Hello, it’s me. Good to be back – when the class was announced in May I logged on to record some thoughts on the whole “Early Influences” naming thing and was overcome with exhaustion before I even started. But with the induction ceremony (finally) bringing a close to the Class of 2021, it seems like a good time to check in with some random thoughts. You can get good recaps from Hall Watchers and Who Cares About the Rock Hall? so I won’t do one. Baby steps!
And for what it’s worth, I’m not a fan of this scattershot “reimagining” of the meaning of Early Influences. It’s confusing and once again, the Hall manages to besmirch their own award so it looks like a “side door” consolation prize despite insisting to the contrary and make it obvious that the system is broken. It’s not “rock’s biggest honor” because you say it is and because of who you give it to; you have to conduct the process to make it so. But too late now.
It looks like in this year’s program, at least, they called it “Musical Influences” which isn’t exciting, but better. I like Nick Bambach’s idea of calling it “Pioneers” to distinguish it chronologically, but what can you do?
So here we go:
Carole King
Not sure why they went with a downtempo pre-Tapestry song, but Taylor Swift was great, and her admiration of King is obvious. King’s graciousness and pleasure at being there were palpable – all the feels right from the start.
LL Cool J
Just…damn. That’s how you answer everyone who didn’t vote for you.
Possibly an unpopular opinion, but most of the time, I’d rather hear how an artist has impacted other musicians, not that they have famous fans. Definite exceptions: Speech aside, Bassett made unique sense for Tina, and no one but David Letterman should do the honors when Warren Zevon goes in.
The Go-Go’s
Having said that, this was the highlight of the night, and it was partly due to Drew Barrymore, who was just perfect. She was just over the moon and watching Kathy Valentine bounce on her toes during the speech, you knew we were in for an electric moment. They looked fantastic, and despite the sound problems, rocked it. It was just pure joy to see this group of women who’ve been through so much get their due and enjoy it as friends. Moments like this are what make the Rock Hall mean something.
Tina Turner
It’s finally real.
This segment was OK, but not the transcendent one I’d hoped for.
It got off to a rocky start with Angela Bassett making a speech that was all about…Angela Bassett making a speech. Overwrought and self-conscious, it was like a bad poetry slam.
After that intro, the rest of it seemed a little pedestrian. Of course we had Xtina…well, that could’ve been worse. During the H.E.R. and Keith Urban performance, my partner made an excellent observation when he said, “We haven’t seen a she’s capable of yet. One of these days she’s going to break the industry in the best possible way.” Likewise, Mickey Guyton was excellent, but she never truly stamped herself on her performance. Admittedly, it’s hard to balance paying tribute and still asserting yourself the way Brittany Howard did with her tribute to Sister Rosetta or Lauryn Hill and Andra Day did in their homage to Nina Simone in 2018.
Tina’s appearance, with all the class and graciousness of a true queen, was likely the last she’ll make, making it the night’s most poignant moment. She’s leaving us behind, but she goes with everything well in her world. Rarely is it this perfect.
Todd Rundgren:
Todd, Todd, Todd. I’ve looked forward to this for a long time, and it was…disappointing. Shouldn’t blame you. I know you think Halls of Fame are for athletes and dead people. How you feel shouldn’t affect me. And you were just responding honestly to all those inevitable interview questions.
But “Who Cares About the Rock Hall” has it right: You benefit from this way more than the Hall does. Karen Glauber went to bat for you three years in a row and the Hall put you in because enough people wanted to honor you. Speaking pragmatically, even if you couldn’t enjoy being celebrated, playing along might have been good for business. But it all went from “principled curmudgeon” to “dickly” pretty quick, and people who may have discovered you just tuned out. I think that’s the real reason I’ve got this taste in my mouth: I hoped people would discover how good you really are away from the console, and instead they made for the restroom during your video package. You spelled it wrong, so I’ll say it: Thank you, Rock Hall.
In Memoriam
Nothing else to say: Brandi Carlile was just sublime. Interesting to see that they included KT Oslin and Nanci Griffith in the clip, and that they re-cut it to include Graeme Edge and Ronnie Wilson. Jim Steinman was included alongside Herbie Herbert and Walter Yetnikoff, which got me to thinking: Steinman credited John Sykes with being a big early supporter of Meat Loaf and “Bat Out of Hell” in Sykes’ days as the college rep for CBS Music, and I understand that he’s still friendly with Meat Loaf. Makes you wonder if Meat Loaf couldn’t be a surprise nominee at some point, and if that happens, could Steinman go in under the Musical Excellence banner? You can make a case.
Gil Scott-Heron
So glad this moment came — kudos to the Rock Hall’s production team for the subtle statement in showing footage of Black Lives Matter; showing Branson and Bezos to go with “Whitey on the Moon” was both LOL-inducing and a sweet stealth political statement.
Jay-Z
Not a fan nor an expert, but I liked how his speech was honest about his highs and lows and talked about finding your power when you’re authentically yourself.
One of the most potentially impactful moments of the night came offstage, when John Sykes revealed that the Hall is looking at adding L.A. to the mix of host cities. Because, of course, that city has no other awards shows. They need this! It won’t get lost in the shuffle at all! Seriously, Rock Hall, you like to tout your commitment to Cleveland and your impact on its economy, but clearly you’re not at ease with your decision. Why do you want to hold the ceremony away from your museum and the exhibit? Why do you want to spend all that money to be a small fish in a big pond? If you move to a three-city rotation, you’d better keep your word and keep Cleveland on its current every-other-year footing. The Hall is exactly where it needs to be, and I will stan for Cleveland every damn day.
So here we are. It’s been an exciting, if long, season. Everyone ready to do it all again?
Iconic Rock Talk Show 