Billy Idol - Flesh For Fantasy

What this video is

Released in August 1984 as the third single from 'Rebel Yell,' 'Flesh for Fantasy' arrived at the height of MTV's transformation of rock promotion. Billy Idol, a British punk alumnus via Generation X, had by this point fully repositioned himself as an American hard rock/new wave crossover star. The video's sensual, theatrical style mirrored the decade's broader embrace of corporeal hedonism and spectacle in popular…

Why it matters

A defining artifact of the new wave–hard rock synthesis that characterized mid-1980s MTV programming. The track and video sit at the precise intersection of post-punk attitude, pop accessibility, and hard rock swagger that made Billy Idol one of the era's most visually distinctive performers. As a…

The director

Howard Roy Deutch (born September 14, 1950, New York City) is an American film and television director. He began his career in the advertising department of United Artists Records before transitioning to music video direction in the early 1980s. His feature…