Billy Idol honored with star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

Billy Idol was honored Friday with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He received the 2,743rd star, and the first of the year, in the category of Recording. His star is located on Hollywood Boulevard in front of Amoeba Records.

Henry Rollins was on hand to honor Idol, noting he “has rock n roll in his veins and punk rock in his DNA,” and adding, “That is to say, he is the real thing, and maybe that’s why we’re here today. Because decade after decade, he has remained himself, and it takes a lot of guts and a lot of integrity.”

“It really is crazy to find myself getting an award like this, or being honored in this way,” Idol shared during the ceremony. “I mean, 47 years of doing this after I started in Generation X, and 35 years after coming here, I just really could never have imagined anything like this.”

Idol said that punk rockers in the ’70s didn’t have “much hope or anything,” so with no future they were “going to do what we love,” adding, “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,” he said. “I could never have imagined something like this. It’s just incredible.”