The potentially lucky proposed nominees for admission into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame have all been announced, and, in advance of the final call later this year, all any of them can do is sit and hope and pray… Or go on a profile-raising promotional tour alongside your new single in order to express how happy you’d be if you made the cut.
That’s exactly what King Rocker Billy Idol has just done, plugging his new single Still Dancing while expressing his surprise and gratitude at the potential of winning an accolade that – given Idol’s legendary reputation and stature – he really should have won years ago.
Appearing on the latest Loudwire Nights podcast he told host Chuck Armstrong that: “I would never have imagined that a million years ago. I think if you do get accepted into that, at the ceremony you get to thank your fans – the people who really stuck with me through thick and thin. And then you get to say thanks to them."
And Idol is no stranger to the ceremony having appeared at the 2024 induction event, contributing a live performance of No More Tears to mark Ozzy Osbourne’s solo induction into the Hall of Fame.
"I could feel what it's like. So, if I get in, which would be incredible… Andrew Watt, who was putting on the music, at first he said, 'You're going to do 'Crazy Train.'' Then he said, 'No, no, let's let you finish it with 'No More Tears… Great, I love 'No More Tears!"
"It's pretty wild. I saw Black Sabbath one month before their first album came out in 1968. I was like 13. Ozzy's tassels were touching me, so I don't know if that was something about the future, saying, 'You can do it, man.'
“We watched those guys do their music and we watched them create the scene they created and those sorts of things drove you. When we created the punk rock scene, you just thought about all the music you loved and what those people did to fire you up and then you went on and did it yourself."
Back on the promo trail, Idol took the opportunity to plug Dream Into It, the album that bears the Still Dancing lead single inspired by his work on a new, yet-to-be-released documentary with filmmaker Jonas Akerlund.
Speaking to Classic Rock, Idol said: "You couldn't help but think about your life and all of the different elements. You know, the punk rock days, coming to America, going solo, becoming a bit of a drug addict... And then getting [sober, I] stopped being a drug addict.
"So the album is a little bit about the story of my life, almost in chronological order. That's how we've even done the track listing. We didn't do it like that in the old days. You always did a hit single first and the second single second. But this is telling a story, that's the story of my life."
And Idol went on to reveal a few surprise guest appearances lie on board… Dream Into It will also feature Joan Jett (who the star is touring with on his It's a Nice Day to...Tour Again tour this year, April to September), Alison Mosshart of The Kills and pop punk icon Avril Lavigne.
Idol is also set to play two UK gigs later this year too, appearing at London's OVO Arena Wembley on 24 June and the Forever Now Festival at the Milton Keynes Bowl on 22 June.
