An Idol Crowd Shows Up for Party

A cocktail-hour press conference to announce a singer’s coming tour would normally draw only the most desperate of free food and drink moochers. But by staging a miniature concert Monday afternoon at the relatively small Hollywood Boulevard night club Spice, Billy Idol managed to draw a hefty crowd.

The party was a virtually seamless publicity package for Idol’s coming tour and new album, “Charmed Life.” It was also a chance for the singer to meet the press and press the flesh with several hundred music industry and radio personnel. On hand were innumerable camera crews, equally innumerable mini-skirted cocktail waitresses, and that ultimate tribute to super stardom: the personalized ice sculpture.

And there was “Twin Peaks” princess Sherilynn Fenn, who had begun filming this fall’s premiere of “Twin Peaks” that morning. So--who killed Laura Palmer? Who shot Agent Cooper? And what is going on in Twin Peaks anyway?

Fenn, who recently did a fashion shoot with Idol, was pleasant if not particularly helpful. “On the first page of the script,” she said, as if she had said it many times that day, “there’s a note that tells us not to divulge plot elements. They’re real strict about that.” Fenn did say, however, that David Lynch, the show’s co-creator, will be directing the first three episodes.

Idol was peppered with questions about his recent motorcycle accident, which resulted in a broken leg (the cast was off but he walked with a pronounced limp), and what he was going to be doing on his upcoming tour. He also was none too specific, but promised: “This tour is going to have no redeeming features whatsoever, thank you very much.”

The concert began with Idol roaring a motorcycle through the hall and onto the stage before breaking into several songs from “Charmed Life.” Comedian Sam Kinison jumped up to join Idol on a version of “L.A. Woman,” Idol’s new single.

Afterward, Idol opened things up for media and guests to shout questions up to the stage, but by that time, many guests were heading out the door to a party for heavy metal band Poison. No matter; the ice sculpture was getting drippy anyway.