Tuesday, June 23, 2015
The Last Shred of Credibility Disappears
Rock Hall Scandal as One Third of Nominating Committee Dismissed | Showbiz411: Thanks to Billboard for reporting this story first: 16 of the 42 members of the nominating committee have been dismissed. Most or all of them have been there a long time and represent the bloc of voters who still lobby for early rock and R&B pioneers who’ve been overlooked or purposely dismissed out of hand for induction.
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14 comments:
I never watch the shows or take anything it does seriously. It's an amusement park ride and a sham.
I've always thought it was a joke. Rock 'n' Roll is on a continuum, stretching back, going forward; to codify it and put it on some arbitrary time-line, takes all of its zest and life away. Yes, the pioneers should be acknowledged and financially-redressed when it's possible, but don't fossilize dynamic music. Plus, the induction ceremony is nothing but a popularity concert. Remember when CCR was inducted and John Fogarty refused to perform with the remaining members of the band--even though they had been inducted too? Fogarty ended up performing with Springsteen and others luminaries.
/Harrumph!
This is sickening. Jann Wenner is just despicable. But you knew that already.
I guess Connie Francis really has no chance now, let alone the Marvelettes.
I miss the old days.
Jeff
Deb, I have nothing at all against inducting performers of contemporary stuff, but like Jeff, I regret that some of the older acts are being left out and forgotten. Connie Francis was mostly a pop singer, sure, but she was played on all the rock stations and could rock out when the song called for it. And also like Jeff, I could name 100 others who've been slighted while Miles Davis, not exactly my idea of a rock 'n' roller, gets in.
And keep off our d@mn lawns!
I'm not a great fan of Bon Jovi but historically, how does he justify keeping them out when you see some recent inductees?
Jeff
My phrasing was a bit (a bit!) inelegant, but what I was trying to say was that Wenner (a thoroughly unlikeable sort, long before the Hall of Fame shinanegans) has codified rock 'n' roll to the point that it's essentially an airless mausoleum. I agree that the qualifications to be inducted are completely arbitrary and some great early performers are left out while relative nonentities (because they come from the all-important demographic that will help attract a big viewing audience) get in. Wenner has reduced a great swath of popular music to a narrow strip focused on a televised induction ceremony. He's a jerk!
We agree.
There is a narrow, snobbish definition of rock at the Hall of Fame that infuriates me. Look, I have no love for Pat Boone and his politics, but the guy was as big as Elvis and popularized rock 'n' roll and opened the door for the r & b guys he covered to find a wider, mainstream audience. He is a key figure. Then there's folks like the Association, hugely popular and genuine rockers, but ignored because they are perceived as not hard rock enough. And Vanilla Fudge, who practically invented heavy metal (actually, no "practically" about it). And Connie Francis, as has been said here already, the biggest female rock artist of the '50s and early '60s. There is a shameful lack of a sense of history in the Cleveland Hall.
I agree right down the line with all you said, Al.
Amen to all that. I had no idea that Chubby Checker wasn't in.
Jeff
There's a huge prejudice against the rockers who came between Elvis going into the Army and the Beatles hitting. Why is Bobby Rydell not in the Hall of Fame? How about Bobby Vee? Strictly prejudice. Both are strong artists with tons of hits. It's a small miracle that Bobby Darin got in -- I guess he just had too much talent even for the knuckleheads to ignore.
Think of any other Hall of Fame in any field of endeavor that ignored major figures. Chubby Checker! The biggest record of the 1960s!
Shameful. Embarrassing.
I can name one, Al--The Baseball Hall of Fame. While steroid monsters get in, the best DH in history, Edgar Marinez, doesn't. It's a scandal.
Not enough of a sports fan to agree or disagree on that one, Cap'n, but I trust your judgment.
I have to partially disagree with you Cap'n. I agree Martinez should be in the HoF because of his DH numbers; but I don't agree that steroid abusers are getting in. At least--none of the ones we definitely know about: McGwire, Canseco, Bonds, Clements. I really think it'll be a cold day in Hell before that bunch gets in.
/Sadly, I've been wrong before, but I hope I'm not this time.
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