2023 Rock & Roll HOF screechfest

Get in line behind Slayer!

 

Which is why Iron Maiden -- a founding and definitive band of its genre (and a band that's still getting it done) -- should be in. But the HOF's blind eye for metal will likely mean they'll again come up short. Soundgarden, the most ardently metal of the core Seattle bands (at least for the first couple of albums), likely will meet the same fate again this year.

I think George Michael, Willie Nelson and JD/NO are locks this year. Missy Elliott is far more influential than most realize, but I'm not sure that she gets in on the first ballot. I'm torn on the White Stripes, whose music I enjoy. Were they all that influential or just one guy -- who has become very well connected in recent years, showing up at the right places that HOF voters will notice -- who banged out some rockin' songs while crafting a very peculiar (and at least partially embellished) backstory for himself.

Sheryl Crow: no
Cyndi Lauper: no
Warren Zevon: eh, maybe? I feel like he's appreciated far more by other musicians than the general public.
Kate Bush: The Stranger Things song will probably push her over the edge, though that song existed the first three times she was nominated.
The Spinners: Workmanlike soul from a group that had Billboard Top 100 songs from the early 1960s through 1980, but only one No. 1 song and it's not exactly memorable (1974 "Then Came You," which got an added bonus from Dionne Warwick).
Tribe Called Quest: Probably not getting in
Rage Against the Machine: Tom Morello shows up to the ceremony all the time to induct other artists, but RATM can't break through.

 

No extra points for crooning with Burt?

 

White Stripes - yes
Missy Elliott - no
Sheryl Crow - no
Warren Zevon - yes
Cyndi Lauper - no
George Michael - yes
Willie Nelson - yes, like how was he not in ages ago?
Joy Division and New Order (packaged together) - I could see them getting in
Kate Bush - no but she could be this year's Jann Wenner Special
Iron Maiden - yes and where the fuck is Motorhead?
Soundgarden - no
The Spinners - no
A Tribe Called Quest - no
Rage Against The Machine - I'm a fan but no

 

White Stripes -- not really, they have 2-3 iconic songs not much beyond that
Missy Elliott -- she might get in
Sheryl Crow -- yes
Warren Zevon -- unlikely but depends which old heads are voting
Cyndi Lauper -- definitely
George Michael -- definitley
Willie Nelson -- definitely
Joy Division and New Order (packaged together) -- definitely, maybe

Kate Bush -- meh
Iron Maiden -- no
Soundgarden -- no
The Spinners -- is this like a veterans committee vote?
A Tribe Called Quest -- Boogie Down Productions should be in before Tribe
Rage Against The Machine -- no

 

Who I think will get in:

Sheryl Crow
Willie Nelson
George Michael
Soundgarden
Cyndi Lauper

Almost put Zevon in as my final choice, but I thought I read somewhere that the guy who's now overseeing the voting/election process was a bigwig with MTV back in the 80s, which might explain the love for 80s video stars the past few years: Go Gos, Duran Duran, Benatar, Eurythmics.

 

Yeah, Hall CEO John Sykes was a co-founder of MTV and now is iHeartMedia president. Since he replaced Jann Wenner a few years back, the nominees have trended populist, which probably is a double-edged sword: While it opens things up to more women and POC, it also opens things up to acts (of all races and genders) that were known more for selling a lot of records or for having popular videos rather than their overall influence on the genre.

Of course, there's also the fact that nearly every critical darling already has been enshrined -- some, like all the Beatles and Stevie Nicks, more than once! -- and they simply need to include these lesser acts to keep the whole enterprise afloat.

 

If Sheryl Crow is a fucking ROCK AND ROLL Hall of Famer and Soundgarden aren't, what are we even doing here?

 

Agreed, she's the least deserving on this year's list. All of her most popular songs were written by committee (she had songwriting help with nearly all of her other songs, too), and I struggle to see how she influenced anything beyond movie and commercial soundtracks. She had the colossally popular debut album and a few follow-ups that kept her in the public eye for a bit, but then it was quickly diminishing returns.

 

And what exactly did Soundgarden do beyond their 2 or 3 songs? They were Chris Cornell and the other guys.

 

Sheryl Crow has some good tunes, but her version of D’yer Maker might be the worst cover I’ve ever heard.

 

They influenced an entire genre. Their record label gave birth to the “Seattle sound.”

Chris Cornell had an all-time voice. And their three-album run from Badmotorfinger to Down on the Upside is legendary on its own. Listen to Rusty Cage and tell me again how it was Cornell and a bunch of randos.