"I saw Black Sabbath one month before their first album came out – and I was right in the front row": Billy Idol on his love for Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne

Ozzy Osbourne and Billy Idol, pictured together in 2005

Ozzy Osbourne and Billy Idol, pictured together at the London launch of the 2005 Download Festival (Image credit: Dave Hogan/Getty Images)

Singing in tribute to Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Ozzy Osbourne over the weekend was a full-on blast from the past for Billy Idol.

"I've been watching Ozzy my whole life," Idol – who sang No More Tears during the star-studded Osbourne segment of the Rock Hall's induction ceremony in Cleveland – tells Classic Rock prior to the performance. "I saw Black Sabbath one month before their first album came out – John Peel was playing it on the BBC before it came out – and I was right in the front row and the tassels of his coat were touching me.

"And getting to know him as well has been fantastic. He's just one of those people you really look (up) to in lots of ways. It's an amazing honour to do this for Ozzy tonight. Never could I have imagined, that 13-year-old kid, his tassels touching me, this is what it would lead to. Life is pretty amazing."

Idol's guitarist and creative partner Steve Stevens was also part of No More Tears, while Tool's Maynard James Keenan sang Crazy Train – which was introduced by an "All aboooooard!" bellowed by Osbourne from a throne-shaped wheelchair on the side of the stage – and Jelly Roll took the lead on Mama I'm Coming Home.

The eight-minute tribute was organized by Andrew Watt, who produced Osbourne's last two studio albums, including 2022's Grammy Award-winning Patient Number 9; his "house band" including Osbourne band alumni Zakk Wylde and Metallica's Robert Trujillo, along with Wolfgang Van Halen and Red Hot Chili Peppers' drummer Chad Smith.

Osbourne's induction speech was given by Jack Black (among the reasons there was an "intended for mature audiences" disclaimer throughout the broadcast), while Osbourne made an emotional acceptance speech from his chair.

"These guys... they're all so good. It's so powerful up there," Idol says. "It feels fantastic. I'm not even thinking about my own show; I'm just sort of vibing off how great everybody’s playing and how powerful it is with the dynamics and everything. I'm really enjoying it."

Idol – who's planning to release a new album next spring – was also flattered at Osbourne's public suggestion that the Rebel Yeller should be inducted into the Rock Hall as well.

"It's really lovely of him to say so. I would be really incredible because I think in some ways it's a big thank-you to the fans who really have stuck with you, thick and thin – sometimes more thin than thick. They've really stuck with you, (so) in some ways if I'm in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame they are, too."

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Gary Graff is an award-winning veteran music journalist based in metro Detroit, writing regularly for Billboard, Ultimate Classic Rock, Media News Group, Music Connection, United Stations Radio Networks and others. Graff’s work has also appeared in Rolling Stone, Guitar World, Classic Rock, Revolver, the San Francisco Chronicle, AARP magazine, the Detroit Jewish News, The Forward and others. Graff has co-written and edited books about Bob Seger, Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen. A professional voter for the Grammy Awards and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Graff co-founded the Detroit Music Awards in 1989 and continues as the organisation’s chief producer.