Billy Idol Was ‘Knocked Down’ by His Rock Hall Nomination

It’s a nice day for a career-spanning honor. Billy Idol has made the shortlist for this year’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction class, joining a varied group of artists that range from jam-band stoners to an elusive chanteuse. The punk rocker, who’s been eligible since 2007 but only now received a nomination, ascended to the top of Vulture’s power rankings for inductees after a scorching appearance at the 2024 ceremony, where he was among the performers who helped give Ozzy Osbourne the sonic 21-gun salute he deserved. This year, Idol hopes luck will be on his side so he can experience a similar round of raucous fanfare. “There are so many people who should be in the Rock Hall, but of course I’m a little bit knocked out that it’s me,” he told us. “We’ll see what happens. You never know.”

I was really happy to see your name on the list. Congratulations! Punk is alive and thriving!
Thank you. It was really amazing. Rather wonderful. I can’t believe the destiny of this. Steve Stevens [Idol’s longtime guitarist and co-songwriter] is nominated with me — because of our special relationship, if I get in, they will induct him as well. That really made my day.

That’s great about Steve. Who got to tell you the news?
My manager. I was really knocked down. I was just at the ceremony being part of Ozzy’s induction, and it was a great night with [Ozzy’s Grammy-winning producer] Andrew Watt and everybody in the band. The best thing about this is: You get to talk personally to your fans and have a chance to thank them. There are so many people who have been behind me whom fans don’t know about, and I get a chance to thank them as well.

You recently said that getting into the Rock Hall would be “incredible.” Have you always felt this warmth toward the organization? Would 30-year-old Billy Idol feel the way you do now?
I might have be a little bit more ambivalent when I was younger. The great thing is, a lot of people I really like or have been influenced by — John Lennon, David Bowie, Link Wray — are in there. When I realized the extent of who’s in there whom I love, the idea that I could end up alongside them is an incredible honor. I could’ve never imagined this when I was 30. I wasn’t expecting it. Swear to God.

I think performing for Ozzy at last year’s ceremony tipped the scale in your favor. It didn’t hurt that you blew “No More Tears” out of the water.
Ozzy called me a rock-and-roll icon, and I was like, Whoa! That’s exciting coming from him. One of the first gigs I saw was Black Sabbath. It was one month before their first album came out, and I was 12 or 13. Ozzy’s tassels were touching me at the front of the stage. So it was fantastic getting to honor him and induct him in with that performance. I enjoyed that big time, singing “No More Tears.”

What did you get out of participating in that ceremony?
My eyes were opened. It’s a bigger deal than I thought. Being part of somebody else’s induction, you really feel the warmth in the room. All the other artists were very excited and having fun.

The Rock Hall’s chairman described all of the nominees as having “created their own sounds that have impacted generations and influenced countless others who have followed in their footsteps.” When you hear something like that, succinctly summarizing your impact in the industry, how does it make you feel?
It’s hard to take in the fact that I’ve been going for 50 years. When we started out in punk with Generation X, we were purely doing it for the love. It could’ve been for six months, maybe a year, or maybe two years. Honors like that isn’t why I did it. It was purely for the love. And if it’s led to this, it’s damn well worth it.

Punk has been an underrepresented genre in the Rock Hall. If my calculations are correct, the last punk act to be properly inducted was Green Day in 2015, and MC5 was shoehorned in through a side category last year. So, two acts in one decade. Does this surprise you?
Yes. MC5 is one of the best bands ever, in my view. There are so many people who could be in the Rock Hall, and I hope one day they will get in. Punk was so influential. It helped move rock and roll along into a new era and it kept it vital. It’s strange that so many American punk-rock groups haven’t been considered, but hopefully, if anything, my nomination can open up the door for a lot more people from that era to get inducted.

There are fabulous photos of you attending the Rock Hall induction back in 1993. Do you have any enduring memories from that evening?
I went solely because I was hoping I’d see Creedence Clearwater Revival reunite and play together. I thought, Man, they’ll totally do this for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen. They couldn’t put their differences aside. It’s a shame, but it was still a great night. I got to see Cream. It was a chockablock of people whom I grew up listening to. I remember kids walking around at school with Disraeli Gears under their arms and there’s Ginger Baker right in front of me smoking a cigarette. What the hell?

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