Paul Trudeau from Billy Idol's band discusses his new solo album and Idol classics

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Paul Trudeau from Billy Idol's band discusses his new solo album and Idol classics originally appeared on Goldmine.
Billy Idol and his band, including keyboardist Paul Trudeau, are on the road through the end of next month with Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, with a tour name that borrows from the 'White Wedding' line, 'It's a nice day to… start again' called It's a Nice Day to… Tour Again! Idol's set includes five songs from his new album Dream into It. Trudeau also has a new solo album from Blue Élan Records called Lost Diamond Boy. Goldmine spoke with Trudeau about songs from his new album along with Idol and Jett's music.
GOLDMINE: Welcome to Goldmine and congratulations on the album. When I told my wife Donna that I would be talking with Billy Idol's keyboardist about your album, she asked if it is an instrumental keyboard album, which would be fine, but I told her that it is not. The album is filled with vocals, several instruments, wonderful arrangements, great songs, and is one of my favorite albums of the year.
PAUL TRUDEAU: Thank you so much.
GM: Before we talk about your new songs, let's talk about Billy's music. When I turn over the 'Eyes Without a Face' single, the flip side is 'Blue Highway,' both written by Billy and his guitarist Steve Stevens, who is also on your new album.
PT: I've been playing with Billy and Steve for almost a dozen years. A friend of mine emailed me that Billy was looking for a keyboardist. I met Steve in a coffee shop, and we talked. It wasn't a traditional audition. We had a lot of mutual friends. Then I went to his place to jam. After playing piano for about thirty seconds he said, 'The job is yours if you want it.' I accepted. I began listening to Billy's music, much of it which I was already familiar with, focusing on what my parts would be. It wasn't until I got to the first rehearsal that I had an epiphany that Steve is a world class musician. He is also our music director, so he puts the whole thing together. Billy comes in a bit after the fact and sings to what we have learned and rehearsed. In our show we play both sides of that single, 'Eyes Without a Face' around the middle of the set, and 'Blue Highway' near the end, honoring the recorded version, but it has developed into something a little bit different.
Billy Idol
Fabulous Flip Side: Blue Highway
A side: Superman Eyes Without a Face
Billboard Hot 100 debut: May 4, 1984
Peak position: No. 4
Chrysalis 42786
GM: There is also new music in the show.
PT: Yes, we had five songs from Billy's new album Dream into It that we had to learn for this tour, so it was stressful: 'Still Dancing,' '77,' 'Too Much Fun,' the title tune 'Dream into It,' and 'People I Love.' Steve has the bar set so high. You want to show up and know your parts, as every detail is very important to him. He is also constantly thinking about ways to make the show better. Even during our soundchecks, he'll say, 'I have a thought of adding this here,' so the show is constantly developing and consequently fresh. I am filled with gratitude that I get to do this. It's great being in Billy's band. He is a fascinating human and is a lot of fun. Billy is so well read and is a wealth of information. His obsessions are World War II and Elvis Presley. I've learned a lot from him on our travels together.
'It's great being in Billy's band. He is a fascinating human and is a lot of fun. Billy is so well read and is a wealth of information. His obsessions are World War II and Elvis Presley. I've learned a lot from him on our travels together.' – Paul Trudeau
GM: The It's a Nice Day to…Tour Again! concerts also include Joan Jett and the Blackhearts.
PT: I've been watching their performances from the side of the stage. They have a song called 'If You're Blue,' from their 2023 6-song EP Mindsets, which I am just obsessed with.
GM: Now onto your new album Lost Diamond Boy. Steve plays acoustic guitar on the bouncy 'Three Little Things.'
PT: When I went to record the album, Steve said, 'Let me know if you want me to stink up your record or anything.' I love his playing on everything. Musically, 'Three Little Things' sounds simple but there are subtle changes throughout the song while I deliver the lyrics. When I write lyrics, I try not to think about them too much. My lyrics give me something to sing, but when I look back at what I have written, it means something to me. I have trained myself to not overthink things. Most of my lyrics tend to be about personal relationships with other people, whether it be romantic or otherwise.
GM: 'Kindness of Strangers' is a steady rocker with wild guitar and drums, the most Billy Idol-like song on the album.
PT: Shawn Fabian plays guitar on that one. He and I are friends who go way back. Before I moved from Boston to Los Angeles, I had an interim stop in Santa Barbara for a period, met Shawn, and was in a band with him called Young Adults, a cover band where we played many Billy Idol songs. He has fire in his playing and is always his own worst critic. I tell him when he is in the studio to not overthink his playing, just be who he is. He played such a cool solo. Erik Eldenius, also in Billy's band, plays drums on the song, and throughout the album, and on my prior album, Shirley Road in 2017. When we made that album, I had been playing with Billy for a couple years, and I knew Erik before that too. On Shirley Road, Erik and I weren't in the same room at the same time. Working on this album brought our relationship closer and I can't say enough about his playing. When I was putting the band together with my producer Camilla Darling, the only thing I knew for certain is that I wanted Erik to be on the album. There is a trust element. He understands what I am trying to accomplish and supports it perfectly. I feel safe having Erik as the drummer.
GM: While Camilla Darling was producing your album, her uncle Dave Darling was producing Bernie Barlow's album. She joins you on background vocals for the gentle ballad 'Which Way to Go,' which also has a pedal steel guitar that adds such warmth.
PT: Bernie's vocal adds a lot, and that was Doug Livingston playing pedal steel guitar, an instrument I have always loved. One of my favorite albums is Neil Young's Harvest, which feels like a moment in time being captured and includes pedal steel guitar and strong background vocalists.
GM: Doug's steel pedal guitar and your piano blend nicely on 'Gaslight' a beautiful plea to understand a lost love.
PT: Another one of my favorite albums that sonically captures a moment in time is Elton John's Madman Across the Water and I drew from that for 'Gaslight.' I wrote the song at the beginning of a relationship, played it for my girlfriend at the time, and it affected her because she was planning to break up with me. I must have been sensing something. It was a weird premonition but we're still good friends.
GM: Another instrument that comes through nicely on the album is Eric Gorfain's violin on 'Taken Away'
PT: Eric has played on other Blue Élan artists' recordings, so I have known him for a while. Also, he is the stepdad of my son's ex-partner, so there is a six degrees of separation element with him. I pictured having a string quartet, but Camilla told me that it would be one of the most expensive things to do, so we went with Eric, and he played beautifully on this song and on 'Break You.'
GM: You mentioned, 'Break You,' which is a wonderful duet with Kathy Fisher, and what a surprise it was to hear her sing first, before you, on your song. This is a wonderful duet on par with Suzi Quatro and Chris Norman's 'Stumblin' In' and Stevie Nicks with Don Henley on 'Leather and Lace.' The strings, flute, keyboards, and piano create a wonderful atmosphere.
PT: I wrote the song, recorded a demo of it, and reconnected with Kathy, who I met when I first got to L.A., hung out, played music, and wrote some songs. She said that she would sing a harmony part for me on this song. I sent her the track, and she sang what was planned as a harmony part. I listened to it and wondered what it would sound like if I just started with just her vocal part. A good singer-songwriter friend of mine told me, 'You shouldn't have Kathy start it off because then it sounds like you are singing on her record.' I remember another male artist having a duet start with a female vocal leading it off, and I always thought that was a cool thing to do.
GM: You have mentioned California quite a bit, well there certainly is a Red Hot Chili Peppers influence on the power ballad 'One at a Time' with a guitar solo from your son Lucien Valen.
PT: It was fun having Lucien on the project, blasting out a bunch of songs. 'One at a Time' is the most genre removed song from what the rest of the album sounds like. I am so pleased that this album is one of your favorites of 2025. I'm honored. Thank you for having me. It was so lovely chatting with you.
To celebrate Lost Diamond Boy, Paul Trudeau will perform a special album release show this Thursday, August 7 at 7:15 p.m. at Molly Malone's in Los Angeles, bringing his songs to life in an intimate setting.
Related links:
paultrudeaumusic.com
billyidol.net
joanjett.com
blueelan.com
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This story was originally reported by Goldmine on Aug 4, 2025, where it first appeared.
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