything in life from A to Z / but how I wish my ma could see / here I am on Jeopardy!" Sting also posed the questions for a special "Sting" category. (Yahoo! Entertainment)

     

  • John Oates has teamed up with viral sensation Saxsquatch for a new take on Hall & Oates 1982 Number One hit, "Maneater." The tune changes the vibe and melody of the ‘80s classic, with Oates and the “Big Foot”-costumed saxophonist performing outdoors in the new video.
    • Oates explained, "I’ve had a lot of otherworldly experiences in my career, but none as mystical and magical as this collab with the amazing, soulful Saxsquatch. . .  As soon as we began recording, I knew we had something special. The mark of a good song is that it can be reimagined in lots of ways, and this is, without a doubt, the coolest version I've ever heard." (Ultimate Classic Rock)

       

  • Styx co-founder Dennis DeYoung has announced he's putting the finishing touches on his upcoming solo set, 26 East, Vol. 2 — the followup to last year's Vol. 1. The album’s cover is a riff on the Beatles' legendary 1964 Meet The Beatles album, with the set's first single titled "Hello Goodbye" — which although not a cover of the band’s 1967 chart-topper, is a tribute to the "Fab Four," and expected to drop on April 7th.