Saturday, October 14, 2017

Oh, We're Halfway There

It's that time of year again already.  No, not Halloween (see yesterday's post for that), but time to announce this year's nominees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  Time to review the list, see who's new to it, see who the holdovers from years past are, feel the outrage for the snubbees, and wax philosophical about the process and what "deserving" really means.

Eh.  The Hall inductions started in 1986 with:
  • Chuck Berry
  • James Brown
  • Ray Charles
  • Sam Cooke
  • Fats Domino
  • The Everly Brothers
  • Buddy Holly
  • Jerry Lee Lewis
  • Little Richard
  • Elvis Presley
Pretty formidable.  31 years later, as a crop of rockers or otherwise gets ushered in each year, it's a much more inclusive group, and most within reason get the nod.  This isn't the BBWAA keeping Cooperstown for the elite only, lording their authority over every nominee.  (Nolan Ryan received just 98.8% of the vote tally, because, you know.)  The Rock Hall is far more like the NFL Hall.  You were great for more than an instant, you're getting considered.

As such, you have Morten Andersen and Yes.  Kevin Greene and Cheap Trick.  Joan Baez and Ray Guy.  Inductees who hung around long enough to be classics, folks a little out of the usual mold, and people that other people enjoyed at some time in their lives.  As it should be.  Exclusivity is passé .

So... who's in this year's crop?  Who will get in?


That's the way I see it. There's a groundswell of support for Bon Jovi and the Moody Blues (somehow), and they do want to fill the event next March.  The Cars are just way too good.  The Hall throws the underserved metal peeps a bone and keeps many more at bay.  Radiohead is a vote for cool and trendy, and they seem a shoo-in.  The inductors add in one random genre pick every year, so maybe Nina Simone.  The Meters could fill that spot, but Dr. John got in 6 years ago and they may space that out.

Meanwhile, The Cure, Smiths, New Order, Pixies, Sonic Youth and others who inhabit hero-dom to alt-rock lovers of the 80's and beyond continue to starve.  Depeche Mode should have been in last year.  I don't know.  It's like reggae: Bob Marley, Jimmy Cliff, and then nothing ever.  Peter Tosh, Steel Pulse, the Maytals, etc.  If you have any reggae in a "rock" Hall, do it right.

Rage Against the Machine is getting hyped for entry, but I don't know that they have the discography of most inductees or the clout of the Nirvana / GN'R types. Meanwhile, LL's exclusion continues to stump me, especially when Tupac got in last year.  Ladies Love Cool James must've pissed somebody off.

Don't count on the feelgood posthumous vote for J. Geils.  Cornell/Soundgarden got no love.  Lemmy/Motörhead got no love.  They don't care.

And a rock and roll hall of fame without Mark Knopfler in some form or fashion, at this point, is just stupid.  Same with Willie Nelson.

That's all for now from your resident rock snob.  Go vote for the fan's choice here, if only to combat the Moody Blues campaign. Here's a Spotify playlist with 3 selected songs from each nominee...

43 comments:

rob said...

whitney's gonna get himself a employee of the week plaque.

Mark said...

Friday the 13th proved to be scary for top 10 CFB teams.

rob said...

kickin' it new school at millbrook high, danimal. my kid's running a cross-country race on the battlefield.

Danimal said...

Cool! Just begin randomly asking people if they know of your Winc friends by name. That won’t be weird there. Let me know who you meet.

Heading to the famed Bolles School today for a swim meet, producer of many an Olympian including two of today’s greatest, Ryan Murphy and Caleb Dressel. Kinda cited.

Whitney said...

Rob, I've come to realize just how much of the heavy lifting around here that you're doing. Just trying to help.

Whitney said...

And I wonder if our daughters might both run in the same end-of-season state cross country meets. Course-side cocktails?

Marls said...

Sooooo, the NCAA has really decided that they just don’t give a fuck anymore? UNC gets a slap on the wrist? If you needed any more confirmation that all the NCAA cares about is maintaining the hegemony of the power conferences and the associated cash flow:
1. You are an idiot
2. Now you have your proof.

Frankly, I think Pitino got ousted too soon. The NCAA will make sacrificial lambs of some meaningless underlings but will do all in its power to avoid punishing the top programs or marquee coaches.

The only saving grace is that nobody but some aging federal judges still fall for this thin veneer of amateurism that allows the NCAA to keep the indentured servants working for peanuts. Sooner or later these kids are gonna get paid. That time can’t come soon enough.

rob said...

my kid ain't nearly fast enough to run at states, but if zoe is, let me know where it's being held, and i'll bring the toddies.

TR said...

Looks like Marls has been reading his thesaurus this week.

Marls said...

I’m thinking of taking the SAT again.

TR said...

My son is the Elvis "Toast" Patterson of his 4th grade flag football league. I should go out and buy him a thesaurus.

Shlara said...

W&M could never host College Game Day
Our mascot is too lame

rob said...

our mascot is pornographic

T.J. said...

#pantslessgriffin #dong

zman said...

My love for Nina Simone is well documented here. I'm not sure she was a rock n roll musician.

W&M couldn't host Game Day because the atmosphere is even lamer than the mascot.

I have a bunch of post ideas but no time to write them. If someone else will put my kids to. We and shuttle them around NJ all weekend I'll write some gems.

zman said...

That should say "put my kids to bed and shuttle them"

zman said...

Trump just twat a braggadocious tweet claiming responsibility for a plunge in "Health Insurance stocks." I guess this aspect of the stock market won't offset our national debt anymore.

rob said...

if they're in bed, why do they need to be shuttled? sounds like you're trying to do too much.

Whitney said...

Speaking of SATs, I have been doing some math online at MBAmath.com as I am prepping for potential future coursework. It has taught me:

- I am an idiot
- this is my proof

Mark said...

Watching Will Grier (predictably) light shit up at West Virginia makes me sad. Not quite as bad as watching Cam Newton at Auburn but pretty fucking close.

zman said...

zwoman texted me "whispering angel" and I thought that meant she wanted to perform a dirty sex move later tonight but she really just wanted a bottle of rose by that name and I was at the liquor store on a booze run.

Whitney said...

Zman... that's what she really wanted. Go for it.

rob said...

my wife texted me 'slumbering squirrel', and i knew we were on for the saturday night usual

zman said...

I got some Sauvignon blanc (they were out of the smutty rose) so hopefully some form of sex move will happen after a few drinks.

Marls said...

What would the Urban Dictionary entry for the Whispering Angel sex act say?

zman said...

I assume it would cross-reference the Filthy Marls, also known as the Toe Jam.

Mark said...

How in the fuck did LSU win this game?

rob said...

baseball! sprots!

Mark said...

Life is better since I gave up watching football.

Marls said...

The Toe Jam was a fantastic move circa 1994.

Whitney said...

Washington American Football Team (WAFT) getting 10.5 against SF. Take the Niners and the points.

zman said...

There's a My Little Pony character named Rainbow Dash but zdaughter calls it Rainbow Gash. This amuses me greatly, zwoman not so much.

zman said...

Austria's new Chancellor is 31. I suspect he's more mature than I am, or at least he doesn't laugh at little girls who can't say "dash."

Marls said...

I believe they are giving 10.5 not getting.

TR said...

Your kid's already a Brony!?

Dave said...

nice one whit, way to keep us updated.

radiohead, the cars, and dire straits are the best rock'n'roll acts on that list by a long shot. the moody blues are just terrible, and if there's any classic band to leave out just to preserve the integrity of the hall, that is the band.

just spent three hours watching the new bladerunner with my kids-- i thought it was a little long, but quite awesome, and my kids loved it and said it went by fast. definitely worth watching the original before you see this one.

Whitney said...

I meant giving. And the Skins are doing exactly what I implied.

zman said...

I give 10.5 once in a while. Used to be more frequent.

Mark said...

I put a little money on the Skins based on Whitney’s recommendation. Nice work. Would be cool if the Lions had showed up in Nolan today.

Whitney said...

I hope you meant the Niners, Mark

Mark said...

So all I had to do was say something about the Lions?

Mark said...

I did mean the Niners, Whit. Got them at +11.

rob said...

just copped a pair of tix to see jason isbell in richmond in february. jump in, gheorghies.