\n<\/p>\n
\n\tLike most of the 2026 inductees into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame,<\/a> Billy Idol<\/a> has been eligible for quite a number of years. But unlike Iron Maiden, Sade, and Oasis, there\u2019s no reason to wonder if he\u2019ll show up. When Idol hopped on a Zoom with us hours before the news went public on American Idol<\/em>, he was beaming with joy. \u201cTo be recognized by your peers is incredible,\u201d he says. \u201cYou don\u2019t really know what people think about you, but this gives you an indication.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tWe chatted with Idol about the honor, his early thoughts on how the evening might unfold, his fellow nominees, memories of Ozzy Osbourne\u2019s 2024 induction, the early days of the U.K. punk movement, and where he hopes to go from here. \u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tCongratulations on the big news. It\u2019s about friggin\u2019 time.<\/strong> \n\tHow did you find out?<\/strong> \n\tI\u2019m just glad that we did it for the right reasons in the first place. We were already doing punk rock music before it exploded in England. We were doing it for the love, for the sheer love, for the few other people who were into it. And then it exploded after the Sex Pistols went on the [Bill Grundy] program. We never expected that. And then, boom, every record company in England wanted a punk rock group, and there we were.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tI was doing it for the love in the first place. I\u2019ve continued doing it for that reason for the past 50 years. If that has resonated with the other musicians in the Rock Hall, then that\u2019s fantastic.<\/p>\n \n\tIt\u2019s your second nomination. You\u2019ve been eligible for 20 years. Did you start to worry that it just wouldn\u2019t happen?<\/strong>
It\u2019s incredible. I\u2019m really excited.<\/p>\n
My manager told me a few days ago. I didn\u2019t think it was affecting me much until I told Steve Stevens verbally on the phone, and I got quite emotional. It just shows you I do care about the honor. It\u2019s incredible. It\u2019s fanatic to get recognized by your peers in the music world.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Well, not \u201cworry\u201d or anything. You just wonder because there\u2019s so many people that aren\u2019t in. The New York Dolls aren\u2019t in. There\u2019s so many people who aren\u2019t in who deserve to be in. You sort of think about things like, \u201cWhy would I be in?\u201d<\/p>\n