Today in Los Angeles councilwoman Monica Rodriguez is set to declare “Billy Idol Day” a local holiday honoring the musician’s contributions to arts and culture in the city he’s called home for over thirty years. The ceremony will include a speech from Councilwoman Rodriguez, followed by a free acoustic performance by Billy Idol and his longtime collaborator Steve Stevens on the steps of City Hall. The event begins at 10 am and Idol goes on at 11 am.
The very next day, Idol and Stevens will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame at the Peacock Theater in Downtown LA.
Idol was born in Stanmore, England but has lived in Los Angeles since 1987. Back in the United Kingdom, he had a short-lived stint with the punk band Chelsea, before leaving to form another punk band, Generation X, where he first adopted the Billy Idol moniker. Since Generation X’s breakups in 1979 and 1981, they’ve played a single original-lineup reunion tour in 1993 at the London Astoria. In 2018, Idol and Generation X’s Tony James teamed up with Steve Jones and Paul Cook, formerly of the Sex Pistols, for a free set at The Roxy in Hollywood, consisting of material from both bands’ catalogs. The one-off combination band was billed as “Generation Sex.”
Following the dissolution of Generation X, Billy Idol relocated from London to New York City and, with the help of guitarist Steve Stevens, released his self-titled solo debut in 1982 to commercial and critical acclaim, marked by a shift from his earlier punk sound to New Wave and synthpop sonics. Billy Idol peaked at #45 on the Billboard 200 chart and the music videos for its singles “Dancing With Myself” and “White Wedding” were in regular rotation on MTV. Both singles charted, as did “Hot in the City.” In 2023, Idol received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and the following year, he performed at Shaky Knees in Atlanta, Georgia.