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Believe it or not, Hall honchos got it right
from: mlive.com
by John Sinkevics, The Grand Rapids Press
Let's get that out of the way now, because this annual column -- my take on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees -- generates more e-mail tirades than any other.
On Monday night in New York, The Pretenders, U2, The O'Jays, Percy Sledge and Buddy Guy will snag a piece of rock history, applauded by everybody who's anybody in attendance along with some scruffy, wild-eyed hangers-on who look as comfortable in tuxedos as my dog does in his Halloween costume.
Anyway, before fans of the five inductees get their hackles up and start eyeing my mug a la Hannibal Lecter, let me assure readers I have absolutely no quarrel with this year's selections. This comes as a bit of a surprise even to me, considering I've offended a few previous inductees by suggesting they don't deserve Hall of Fame honors. Those remarks were followed by the usual death threats from fans and recurring nightmares of a shadowy figure haunting my front porch while wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with the name of a band I'd mention if not for the fact that my flak jacket order hasn't arrived yet.
I can honestly report I embrace the Class of '05 (especially U2) and wish it Godspeed, provided it (especially U2) agrees to keep concert ticket prices lower than the cost of a new Lexus. Heck, I've even sung Sledge's "When a Man Loves a Woman" in the shower, though this kind of behavior sends a certain costumed hound cowering behind the basement couch.
Still, the roster of inductees begs the question: Did any deserving rockers fail to make the list? The Hall of Fame gave me the brush-off when I inquired about this, referring me to various information-dispensing folks who eventually informed me that they couldn't inform me about such things.
But because artists are eligible 25 years after their first record came out, peerless detective work reveals this year's new crop of nominees released debut albums in 1980. And that, by all accounts, wasn't a banner year for rock 'n' roll: Top Billboard singles included tunes by K.C. &the Sunshine Band, Captain &Tennille, Christopher Cross, Olivia Newton-John and that hard-rocking Barbra Streisand. It's also the same year Jessica Simpson was born, which might further explain the odd alignment of planets and why so few rock artists merited induction 25 years later.
I did ferret out a few potential nominees: The Dead Kennedys, Loverboy, The English Beat, Ozzy Osbourne, The Psychedelic Furs, X, JOAN JETT, The Cramps, Echo and the Bunnymen and Dexy's Midnight Runners, which produced perhaps the most irritating, obnoxious and confoundedly catchy single of all time, "Come On Eileen." (I'm confident making this claim because I have absolutely nothing to fear from anyone wearing a Dexy's Midnight Runners T-shirt.)
I suppose a rock-hall case could be made for X, the Psychedelic Furs and even Ozzy — I'd relish seeing him shuffle up to the podium for another incoherent acceptance speech — but overall, Hall of Fame honchos actually may have gotten it right this year.
Now, if only they'd go back to the Class of 1993 and reconsider Jethro Tull ... .
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