Rock and a Hard Place
Okay, I'm going to get some crap for this one I know. Madonna and the Beastie Boys are nominees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Sorry, I just can't agree. It's called the ROCK AND ROLL Hall of Fame. Not the Music of All Genre's Hall of Fame. There are lots of inductees that I don't think deserve to be there. Madonna, for example, is Pop, pure and simple. While you might hear a Madonna song on a radio station where you also hear a rock song, you would not hear Madonna on a "Rock" radio station. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame should be reserved for bands and musicians who play Rock and Roll. I can understand including a nod to musicians who might not be considered "Rock" but influenced or was directly influenced by Rock and yes, I know if you look at Jack Black's flow chart of musical influence, Pop does fall under rock somehow, somewhere, but it's pretty far down the line when you try to link bands like The Clash to *NSYNC.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
1. The Beastie Boys definitely have a rock influence. They were initially a punk band before they turned to rap and found success. Plus, they have had a clear influence on the subsequent generation of rock musicians. I agree with you on Madonna, though.
And what's with the nominations for Donna Summer and Chic? Did it suddenly turn into the Disco Hall of Fame?
I'll have to agree with the commenters on the other article: There's a definite problem when talented and influential ROCK AND ROLL artists like Cheap Trick, Roxy Music, Warren Zevon, and (yes, I'll even include them) KISS can't even get nominations.
Posted at 1:19PM on Sep 28th 2007 by T-Mo
2. if RUSH cant get in then its all a joke
Posted at 6:05PM on Sep 29th 2007 by mark
3. if RUSH cant get in there shouldnt be a rnr hall of fame
Posted at 6:08PM on Sep 29th 2007 by mark
4. Unless punk artists like David Bowie, Love and Rockets, The Misfits, and Led Zeplin (not sure about that one) have been nominated, I don't see the problem about Kiss not being nominated.
Posted at 8:24AM on Sep 30th 2007 by Floymin
5. I'm a Clevelander, living not more than half an hour away from the Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame, and I can tell you, rock lovers here are seriously pissed. There has been so much controversy over the years concerning nominees and inductees (the Grand Master Flash debacle, anyone?), it’s hard to believe anyone can still put stock in who’s inducted. It isn’t up to the fans, it’s up to the big hats who run the whole organization.
Posted at 9:34PM on Sep 30th 2007 by Cait
6. My wife and I visited the RnR HOF this summer and we were also surprised at some of the inductees. I seem to remember a plaque there somewhere that said something about a lasting and important contribution to RnR. Why, oh why, then, are the Moody Blues not in there? What lasting contribution has Madonna made for RnR?
Posted at 12:33AM on Oct 1st 2007 by Kirt
7. I agree, the Beastie Boys deserve it more than Madonna. The article headline was about the B-Boys and Madonna, so I used both in the link, but I was more disturbed about Madonna. And agreed, I am not a Kiss fan either, but they've certainly made a huge impact in the Rock genre.
Posted at 4:55PM on Oct 1st 2007 by itshotsummer
8. Floymin - do you consider Kiss to be Punk? The bands you grouped together (in my opinion) come from a couple different genres - albeit genres that fall under the overall title of Rock and certainly closer to what I consider to be "Rock and Roll" than Pop is.
Posted at 4:54PM on Oct 1st 2007 by itshotsummer
9. Thanks for the comment Cait, it's interesting to hear from someone who is close to the issue. I'm glad I'm not the only person who thought the nominations were a stretch. Has the criteria for getting a nomination or inducted ever been released?
Posted at 4:54PM on Oct 1st 2007 by itshotsummer
10. Kirt, I couldn't agree more. While I don't deny that Madonna has made enormous contributions to the music industry as a whole with 20 years of reinventing her style and has enjoyed tremendous longevity and consistent success, I fail to understand how that specifically impacts Rock and Roll.
Posted at 4:54PM on Oct 1st 2007 by itshotsummer
11. Hey Mark, I'm not a huge Rush fan, but you point out yet another band who makes a better nomination than Madonna and some of the other nominees/inductees.
Posted at 5:04PM on Oct 1st 2007 by itshotsummer
12. I believe I heard a comment a few years back that came from Jann Wenner (a big contributor to the hall), when asked why Rush wasn't being considered for nomination, and his response was something along the lines of "having a worldwide fanbase and selling millions of albums doesn't automatically qualify you for a place in the hall of fame..."
Ummm...ok, what does then...?
Posted at 10:21PM on Oct 4th 2007 by Keith
13. How about forgotten bands or groups like The Dave Clark Five, The Turtles, Hermans Hermits, The Monkees, Badfinger and Cheap Trick. Let's not forget KISS or Deep Purple. Jann Werner may know how to run a Rock & Roll magazine business but he doesn't know shit about Rock & Roll.
Posted at 6:22AM on Oct 5th 2007 by Mike
14. That's a great point Keith. I mentioned in another comment that I'd really like to see what criteria they use to pick nominees and inductees.
Posted at 10:44AM on Oct 5th 2007 by itshotsummer
15. I agree again Mike. I know the R&R HOF has inducted a few older bands but they really tend to focus on more current stuff. There were generations of R&R bands that directly influenced all the current inductees.
Posted at 10:46AM on Oct 5th 2007 by itshotsummer
16. Maybe be change the name "Rock and Roll Hall of fame to American music Hall of Fame. That way it makes more sense. Or just Music Hall of Fame.
Posted at 11:44PM on Oct 7th 2007 by Heather
17. How about HEART... Women who were fronting a Rock and Roll band..? Who did that before the Wilson Sisters?,nevermind they rock and Ann has a voice made for Rock and Roll...and ...THEY ARE ACTUALLY MUSICIANS AND SONGWRITERS!!!!
Posted at 4:29PM on Oct 8th 2007 by Ray
18. That's a good idea Heather.
Posted at 5:47PM on Oct 8th 2007 by itshotsummer
19. Ray, not a Heart fan but agreed. While the R&R HOF has inducted some pioneers in female Rock & Roll musicians (Patti Smith, Janis Joplin, etc), I think they could use more, specifically rock and roll types. I'd like to see Joan Jett.
Posted at 5:54PM on Oct 8th 2007 by itshotsummer