I was looking at the list of upcoming inductees to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and have to ask if these are really deserving to be there. I haven't blogged much about music, but those of you who know me well enough know that I used to play, and know a lot more about the history of rock and roll than the average person.
Madonna - I have a real problem with this one. While she's had a powerful cultural influence, I don't think anybody can reasonably argue that she's had any significant musical influence on rock and roll. How many up and coming musical acts would cite Madonna as someone they want to emulate in anything other than a commercial sense? This is not the Marketing Hall of Fame. Maybe the argument would be that the presentation of her live shows influenced others.
John Mellancamp - It's true that he's had a lot of hits, but again, I don't see anyone citing him as a significant musical influence. My own opinion is that his music is, at best, catchy but derivative. Yes, he's been around for a long time now, but longevity alone is not a reason to put someone in the Hall of Fame.
Leonard Cohen - To be honest, I don't know much about him. What I've heard has at least been creative and unique, and I know that other more famous performers have cited him as an influence. I hadn't known that he was a Buddhist until I read his Wikipedia entry just a moment ago. Based on that entry, he's certainly had some success, but he's not someone who'd be likely to be at the top of any given individual's list of people who have to be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I don't have a problem with his selection, even though he seems like a bit of an odd choice to me.
The Dave Clark Five - They had a lot of hits in a short time, but I don't see any lasting influence on music on their part.
The Ventures - There's definitely some lasting influence here on a number of well known (and more influential) musicians from the 60's. Seems like a good choice to me, though a lot of younger people wouldn't recognize them.
Am I correctly seeing a pattern here, in that the people who have actual musical influence are being balanced out by performers with more commercial power? It's almost as though they're afraid that a less commercial set of selections won't have enough star power to keep the attention of the public. Acts with high sales have to be considered, since they've demonstrated a certain appeal, but the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame should be about more than numbers. Weren't there any better options here?
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3 comments:
I have some of Cohen's music -- if you want to take a listen. I first heard it when I saw the movie, "Pump Up the Volume." His lyrics are fascinating and his voice is unique.
You can also check him out in the movie, "Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man." It is part concert film and part documentary. I have not seen it yet. I had actually forgotten about it until I read your post. I just added it to my Netflix queue.
I read an article where the owner of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will never let The Moody Blues in because he doesn't like him. Also he doesn't like prog rock so Rush, Yes and others like that will never make it.
Don't go there or support it. It isn't the R&R hall of fame but a stupid fan boy's money maker.
John Lach
I hadn't heard that the RRHOF had a problem with prog rock, but that *would* explain some omissions. I thought nominations were by committee, but I guess if one guy owns it, he can make arbitrary decisions like that.
So there will be rappers in the RRHOF, but there won't be prog rock bands.
I'd be interested in more of a sample of Leonard Cohen sometime. Based on what I've heard to date, I don't know that I'd want to listen to a lot of his music, but I'm always up for good lyrics.
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