2012 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Yellfest

Loverboy was worse than Triumph. Helix and April Wine were both arguably worse than Triumph and Platinum Blonde was without question worse than Triumph. If you grew up in a shitty industrial small city in the Great Lakes region, Triumph played the local 8,000 seat hockey arena on every tour and you loved it. Hell of a live band actually, even if you do accurately describe the warmed-over Zep licks and the self-help lyrics.

 

Nickelback wish they were as good as Loverboy.

 

"Hot Girls in Love" kicks ass, though. To this day.

 

Everybody's jerkin' off this weekend.




Everybody's jerking off this weekend
Everybody wants to drop their pants
Everybodys whacking on their meat, friend
Even in Japan and France

 

Triumph makes Rush look like the Beatles. They are horrid.

 

I'm a Rush fan, and all my dice have only six sides.

 

I've got the magic power of the music in me which will help me make it through another day to fight the good fight and never surrender.

Yeah, it's cliched self help bullshit suitable for the training montage or closing credits of a late-80s straight to video Karate Kid or Youngblood knockoff. But they're good musicians and they were great live. I'm a Triumph fan. I celebrate their entire catalog.

Seriously though, I hope Rush gets in so I can start my Iron Maiden campaign. It would be fascinating to see them perform a 20-minute blowout version of "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" at the inductions, joined onstage by the likes of John Fogerty, Dr. John, Rickie Lee Jones, Afrika Bambatta and a horn section.

 

No fucking way does April Wine belong in any discussion of shitty Canadian bands and Triumph took themselves way more seriously than Loverboy, Helix and Platinum Blonde (who I first saw when they were a Police tribute act). But Rik Emmett can play and I know he taught a guitar course for years at one of the local community colleges. The local cable channel occasionally airs one of the acoustic shows he does around Toronto. That's some pretty good stuff.

Buddy of mine is in the music bidness and he ran into Gil Moore at some event not long ago and apparently all three guys are back on speaking terms which can only mean there will be the inevitable album and reunion tour. Never surrender, indeed.

 

Does Mike Levine still look like Doug Henning in a hockey jersey?

 

Yeah, maybe, but I always thought of him as the inspiration for Spinal Tap bassist Derek Smalls:

 

I still find it unfathomable that Mott the Hoople/Ian Hunter have never even received a nomination.