British rocker Billy Idol was flanked by some serious punk rock and street cred during the ceremony in Los Angeles on Saturday, January 6, when he received his star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame.
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Punk legend Henry Rollins of Black Flag and "OBEY" street artist Shepard Fairey were on hand to welcome Billy Idol as 2023's very first induction into the celebratory cement, both delivering speeches in his honor for those in attendance.
"Billy Idol has Rock n' Roll in his veins, and punk rock in his DNA,” Rollins told the crowd. "He’s the real thing, and maybe that’s why we’re here today, ’cause decade after decade he has remained himself, and it takes a lot of guts and a lot of integrity."
Shepard Fairey, known for his iconic street art style, described worshiping Idol when he was younger after seeing his artfully stylized music video for “White Wedding” on MTV. “I was in love,” said Fairey. “I wanted to be Billy Idol. Billy was just the coolest.”
“Initially we did the music back in the mid-’70s during the punk-rock time. There wasn’t much hope or anything," Idol explained when he addressed the crowd. "We decided if there’s nothing, there’s no future, we’re going to do what we love. And that’s what I did. I did the music because I loved it. It wasn’t for any other reason, really. Anyway, I didn’t really think doing this would last very long. We thought maybe six months, maybe a year, maybe two years. I could never have imagined something like this. It’s just incredible.”
Also in attendance for the star ceremony, located at 6212 Hollywood Boulevard in front of Amoeba Music, were Billy’s family and girlfriend, actress China Chow, longtime collaborator Steve Stevens, Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones, and members of Idol’s current backing band.
“I raised my family here and I’ve recorded a lot of my albums here. So, it’s fantastic to be honored like this," Billy added. "It’s something I could never have imagined or ever entered my mind. But I’ve made a lot of my creative choices here, so it makes sense.”
Massive congratulations to Billy Idol on this momentous occasion. You can watch the full January 6 ceremony below.
Billy's latest release was his 2022 pandemic-fueled Cage EP.
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