The Tragic Story Of Rock Star BILLY SQUIER is So Sad

[@Johnnynix52]

"In the Dark" is one of the best rock songs of the 80s

[@garyporcello]

Yes it was "" everybody wants you also ..he still has one of my all time..x mas song.""" X mss! Is tge time to say I love you"":..

[@AndrewReevesArt]

He was great - shame on the labels for not further developing his talent. He had it all.

[@kprimm1967]

one of the very best of all time. Don't say no is a perfect album!

[@andreatalbot2868]

He still has a fan base. He should jump on one of those 80s concerts with Foreigner, Loverboy etc👍

[@goodcruisin1]

I'd go

[@chrisnizer]

He wasn't particularly gracious to his fans, at least that was our (my sister and myself) experience. Saw him onboard a flight from Tucson to LAX back in the early 80's. He and Gatekeeper sat on the opposite side just a row behind...in coach/economy seating. He never said one word to anyone other than Gatekeeper. Gatekeeper even ordered his drinks from the flight attendants. If the plane would have crashed, Gatekeeper would have screamed 😱 for them both too!

[@DogSlobberGardens-i7f]

@@chrisnizer rockstars have an obligation to write, record, and perform onstage. They do not have an obligation to be friendly and accommodating to every random person they see on a plane.

[@chrisnizer]

@DogSlobberGardens-i7f YOU are the only one talking about any "obligations." And stick to speaking for yourself. We don't need your input on everything, just not that important in spite of whatever your ego is telling you. Maybe start with a puppy to give you the attention you're desperately seeking. Might even lead to interaction with a human being! No guarantee, you're gonna be a tough sell...for obvious reasons. But it's certainly not outside the realm of possibility.

[@chrisnizer]

@DogSlobberGardens-i7f Why on Earth would anyone need you to validate their experience?? Humans have been doing that without your "help" for plenty long time.⌛️ Maybe share an experience of your OWN. Musicians in general and Billy Squire in particular don't need you to be their Gatekeeper. Tough sell yes indeed, whoever that is gets my deepest most sincere sympathies.

[@jeank8061]

I've been recently revisting some of Billy Squier's early 80s hits - and they're SO good. The awkward Rock Me Tonight video was so unfortunate, but it seems like an overreaction to sink the career of such a talented guy

[@StarshipTrooper2050]

Check out the song “She’s A Runner” Awesome song!

[@sandysmith9869]

I don't care about Billy Squire's music videos. I like his music. That's all that matters to me.

[@robertpolnicky7702]

All of my rock fan buddies back when he was popular said the very same thing. They didn't care if his video looked gay. Judas priest had a gay member. No one cared.

[@popcorn9791]

Wow...that's like really interesting.

[@DogSlobberGardens-i7f]

The video revolution was strange. Crappy videos "ruined" some really good artists and bands, and lots of other mediocre-to-awful people became huge stars based on one video. A friend once told me that he didn't like music videos, good or bad, because they interfered with him interpreting the song in his head however it moved him. And there's something to that.

[@DogSlobberGardens-i7f]

@@robertpolnicky7702 tbf a lot of people acted *shocked* when Rob Halford came out. Ummm... have you ever seen him onstage or in a video? If you didn't know the band's music, it would have been reasonable to assume he was a member of the Village People for pete's sake. Then of course there were all the drag queens singing glam metal songs about young girls - that must have been confusing to a lot of folks, too.

[@dlonegunman]

Their video for “Rock Me Tonight” was gay af , but it was a good song.

[@andreatalbot2868]

Back then, gay seemed like a bad thing. IMO, thanks to Boy George, it started to be accepted. Our generation X evolved and accepted all👍

[@ventues9751]

Yes !!! It was A Great Song !!!

[@george25199]

The gay video did him in .

[@RedDawn66]

I saw Billy Squier at the Philadelphia Spectrum in February, 1983 but I really didn't go to see him I went to see the opening band, Def Leppard. Pyromania was released a month earlier and that album was blowing up and most of the crowd was there to see them as well. What really ended Billy Squier's career was the " Rock me tonight " video. Watch it and you'll understand

[@ConCarrington]

Ya going from sexy bad boy of rock to prancing around in pastel was a bit hard to swallow

[@bb-gc2tx]

its not to sad billy is most sampled artist in hip hop history he is a very wealthy man

[@JohnnyLee-hz7xy]

And, smart. He's one of very few artists that own all their masters. He also retains all publishing rights to his image & discography

[@DogSlobberGardens-i7f]

@@JohnnyLee-hz7xy good for him, because he's still getting played regularly on the classic rock stations.

[@jeffrobodeenyehcmon5925]

His catalog if hits doesn't get enough credit. As a guitarist and composer and writer. If you went to a show you'd probably hear songs you knew that you didn't know were his.

[@bootoxkikka]

I always felt he sounded like Freddie Mercury, or vice versa, and just as creative and original. I can't figure out why anyone would say he dropped out-he didn't. His music still gets a lot of airplay to this day. The Cars, Boston, Aerosmith, and Billy Squier put Boston classic rock on the charts (albeit, Boston was not really a band in my eyes-more like a studio creation).

[@DogSlobberGardens-i7f]

Those are all fair assessments.

[@frankbeltran9372]

He owns his own publishing and the Big Beat is hugely sampled in rap. He doesnt need to work. What a great talent. Long Live The Squier!!

[@DavidHall-d8q]

I was a junior in high school ( Louisville , Kentucky ) when I saw Billy Squier ( Piper ) and John Waits ( The Baby's ) . Those were incredible years ! PK

[@dan71559]

One stupid video killed his career but not his incredible talent. Billy Squire will always be a standout musician.

[@djar3548]

when he threw himself on the bed omg! it was too much hahaha. Dude had some badass tunes though.

[@lj6278]

This is such an AI word salad. It's basically repeating similar phases. Billy was great until he went all gay in that video.

[@H-mu4bo]

So true. This is generic and droney, and the author just put "Billy Squier autobiography" and the AI algorithm spat this out. About 5 mins work but brings in a steady stream of dollars.

[@dwightplock1162]

He wasn’t gay, the producer of the video was . Billy was just kinda like, “ok whatever sells my music”.

[@garyporcello]

"" rock you @ night. Video killed him. He sunk..faster than the titanic..to bad..

[@petechau9616]

He was all over mainstream radio in the 80s to the point you just got tired of hearing him. Nothing sad about his after life of fame it looks like he's enjoying himself and busy with charity appearances.

[@michaeld_68]

Rock me tonight was no gayer than Van Halens Jump and so many 80's videos .

[@JCStorm76]

Creatures Of Habit is underrated

[@kevinwade1775]

Never noticed the controversy

[@schelin1447]

I've had never heard of him before Enough is Enough, but after that album, he was is in my all time fame.

[@Sangria]

The title of this video along with the video itself IS the tragic downfall of KZbin

[@shanearmstrong7476]

So Sad... He is a pure bad ass. That dude could write killer riffs and his vocal chops are always been under rated. 1 Bad video was horrible as the song was amazing and perfecting chord progressions are spot on.

[@matthewotremba9230]

Rolling around like a girl in girl workout clothes like Olivia Newton John .......

[@chrisnizer]

My sister and I saw him and another guy who was his gatekeeper onboard a flight from Tucson to LAX back in the early 80's. The gatekeeper did all of the talking, Billy Squire never said a word...to anyone. Not even to order drinks from the flight attendants, that was Gatekeepers job too. If the plane would have crashed, Gatekeeper would have probably screamed 😱 for the both of them.

[@computarman]

He's great and I think he was treated unfairly but, I think he has a high net worth and doing alright.

[@Stanley-x4w]

Emotions in emotions was kick ass

[@Audfile]

Id go see that show. For sure.

[@davidnorth3411]

Looks like his enjoying his life at its best , a good thing people don’t put too much value on shocker headlines for views .

[@jeremywanner4526]

He figured that he was popular enough to survive a radical change of style,he was mistaken apparently

[@lawrencealberts898]

That was the era in which MTV transitioned to where seemingly every video had to have choreography in it. Whether or not the artist was more of a singer, versus a dancer/performer. Squier is an example, Benatar another.

[@DavidCurtis-j3k]

Always liked Billy his music sound I thought it was him that did a remake of slow ride it wasn't . He sounded alot like him.

[@TheRedDevil_NC]

Not as tragic as the dude selling the thc drink with the bad leg tattoos. Billy Squier is a damn legend

[@jmpsthrufyre]

Mr Bungles cover of The Stroke (Me) is pretty insane...

[@Victorseafog]

The Stroke is a classic song and IMO his best hard enough

[@eyedigressmusic1116]

And this happened at a time when men wore makeup, big hair and tight pants.

[@SteveBender-gr5kh]

Was a fan since the Piper days. I'm still a fan. So many great songs. He even thought that video sucked. I thought Can't wait was some of his best work. Drop by and stay wasn't on the first album. It was on Can't wait.

[@thatsfunnyjimmy1351]

Before the Rock Me Tonight video he and his drummer danced "The Bump" on stage at the Cape Cod Coliseum show and probably at other shows . Probably both would be uneventful now but in the early 80s that was not accepted by the general public .

[@17nussbaumroad]

Still a fan even after RMT video to this day !

[@jamescromer550]

Lesson: dont let gay producers ruin your career so they can push their sexual preferences on kids.

[@ricswensen4755]

I Was a Billy Squier fan & saw his show 3 times_ including Def Leppard as opening act_ the video he made of Rock me tonight was Awful_ & for Billy to put the blame on others is Crap_ the way he Pranced on stage was pretty Gay_ he didn't Dance he Pranced_ it's His Own Fault_!!

[@Mandy7D7]

Wow... you homophobes are sad.

[@robertpolnicky7702]

I always thought his prancing looked gay though at a concert in wichitac1981. His guitar playing buddy seemed gay too. He was shooting the girls with his water bottle. Why didn't he bring them on stage. They were hot for him.

[@jeremywanner4526]

He was light in loafers

[@RobReuter]

He has a few great albums and has a net worth $40 million. Nothing sad about that.

[@johnn58]

I liked his music until I saw him in Detroit in 83 or 84 - Terrible show

[@robertpolnicky7702]

I'll bet you're getting to the crux of it. Was the show he put on then as good as the ones he put on with dont say no album songs. I doubt it.

[@johnn58]

@robertpolnicky7702 no it was not as good

[@bondalero0074]

A great guitarist and early Rock icon with many hits like Stroke, Everybody wants you, My Kind of Lover, & Lonely is the Night. One 🌈 song “Rock Me Tonight” and it was ALL over!#🚫🌈Songs

[@sw40c]

I’ve lived in Massachusetts my whole life (unfortunately), and Wellesley definitely isn’t a small village. 😂 29.5k people…

[@soylentkris]

The footage @ 10:45 is Slash... I'm not trolling... but, when these images appear, there is nothing in the narrative to explain it... I am wondering if the poster cannot tell the difference.

[@conrad98gtp]

It was his prancing around like a fairy in one of his later MTV music videos is what ruined his career.

[@RickHansbury]

The only real tragedy I see here is fickle promoters and this tragic inhuman voice.

[@KathyWilber-hy1sq]

Yeah, I think his story is an extremely sad one as well!!! I think that everything he's done in music is absolutely "DAMN GOOD ROCK MUSIC"!!! And I believe that if it hadn't been for most of his fans turning their backs on him when he did the video for the song "Rock Me Tonight", including myself I am ashamed to say, he would have left us with a lot more damn good killer stuff!!! I myself wanted to think that just because he was doing some ballet with the type of clothes he was wearing, that he no longer was the same rocker he once was!!! But I admit that I was "WAY WRONG"!!! And years later I rediscovered what a killer catalog of damn good killer rock music he did, including the album Signs Of Life, the same album that has the song "Rock Me Tonight"!!! And from my understanding, it really wasn't so much bis idea to do it the way it was done, but mostly the director of the video!!! But whatever the case, I once again will admit that I was wrong for being so close minded, and not really paying attention to the music itself!!! "BILLY SQUIRE, YOU ROCK BRO"!!! And I am saying "EVERYTHING YOU'VE DONE MUSICALLY"!!! I myself very much apologize to you for betraying you over some stupid dumbass shit of my own bro!!! Ernie Wilber 🤘👹🤘🤘

[@shandajames5444]

He was good!!!

[@bretspangler8717]

Ruled the world, wow you must really love his music, he was a blip on musics radar nothing more and his music was pop crap.

[@FredPena-rd5cf]

Seems like he could have still overcome the cheesy image of Signs of Life music videos by the next record. But the good songs just dried up? Sounds almost like a deal with the Devil that ran shorter than he thought he signed for.

[@pdxfun4888]

He had massive talent , killer songs. I think his videos hurt due to his effeminate move,ents. My opinion. Same with supertramps front guy. Its shameful to think that macho behavior equals acceptance. Its a sickening reality

[@spuddoright1970]

This was AI pretty much reading his Wikipedia page. Nothing tragic here.

[@KennethFinuf]

That video just killed him !! It was creepy!! 🤬🤬🤬🤯🤯

[@robertmullinaxii5923]

Straight up , it was that lousy dancing video that sunk him.

[@Bliggick]

Oh yeah, blame your fans. The "Rock Me Tonight" video was "misunderstood". No, Billy, you looked ridiculous.

[@rockingtr1]

I still don't get it. Always a fan. Dancing in his pj's was no worse than all the rat poison motley bullshit hairspray perpetrated on MTV, or worse, every tiktok bedroom player today.

[@michaelfarrell5101]

his Christmas song is good !

[@soylentkris]

The picture at 2:22 is Warren DeMartini

[@wyioughta]

yup, that and the Loverboy thing, Rockers were not ready for Barbie yet. Boomers and Gen Xers that rocked this were not happy at this attempt on our masculinity. These days its just in your face. Niether widely expected or accepted still. It will be part of the music business.

[@soylentkris]

The picture at 3:39 is Journey

[@H-mu4bo]

"So sad to see him now". There is nothing wrong with him for christsakes. He is rich, and looking good for a guy in his mid 70s. Something KZbin guidelines concoct for maximum clickbait. And one of the greatest lies perpetuated in history. There is no way the "Rock Me Tonite" video ruined his career. That was only something made up in 2011 with the "I want my MTV" book. The truth is his music sucked after the "Long After Dark" album. "Emotions in Motion" was ok but certainly a disappointment. "Rock me tonite" was a crap song, "Signs of Life" a crap album and a pretty standard video of it's day.

[@robertpolnicky7702]

Wild guess but i felt like there was more to his trouble than the gay video. He had a lot of girl fans too. Steppenwolf had the same problem. They flipped and started doing hoyt axtons stuff. Three dog night did too. My feeling is that on the periphery everythings rougher. Its likecwhat happened to the big cadillac. Rock me tonight was a good song. But it seemed liked the rest of that album was not as good as lonely is the night. My kinda lover. So on. That comeback song he did seened awfully weak. Comeback to rock me tonight.

[@monkeyhaters9258]

Billy squires not gay..🤔🤯

[@Byeohazard]

AI...good bye.

[@robertpolnicky7702]

I shut it down fairly quickly.

[@LaurieValdez-zk3dy]

From 1 video???

[@marius35925]

That story wasn't sad!

[@popcorn9791]

This could have been less verbose.

[@bennybongosbigolebonanza894]

Drink whenever he say resonating or connecting/connection with audiences. AI garbage.

[@bobalmighty2925]

How is this tragic??? wtf

[@leestevens5546]

Oh, Jesus, there us no such thing as "homophobia" and can't you just speak plainly and say that damn video was GAY!

[@barlowanthony6717]

It had to end. He was ripping off Zeppelin on every track.

[@MrZappaman420]

who wasn't?

[@Rusty-o1i]

Fruitiness ruined him!!!

[@dannym4386]

Toooo many commercials