The annual nominees for the R&R Hall Of Fame have been released today. And with that usually it’s a day I go crazy and rant and rave about who is and isn’t on the ballot as I have since the thing opened. But I have thought about it and decided I’m done doing that. Why? Not because it has been fixed at all, quite the opposite actually. It is SO damaged and SO clueless and SO disrespectful of real rock bands that it has actually become irrelevant and not worth my time or aggravation. After years of screaming about Rush, Kiss and Alice Cooper, all who finally did go in, I noticed something else, it was forgotten about 24 hours later. I mean it had zero impact on any artists careers. It did nothing to spike sales of albums or tickets. Many don’t even see it because it is expensive to go to and the TV broadcast is now on a premium pay channel. Having attended the induction last year as a guest of Ace & Peter’s it was a really nice moment of course, and of course there are tons of worthy bands in the Hall. But looking at the nominees this year as far as who is on it and who is not even in the conversation after being snubbed for over a decade I realized something. Why get upset? This is NEVER going to change! It is a private club of the music industry snobs and never was the voice of the fans. They have run this thing into total irrelevance in my opinion because they are so hung up on what they think is cool vs what millions of music fans buy and care about. It just doesn’t matter at all in the big picture because the history of who has and hasn’t gone in (and how long some waited to finally get in) just taints it. If you are a real rock music fan and take a step back you just have to laugh at all the obvious bias going on. I get the sense the same people that made fun of me for liking Kiss in high school have all moved to the Hall nomination group. It’s that type of elitist music snob vibe. It always has been but I thought when Rush, Kiss, Alice, etc finally got in the tide would turn and progress would be made. But nothing has changed. Deep Purple, Bon Jovi, Dio, Motorhead, Motley, Def Leppard, Cheap Trick, Journey, Styx, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, and COUNTLESS other huge selling and influential acts are still snubbed in the rush to get Green Day, or Sting solo in. I have decided by ranting about it I am giving this thing way too much credit and validity. I kind of thought that all along but actually thought some progress was finally being made. But it is as disrespectful as ever for real rock music and to the millions of fans these bands have. So it doesn’t move the needle, half the artists don’t want to go, most fans can’t go or even see the broadcast, and fans have very little to do with it and THEY make the bands careers! It’s irrelevant to me now and a total time waster. Yes I get it still means something to some artists to go in, and I would never belittle that moment for anyone. But it really has become irrelevant in so many ways to REAL fans of REAL rock bands that sold MILLIONS of albums and INFLUENCED generations that it isn’t worth my time and effort. And I know many will say “somebody needs to start their own Hall”. Heard that a million times, tried and still try to find an interested partner with the resources. Maybe one day. But until then I, or any other real rock fan, shouldn’t acknowledge this joke of a private club. I did for so long because I thought it would help change the tide, but I see that is just not going to ever happen and it’s time to move on. Especially when you consider in the big picture the way it’s done it means very little in the end.
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189 Responses
Yes, it really just doesn’t matter. The snubs are ridiculous, but not worth out attention any longer.
If you ever did find an interested partner with resources to start your own truly legit hall…your main problem would be who to NOT include! All the bands you’ve interviewed and gotten to know over the years would come to you saying…hey, what about us!
(One minor thing Eddie…that single huge paragraph is not easy to read. Can you break future ones up into several smaller paragraphs? Just asking…)
Eddie you are so right. This is so far off the rails it makes no sense to even waste any further time on whose getting in and who isn’t. The list of those not in is too long and embarrassing. Yes, take your fantastic voyage of experiences you have so eloquently written about in your books and make the most lasting legacy of your lifetime; this museum. You know better than most the metal fans and the artists would come together to help you with this. You would give them the respect for what they have given us all. You know those disrespectful jerks never will.
That sounded like a rant. Anyway, the hall represents a business that is run by people who do what they want, kinda like bands these days. So, they screwed it up, and now it’s a joke. No biggy. Respect or legitimacy has always come from the fans when it comes to hard rock/heavy metal.
How about starting the Eddie Trunk Hall of Fame and start with the Founding Fathers, Chuck Berry- Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis – and work up the timeline through the rest of the 50’s and 60’s and into the glory days of the 70’s… when ALL influential ROCK and ROLL artists are inducted then we can move onto Dance, Hip-Hop and any other form of music that was influenced by those that came before and not before!!
Any music hall of fame should not only be about album sales but the influence they have had on the music after their “heyday”. But these clowns like big hits… well Extreme had two top 5 songs… more than many acts currently in the hall! Their logic is so flawed or better yet, it’s not even logic at all.