There seems to be a pretty high overlap between the opinions of Hall voters and those of Rolling Stone reviewers.
I’m guessing Beck and Eminem will get in easily. Duran Duran, no; they were popular at the time but basically disposable, ephemeral pop. The MC5 and NY Dolls have the opposite problem, of being important figures in rock history but most people never having actually heard of them. Dolly and Quest could make it; I know the Hall has inducted rap artists, have they inducted anyone has clearly country before? I know Johnny Cash is in; is Willie?
Of the other candidates I would think Rage and Devo are the best qualified, though the voters may prefer the “serious” Eurythmics if they’re going for a short-lived but influential New Wave band.
Well, lots of award givers will nominate and give the prize to people who don’t want it or openly refuse it. The Nobel Prizes and the Academy Awards come to mind. There’s nothing odd about the Hall doing so.
I remember a number of rock artists saying they’d turn the Hall down, although I don’t remember if they were even on the ballot at the time.
There have been a few inductees who “refused” their induction (not only artists on the ballot, but ones who were voted in).
The Sex Pistols are probably the most famous, with John Lydon writing a letter that was read aloud at their induction ceremony. Trigger warning: the grammar and spelling will likely make Dopers’ heads explode.
Next to the SEX-PISTOLS rock and roll and that hall of fame is a piss stain. Your museum. Urine in wine. Were not coming. Were not your monkey and so what? Fame at $25,000 if we paid for a table, or $15000 to squeak up in the gallery, goes to a non-profit organisation selling us a load of old famous.
Congradulations. If you voted for us, hope you noted your reasons. Your anonymous as judges, but your still music industry people. Were not coming. Your not paying attention. Outside the shit-stem is a real SEX PISTOL.
Axl Rose (Guns ‘N’ Roses) refused his induction, although the rest of the band attended and performed. “I still don’t exactly know or understand what the Hall is or how or why it makes money, where the money goes, who chooses the voters and why anyone or this board decides who, out of all the artists in the world that have contributed to this genre, officially ‘rock’ enough to be in the Hall?”
There were a few, like Roger Waters as part of Pink Floyd and Paul McCartney as part of the Beatles, who refused due to ongoing disputes with former band members.
Neil Young was OK with his induction, but refused to attend the ceremony for his induction with Buffalo Springfield. “This presentation is in direct opposition to what I believe. Although I accept the honour, in the name of rock and roll, I decline to take part in this TV presentation and be trotted out like some cheap awards show.”
IMO, a pretty sad list. Pat Benatar, Duran Duran, and Eurythmics are the only three that are really “rock and roll.” But I can’t complain about Eminem, Dolly, and Carly Simon getting music awards. And the HOF-for-rock-only ship sailed long ago, so I feel like complaining about it puts me in “old man shouts at clouds” territory.
I’m happy about Duran Duran. As I noted upthread, I didn’t give them the credit they deserved for too long. Even if I wasn’t a huge fan of Eurythmics’ music, Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart just oozed cool out of every pore of their bodies, so their win is fine by me. Beck will get in eventually so I’m not worried there, but the continued absence of Devo is a crime.
Eminem is a great rapper, but his inclusion while A Tribe Called Quest is passed over seems questionable. Could his greater influence have anything to do with the color of his skin? Nahhh…
Dolly Parton specifically asked not to be inducted. It’s insulting to refuse her request.
Most of these inductees are reasonably deserving, though I think we are past the point when six minimum inductees is too many, and they’re not getting the most deserving choices - where is Supertramp, Jethro Tull, OutKast? - and really, Weird Al Yankovic’s exclusion is stupid.
As I understand it, she made her request after the ballots had been sent out to the electors. I suppose it’s entirely possible that a lot of votes had already been submitted by then.
This morning, while working from home, I listened to four of my 75 or so of my playlists.
The four included Carly Simon, Commodores/Lionel Ritchie and Pat Benetar,
This was coincidence. I didn’t know they were nominated and that the announcement would be today.
If only I had listened to my Duran Duran playlist instead of Styx, I don’t have playlists for the other ones.
They inducted Foo Fighters last year and I do not for the life of me understand how they’re popular or how they keep winning awards; their music sounds like something created by an AI tasked with creating generic radio-friendly rock songs.
I tend to agree that they got bland after the year 2000. But the first 2 albums were great. I even liked the 3rd at the time but it did mark the point where the generic Foo Fighters started.
I saw a blurb a few days ago where Dolly backtracked on that a little. She said that since fans had already voted she would honor them and graciously accept if voted in.
Dolly is a fine lady and a remarkable entertainer, but she never was considered a rock & roll artist, even during her pop flirtation in the 1970s. Carly Simon was a fine singer/songwriter but pop as pop can be and definitely not rock & roll. Lionel Ritchie makes the cut IMHO, but just barely. There was a reason he was often called “the Black Kenny Rogers.”
Someone mentioned Jethro Tull. They were one of the most innovative bands of the 60s and 70s. For them to not be in the RRHOF is simply ridiculous.
She’s a Shoe-In for the “Screechy Old Bullshit” Hall of Fame. I remember people just raving about here, and I burned a bunch of her stuff onto the hard-drive, but when it come on, I can’t turn it off fast enough. I guess I’m one of the ‘not for everyone’.
They’re one of the most unfair examples, but there are dozen of artists that have been snubbed for no good reason.
Which is why I’ve been Emotionally Boycotting™ the R&Rhoƒ… and the grammys and the emmys and the tonys and “Buzzcock’s Best 1250 Singers and Actors of the Last Century… #847 will shock you!”
Hmmm, I think I finally figured out that all awards and inductions are just classy clickbait.