Crowning the Idols: Thoughts on the RRHOF Class of 2024

And so we have a class. In contrast to the afterthought ballot announcement, this one was literally proclaimed in prime time as part of a “Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Night” on that bastion of engineered “reality” stardom, American Idol.  

Idol fans didn’t even notice, from what I could tell on the show’s socials posts. On the big night, it was over in about 60 seconds. So thus far it seems like Disney has gotten free content, while the Rock Hall has turned over control of its own narrative and become a sound bite.

We knew this already, but it’s clear that we’re going to see even more populist classes. Anything like a Fela Kuti will have to wait for the categories. But the categories have been pressed into service as catchalls for what the Nom Com can’t get through on a vote in the first place. There’s no room now to put supporting musicians into the category meant to honor them. It’s not going to get better; the voters at this point are counting on the acts they don’t vote for going in through categories, despite a perception that the “back door” inductions aren’t “real.” By listing all the names together alphabetically, the Hall’s trying to soft-pedal the whole subject. This system is so beyond borked.

And while we’re on categories, why is Norman Whitfield not inducted with Barrett Strong — the Hall never seems to know who worked with whom. And why didn’t they use Musical Excellence for Devo, in a Cleveland year?

Peter Frampton’s resume is wafer-thin, but it’s so hard to begrudge him. Still, it feels like Sinead or Mariah (what an odd pair) should be in this slot. I wonder if the voters thought Sinead is just a one-hit wonder. Kravitz will be back. I can handle it better now that he’s not an FYN. I’m betting on Phil Collins in the next couple of years, and I’m not mad about it.

Without vote transparency we’ll never know, but I suspect the Hall did some engineering in the name of good by making it a class of eight. I have to stress that everyone on the list deserves induction, absolutely. But the Hall is trying to meet expectations for class makeup that this ballot may have made difficult. I said I thought the class would go to eight if DMB didn’t get the votes, and I’m just not sure they did. To be honest, I think their massive numbers in the fan vote were bot-boosted. No judgment: Not that it makes it right, but it’s been done by multiple fan bases before. Their fans wanted to get their own back. The optics would’ve been terrible if the band was left off again.

Which brings us to Mariah.

WT actual F?

I thought there was no way she could miss. Although I thought that about Warren Zevon too. But here we are. As a non-fan, I’m still stunned. You look at the length of her career, her awards, her influence on younger singers, and she should be an FYN.

It seems a lot of people thought like a friend of mine – someone who’s at a shows at least once a week if not more—who texted me: “At least Mariah didn’t get in.” I asked him about that, and his reply was, “Just never liked her. She’s got a great voice, but she never impressed me much. She will get in for that damn Christmas song she does. Just didn’t think she was a first-time inductee.” The damn Christmas song’s only in the National Recording Registry.  

Is this a good time to note that only two women made the main class of eight, and five out of 16 total? And are still only 8.79% of inductees? No?

The other woman in the performer class is, of course, Cher. I believe she’ll show up to headline, and it’ll be one for the history books. The relative importance of her musical output ceased to matter long ago: It’s Cher’s world, we’re all just lucky to live in it.

On the flip side, the omission of Carol Kaye is just inexcusable. No other way to put it. Not finding her name on the list was a punch to the gut. Why is it so important to put Alexis Korner in now? Yes, he should’ve been in years – decades – ago, but he’s been gone for 40. What’s one more? I guess it was critical to rush to get both the cornerstones of British blues in at the same time. At least, at long last, Big Mama Thornton gets her due. And if Korner and Mayall can wait this long, there may be hope for Lonnie Donegan.

And it’s good to see Suzanne DePasse getting the nod for non-performer. But when, Rock Hall, when,  will the omission of Estelle Axton be rectified? When can four or five minutes be spared for her?

No one expected Jimmy Buffett to show up in the categories this year. In most respects, it’s a win: It pleases all the artists who paid tribute after Buffett’s passing and might be counted on to appear in a package or show up for a tribute. It’s media-friendly. It frees up a ballot spot next year. And it keeps the induction relatively timely. For some artists, that’s important I guess. I’m curious to see how much ceremony time he gets.

With so many legendary names making what’s likely their final appearances, the induction will be a genuinely historic event. But it’s going to be 12 hours long, and someone’s still going to get short shrift. Let’s hope it’s not the all-star jam.

Random Takes and Unpopular Opinions: Thoughts as the 2024 Ballot Closes

Time flies – voting has closed for this year’s Rock Hall ballot and the class should be announced shortly. Personally, I’m glad they moved to close it a couple of weeks early; the process is just interminable as it stands and it’s doubtful any more big moves were going to happen.

This was a weird ballot, underwhelming as a whole but full, for the most part, of deserving names. For me, it’s been the least personally compelling in the 10 years or so I’ve really been paying attention to the process: artists I can see the merits of intellectually or that I like, but no one I’m passionate about. It’s mostly cases of “That’d be nice” or “I wouldn’t be mad about it.”

But you know who IS passionate about all this? Foreigner, that’s who. Before now, nominees kept their cheerleading to a relatively restrained link to the ballot on their socials and maybe a demure “It’s an honor to be included” in interviews, but this year we saw a full-out “For Your Consideration” video pushed by the band itself, made by Mick Jones’ nephew Mark Ronson with a cameo from none other than Macca himself.

In the film world, this kind of thing would be handled by the studios, which in the music industry would correspond to the labels. It’s been a minute since I was in music retail so I don’t even know what labels are in existence anymore. Rhino doesn’t seem to get involved in these matters much. I read once somewhere that WEA artists make up the majority of inductees, maybe not surprising given Ertegun’s involvement. People call it “thirsty” but hey, why not? If artists are silent, we wonder why they’re not involved. Better than the passive-aggressive bullshit we saw from Bon Jovi in 2018.

Conversely, Mariah Carey has been pretty much silent. Going in, I thought she was too big to fail. But her fans have let her fall out of the top seven, and she hasn’t been active in promoting the nomination on her socials. The voter ballots shared on the Who Cares About the Rockhall podcast Patreon feed aren’t a representative sample, but I’m shocked at how dismissive they’ve been of her. I’ve never liked her, but even I can see she more than deserves this. I just don’t know if the voters at large feel the same way, or how strong the rockist contingent is. I think she may squeak in, but I expected a waltz. I wonder if her silence is an admission that she doesn’t trust her support, or conversely, thinks she doesn’t need it.

I said in my last post that Foreigner had “no there there,” but that’s wrong: That would be Lenny Kravitz. He’s had a handful of OK hits. But that’s it. There is just no way on earth you can call his a Hall of Fame career. Steve Miller’s overrated, but you could still make some kind of case. Sheryl Crow is beyond overrated; her nom infuriated me, but I knew it was inevitable and spared myself the angst of getting worked up over it. One of my personal criteria for weighing an artist’s Hall cred is asking whether you can have a thorough conversation about their timeframe without mentioning them. That’s why for me, Peter Frampton has more of a case, albeit a slim one: You can’t talk about the 70s without talking about “Frampton Comes Alive” and its impact on the perception of live albums. You can very easily talk about the last 30 years without mentioning Kravitz.  

Random thoughts about the rest of the ballot:

Of course, Cher will walk in.

This could be a big year for classic rock. I think Ozzy has a lot of affection in the industry and has an excellent shot, unless there are enough people out there who hate Sharon. I don’t think most voters split hairs about double inductions. There’s also a lot of love for Frampton, although enough people may hesitate at the thinness of his catalog, and/or remember the Sgt. Pepper Movie. I enjoy the hell out of Foreigner, but it’s like Journey: I’m not sure they belong in there. But it wouldn’t make me mad.

I don’t know how the voting bloc falls out for DMB. I’m not sure they really have a lot of fans there. But – technologically assisted or not – they’ve annihilated the fan vote, and the optics would suck if they’re denied again. Does the Hall care? I think yes, enough that they’re getting in. Maybe even if it makes a class of eight. There’s definitely an argument that you have to have jam bands in the mix to tell the story. Again, not my thing, but wouldn’t make me mad.

As much as I hate it, I think this ballot just isn’t the right one for either Mary J. Blige or Sade. I don’t know what to make of hip hop’s chances without a marquee name – has the voting bloc changed enough to make enough of a difference? If so, I think ATCQ has the better chance compared to Eric B. and Rakim.

I hate to have to wonder how much impact Sinead O’Connor’s passing has on her chances. In so many ways, she’s the most rock and roll artist here, but will the rank and file voters dismiss her as a one-hit wonder? Or has there been a reassessment, coupled with sadness over the situation?

I’ve never liked Oasis, but again, I recognize how big they were and threw some fan votes their way. Not sure this is their ballot though. Ditto for Jane’s. I think Kool & the Gang have a good shot in the wake of the Spinners and I’m here for it.

Right now, I’m more looking forward to the category announcements. There’s so much to hope for there. But nothing really matters as much as bestowing the Musical Excellence award to Carol Kaye. She just turned 89 years old. Anyone and everyone else can wait. This has to be made right, and right now.

My predictions, which to be honest I’m shaky about, are (at least of writing):

• Ozzy
• Foreigner
• Cher
• DMB
• Kool and the Gang
• Mariah
• ATCQ

Oh, By the Way, Here Are Our Nominees: The 2024 Rock Hall Ballot

Welp, that happened. This past Saturday, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced its nominees for the class of 2024. Call me an outlier, call me irrelevant (most likely), but I’ve never been so underwhelmed.

Before we talk about the class, we need to talk about how this whole thing was handled, or better to say not handled. Based on the past couple of years with the current schedule, veteran Hall watchers expected the announcement on Wednesday the 7^th, or the following week at the latest. The 7^th came and went with nary a peep from the Hall, and there was no buildup on its social accounts (incidentally, the Hall hadn’t tweeted since Jan. 23).

On Thursday, Eric B. and Rakim’s manager announced that the act had gotten its second nom, and it took a fill 24 hours for the Hall to post in the fourth panel of its Instagram story that “something big” was happening. The video was from Taylor Swift’s induction of Carole King from 2021, leading some media outlets to guess that the announcement was something Swift-related. Maybe the fact that they felt they had to use Taylor Swift to grab eyeballs should’ve told us something. The leaks kept coming: as Friday night rolled around, Rolling Stone leaked Ozzy, Cher, and Mariah and then took the post down.

And as late as Saturday morning, most of us had no idea what time to expect it. Those of us who get Hall emails had seen nothing, and from what I’ve been told, members hadn’t either. I’d already mentally checked out by this point – around 8:20 I finally remembered to check: nothing. If it wasn’t for Future Rock Legends, I’d have never known it was at 11:30.

Finally, there was the ballot, with Lenny Kravitz’ name misspelled in his bio and the Oasis band lineup fiddled with after the announcement. Some things never change. (Nom Com members: If you’re advocating for an act with more than one member, take a minute to look them up on Wikipedia, or get a copy of Rock Chronicles by David Roberts and find out exactly who’s been in the band when and have a lineup ready.) It took a while for anything to show up on the Hall’s accounts, and as of Sunday there’s still no evidence of an organized campaign around the ballot – no interviews, nada.

Seriously, what in the HELL is going on at the Rock Hall? If this is all their PR department can do, they should all be canned. Or have they already been canned and the janitor’s doing it now?

Even if you’re not in the industry, you know that you don’t break a big announcement on a weekend. Every single step of this has been a complete screw up, and it’s unfathomable – this is the kickoff for their big event, their reason for being, for crying out loud. If they can’t be bothered to care, why should we? And you call yourself “Rock’s highest honor”?

So that brings us to the class itself. Nothing about it makes me Sheryl Crow levels of angry, and when I look at it name by name, I’m actually pleased about almost half of them. But overall…whatever.

In an odd way, it manages to be surprising and totally predictable at the same time, which is actually quite a feat. There was a lot of agreement among those doing predictions, but most of those names aren’t here. But the names that are here make a lot of sense. They’re surprising, but safe. They fit the narrative for an organization with a shiny new partnership with Disney. We’re not going to see anything again that’s totally unexpected, that tells us the Nom Com wants to challenge us.

So without further ado:

Ozzy Osbourne: Oddly, this may be the name that I’m most chuffed about. I’m not a giant fan, but his solo career is undeniable and it’s good to see this while he’s still with us and could possibly attend if not perform. He has an excellent chance of being a FYN.

Sinead O’Connor: It’s deserved, and I’m happy to see her name, but that being said, this feels performative. She’s not currently in the top of the fan vote but I think she has a good chance.

Peter Frampton: He’s loved in the industry and a deserved shoo-in.

Sade: Possibly the biggest surprise for me, and while I think it may take a nomination or two for them to get in, it’s a joy to see them here. Any discussion of the 80s has to take in the jazz undercurrent.

Kool and the Gang: At one time we thought there was no more room at the Hall for R&B veterans, until the Spinners got their long-overdue nod. This too was a long time in coming and very deserved.

Mary J. Blige: The Queen of hip-hop soul is back, as she should be, but this ballot may not be the right one for her, unfortunately.

Cher: Look, people:I was lip synching “Gypsies, Tramps, and Thieves” into a hairbrush last night let’s just say a long time ago. The woman is a goddess and a cultural touchstone. She’ll probably get in, whether she wants it or not, and the fabulousness quotient of the Hall will rise exponentially. Even if she makes good on her determination not to show, her segment of the ceremony has the potential to be amazing. And I’ll look forward to it. That being said, there are so many artists I’d put in this spot.

Mariah Carey: We’ve all wondered she’d have her moment, and now it’s here. She more than qualifies, and I think she’ll go right in. I recognize her bona fides, but I’m not a fan.

Dave Matthews Band: Matthews charmed everyone last year with his inductionspeech for Willie Nelson, and you could say karma owes them after being left off despite a resounding fan vote win in 2020. The industry seems ready to recognize their resume, and the fact that this ballot is very light on anything even tangential to rock could work in their favor.

Oasis: God, I hate this band.But they were one of the biggest bands of their time with two albums considered classics. We’ll have to wait and see if the fact that they’re British works against them.   

Foreigner: I feel about Foreigner similar to how I feel about Journey: I like them, and they’re good at what they do, but do they deserve to be in the Hall? Ahmet Ertegun called them his most important signing. And Lou Gramm is one of the great vocalists of the m odern era. But they’re not the juggernaut Journey . While they’ll do well in the fan vote due to again, the shortage of rock, I don’t see them making the cut this year.

Jane’s Addiction, Eric B. and Rakim, A Tribe Called Quest: I can’t in honesty evaluate any of them; they’re just outside my wheelhouse. Intellectually, I accept the arguments, but at least in ATCQ’s case I don’t see them getting in through the vote this time either.

Lenny Kravitz: I like Lenny. He’s coolerthan most mere mortals will ever be. He’s had a good, journeyman-like career. But that’s it. Nope. But again, the paucity of rock on this ballot could help him. It’s good to have representation of Black rock artists. But Jon Butcher would like a word.

My first take on seeing the ballot as a whole was that it was sloppily put together: In Mariah, Sade, and Mary J. Blige, you‘re got three women who are not by any means the same, but their “lanes” are adjacent and they could, however unfairly cancel each other out. Same for Eric B./Rakim and ATCQ for voters who don’t do their homework, which we know happens.

But maybe there’s a method to the madness: the female names are all big ones, and already news outlets are posting pictures of Cher, Mariah, and Sinead and talking about how women are making a big showing. It’d be hard to slice the ballot in a way that would exclude all of them, or artists of color, so in the wake of the Wenner scandal, the optics look good – on the surface. As Evelyn McDonnell noted, all the women nominated are solo acts, men still far outnumber them because of the band factor. It’s harder to find women in band situations, and that’s a whole separate story, but there are some that should be in the conversation. We’re back to all dudes in the hip hop category, instead of carrying the momentum from Missy Elliot’s induction forward.

I knew eventually my irrelevance would take me out of this game, but I thought it would be a little more gradual. There aren’t enough artists on here that I’m passionate about, and the Hall can’t do its job well enough to convince me right now I should give a shit. At this point, I’m waiting for the categories. Beyond that, I don’t know. I haven’t listened to any podcasts or read any news stories because I wanted to go through my own reaction first, so I don’t know if I’m alone. But sadly, I’ll bet I’m not.

Mixed Feelings: Rock Hall Predictions 2024

Since the advent (no pun intended) of the current Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nomination/induction schedule, November brings with it more than the holiday season, it also brings the time for predictions for the next calendar year’s class. A few lists have already come out, both on online entertainment sites or on social media, and now, fresh off a New Year’s Rockin’ Eve special that showcased at least three Hall of Famers in with the kids, it’s time to show the cards.

Predicting feels weird this year. Back in September, the Hall ousted co-founder Jann Wenner from its Board after his spectacular self-own for the ages, but hasn’t made any statement yet to formally condemn his remarks or reiterate its philsophy/plans/goals/commitment to creating a more inclusive inductee list. Maybe they feel their actions over the past few years have done the talking. Or they’re planning a statement to coincide with the ballot reveal, or the next ballot is going to be a departure like we’ve never seen before. Um, yeah.

Maybe doing predictions is just rubber-stamping the status quo, but I thought I’d go ahead and do it to see how I thought things might go. I have mixed feelings about what I’ve come up with. It’s still pretty white male-centric: Is that a reflection of my biases, or how much I’ve internalized the Hall’s? And I’m less and less likely to have insight into newly eligible names. Nothing seems like a sure shot and thankfully, no Kool-Aid being served this time.

But having said all that, this is what I’ve got. In no particular order (* denotes a previous nomination):

1. Jimmy Buffett: I never thought I’d make, let alone start, a list with him. “Come Monday” aside, I’ve never been a fan, and have never given his chances a a serious thought. It’s one area where I’ve actually agreed with Steve Van Zandt. But seeing the tributes since Buffett’s passing have shown me that he had more standing in the industry than I knew.
2. Salt n Pepa: May be wishful thinking on my part. Little Wayne, 50 Cent, and Ludicris are all eligible this year. It’s been argued that Queen Latifah, Roxanne Shante, or MC Lyte should take precedence, and there’s a lot to consider there. But none of them were as big commercially as the badass ladies from Queens, and you have to admit that counts for a lot. They buried the hatchet with Spinderella long enough to accept their Walk of Fame star, so maybe they’d consider a performance. “Push It” would light Public Hall up.
3. Dave Matthews Band*: Is it time, four years after their infamous snub?
4. Iron Maiden*: It has to happen, and the Hall must’ve been pleasantly surprised by how well Priest went over two years ago.
5. Cyndi Lauper*: Last year’s ballot worked against her, but given the right mix, she can do it.
6. Cher: There’s been a steady drumbeat for her, and she just joined the Stones in the “Hit Across Seven Decades” club.
7. The Replacements*: They’ve been nommed once and forgotten, but the “Tim” reissue has brought some recognition back their way. How often could we have an inductee praised by Arthur Miller?
8. Soundgarden*: It’s not “if,’ but “when.” How about now?
9. White Stripes*: Ditto.
10. Outkast: Double ditto.
11. Joy Division/New Order*: Triple ditto.
12. Thin Lizzy*: Not sure of their chances, but I think there’s support on the NomCom still.
13. Mary J. Blige*: But if not, could Mariah Carey take this slot? I only see one of them on the ballot, even though they’re not exactly in the same lane.
14. Patsy Cline/Loretta Lynn: The Hall wants more country in, but most of the obvious names are no longer with us. Waylon Jennings and Merle Haggard are clear choices, but since Willie Nelson got the nod last year, maybe the Hall will see that it’s well served by turning back to the ladies. Both these legendary women are “rock and roll” in spirit in so many ways. Another name that would ordinarily wait a while but could conceivably sneak in is Emmylou Harris, buoyed by the high profile this year of “The Last Waltz.”
15. Warren Zevon* or John Prine*: I thought Prine would get another nomination in the wake of his tragic passing in 2020, one of the early high-profile casualties of the COVID pandemic. But he didn’t. I thought Zevon was a shoe-in for the Hall, his coronation just waiting for the Rundgren saga to conclude to go right in. Wrong again. Now I think they both still have excellent chances, but can’t decide between them. A panel discussion on Prine’s career just happened at the Hall last month, so someone clearly hasn’t forgotten.
16. B52s: There was some buzz for them last year in connection with their farewell tour, but it was a packed ballot. Hopefully someone’s still thinking of them this year.
17. Dionne Warwick*: I wasn’t sure about this, but there’s still so much well-deserved affection for her out there — she just needs the right ballot. I can’t quite let go of the idea that Kool & the Gang could go here too.

Other names I considered: Coldplay, Tears for Fears, Phil Collins, Motorhead, Oasis, Smashing Pumpkins, Ice-T, Alice in Chains, the Smiths, Jethro Tull, the Smiths, Meat Loaf (who I keep holding onto as something of a surprise candidate; both Phil Sykes and Rick Krim are fans from back in the day. It does begs the totally legit question that’s a whole ‘nuther post, “What about Jim Steinman?”)

And some artists I think we’ll see again, but as Influence/Excellence choices: MC5, the New York Dolls, and possibly Peter Frampton, although it’s possible he’ll go the ballot route. It would be nice to see it happen now and for there to be a chance that he can play.

No, it’s not an exciting list, really. These names belong, but in the aggregate, it’s not a list that signals a bold, brave direction for the Hall. Heavy on white males and previous nominees, and without a “!” name like Fela Kuti, that out-of-the-box artist that no one on the planet sees coming. We should be expecting the unexpected. We should see names that confuse us at first, only to realize once we dig in and really look, see that yes, they totally belong. I’m not sure that’ll ever happen again, sorry to say. But I could be wrong. I hope I’m wrong.

In the end, predictions are fun, and an interesting gut check, but the need to advocate, advocate, advocate and be a gadfly never goes away. When the ballot is out, the complaints are going to rain down on our ears. Do we perpetuate a cycle of predicting and complaining, or make it a positive effort for change?

Commencing countdown, engines on.

Out of the Dark: A Quick FWIW on the End of the Jann Wenner Rock Hall Saga

Life comes at you fast sometimes. On Friday, the New York Times published an interview by David Marchese with Rolling Stone magazine and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame co-founder Jann Wenner to mark the publication of Wenner’s upcoming book “The Masters: Conversations with Dylan, Lennon, Jagger, Townshend, Garcia, Bono, and Springsteen.”

When Marchese pointed out that the entire list is made up of white males and asked about his method for selecting subjects, Wenner could’ve just stopped at saying it was his “love of them.” But maybe it’s a thing with arrogant, powerful men who bask in the misguided belief that their success was totally of their own doing: He had to keep going. He had to proclaim that Black performers “weren’t in his zeitgeist” and “Insofar as the women, just none of them were as articulate enough on this intellectual level.” An incredulous Marchese tried to let him work his way out of it, but nope. Jann doubled down. Views that had been covered up by others for decades were out into the light and looking pretty bad.

Knowing he’s a putz, I just chalked it up to Wenner being Wenner and went back to my own concerns about Twitter/”X”‘s implosion and the possible loss of a Hall watching community that’s already drifting. I figured there’d be some mild backlash, but surprisingly, it escalated quickly. On Saturday, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation convened its board and tossed Wenner by a unanimous vote with the exception of Jon Landau, who reportedly abstained. Wenner reportedly begged his case, but to no avail, and he was left to issue an apology and to say he “accept(s) the consequence.” Rolling Stone itself, helmed by Wenner’s own son Gus, issued a statement decrying the comments. Nice end to a career.

Mary and Eric of the Hall Watchers podcast had JUST dropped an episode voicing frustration with the Hall’s silence of late — I told Mary that if she wanted news, she got it.

Nothing I have to say here is groundbreaking. But is Wenner’s ouster only going to be optics from an organization unwilling to see the tiny steps it’s taken toward inclusivity eroded? An organization with a major award — voted on by Wenner — named for an alleged sexual predator accused of breaking a female assistant’s arm. (An award that only went to a women for the first time last year.)

Or is it going to be an opportunity to face up to the fact that these are the roots from which the Rock Hall sprang? There are those rushing to Wenner’s defense, claiming that he’s being persecuted for an opinion that it’s his right to have. But as Lulu Garcia-Navarro pointed out, Wenner was “the gatekeeper for an entire generation of music.” It’s not just who gets to be in a book. It’s that he’s never seen his viewpoint as a problem, or cared. He was in a position to decide on whom to shine a light and whom to leave in the dark. And those same people are still being left in the dark.

So even as the Hall gets ready for the induction ceremony and oversees a major renovation at the physical Hall, could it come back to take this whole mess a a guidestar for what to do going forward to distance itself from that mindset, forever? We can only be hopeful and watch. But there are some signs it could show us to let us know that’s what’s happening:

1. Give Wenner’s place on the Board to a woman of color.
2. Rename the Ahmet Ertegun Award (given to non-performing music industry professionals) to its original neutral name.
3. Consistently induct women and POC for that honor.
4. Continue to nominate and induct women and POC as performers in meaningful numbers. As we progress into the 80s, 90s, and beyond, is 50% of the ballot impossible?

None of this is groundbreaking stuff; it’s just what springs to mind at the moment. The specifics can always be argued. (And argued, and argued….) What’s important is that this bizarre and pathetic moment not be wasted. As Jann Wenner takes his place in the dark, let’s see some steps toward bringing more deserving people out of it.

Quick and Dirty Rock Hall Reactions

Three months ago (!?) in this space I said that as great a list as the 2023 slate of Rock Hall nominees was, it lacked a sense of surprise — a “jump back” name.

Wednesday, the Hall said “Hold my beer.”

With such a stacked ballot, it would’ve been pretty much impossible to make a bad class, and 2023 is set to go down as a strong year in Hall history and certainly one of the most genre-diverse. Almost every name here deserves their place and the induction ceremony should be one to remember. Major kudos are in order for the Hall not listening to the show runners and cutting the class size for a tidy broadcast.

(To recap: Performers: Kate Bush, Sheryl Crow, Missy Elliott, George Michael, Willie Nelson, Rage Against the Machine, the Spinners; Musical Excellence: Chaka Khan, Al Kooper, Bernie Taupin; Musical Influence (formerly Early Influence): DJ Kool Herc, Link Wray; Ahmet Ertegun Award: Don Cornelius.)

The surprises: Trying to extrapolate from the published ballots to the voting body at large is normally a fool’s game, but the love for the Spinners carried over and carried them onto the nominee list. And a thing of beauty it is. And with the Hall signaling that it was done with the 60s if not the 70s, almost no one foresaw Link Wray. Justice came slowly, but it came.

The biggest surprise for me was that Warren Zevon didn’t get a nod; I thought with the big names that are in his corner and his being the link to classic-era non-R&B rock he’d go right in, but this wasn’t the ballot for him. Disappointing, but I think the Nom Com is behind him the way it was for Todd Rundgren and they’ll keep working on it. That’s true for any of the names that didn’t make it: it’s not over, it’s just another year to wait. This is an institution that didn’t welcome Queen, Bowie, or Radiohead on their first ballots either.

A mild surprise was seeing Rage in the Machine get the nod, but something turned in their favor this year and voters didn’t rely on the Musical Excellence category to get it done. And a precious ballot slot is freed for next year.

Another disappointment, but less of a surprise was Cyndi Lauper. It felt like people see her as a one-album wonder, but she will be back. Her documentary, “Let the Canary Sing,” directed by Alison Ellwood, who directed the Go Gos documentary, premieres at the Tribeca film fest next month. Kate Bush’s “Stranger Things” success came at about this time last year, and the Hall does love a documentary. She’ll be back as well. (And how wonderful to see Kate’s vision and artistry rewarded on her fourth try.)

Likewise for the expected miss by Iron Maiden. The refusal to honor hard rock or metal is as baffling as it is stupid.

It was a consensus opinion that this was likely Bush’s last chance at a Performer induction, but this year was a “must” for Chaka Khan in any capacity as well – while Mary J. Blige did make the ballot two years ago, it felt like this needed to happen in order to move forward with artists like Sade, Patti Labelle, and Mariah Carey.

And not so much a surprise, although not everyone thought she was a lock: in Missy Elliot we have the first female hip hop artist nominated AND inducted. She’s beyond deserving, and the Hall included DJ Kool Herc as a Musical Influence inductee, going beyond the household names and into the genre’s history.

And to cap off all this goodness, no lawyers, managers, or lawyer-managers.

But a couple of less positive things have to be mentioned. Among this year’s many surprises was that the longstanding media partnerships with Sirius XM and HBO seem to be finished. Those who wanted to listen to the Hall’s announcement were scrambling to find out where to tune in. Once they found it on Apple Music, they got a rushed LL Cool J reading from a card in what seemed to be random order. One of the biggest days on the Hall calendar…. After Allyson McCabe’s revelations in Vulture about the procedure of her recruitment as a voter, the less professional side of the Hall has been on display for sure this week.

And any Rock Hall class announcement means you have to check in on how women have fared. Again, it’s a mixed bag. Female artists make up three of seven Performers — almost 41 percent — and in a little stroke of luck for the PR department, the all three names fall together alphabetically at the top of the ballot for maximum impact. But of course, the lone band inducted is all male, and men make up the categories except for Chaka.

And in inducting Don Cornelius — completely deserved from a strictly music history standpoint — they’ve inducted a domestic abuser, in a category named for an abuser.

No words.

There’s never going to be a satisfactory answer to how to honor achievement on the part of problematic individuals, but just continuing on the same damn path is not it. We need to see women exclusively in a renamed non-performer category for a few consecutive years after this. You have the power, Rock Hall; the ball’s in your court.

But that’s no note to end on. This class is another in a line of strong ones and you can tell that in some areas the Hall is doing some thinking. There’s lots to celebrate. Looking forward to seeing how the ceremony shapes up.