How did we get here?
Where the only people who seem to care are those desirous of getting third-rate talent inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the old men who are on the nominating committee?
Once upon a time rock and roll ruled the world. They said it would never die.
But it did.
The problem with rock is innovation has stopped. There are some good bands, but they barely test the limits, stretch the dynamics, of those who’ve come before. It’s endless repeats of an old formula. And if you think that’s interesting, you’re probably addicted to your Nintendo 64.
Whereas music has twisted and turned, completely mutated since the core members were inducted.
Now the R&RHOF is all politics.
Getting people in. And if you think Ringo Starr deserves to be in as a solo act, you’ve never heard Yes. “Roundabout” means more than all of Ringo’s solo hits combined. But for some reason, prog rock is sorely underrepresented in the R&RHOF.
We’ve all got our list of deserving potential admittees who are not in the hall.
But we’ve given up hope. When KISS and Rush are in before Steve Miller and Kraftwerk – never mind Deep Purple – those who truly care throw their hands in the air and ignore the whole process. They know it’s flawed. That it’s not about artistry, but connections.
And the R&RHOF lumbers on ignorant of the country’s feelings.
Making the ceremony bigger, including youngsters for the telecast the same way the Grammys include TV stars. This has got nothing to do with rock and roll.
Once again, rock is dead.
It was killed by greed. Michael Jackson put a stake in its heart with “Thriller.”
And everything good dies out. Or how did Billy Joel put it, “only the good die young”?
So close the doors. Throw away the key.
Jann Wenner
The Museum of Modern Art doesn’t include antiquities to broaden its appeal.
Let them have a Hip-Hop Hall Of Fame.
And if we’re lucky, an EDM HOF right next to it.
And while you’re at it, include a POP HOF. With a special one hit wonders exhibit that will draw throngs.
Just like Rolling Stone Jann Wenner screwed up his magazine by shrinking its size and then publishing the unsubstantiated UVA rape story, he’s ruined the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame. Through myopia, by wielding tight-fisted control, by being so inside the bubble as to not know what’s going on.
The R&RHOF is the kind of institution people would rather not be a member of. Madonna’s got nothing to do with rock and some inductees are so far from luminaries, it’s laughable.
Rock ruled the Baby Boomers.
Koch Brothers
And since the Baby Boomers have political power and money, they think they can foist their viewpoint upon the country and it will stick. Just like the Koch Brothers believe by spending enough money they can control the narrative, never mind Congress.
“Your old road is rapidly agin’
Please get out of the new one if you can’t lend your hand
For the times they are a-changin'”
See that the biggest venue in America is the smartphone. And its stars are Snapchat and Facebook and they’re all about getting people to connect and communicate. It’s no longer about top down, but bottom up. The public rules. To see young and old farts blowing smoke at the R&RHOF ceremony is to witness something irrelevant, assuming we’re paying any attention at all.
well, having Ringo in is definitely a head-scratcher. love the man and he’s certainly made the most of his post-Beatles career for a drummer who has no songwriting talent to speak of and a barely listenable singing voice. but HOF for solo work? hm…
It was a horrible obligatory move…..
Jesus. Pack it in folks, rock if it wasn’t already dead NOW officially is.
I mean, the guy was a good drummer but seriously? SERIOUSLY!??!?!
Hey!!
No mention for me???
The Koch Brothers? Really?
From The Associated Press.
“For as often as Democrats attack the conservative billionaires Charles and David Koch for their heavy spending on politics, it’s actually the liberal-minded who shelled out the most cash in the just completed midterm elections.
At least, that is, among those groups that must disclose what they raise and spend.
Among the top 100 individual donors to political groups, more than half gave primarily to Democrats or their allies. Among groups that funneled more than $100,000 to allies, the top of the list tilted overwhelmingly toward Democrats — a group favoring the GOP doesn’t appear on the list until No. 14.
The two biggest super PACs of 2014? Senate Majority PAC and House Majority PAC — both backing Democrats.
In all, the top 10 individual donors to outside groups injected almost $128 million into this year’s elections. Democratic-leaning groups collected $91 million of it.
Among the 183 groups that wrote checks of $100,000 or more to another group, Democrats had a 3-to-1 cash advantage. The biggest player was the National Education Association, at $22 million. Not a single Republican-leaning group cracked the top 10 list of those transferring money to others.
Overall, for the campaign season that just ended, donors who gave more than $1 million sent roughly 60 cents of every dollar to liberal groups. Among the 10 biggest donors, Democrats outspent Republicans by an almost 3-to-1 margin.
There are a number of reasons why the rich tend to support the Democrats. One is the protection racket. Democrats are the party that demagogues class warfare rhetoric. Supporting them buys a degree of immunity. The left’s dominance of cultural institutions means that social prestige as well as political benefit flows in the direction of those who “fight the good fight” (as the left sees it) by supporting the Democrats. Although the Koch brothers lavishly support various cultural institutions, their support for conservative/libertarian causes has made their names anathema in much of the cultural and media establishment.
The Democrats are also the party of Big Government, and the mega-rich often fnd themselves in a position to benefit from BG programs. A little subsidy here, a loan guarantee there, tax breaks for following the will of the social engineers – it all adds up.
The GOP is the party of the middle class and small business. Democrats are the party of the rich and the poor.”
I heard Marshall Applewhite’s favorite song, in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, was “Don’t Stop Believing”.
Thanks for changing the topic, Chuck. I knew you’d have my back. Brandon was getting a little real there and ain’t nobody got time for that.
Ringo, you were always the poorest excuse for a Beatle.
You can’t read?
Who brought up the evil “K” brothers?
Go ask Paul what to think.
you’re the expert. who should be in who iins’t.
followed the ceremonies til about 2012 but they got boring.
The main ones are in…but who’s left to indust. Ringo as a solo artist..no..
but a big name to draw viewers.
And rock music hasn’t had many superstars in many years. Th net/cells/streaing…
you tube pretty much killed that and the lack of venues playing livemusic.
On CMA’s ther’s plenty of new stars on that show. 3 or 4 really good ones this
year…but they don’t wait 4years to put out a new release.
Rock is dying….too bad.
But lets be serio would Joplin/Dylan/cocker/etc make the big releases
they made years ago today. Would any of them even make it to amercian idol?
American’s tastes have changed…new music lasts maybe a month then forgotten
Look at top 10 touring groups over the last 2 years…stones/fleewood mac/
acdc/u2 etc….nooone really new!
The rock “sound” will always be popular but the old genre’s of soft rock bands, album rock bands, heavy metal rock bands, hair rock bands, thrash metal rock bands are gone..all those formats were fads and they all had their day in the sun.