Forget ‘American Idol’ – the British version is still rocking

He may be staring down the barrel of his 50th birthday, but that hasn’t put a crimp in Billy Idol‘s ability to leer.

Bring up his self-satirizing role in Adam Sandler‘s 1998 movie “The Wedding Singer” and he says: “I got to shag one of the flight attendants in the movie. Rent it and guess which one.”

Allude to his new single, “Scream,” which is about, er, pleasures of the flesh, and Idol says: “Well, ‘My Ding-A-Ling’ was Chuck Berry‘s biggest record. So it seemed like a good idea.”

Idol will need a lot of good ideas to rebrand himself as a relevant pop star.

Twelve long years have passed since he last put out an album of original material – a drought that finally ends on Tuesday with the release of “Devil’s Playground.”

In the intervening time, Idol got on and off crack, overdosed, experienced a life-threatening motorcycle accident, suffered the end of a second long-term relationship, and had a major album project shelved halfway through.

He was also turning into a cartoon, with his ever-present sneer and endless fist-pumps plastered all over MTV.

Idol says things had been going downhill for a long time due to drugs and overwork. Even during his commercial peak, in 1987, he says, “I can remember staying up for three weeks doing crack. I’d (think) people were filming me and I was hearing people in the next apartment talking about me.”

Sales began to slump with 1993’s “Cyberpunk.” The next year he OD’d.

His record company, EMI, still wanted him to make a record, but they had very different ideas of what it should sound like; he says they wanted “Billy Idol lite.”

Yet Idol says that the project’s collapse encouraged his personal turnaround. He wound up spending more time at home, becoming a real father for the first time to his son, now 16.

“Instead of the ivory tower of being in a band, I was actually out there on the baseball diamond (with my son),” he says. “I sang the national anthem for his Little League team. Having to take him to school, having that responsibility, made me deal with real life,” he says.

Gradually, Idol began rebuilding his career. EMI issued a “Greatest Hits” package in 2000 that’s sold almost 1 million copies. Meanwhile, Idol reunited with his main guitarist, Steve Stevens, and began touring again.

It wasn’t until 2003 that Sanctuary Records approached Idol about making new music in his older style. That led to a three-album deal.

Idol knows he has a lot to prove.

“Now, I’m following up my own greatest hits,” he says.

At least this onetime punk has discovered that 50 isn’t fatal.

“It’s not all over yet,” he declares. “Not so long as they’ve got Viagra.”

The birthday bunch

Producer Carl Reiner is 83. Actor Hal Linden is 74. Singer Jerry Reed is 68. Actor William Hurt is 55. Director Spike Lee is 48. Actress Theresa Russell is 48. Actress Holly Hunter is 47. Model Kathy Ireland is 42. Actress Liza Snyder (“Yes, Dear”) is 37. Actor Michael Rapaport (“Boston Public”) is 35. Singer Chester Bennington (Linkin Park) is 28. Actor Michael Genadry (“Ed”) is 27.