Thursday

Rock Hall

Hampton Stevens gives a much-deserved thrashing to the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame. He says something that I vaguely sensed for years: The Hall snubs a lot of big names in favor of fashionable names. But I'll let Stevens lay out the case because he does a great job. "The hall's selective “open-mindedness” explains how ABBA, Neil Diamond, Madonna and Steely Dan can be rock hall members. But that big tent gets tiny when it comes to music that mainstream Red America loves – especially music that appeals to straight, white, working-class men. Journey isn't in the hall. Neither is Jethro Tull, Boston, Bon Jovi, the Cars, ELO, the Steve Miller Band or Stevie Ray Vaughn. Nor is Kansas. Or Styx. Or Ted Nugent. Get the picture?"

He also points out that neither Rush nor Kiss are in the Hall.

It's an excellent piece, filled with slashing prose, the type of stuff I wish I could toss off at a whim.

There is no more egregious example of hall voters' arrogance and pedantry than this year's selection of Laura Nyro. To choose this talented but obscure singer-songwriter is the very definition of cultural elitism, one thrown into sharper relief by the fact that Joan Jett and Heart were also on the ballot this year, but voters passed on both in favor of Nyro. Electing Nyro is a gesture of withering arrogance and disdain, one meant to instruct the rock audience on what music it “should” listen to, instead of the stuff people actually like.

As with most of their more inexplicable selections, the hall rationalized the Nyro choice by describing her as a huge influence on other artists. That would make great sense if the museum were called the Rock and Roll Hall of Most Influential People. Since, however, it's a hall of fame, it seems like being at least marginally famous would be one prerequisite for getting in.

Best piece of the month so far.