APRIL 2009 NEWSLETTER: ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME, OR HALL OF SHAME?
As many of you now know, the Rock and Roll hall
of fame has announced its 2009 inductees, among them Jeff Beck, Metallica, and Run DMC. These are all deserving candidates,
especially Beck and the fellows from Metallica. The body of work certainly puts them in a class all their own. My issue with
this never ending beauty contest, is where are the other deserving rock pioneers and their bandmates? Where is Rush? Where
is Yes? How about King Crimson, The Tubes? Werent these bands talented enough? Check the who's who from those groups...singers:Jon
Anderson, Geddy Lee,Fee Waybil. How about bassists? Well lets see, Greg Lake,John Wetton, Chris Squire,Tony Levin and
again Geddy Lee. Oh, and the drummers were just a bunch of slackers too I guess...Alan White, the incomparable Neil Peart,
Bill Bruford drummed for both Yes and Crimson.Then theres the guitarists, Robert Fripp, the master of Frippertronics,
Steve Howe,with his classically tinged riffs, oh and the forgotten man, Alex Lifeson! These four bands have
put out over 70 albums between them...but cant get a sniff of the "hallowed" hall of fame. Where are Iggy Pop and the stooges,
the true originators of punk? Iggy is still diving into crowds of screaming kids a third his age. Without him, there'd be
no Talking Heads, Clash, Ramones, or Sex Pistols. Where are Marc Bolan and T-Rex? Marc was the Glam rock king, without
him, there'd have been no New York Dolls, no Twisted Sister. Glam died when Marc did. The Rock and Roll hall of Fame has
become a self serving joke. Its a popularity contest where the likes of Madonna, and since when is Madonna "Rock and
Roll", are granted entrance, but the likes of Jethro Tull, Thin Lizzy, and Kiss are not? I think perhaps in the next month
or so, this website will post the "Neglected Rockers Hall of Fame", a list of stars that have been given the cold shoulder
by the powers that be at the R&R HOF. Make yourselves heard! Contact them and let them know more about many of your favorites
that have been left out!Feel free to contact us for the "left out in the cold list" with your choices! Bill
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