The Rock Hall of Shame
Pat Benatar, The J. Geils Band, Tupac, and Joe Cocker. One of these acts listed is not like the others. That act is Tupac. Tupac is the only one on that list, that very short list of artist/bands, who has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Is this why The Rock Hall is being dubbed The Rock Hall of Shame or Rock Hall of Lame (Maureen Tucker) by fans and musicians throughout social media? Is this why magazines and blogs continue to post about Rock Hall snubs after ceremonies?
Before we get involved into The Rock Hall of Fame, the nomination process and the induction ceremonies we must first ask ourselves a very important question; What is Rock and Roll?
Subjective, right? What rock and roll is to me, is different to you, it's different to her and him. Bill Haley and his Comets is a helluva a lot different than Dave Grohl and The Foo Fighters, but nonetheless rock and roll.
Rock and roll is a genre of music created off of rhythm and blues, skiffle, country, jazz, and creole fusion, all mixed up, mashed down and twisted together to manipulate the minds of anyone willing to be swept up into the chaotic storm. When we hear the words "Rock and Roll" we often think of The King, Elvis Presley and the early rock pioneers of the 1950s - but let's clear the air, Sister Rosetta Tharpe was rocking, rolling and jiving while The King was still in diapers. When we hear "Rock and Roll" we often picture The Beatles, those pop rock chart-toppers who played their guitar up to their Adam's apple. We think of the psychedelic phases of Woodstock with Janis Joplin. The scarves, electrified instruments, and long curly hair, mullets, mustaches and jeans- my god the jeans, of the 70s. When we hear "Rock and Roll" we might also think of more modern acts like The Killers. Now, the term "Rock and Roll" sometimes seen as "Rock'n'Roll" was coined by disc jockey, Alan Freed in Cleveland, Ohio. Cleveland, Ohio home of The Rock Hall of Fame.
The Rock Hall of Fame opened its doors in 1983 starting its first induction process in 1986 where (some of ) the essentials where hung high and proud. This included; Chuck Berry, James Brown, Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, Fats Domino, The Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Elvis Presley. For the first fifteen-ish years of the induction process, there was little fuss. No brainers were going into The Rock Hall. Springsteen, Aretha Franklin, The Eagles... It wasn't a matter of "Who should be nominated"/ "Who should be in the hall?" but a question of "when?".
We first see the critics and downfalls of the nomination process and acts being inducted in the early 2000s. An example of this is seen in 2006 with The Sex Pistols, who refused to show up for the ceremony but instead wrote an open note to the Rock Hall.
I understand, and mentioned before that rock and roll has changed and developed over time, but their are still restrictions as to what fits into a certain genre and what doesn't. Limits to who has towed the line and who hasn't. I propose a few suggestions onto how we can not necessarily fix, but can possibly work towards patching The Rock Hall process.
One. Get rid of this five act rule. Rock and Roll, unfortunately, is not growing as fast as it used to. Genres that are once removed from rock and roll are, but we do not have the cosmic boom of rock and rollers as there was back when the hall was envisioned. This five act rule serves as filler slots, for acts who aren't necessarily hall worthy, just allows those who earned enough votes- by the mostly bias and purely popularity fan vote. By eliminating this five act rule and minimizing it to two or three it allows those hall worthy acts on the nomination list to be inducted without the fillers that go along with it.
That's another thing- are all of these acts Hall Worthy. Can we look at these nomination list and say to ourselves, "yes, I am willing to testify that this act revolutionized, symbolized, and emphasized rock and roll!" ? Are this acts Hall Worthy? Are they even Rock and Roll?
Two. As mentioned in suggestion number one, rock and roll as a genre has split into categories of those once removed or even twice removed from it. Which is fine, brilliant. These genres include rap and Dubstep as an example, both genres rooted from Rock and Rolls influence - Rap taking from hip hop and Dubsteps synth-pop vibes. Instead of inducting these musicians into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Ceremony what if we hold a smaller, again a two to three, inductees- not bigger than the Rock and Roll ceremony itself, every other year honoring these giants in genres that aren't rock and roll. Have these acts inducted as Manipulators, in a good way, for taking the sounds of rock and roll (and other genres of course, including reggae, especially for the two genres of music I used as examples) and manipulating them into something completely different. Look at that, a compromise to keep non-rock 'n' roll act in the hall.
Three. The nomination list. When it comes to the nomination list we have a wide spread of musicians- I get it, variety. I like variety. But Joan Baez on a ballot with Tupac Shakur? Maybe I'll stick with something safer. For the nomination list, I nominate that each year represents a new fifteen years. This will allow artist who have not been on the ballot in a while, whether it be three years, seven years, of never, to cycle back in. For example 2020, have a nomination list of all of those acts from 1957- 1972. 2021, 1958-1973 and so forth or however mathematically year it can be figured out. When it goes to the fan votes, fans better be ready because vote for this act now because they won't be on a nomination list until we re-cycle through these years again. This will also help eliminate seeing the same names every year- Variety!
Maybe, I'm crazy. Naive. Dreaming of a place where all musicians who had birthed their soul into sheet music, bled on stage, drenched in sweat to only share with us their passion to make us, fans and listeners, smile or think, can have a home where they're recognized.
Billy Preston, Gram Parsons, The Doobie Brothers, Warren Zevon, Nicky Hopkins, and Lord, almighty The J. Geil's Band who should be in the Rock Hall for their introduction the "Must've Got Lost" alone (!), all sit in a long line of elite (the proper use of the word) musicians who have yet earned their spot in Cleveland, Ohio. I say it's about time we start inducting Rock and Roll back into The Rock Hall of Fame, or change the name.
The following is from an English Composition I class I took while attending Northern Essex Community College (forgive the mistakes). It was, at the time, my thoughts on the criteria to be nominated and inducted into the Rock Hall.
So what should be the criteria to secure a spot in the hall? Personally I believe you have to be revolutionizing and inventing, rather reinventing , rock and roll to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Your sound should be in the realm of what rock has been through the course of the past few decades, and even creeping quickly on century. I’ll use Tupac as an example. I do not believe he should have been placed in the Rock Hall before other groups and artists. He is a Rapper and a very good one at that. With that said, I did mention that rock is a variety of sounds and is subjective. Someone can argue, why are folk musicians in the hall? Well ,folk artists were rockers in their own way, and also influenced the rock and roll culture; look at Bob Dylan for example (a poor example, because Bob Dylan triumphs any debate, but we roll with it). Dylan's words as well as what he was putting out inspired the generation and movement in which rock and roll was spiraling and continues to do so, even before he went electric. Perhaps if Tupac was part of that generation, my thoughts would be different? Maybe, I’m bias because I can’t listen to eleven seconds of rap without going out of my mind.
I believe rock and roll is raw talent. You should be able to play in concert what you can do in a studio to be in the Hall of Fame. For example, The Grateful Dead in my opinion as well as many others I’ve conversed with, are a concert band. To be a band or an artist in the Hall of Fame and the only product that you've produced is all distorted and auto-tuned, I'm sorry, but for me that's not rock and roll and doesn't deserve to be in a Hall of Fame. I want to see your talent, not the latest softwares and soundbites. To use Dylan again because he isn't known for his vocals, but not once did you hear his voice through Auto-tune and he is known as one of the many voices of a century! Look at Janis Joplin who didn't have the most feminine or purest voice, but man, did the people love her. Then we have singers like Mama Cass, who had one of the most pristine voices in music who could sing on key at any given moment, not behind several machines and tapings. That's talent, that's skill. That's Hall worthy.
To get into the Hall of Fame I think you must also have created something, whether it be an album or a movement, that made a statement. For example if The Beatles didn’t do anything for the eight years they were together but put out Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, absolutely they should be in the hall. That album was iconic on so many levels- but then again, one can argue maybe it only got to the height it did because it was The Beatles. What if hypothetically the album was held off a year, and released by Apple’s first band Badfinger; would it of had the same impact?
Before we get involved into The Rock Hall of Fame, the nomination process and the induction ceremonies we must first ask ourselves a very important question; What is Rock and Roll?
Subjective, right? What rock and roll is to me, is different to you, it's different to her and him. Bill Haley and his Comets is a helluva a lot different than Dave Grohl and The Foo Fighters, but nonetheless rock and roll.
Rock and roll is a genre of music created off of rhythm and blues, skiffle, country, jazz, and creole fusion, all mixed up, mashed down and twisted together to manipulate the minds of anyone willing to be swept up into the chaotic storm. When we hear the words "Rock and Roll" we often think of The King, Elvis Presley and the early rock pioneers of the 1950s - but let's clear the air, Sister Rosetta Tharpe was rocking, rolling and jiving while The King was still in diapers. When we hear "Rock and Roll" we often picture The Beatles, those pop rock chart-toppers who played their guitar up to their Adam's apple. We think of the psychedelic phases of Woodstock with Janis Joplin. The scarves, electrified instruments, and long curly hair, mullets, mustaches and jeans- my god the jeans, of the 70s. When we hear "Rock and Roll" we might also think of more modern acts like The Killers. Now, the term "Rock and Roll" sometimes seen as "Rock'n'Roll" was coined by disc jockey, Alan Freed in Cleveland, Ohio. Cleveland, Ohio home of The Rock Hall of Fame.
The Rock Hall of Fame opened its doors in 1983 starting its first induction process in 1986 where (some of ) the essentials where hung high and proud. This included; Chuck Berry, James Brown, Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, Fats Domino, The Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Elvis Presley. For the first fifteen-ish years of the induction process, there was little fuss. No brainers were going into The Rock Hall. Springsteen, Aretha Franklin, The Eagles... It wasn't a matter of "Who should be nominated"/ "Who should be in the hall?" but a question of "when?".
We first see the critics and downfalls of the nomination process and acts being inducted in the early 2000s. An example of this is seen in 2006 with The Sex Pistols, who refused to show up for the ceremony but instead wrote an open note to the Rock Hall.
"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. We're not your monkey and so what?" - Johnny Rotten in his Cordial letter to the Rock Hall.The Rock Hall of Fame now has a system set up that at least five acts must be inducted. five acts off of the twelve list of nominations from an "elite" nomination committee, who have lately been proving themselves obsolete. Acts outside of the rock and roll genre were starting to be nominated, started to be inducted (reference back to the beginning of this article if you already have forgotten what Rock and Roll is and its roots. Rock Hall board and committee, you take notes on that).
I understand, and mentioned before that rock and roll has changed and developed over time, but their are still restrictions as to what fits into a certain genre and what doesn't. Limits to who has towed the line and who hasn't. I propose a few suggestions onto how we can not necessarily fix, but can possibly work towards patching The Rock Hall process.
One. Get rid of this five act rule. Rock and Roll, unfortunately, is not growing as fast as it used to. Genres that are once removed from rock and roll are, but we do not have the cosmic boom of rock and rollers as there was back when the hall was envisioned. This five act rule serves as filler slots, for acts who aren't necessarily hall worthy, just allows those who earned enough votes- by the mostly bias and purely popularity fan vote. By eliminating this five act rule and minimizing it to two or three it allows those hall worthy acts on the nomination list to be inducted without the fillers that go along with it.
That's another thing- are all of these acts Hall Worthy. Can we look at these nomination list and say to ourselves, "yes, I am willing to testify that this act revolutionized, symbolized, and emphasized rock and roll!" ? Are this acts Hall Worthy? Are they even Rock and Roll?
Two. As mentioned in suggestion number one, rock and roll as a genre has split into categories of those once removed or even twice removed from it. Which is fine, brilliant. These genres include rap and Dubstep as an example, both genres rooted from Rock and Rolls influence - Rap taking from hip hop and Dubsteps synth-pop vibes. Instead of inducting these musicians into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Ceremony what if we hold a smaller, again a two to three, inductees- not bigger than the Rock and Roll ceremony itself, every other year honoring these giants in genres that aren't rock and roll. Have these acts inducted as Manipulators, in a good way, for taking the sounds of rock and roll (and other genres of course, including reggae, especially for the two genres of music I used as examples) and manipulating them into something completely different. Look at that, a compromise to keep non-rock 'n' roll act in the hall.
Three. The nomination list. When it comes to the nomination list we have a wide spread of musicians- I get it, variety. I like variety. But Joan Baez on a ballot with Tupac Shakur? Maybe I'll stick with something safer. For the nomination list, I nominate that each year represents a new fifteen years. This will allow artist who have not been on the ballot in a while, whether it be three years, seven years, of never, to cycle back in. For example 2020, have a nomination list of all of those acts from 1957- 1972. 2021, 1958-1973 and so forth or however mathematically year it can be figured out. When it goes to the fan votes, fans better be ready because vote for this act now because they won't be on a nomination list until we re-cycle through these years again. This will also help eliminate seeing the same names every year- Variety!
Maybe, I'm crazy. Naive. Dreaming of a place where all musicians who had birthed their soul into sheet music, bled on stage, drenched in sweat to only share with us their passion to make us, fans and listeners, smile or think, can have a home where they're recognized.
Billy Preston, Gram Parsons, The Doobie Brothers, Warren Zevon, Nicky Hopkins, and Lord, almighty The J. Geil's Band who should be in the Rock Hall for their introduction the "Must've Got Lost" alone (!), all sit in a long line of elite (the proper use of the word) musicians who have yet earned their spot in Cleveland, Ohio. I say it's about time we start inducting Rock and Roll back into The Rock Hall of Fame, or change the name.
The following is from an English Composition I class I took while attending Northern Essex Community College (forgive the mistakes). It was, at the time, my thoughts on the criteria to be nominated and inducted into the Rock Hall.
So what should be the criteria to secure a spot in the hall? Personally I believe you have to be revolutionizing and inventing, rather reinventing , rock and roll to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Your sound should be in the realm of what rock has been through the course of the past few decades, and even creeping quickly on century. I’ll use Tupac as an example. I do not believe he should have been placed in the Rock Hall before other groups and artists. He is a Rapper and a very good one at that. With that said, I did mention that rock is a variety of sounds and is subjective. Someone can argue, why are folk musicians in the hall? Well ,folk artists were rockers in their own way, and also influenced the rock and roll culture; look at Bob Dylan for example (a poor example, because Bob Dylan triumphs any debate, but we roll with it). Dylan's words as well as what he was putting out inspired the generation and movement in which rock and roll was spiraling and continues to do so, even before he went electric. Perhaps if Tupac was part of that generation, my thoughts would be different? Maybe, I’m bias because I can’t listen to eleven seconds of rap without going out of my mind.
I believe rock and roll is raw talent. You should be able to play in concert what you can do in a studio to be in the Hall of Fame. For example, The Grateful Dead in my opinion as well as many others I’ve conversed with, are a concert band. To be a band or an artist in the Hall of Fame and the only product that you've produced is all distorted and auto-tuned, I'm sorry, but for me that's not rock and roll and doesn't deserve to be in a Hall of Fame. I want to see your talent, not the latest softwares and soundbites. To use Dylan again because he isn't known for his vocals, but not once did you hear his voice through Auto-tune and he is known as one of the many voices of a century! Look at Janis Joplin who didn't have the most feminine or purest voice, but man, did the people love her. Then we have singers like Mama Cass, who had one of the most pristine voices in music who could sing on key at any given moment, not behind several machines and tapings. That's talent, that's skill. That's Hall worthy.
To get into the Hall of Fame I think you must also have created something, whether it be an album or a movement, that made a statement. For example if The Beatles didn’t do anything for the eight years they were together but put out Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, absolutely they should be in the hall. That album was iconic on so many levels- but then again, one can argue maybe it only got to the height it did because it was The Beatles. What if hypothetically the album was held off a year, and released by Apple’s first band Badfinger; would it of had the same impact?
