It’s hard for me to express a genuine emotion-as you can tell by my songwriting.” I wasn’t sure who he was talking about for a while…. ![]() “When I leave this Earth,” singer Ann Wilson said, “I will look back with great love because I got to sing.”Įven the usually sardonic Randy Newman, rarely at a loss for a quip, said on his induction by Eagles founder Don Henley, “This means a lot. There also was a strong Heart contingent among the crowd, and the Wilson sisters appeared deeply moved by their induction. The booing abruptly shifted to cheering when he name-checked Rush at the end of the list of 2013 inductees. Long viewed as an affront to the whole prog-rock community, Rush’s 13 years of failing to make the cut among Rock Hall voters since it became eligible in 1999 played into the round of catcalls and boos that greeted Rolling Stone publisher and Rock Hall co-founder Jann Wenner when he took the stage to deliver his opening remarks. “But there’s one mystery that has eclipsed them all,” Grohl said, drawing hearty cheers from the crowd for the punch line about Rush’s absence from the Rock Hall. “Robert Johnson and the deal he made with the devil at midnight Paul McCartney’s death in 1966 and his replacement by an exact double Elvis sightings, Jim Morrison sightings, Axl Rose sightings. The band’s induction into the Rock Hall is a welcome nod to those who still value good music over modern window dressing.Ĭontact Tony Hicks at /BayAreaNewsGroup.TonyHicks or /insertfoot.“The world is full of mysteries,” Grohl said. Despite a semi-irritating spell when they grew a bit too enamored of keyboards, Rush is one of the few bands that never strayed too far from its roots. They are like dinosaurs from the LP age who still roam the Earth in the age of singles. They haven’t been Rolling Stone cover darlings. They don’t write hit singles and never have. “Moving Pictures” (1981) was a bellwether release for a generation of guitar rock lovers who can still look back and not regret all their musical choices. Their music resonates with people who, like me, grew up with their records sandwiched on turntables between Van Halen and AC/DC. ![]() They’ve written progressive music that, unlike most prog rock, has been heavy enough at times (at least their first decade or so) to pull in the hard rock crowd. So this year’s induction of Rush is like a rock ‘n’ roll version of “Revenge of the Nerds.” Rush fans are the rock equivalent of Trekkies - loyal supporters who are often mocked, but capable of keeping their favorite artists afloat for decades. I think a big hurdle has been cleared with the induction of Rush, which has never had a true hit single, yet has stayed afloat for four decades, thanks to legions of fans who keep buying the band’s albums and flocking to its shows. That includes, up until this year, rock ‘n’ roll nerddom. It’s obviously difficult for rock snobs to acknowledge certain things. Yet nearly 40 years after the band released its first record, Kiss isn’t in the hall. For example, it’s hard to argue the effect Kiss has had on the concepts of marketing rock music and on staging a flamboyant live show, despite widely varying opinions about how good the band is. My concern is whether members of the nominating panel allow their biases to intrude on the process. Is it about having a certain amount of influence? Is it about being great players? Is it about having hit songs? Is it about a band’s effect on popular music? All are no doubt considered, and should be.
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