I noticed that the R n R Hall of Fame Concert is on the boob tube tonight (watching Grey Cup...sorry..) Anyways i never really keep up with the RnR Hall of Fame until i decided to look up good ol Wilkepedia and i noticed the inductees over the years..and well i really have some mixed emotions i got to say and so the words that may come out of Old Man Robb's mouth might become kind of confusing..and no im only drinking a medium double double from Tim Hornys and not any Colt 45 or anything else...well not tonight anyways......
First of all let's get something straight...i really like the Ramones, Clash, Sex Pistols (Who infamously snubbed the Hall of Fame and declared "Next to the SEX PISTOLS rock and roll and that hall of fame is a piss stain," the statement read. "Your museum. Urine in wine. Were not coming. Were not your monkey and so what?", Blondie (Where the original band argued on stage at the ceremony), Talking Heads (Who somehow put their differences aside with David Byrne for the evening and performed..), REM and a few others...now there are other bands that are no-brainers- The Stones, Beatles and The BEach Boys (If you can find Mike Love's speech from 1987..please do..got to be his most hall of shame moment ever...) However i am noticing a few things here..a couple of glaring omissions if i must say so myself, and remember kids, this is just Old Man Robb's opinion here...
Alice Cooper and KISS are not in the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame...
Why?
This bewilders me like nothing else, ALOT of bands have borrowed from there two...and i mean ALOT...Johnny Rotten even sang "Im Eighteen" on his audition for the Sex Pistols...Gene Simmons produced Van Halen's (Class of 2007) first demo tape...Metallica was inducted just this year in 2009 and while their success while in many ways eclipsing Alice's and KISS's, the fact remains that they are a band from the 80s getting in before two of the biggest acts from the 1970s and beyond.
Alice himself has even stated, "I hear of bands being in the Hall of Fame that I've never heard of. And then there are a lot of bands that were Alice disciples that are in the Hall of Fame that I've sold more records than." and KISS? Really before KISS NO ONE in rock and roll took advantage of merchandising more so than KISS- action figures, lunchboxes, pinball machines, COFFINS etc etc... MANY rock artists have been influenced by KISS and many got their start by opening for KISS, as well as Alice on the road.
Gene Simmons has, like ALice stated, "“There are disco bands, rap bands, Yiddish folk song bands in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but not Kiss,” Gene Simmons said last year. “I believe we have more gold records in America than any other group, but it’s OK.” Just last year many KISS Army members showed up outside the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame in Clevland to voice their support for KISS being inducted into the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame.
ALice and KISS were NEVER critical darlings, music snobs have always sang the praises of Elvis Costello, The Talking HEads, The Police, The Clash and others on the list, heck they even loved the Ramones although early album reviews were doozies and Joey died the year before the band got in and according to Tommy Ramone, Joey wanted that induction more than anything to show the Ramones finally getting the recognition they deserved.
As i speak this evening, KISS has been nominated for the Class of 2010 for the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame, Alice had not. It would be an interesting evening for sure to see which version of KISS gets to go into the RnR Hall of Fame. Gene and Paul for sure...what about Peter? Ace? Bruce Kulick? Eric Singer? Does Eric Carr get a mention? Vinnie Vincent? They better have the ten second delay on when Gene Simmons finally gets up to the mike...Alice is another story, will Alice even accept the nomination? Maybe he will snub the hall and play golf that day, after his battle with alcoholism and other demons, a fitting finale to Alice's career (Which won't be over anytime soon, both his and KISS) would be an induction to the Hall of Fame...
Personally i can't wait for the year Guns N'Roses gets a nomination and goes in...yes it will happen music snobs, Appititie for Destruction is still the #1 selling debut album of all time by an American band and was also the fastest-selling debut album in history...will be something if they can lure Axl, Slash, Duff, Izzy and Steven onto the same stage again...never say never...if Paul, Gene, Ace and Peter can reunite in 1996 and break attendance records, so can the original GN'R...money talks...bullshit walks..or walks to the Rock N Roll HAll of Fame...
Nuff Said, im out...
No comments:
Post a Comment