Music: Worst Rock Hall Inductee List -- EVER!

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced their 2008 inductee list and it took 600 'industry figures" to come up with a list this lame:


Madonna shares some love with younger husband Guy "Snatch" Ritchie

1) Madonna -- Not a surprise, the one shoo-in this year and deservedly so.


Cohen in his not so famous grey overcoat

2) Leonard Cohen -- Deserves a prize for schtupping Rebecca DeMornay surely, and he has done some wonderful records though "rock" is pretty loosely defined here.


Peter Noone and co. dispel those not-really-British rumours

3) The Dave Clark Five -- Insufferably twee third string British invasion band. Barely cool at the time with almost non-existent impact.



4) John Cougar Mellencamp -- I like Mellencamp fine but he's a Springsteen knockoff. He's being honored here for sales and longevity which I suppose count for something but aside from a few well-regarded late eighties albums there's not much here.


The Ventures pioneer business casual style

5) The Ventures -- Yes I love the "Hawaii Five-O" theme too, but should we put Harald Faltermeyer in here for having a synth-pop hit with "Axel F." from Beverley Hills Cop?

See my post on the shortlist to see some alternative acts that should have made the cut. Shame on the old fogeys at the Hall of Shame for such a depressingly uninspired list.

Music News: Rock and Roll Hall of Lame

The Shangri-Las: Still waiting for their induction...

The Rock Hall is set to vote on the next round of inductions and it's a very mixed bag, (the notes in parenthesis are my personal preferences):

Madonna (yes, she is that influential even if she is not "rock' per se)
The Beastie Boys (yes but not before Run-D.M.C. )
John Mellencamp (no, a handful of good songs should not make for a Hall of Famer)
Leonard Cohen (yes, one of the great American songwriters)
Afrika Bambaataa (yes, a rap and electro pioneer)
Chic (yes, one of the greatest and most influential disco acts)
the Ventures (no, too tied to the surf genre)
Donna Summer (no, not without Giorgio Moroder)
Dave Clark Five (no, second string British invasioneers)


Five of these lucky acts will be inducted March 10, 2008, at New York's Waldorf Astoria Hotel. Who could be here in their stead? The Replacements, Black Flag, Television, Cheap Trick, The Shangri-Las, The Chi-Lites, Joy Division, Jontahan Richman and countless deserving others...