Have we not talked about the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame?

which means exactly what? that MJ doesn't deserve to be in there? uh-- YEAH he does, a fuck of a lot more than Petty

I'm fine with Tom Petty being in there. He has an amazing penchant for writing radio-ready singles. For "Breakdown" and "American Girl" alone he is deserving.

[insert generic comment on why aren't AC/DC, Black Sabbath, etc., etc. inducted]

Oh, but my favorite inductee -- James Taylor. Man could that guy rock the house.

2) The ceremony often seems to be more awkward/a reminder of ugliness than anything else to me. It often throws together people who have undergone/are undergoing huge personal and legal bitterness towards each other, and the only thing they have in common was that they were in a band for a couple of years eons ago. I'm thinking John Fogerty/CCR; Mamas and the Papas (yes, I know they made up when Phillips died, but when they were performing they wouldn't even LOOK at each other!), The Byrds (initially blowing off Michael Clarke, as in David Crosby's book), The Temptations...

3) Who does/does not get nominated for induction comes off as incredibly political and financially motivated (who will generate the most interest to renew in the public--->more $$).

really? they all seem like pretty innovative artists to me.

Bear in mind that the Music Of Black Origin awards have given lifetime/career achievement type awards to Lionel Richie and Mick Hucknall, but not to James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Little Richard, Lee Perry or Al Green, for instance.

To a point, I think. Both of them were invited to Prague at the same time by Vaclav Havel in the first flush moments of the Velvet Revolution. They were huge inspirations to the Czech underground back in the day.

Said radio show hosts also made comments about Bjork's supposed ugliness. Obviously, they're full of all sorts of nutty stuff. (That Dee Snider; he's wacko.)

For the curious.

Billy Joel needs wedgie therapy, posthaste.

But as I remember, there was quite a fight between NYC, Cleveland & some other place I think - to get it in their city .. I think it came down to tax abatements..

Best part of show: upon speaking about the Clash, The Edge, [cataloging various followers] called Sting's music "White Reggae"... the reaction shot of "Sting" was PRICELESS. He was catatonic.

And yes, I assure you the R&R HOF will never pay Cleveland a DIME.

The only cities I can think of with a claim to doing so would be Memphis, New Orleans, or Los Angeles.
Los...Angeles?
That may be an important city in distributing rock'n'roll, but it had no say in creating it.
Besides, I still don't see why Cleveland can't have a museum to something other than farm equipment. Why NOT let them have a Rock and Roll Museum if they really want one?

..And there is no farming in Cleveland... it's always been industrial.

I like that it's in Cleveland. I like Cleveland.

/history.

Has anyone actually been to the museum, btw? Is it just a bunch of guitars in glass cases?

Oh no? So all the folks from Lousiana, Texas and Arkansas who went out to L.A. in the '40s, like RICHARD BERRY, from Extension, La., the writer of "Louie Louie," and Johnny Otis, had nothing to do with creating rock and roll out there? Hmm. I might suggest you go back and do some reading about the whole black-music scene there in the '40s, Central Avenue, and then get back to me about where you think rock and roll started. L.A. is one of the prime incubators of rock and roll. And it certainly has far more claim to a museum than Cleveland. Freed is certainly a major figure in the early history of broadcasting and packaging rock and roll music, but Dewey Phillips in Memphis and several other people were doing the same. He had nothing to do with creating any of it.

I don't mind Cleveland, it's an unpretentious town.

What about Iggy? What's his status?

I'm not holding my breath for Killing Joke, the Misfits, the Stranglers, Devo, Gang of Four, Motorhead, the Birthday Party, XTC etc. to make it in either. It's a nice idea, I suppose, but ultimately meaningless.

"This is my message to the Nobel Pize nominators and the nominators of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, T.V., Radio, Motion Pictures, Entertainment, Entertainers, and the general public at large world wide. Should you choose me I’ll consider it honorable. However I have conditions for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame." (see above link to CC website).

To place the “Twist” symbol that’s on Chubby Checker’s Beef Jerky, this statue on top of a thirty foot or so pedestal in the courtyard of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. I would like to be alone thank you. I changed the business. I am often called the wheel that Rock rolls on as long as people are dancing apart to the beatof the music they enjoy. Befor “Alexander Graham Bell”...no telephone. Before “Thomas Edison”...no electric light. Before “Dr. George Washington Carver”...no Oil from seed or cloning of plants. Before “Henry Ford”...no V-8 engine. Before “Walt Disney”...no animated cartoons. before Chubby Checker...no “Dancing Apart to the Beat”. What is “Dancing Apart to the Beat”? “Dancing Apart to the Beat” is the dance that we do when we dance apart to the beat of anybody’s music and before “Chubby Checker” it could not be found!