Fact Check: About the Claim Billy Idol Was Once Shot by Cops with Tranquilizer Dart After 3-Week Bangkok Bender

Claim:

Rocker Billy Idol once had to be subdued by Thai police with a tranquilizer dart after he partied for three weeks in a Bangkok hotel suite.

Rating:

What's True:

Billy Idol did go to Thailand in 1989 on a self-described, three-week bender, where he had to be subdued with some kind of sedative before local authorities forcibly placed him on a flight back to the U.S.

What's False:

Members of the Thai Army, not Thai police, removed Idol from the country.

What's Undetermined:

It's unknown/unclear exactly how he was sedated — by tranquilizer dart or some other method — and by whom.

Over the years, multiple reports and online posts have made the claim that in 1989, while on a three-week bender in Thailand, rocker Billy Idol was allegedly shot with a tranquilizer by Thai police before being removed from the country on a stretcher after causing significant damage to a hotel suite.

(iFunny)

These reports suggested that Idol, whose real name is William Broad, engaged in significant drug use during his stay in Bangkok, leading to disruptive behavior that ultimately led to the "Eyes Without a Face" singer having to be sedated and forcibly escorted out of the Southeast Asian country.

While there are elements of truth to the story, the claim has been embellished and misrepresented over time. Let's examine the facts.

In a 2016 interview with Louder Sound, Idol admitted to visiting Thailand around 1989 for what he described as a three-week "sex holiday" with a friend, following the breakdown of his long-term relationship with dancer Perri Lister, the mother of his son Willem Wolfe Broad. In that interview, Idol acknowledged he engaged in excessive drinking and drug use during the trip, which quickly spiraled out of control.

"We went there to have a whale of a time – a sex holiday, really. But it got out of hand. Bad things started to happen," Idol told the outlet.

The 68-year-old recounted one incident in Thailand where he and his friend consumed heroin instead of cocaine, which they procured from a cab driver.

"We were just going to drink and not take any drugs," he recalled of his Thai getaway. "After about a week, drinking all the time was getting really heavy so we asked this cab driver if he could get us some blow. He went off and came back with this thin vial. It was six or seven inches long. We looked at each other, like, 'What do you think this is?' Because cocaine doesn't usually come in a long thing like that. My friend put his finger in it and had a taste [mimes gingerly dabbing a sample on to his tongue]. It wasn't blow."

This eventually led to Idol trashing his hotel suite while high, with several reports suggesting the damage ran between $140,000 and $250,000, and attempts to manage withdrawal symptoms with over-the-counter pharmaceuticals prior to their return flight to the U.S.

"This stuff was so strong and severely addictive that we then had to get off it before we could fly back home. It's a fourteen-hour flight, and there's no way you could do that while coming off heroin [laughs]. You had to get semi-well so you weren't s****ing yourself. We went to a pharmacy and got all these downers to knock ourselves out until we were kind of normal again."

Idol's disruptive behavior in the Thai capital is said to have attracted the attention of local authorities, leading to his removal from the country. However, there is discrepancy regarding the manner in which Idol was subdued. While some versions claim Thai police shot him with a tranquilizer, others suggest a local nurse or medical professional likely sedated him.

"The only trouble was that we'd got a lot of Valiums and heavy tranquillisers. I don't do well on tranquillisers at all," Idol told Louder Sound. "It just made me change personalities completely. I would become violent and start smashing things; I'd been lifting weights so I was massively powerful. I think we went through a few hotels like that before the Thai army escorted me out of the country on a gurney [laughs]."

In his 2014 autobiography "Dancing With Myself," recalling the details of his 1990 motorcycle accident in Los Angeles while under the influence, Idol touched on his memory of his encounter with the Royal Thai Army after he was "tranquilized and lashed to a military stretcher." However, he does not provide specific details about the method of sedation:

While there is evidence to suggest that Idol engaged in excessive partying and disruptive behavior during his visit to Thailand, the specific claim that Thai police shot him with tranquilizer remains unverified. The discrepancy between reports and Idol's own account, coupled with the lack of corroborating evidence, leads us to a rating of "Mixture." It is likely authorities sedated or subdued him, but the exact method remains uncertain.

Idol's struggles with substance abuse are well-documented, including instances of overdose and accidents related to drug use. However, he has since publicly acknowledged his past struggles and stated that he has not taken hard drugs since 2003. He maintains that he is not entirely sober, admitting to occasional alcohol consumption and cannabis use.

Snopes has previously reported on other rock stars and their experiences with illicit substances, including Keith Richards and his supposed blood transfusion, and an Axl Rose death hoax.

Sources:

"Ahead of Australian Tour, Billy Idol Says He Is Lucky to Survive." The West Australian, 16 Oct. 2014, https://thewest.com.au/entertainment/music/billy-idol-lucky-to-survive-ng-ya-379298.

"Billy Idol." Billy Idol, https://billyidol.net. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.

Billy Idol Trashed a Hotel so Badly They Called in the Army. 30 Nov. 2020, https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/when-billy-idol-trashed-a-thai-hotel-so-badly-they-called-in-the-army/.

chuck fortune. Billy Idol  Behind The Music. 2017. YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQXy1v9Qx80.

Lewrypublished, Fraser. "'We Went There to Have a Whale of a Time – a Sex Holiday, Really. But It Got out of Hand': Billy Idol on the Thailand Vacation That Ended with a Visit from the Army." Louder, 31 July 2023, https://www.loudersound.com/features/we-went-there-to-have-a-whale-of-a-time-a-sex-holiday-really-but-it-got-out-of-hand-billy-idol-on-the-thailand-vacation-that-ended-with-a-visit-from-the-army.

Log in or Sign up to View. https://www.facebook.com/login/. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.

Mendoza, Jean. "Billy Idol's 1989 Brush With The Thailand Military." Grunge, 23 Jan. 2023, https://www.grunge.com/1175942/billy-idols-1989-brush-with-the-thailand-military/.

Mitchellpublished, Ben. "King Rocker: The Confessions Of Billy Idol." Louder, 30 Nov. 2016, https://www.loudersound.com/features/king-rocker-the-confessions-of-billy-idol.

"Perri Lister | Actress, Music Department." IMDb, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0514265/. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.

The_Lady_Rogue. "Aye In 1989, Billy Idol Held a 3-Week Long Party in a Thai Hotel. He Apparently Caused $149,000 Worth of Damage and Refused to Vacate the Suite. The Military Was Called in, He Was Shot with a Tranquilizer, and Carried out on a Stretcher." iFunny, https://ifunny.co/picture/aye-in-1989-billy-idol-held-a-3-week-long-ELSCESGt8. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.