Earlier this week it was announced that Billy Idol, alongside Oasis, Soundgarden, The White Stripes and more, is on the longlist of nominees for induction into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame this year. And it's fair to say that the British punk veteran is pretty chuffed by the news.
In a new interview with Vulture, Idol (born William Broad) admits that he's “knocked out” to be among the nominees, and all the more excited because he got to witness the pomp and circumstance of the occasion for himself last year, when he was one of the musicians paying tribute to Ozzy Osbourne following the Prince of Darkness' induction into the Rock Hall as a solo artist.
“My eyes were opened,” he admits. “It’s a bigger deal than I thought”
At the 2024 ceremony, Idol sang Ozzy's 1991 single No More Tears, the title track of the sixth solo album from the Black Sabbath frontman. Idol was backed on the night by an all-star band which included Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo, Red Hot Chili Peppers’ drummer Chad Smith, Ozzy's producer Andrew Watt, Adam Wakeman, and guitarists Wolfgang Van Halen, Steve Stevens and Zakk Wylde.
“Ozzy called me a rock-and-roll icon, and I was like, Whoa!”, Idol tells Vulture's Devon Ivie, reminiscing about the evening. “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.”
As to the possibility of being inducted in his own right this year, Idol tells Ivie that he would consider it “incredible”.
“A lot of people I really like or have been influenced by - John Lennon, David Bowie, Link Wray - are in there,” he notes. 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.”
Read the full Vulture interview with Idol here.
Artists become eligible for nomination into the Cleveland, Ohio-based Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame 25 years after the release of their first commercial recording.
Also on the 2025 longlist are Bad Company, The Black Crowes, Joy Division/New Order, Joe Cocker, Mariah Carey, OutKast, Cindy Lauper, Chubby Checker, Mexican pop-rock band Maná and Phish.
Fans are now invited to cast their votes for the acts they deem most worthy of inclusion, with the shortlist of nominees to be revealed in April.
