Let’s put aside for just a few minutes that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is a flawed institution. We’ve been down this road plenty, where the Red Hot Chili Peppers effortlessly slide in while Thin Lizzy inexplicably watches from the sidelines. We’ve asked how Jay-Z gets in first year eligible when rock pioneers like The Runaways, Gram Parsons, Jethro Tull, King Crimson, The New York Dolls, …well, you get the point.
Sure, they get it right sometimes; Cheap Trick and Tom Waits both got in after all. But let’s acknowledge that these ships have mostly sailed. “Rock and Roll” clearly means something different to them than it does to us and their priorities are different than ours. How about we try to step back from the controversies and talk about this years Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony without the usual biases? I learned while writing this that it’s not quite that easy.
Duran Duran came out first, inducted by Robert Downey Jr. His speech was just okay, not one of the better ones of the night. Hard to believe how many great songs these guys had. They sounded great, despite rumors of technical difficulties. Guitarist and coolest member Andy Taylor was missing, getting treatment for prostate cancer, but sent a note. Is it rock and roll? A bit too cute perhaps, but probably close enough.
Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo were inducted by Sheryl Crow, a good choice for sure, as Sheryl had covered Pat back in her cover band days and is at a good age and level of success to be both a peer and a fan. Her speech was great – mad respect, as you’d expect. Sheryl’ll be on the other side of that honor someday.
Neil gave a humble and touching speech, and Pat followed with some equally touching words. These two are still ridiculously in love and it was a nice moment. The performance was killer. She can’t quite hit all those notes these days, but she makes up for it with attitude and experience. And there’s still something special about the way that guy holds a Les Paul. She won’t play “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” anymore in deference to the victims of gun violence, so that killer tune was missed, but it was a strong set. Is it rock and roll? Absolutely, 100%.
Carly Simon wasn’t there; she’d tragically lost both of her sisters in the previous week. Sara Bareilles inducted her and read a letter she’d sent. It was a bit vanilla and pedestrian, but Carly’s impact was felt in the retrospective video. Sara and Olivia Rodrigo (who? a desperate grab for that coveted youth demographic…) came out and sang for her. The songs are there, but Carly was missed. Hard to imagine who could have been a less exciting choice to pay tribute, but maybe it sold some tickets. Is it rock and roll? Yup, but she deserved a better induction and performance.
Judas Priest, the moment a lot of us were waiting for, were inducted by Alice Cooper, a good choice for sure. These guys were clearly the black sheep of the night, the outsiders, and didn’t hide it, clad in leather and studs. Alice did great, comparing Birmingham to Detroit, talking about the importance of image and of putting on a show. Priest killed it live, a 3-song set (though “You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’” was inexcusably cut from the broadcast), with current and (also inexcusably excluded from induction) guitarist Richie Faulkner rocking out with exiled ex-founder K.K. Downing in what everyone hopes against all indications will lead to an overdue permanent reunion between the two camps.
In typical black-sheep fashion, Priest had to sneak in through the back door, a “Musical Excellence” induction as opposed to being actually voted in. God forbid the voters actually acknowledge a genre-pioneering, five-decades-deep ROCK band. The RRHOF still sucks for this lack of respect for hard rock and metal, and this is a small crumb of what really should be a turning of the tide. (I’m not holding my breath, but in addition to Thin Lizzy and many others, Iron Maiden and Mötley Crüe are overdue.) Sorry, ok, focus. The speeches were good – but lacking any reference to the excluded Faulkner or Rob Halford-replacement Tim “Ripper” Owens, who kept Priest afloat during some rough years. Remember how The Grateful Dead were allowed to include anyone who ever carried a hi-hat stand onto a stage? Anyway… Is it rock and roll? More so than just about anything else that happened this night. Absolutely 100%.
The Edge inducted Eurythmics, who at least have a guitar in the band. Mr. Edge is fine, but lacks the charm, charisma, and flow-of-words agility of his singer (one of my favorite inductions included here). Annie and Dave gave touching speeches, like the divorced but still humble and cordial version of Pat and Neil. They sounded great, Dave’s Strat cutting through nicely. Is it rock and roll? Maybe, a bit of a stretch, but far from the worst offense the hall has inducted.
Eminem was inducted by Dr. Dre with a great speech and a great performance that brought out Steven Tyler to sing a verse and chorus of “Dream On” between raps, lest anyone accuse them of an anti-rock bias. Of course I loved the Detroit connection and references, and I maintain that Tyler is the single greatest American rock singer of all time, all things considered. And I love Eminem, he’s amazing. He’s been on our iPods and in our cars for decades now. But is it rock and roll? Nope. Spare me this bullshit until Nirvana are inducted into the Hip-Hop Hall Of Fame and Thin Lizzy is in the Rock Hall.
Janet Jackson, sporting hair 3 times the height of her own head, inducted Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, under the same “Musical Excellence” umbrella that got Judas Priest in. After Prince fired them, they of course brought not only Ms. Jackson, but hits by George Michael, Human League, Mariah Carey, and that edgy icon of pure rock and roll Usher to the masses as well. Talented? Yup. Worthy or recognition? Yup. Rock and roll? Nope, not them or anyone they’ve worked with.
Lionel Richie was inducted by Lenny Kravitz in a good speech. Lenny is the definition of cool. Lionel rightfully acknowledged The Commodores, and gave a poignant speech about the importance of being an original. He followed it up with a good, loose performance of a couple hits and it was fine, really good even, but barely rock and roll, even when token rocker Dave Grohl came out and played a half-ass solo on “Easy,” and second only to Dolly in the plastic surgery department. In a desperate grab at the American Idol demographic, the hall embarrasses itself again.
Bruce Springsteen inducted rock and roll producer and record exec Jimmy Lovine in a great speech like only The Boss can give. He and John Mellencamp tore the house down with “Great Balls of Fire” after the In Memoriam segment, celebrating The Killer. They messed up the ending and it was probably the most rock and roll moment of the night. I loved it. John gave a great speech himself while inducting Allen Grubman, going off-script to denounce anti-semitism in a loud, profane, and clear, but not specifically targeted admonishment of Kanye West’s recent moronic and hateful comments.
Cheers to the RRHOF for acknowledging D.H. Peligro from the Dead Kennedys and Darryl Hunt from The Pogues in their In Memoriam section, two musicians that are important to me who I’m surprised they included, and most people might not even know about.
Then, pop mega-star Pink came out and inducted Dolly Parton. While I’m sure the respect is there, how much Dolly material actually resides on Pink’s iPod is a question one could ponder, should they feel inclined. Dolly became everyone’s hero when she questioned what the hell she did to deserve the nomination and initially turned it down, but agreed to show up anyway when they explained to her that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has nothing to do with Rock and Roll. In typical Dolly fashion she even wrote a song about the honor for her performance.
Dolly is a natural treasure. She’s got an undeniable catalog, voice, history, legacy, humanitarian side, and even a strong presence in current day pop culture. Her persona and impact is absolutely undeniable. Simply put, she fucking rules. Rock and roll? That’s a stretch, but if Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, and Bob Wills are in, then Dolly certainly deserves a spot I suppose. There are worse offenses.
After Pink and Brandi Carlisle traded verses on “Coat of Many Colors” Dolly came out in chest-to-toe black leather sporting a sequined black Stratocaster and hit a power chord that oddly hit the speakers in your living room an awkward moment later, then went into her uber-cheesy - and, let’s face it, ridiculous - song about being nominated into a club that doesn’t actually often honor what the club is named after. Who cares? It's f’ing Dolly.
Any animosity towards the hall was momentarily suspended when the band broke into “Jolene” for the traditional ending all-star Jam and a smitten, leather-clad Rob Halford sang harmony with Dolly on one of the choruses. It was a surreal moment, 16-year-old me nearly had an aneurysm, but in some weird way, it did tie the whole thing together in a “What is rock and roll, anyway?” sort of moment that won’t soon be forgotten. It still brings a smile whenever I see the photo in my feeds.
The TV wasn’t off for 10 minutes, however, before I was brushing my teeth and turning out the kitchen lights, my brain processing the four-hour marathon I’d just endured before hitting the hay, muttering a frustrated “Eminem? Jesus Christ. Where the hell is Thin Lizzy?” into the void.
Jeremy Porter lives near Detroit and fronts the rock and roll band Jeremy Porter And The Tucos. Follow them on Facebook to read his road blog about their adventures on the dive-bar circuit.
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Twitter: @jeremyportermi | Instagram: @onetogive & @jeremyportermusic
