I don't know how many people watched the induction ceremony on HBO this year, but the channel did do a solid amount of advertising for it, at least on television. In past years, I believe FUSE had done the coverage, and to be honest I think I caught a portion of the 2011 ceremony when a rerun was airing. Or maybe that was 2010, I really can't be sure. This year, Kim and I did tune in, and even caught it a second time on a rerun, the very next day. I had to be sure what I saw the night before wasn't actually a nightmare.
Not only is the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at the very least questionable, in terms of who is nominated and how those nominations are decided upon (as I've tried to illuminate in parts I and II), but the ceremony itself is joke. First of all, why the hell is Green Day performing? They're presenters, not inductees? And why is Billy Joe Armstrong jamming at the end of the ceremony during the all inclusive inductees jam? What makes him so special? Green Day, in my opinion and many others, is a shitty band with mediocre talent. But that's not even the point, they have no business being on stage in any performance capacity. That is unacceptable. I think this is obviously an indicator that Green Day will be making it into the Hall of Fame almost immediately after they first become eligible, which by my account is 2015. You don't even need to fake the vote on this one Wenner.
Nonetheless, I'll try and move past that so we can get to the inductees (In the performers category):
The Beastie Boys
Donovan
Guns N' Roses
Laura Nyro
Red Hot Chili Peppers
The Small Faces/The Faces
Freddie King (inducted under "Early Influence")
Well, I'm not going to argue about whether or not these bands deserve to be in the RRHOF, because at this point, it's not worth debating. What this does say to me though, is that again chronology means nothing to this institution, and I can't understand that. Guns N' Roses, The Beastie Boys, and Red Hot Chili Peppers have good claim to an induction into a Rock n Roll Hall of Fame, but I think it's premature given there are many older groups with just as much claim. But it's a moot point. The process is no clearer to me than the sun on a cloudy day. So, I'll just stick to the ceremony.
You know you're in trouble when the best presenter at a Rock n Roll event, is a comedian. Chris Rock's induction speech fo the Chili Peppers was light, humorous, and poignant. It wasn't drawn out, and it didn't seem cliche. Second to Rock, was Chilli Peppers bassist, Flea, who's acceptance speech was incredible. Genuine as genuine can be, he was on the verge of tears multiple times, most notably when thanking George Clinton for his service to music, and when thanking his mom. Flea loves music, as he stated in his speech, and that's what all these stupid shows seem to forget sometimes. Between this event and the Grammy's, sometimes I think they're far more concerned with production value, seating charts, tickets, and the who's who of presenters, than the music they're commemorating. It's a celebration of overindulgence. They seem to have forgotten that all it takes to awe a crowd is truly a man and his instrument. When these artists started, they didn't do it to gain entry into a Hall of Fame one day. They did it for the music. They did it to express themselves, and hopefully help others do the same. Like Flea said, music saved him many times.
Music should not be celebrated on a stage, it should be played there. Believe me, I see the worth in thanking musicians for their impact, and honoring them with prestige, but we must be careful that we haven't lost sight of what's important. That celebration shouldn't overshadow the music. It shouldn't create alienation within the art. When people don't understand the process, they tend to feel slighted, and at the very least confused. If The Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame is going to claim that it is the single institution that will encompass all of Rock and Rolls heroes, and preserve their legacy for the future, then they're needs to be more explaining. There needs to be transparency, of which there is none. You cannot simply tell everyone that "these are the nominees, and how we get to them is not your business." It's cruel, it's wrong, and it's elitist. Especially when many of the people judging the artists have never played an instrument professionally themselves.
And so I'll end this multi-post with a few simple suggestions, because we cannot bitch and moan, but offer no solution of our own. Open your doors. Invite everyone in to see and be a part of the process. Sure, you can keep your nomination committee. After all, you ponied up the dough, so you're entitled to some control. But at least let us know why these people have made it onto said committee. And expand your guidelines. You cannot discount the publics opinion, without them, music is not heard or dispersed. Statistics are there for a reason. They may not be the whole story, but they're some of it. If a band has sold tens of millions of copies, with double digit platinum and gold records, there's a reason for it. And you can't throw that out the window and still be objective. If fans bring you petitions, don't tear them up. Read them, and if you don't agree, tell us why. And you can keep you 500+ "industry professional" board of voters. I'm sure there's a lot of qualified people on it, but how can we know? You won't release the names. For all I know, fucking Elmo made the cut, because he sang a song once with The Spin Doctors. You're going to have to do a little better than that. Don't alienate the fans, embrace them. They're more a part of Rock n' Roll than you'll ever be. And remember, Rock n' Roll didn't come from money, and it didn't set out to make it. Neither should you.
Hey, a boy can dream can't he?
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