Seattle Man Gets Billy Idol to Play His Birthday Michael Henrichsen has ideas about how he might celebrate his 26th birthday this week. First, Billy Idol rolls up in a limo and tells him to hop in. There are women everywhere. And later, when the British rock icon takes the stage and rips into "Rebel Yell," bras start flying and 1,800 of his closest friends go wild. Far-fetched? Maybe not. After a two-year campaign that was part resume stunt, part charity drive and part heartfelt effort to get his far-flung friends together for a great time, the irrepressible Seattle man has actually persuaded Idol to play his birthday party Friday night. "This is surreal," Henrichsen says. It should not be happening. So why is it? In his bedroom, surrounded by Cyndi Lauper and Madonna records, a drumstick he picked up at an Idol show two years ago, and rock posters, Henrichsen explains: In October 2010, he had just turned 24 and was having an early life crisis. Friends were getting married and moving away. He was working three jobs and making little progress paying off $40,000 in college loans. Salvation came over the stereo at the Bellevue Square Mall's Billabong clothing store, where he worked. It was "White Wedding." Henrichsen turned to a coworker: "Wouldn't it be cool if we got Billy Idol to play at my birthday party?" She laughed. He laughed. No way, right? Michael Henrichsen poses for a photo, Sept. 19, 2012 in his bedroom at his home in Seattle next to a poster of rock star Billy Idol. Henrichsen created a website and enlisted friends and celebrities around the world in a two-year effort to convince Idol to come play a concert on Oct. 26, 2012 at a Seattle music venue to raise money for charity and celebrate Henrichsen's birthday. But he went home and thought about it. He loved the way Idol blended pop and rock. Idol seemed like a fun guy. Henrichsen loves other music from the '80s, but he couldn't see Prince or Duran Duran agreeing. Idol, who lives in Los Angeles, wouldn't even have to leave his time zone. Scoring Idol could also be a major coup for his resume. Henrichsen isn't sure what he wants to do for a career - something in entertainment or event planning or PR, maybe - but he thought this could get it started. "I'm like, how feasible is it?" he says. I realized it would cost a lot of money, something I don't have, so that's where the creativity came into play. How do you network to convince Billy Idol that it would be a good idea for him to come play a show on a specific date in Seattle? The first step was getting a friend, Jim Stamper, to build him a website, www.playmybirthdaybillyidol.com . "I thought it was never gonna work," Stamper says. The next step was to get people to look at the website. Henrichsen hauled a boom box through a deserted Pike Place Market at night, dancing as "Mony Mony" blared, then posted a video of it. He and friends held a banner over Interstate 5. But the site didn't start getting much attention until he decided to collect some celebrity endorsements. Comedian Kevin Nealon came to town to do standup, and Henrichsen got him on a 12-second video, telling Idol, "You gotta come to Seattle next October to do ..." "Michael," Henrichsen prompts. Michael's birthday. It's gonna be awesome. Endorsements from other B- and C-listers followed: musician Rick Springfield, former Seattle Mariner Jay Buhner, porn star Ron Jeremy. Hanging out at book signings and other celebrity appearances became a fourth job. Only Nikki Sixx from Motley Crue and comedian Tom Green turned him down. Local media outlets started to notice. And the Google news alerts made their way to Idol's people. They called Henrichsen and told him the campaign was cool, but that they couldn't promise anything.