tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76588370328844771152024-03-05T11:36:02.753-08:00 E-Rockracy by Eric LaytonE-Rockracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04488528056947107950noreply@blogger.comBlogger102125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658837032884477115.post-14907745211767566302023-11-29T17:45:00.000-08:002023-12-08T10:15:39.055-08:00REVIEW: Depeche Mode's Memento Mori Tour<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>Depeche Mode</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>Moda Center</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>November 28, 2023</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">"<b>Remember you must die</b>," the translation of the Latin phrase <i>memento mori</i>, is not as bleak as it might seem. As deployed by Depeche Mode, it's an inspiring call to action: live your life. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Weighty stuff, especially in light of the synth-pop legends' recent history, having lost founding member and keyboardist Andrew Fletcher at age 60. Fletch's sudden 2022 passing found longtime creative brothers Martin Gore and David Gahan without a tiebreaking vote, and bereft of a mediating, good-humored figure in the room. Still, it was a motivating event. The duo carried on, creating the 2023 album <i>Memento Mori, </i>their 15th studio effort, and their first involving an outside songwriter, Richard Butler (Psychedelic Furs). Life looked different, but it went on.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The show must also go on. Touring the globe is what Depeche Mode does best. At their Oregon tour stop, their 72nd (!) show on the Memento Mori World Tour, Gore and Gahan were in fighting shape, bringing longtime colleagues Peter Gordeno (keyboards/bass) and Christian Eigner (drums) along for two hours of surging catharsis. Fletch, given a moving tribute during "World in My Eyes," would have approved. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">A mysterious pendulum of joy and pain, getting through this thing called life. While they've always operated on a grand scale sonically, lyrically and emotionally </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;">—</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> Depeche Mode's ethos may best be described as "widescreen" </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;">—</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> it seems these Basildon, England lads David (61) and Martin (62) recognize the stakes more than ever now. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Fletcher's departure clearly heightened Depeche Mode's sense of duty, and it permeated every moment of their two hours onstage. Gahan, deeply invested, was a </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">strutting/posing/spinning live dynamo, and with his red vest and slicked-back hair, he recalled both the Emcee from "Cabaret" and Bono's Zoo TV tour character Mr. MacPhisto. Inimitable and magnetic as he floats around the stage, the frontman somehow appears both earthbound and weightless, striding about and waving his arms </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;">— he's like an</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> inflatable air dancer outside a car dealership. Meanwhile, Gore, with his signature blonde hair and sleeveless look, was a reliable anchor, alternately hunkered down behind synth banks, playing guitar, and singing. Here are two lifelong friends and collaborators, still at it, still concerned with style and substance.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Attending a Depeche Mode concert is akin to being a light bulb </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;">— by taking your seat, you're twisting into a socket, and awaiting the Gore-Gahan power company to turn the current on. Performing in front of a giant, incandescent "M" with a high-def video screen, the quartet delivered that high voltage repeatedly. There was the adrenalizing triple-shot of "Walking in My Shoes," "It's No Good" and "Policy of Truth"; the reverberant, gothy "Black Celebration"; and <i>Memento Mori</i>'s "My Favourite Stranger." The latter is a nasty bit of post-punk business, and found Gore and Gordeno forcefully playing guitar and bass, while Gahan and Eigner joined them in what felt like sonic Joy Division cosplay.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white;">For all the varying intensity, Depeche Mode also found opportunities to loosen things up and have fun: they switched places (more on that below), added patient intros that initially obscured certain songs' identity, and extended classics like "Enjoy the Silence" with rhythmic breakdowns that kept the party going. As members of a world-beating, stadium-filling juggernaut, these guys could easily be aloof, but they truly came off like gracious dudes throwing a party for 20,000 people.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;">The charismatic Gahan is naturally Depeche Mode's focal point, but Gore had some top-shelf moments in the spotlight. The first was his lead vocal performance of "Strangelove" while Gahan was offstage on a quick break (</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;">a nifty role-reversal that underscored Martin and David's equal footing in the band). The second was a perfect rendition of </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;">"A Question of Lust"; when Gore crooned "<i>It's a question of not letting what we've built up crumble to dust,</i>" that lyric held more meaning than ever before.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>On the subject of Gahan and Gore</b>, they</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;"> were chummy throughout, interacting in a way that should reassure fans about Depeche Mode's future. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;">They even high-fived each other at one point with both hands (is that called a "high ten?").</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;"> The most touching moment between them, however, was their duet on <i>Violator</i>'s </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;">"Waiting for the Night." Standing together at the end of the ramp that jutted into the crowd, they serenaded the crowd as much as each other, and embraced at the end. One could imagine Fletcher observing this tender display from another dimension, smiling down on it all.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white;">Depeche Mode's now 43-year tenure has found its principals well-versed in the art of performance and setlist construction. New material from <i>Memento Mori</i> was given proper due with four of its tracks performed, including the hypnotic, industrial "My Cosmos is Mine" and the existential meditation "Wagging Tongue" (<i>"Everything seems hollow / When you watch another angel die," </i>sung Gahan on the latter). Unavoidably, death is a motif that pervades the new album and tour; it was referenced in such visuals as the revolving skulls during "Enjoy the Silence" as well as video of a black-robed Gore and Gahan playing chess during "Ghosts Again" (think Max von Sydow vying against death in "The Seventh Seal").</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><span style="background-color: white;">Speaking of motifs, other keywords crop up repeatedly in Depeche Mode's universe of sin, desolation, and redemption. The words "angel" and "pain" are two examples </span></span><span style="background-color: white;">— </span><span style="background-color: white;">"</span><i>John the Revelator / All he ever gives us is pain</i><span style="background-color: white;">," proclaimed Gahan on one of the surprise deep cuts of the evening, and this, a mere four songs after belting out "A Pain That I'm Used To." Still, perseverance and transcendence exist within the group's worldview. Arriving mid-show, "I Feel You" from 1993's <i>Songs of Faith and Devotion </i>brought such messages as "<i>Your heart it sings</i>" and "<i>I am whole." </i>In the encore, </span><span style="background-color: white;">"Just Can't Get Enough" lifted spirits to the rafters with its carefree, joyous propulsion. Contrary to some beliefs, desire doesn't always have to bring suffering. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;">"Just Can't Get Enough" was, well, not quite <i>enough</i>. Unfinished business remained that any self-respecting Depeche Mode fan knew was coming, but still relished the idea of. The band launched into "Never Let Me Down Again" (an epic movie in song form, if there ever was one) followed by "Personal Jesus" to close it all out. The shuddering walls of sound washing over the audience during this end piece demonstrated the singular power of Depeche Mode </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;">— an immersive, soul-cleansing </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;">baptism by synthesizer.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white;">Yes, we must die. But first, more life-affirming experiences like this, please.</span></span></div>E-Rockracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04488528056947107950noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658837032884477115.post-78556361840271300292023-11-04T15:53:00.040-07:002023-11-06T14:58:33.197-08:00REVIEW: The 2023 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony<p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>Rock Hall induction ceremony 38 is now in the books. </b>What worked? What didn't? What should the Hall improve upon for future dispensations of "Music's Highest Honor?" It's time to unpack all that transpired during last night's gala at Barclays Center.</span></p><p><b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;">WHAT WORKED</span></b></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span>Every ceremony comes loaded with the possibility of that lighting-in-a-bottle </span>"wow" moment, and the unannounced appearance of Jimmy Page performing "Rumble" for Link Wray was exactly that. The increasingly reclusive Led Zeppelin guitarist apparently couldn't resist paying tribute to his hero Link. And sly move, Rock Hall, having Page in the video package for Wray, with no expectation, necessarily, that there would be any performance (for category honorees, there is no certainty of "full induction treatment"), only to have him appear in the flesh. One truly wonders if it's the last public appearance Page, 79, will bother making (hopefully not). Further, one hopes the Hall has learned their lesson: Relegating guitar legend Wray and "Rumble" into the now-defunct "Singles"category back in 2018 was grossly insufficient given his impact. Honoring him in this way under "Musical Influence" was a classy, corrective masterstroke.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Quite simply? The production value of the staging. The hyper-real video screens they are using now as backdrops (deployed with a regal, gold color chromatics during L.A.'s 2022 induction) looked impressive on the Disney+ livestream. Dynamic colors and shapes, gleaming blue pyramids that evoked the museum in Cleveland, a colorful, hovering UFO as Missy Elliott's show-stopping musical performance began... well, no expense was spared on these huge visuals. Live music events are now competing against the MSG Sphere in Vegas, so the Hall leveled up. (Maybe a Sphere ceremony is in the Hall's future? <i>Vegas, baby!</i>)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">The video packages were informative and engaging as always. These mini-documentaries on each honoree are an art form unto themselves, and provide a window into inductees' lives and career trajectories. The packages also capture artists like Kate Bush and Rage Against the Machine in their searching, brazen youth, their souls aflame and ready to knock the earth off its axis. Bush admitting her perfectionism, and shown treating her music and visuals as high/confrontational art — while decked out in full regalia in her music videos — suggested her influence on an artist like Björk. Elsewhere, seeing grainy video of Rage Against the Machine playing their first gig at Cal State Northridge in October 1991 suggests they arrived fully formed; lying ahead of them after Northridge, hundreds of stances to take, endless Molotov cocktails to light, and to paraphrase their song "Wake Up," scores of fascists to bomb a left on like they were Cassius.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Speaking of "full regalia," Sia bears mentioning. Technicolor-attired, with a huge pink-bow atop her boxy, rainbow wig-adorned head, the singer was top-heavy and seemingly wheeled out as if she was a parade float. Sia donned all this garish armor to sing "I'm Every Woman" with Chaka Khan, and this get-up may just go down in history as one of the most playful and exotic visuals at any Rock Hall ceremony, ever.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Among various emotional moments on this evening, Queen Latifah and Elliott's deep love and respect for each other, evidenced by their interactions onstage during Elliott's induction, was touching. Missy doing the "I'm not worthy" bow to her friend and hero, while Latifah discarded prepared teleprompter dialogue to give Missy a needed "catch your breath" moment was a real moment of support and friendship. Latifah, a major influence to Missy and countless others, should also join the inductee ranks. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Musical Influence honoree DJ Kool Herc's rise from his seat and trip to the stage to accept his honor, while breaking down in tears, underlined that, when the Rock Hall does the right thing (hint, hint) and immortalizes undeniable pioneers, long overdue, it means something. Amid the Rock Hall's slow-changing, often perplexing realm, a place where it's easily justifiable to be cynical and lament inequality, representation imbalances, and the seeming implausibility of real progressive change, there remains the potential of justice coming to pass. The Herc induction is one of those times, and was the first deeply emotional moment of the night; he wept through his speech, calling out people that are no longer here, such as James Brown and 2022 influence inductee Harry Belafonte. Cindy Campbell, Herc's sister who threw the famous rec room party where Herc started the hip-hop movement with two turntables, stood by his side and also said a few words. That a Rock Hall induction can mean so much to someone is why it's worth fighting for, why it's worth calling out when the Hall falls short. This pioneer's tears should inspire every Rock Hall executive to energetically fix what's wrong, and achieve the "stretch goals" of overall institutional excellence. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Miguel's sterling take on "Careless Whisper," for late Performer inductee George Michael (inducted by his Wham! partner Andrew Ridgeley), reminded viewers of the magic that is summoned when a guest performer is well-matched with the material (Jake Clemons on sax was a welcome surprise here, too). Carrie Underwood's reading of the rising-and-falling "One More Try" demonstrated that she also understood the assignment. Same goes for St. Vincent's mesmerizing take on Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill," pop phenomenon Olivia Rodrigo trading verses with Sheryl Crow on "If It Makes You Happy," and New Edition's joyful, serotonin-rush performance of Spinners classics. The Spinners segment, complete with a "Soul Train" logo dropping down and dancers recreating the visuals and energy of that TV show (the program's impresario, Don Cornelius, was also honored on this night) was exhilarating, and did right by the overdue, four times-nominated R&B vocal group. (One genuinely wonders if most people watching realized New jack swing legend Bobby Brown was onstage, performing with New Edition). </span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">The triumph of the elders was a leitmotif last night, and it was downright heartwarming. "It's a dream come true," said surviving Spinners member Henry Fambrough (85) via video, accepting the award. Erstwhile Spinner member John Edwards (78), who sang with the group from 1977-2000, also appeared by video to accept. It's funny how time slips away: Willie Nelson, 90 years young, was seated throughout his time in the limelight at Barclays center, but hey, he made it. And speaking of the Red Headed Stranger...</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">You have to tip your cowboy hat to American treasure Willie. His induction segment started with Dave Matthews' heartfelt acoustic performance of "Funny How Time Slips Away," followed by Matthews' speech. Nelson career milestones were noted, such as Patsy Cline recording "Crazy" and how the country icon has recorded 72 albums. Also included in Dave's prepared words were mentions of the Outlaws and the Highwaymen, two groups Nelson was in with Waylon Jennings, as well as Nelson's Farm Aid concerts. (And is is this first rock hall speech that's ever quoted comedian Bill Hicks?) Matthews' breathless, rambling speech that was nonetheless endearing (and may just get Dave Matthews Band on the ballot for a second nomination). Nelson's video package showed him with Johnny Cash, and detailed his overall journey and the "Nashville Sound" that he wanted to move past. In a key move, Nelson moved back to Texas, grew longer hair and became the artist he wanted to be (one might also call this the George Carlin trajectory). Musicians in video include Chris Stapleton (he mentioned how normal people, hippies and cowboys all gathered around the Willie campfire), the Black Crowes' Chris Robinson, the late Ray Charles, and Norah Jones (she had high compliments for "Blue Eyes Cryin' in the Rain"). In his acceptance speech, Nelson talked about working with with Ray Charles, Leon Russell, and Booker T. Jones, and plugged Jennings and Kris Kristofferson for Rock Hall induction. His relatively brief words led into his performance of "Whiskey River" (backed by a snappy band including Stapleton and Don Was), "Crazy" with Sheryl Crow, and the inevitable "On the Road Again" with Matthews, Crow, and Stapleton. This "On the Road Again" performance might be about as "countrified" as the Rock Hall induction stage has ever been. Cowboy hats, beards, Willie's headband... some CMA Awards-type stuff. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Non-inductee (!) Peter Frampton joining Sheryl Crow on guitar for "Every Day is a Winding Road" was a welcome sight. Double inductee Stevie Nicks also sang on the number, remaining onstage after dueting with Crow on "Strong Enough." Oscar winner Laura Dern did the induction speech for Crow, making this the second consecutive ceremony where a Hollywood actor spoke for the first inductee of the evening (Robert Downey, Jr. took this slot in 2022, ushering in Duran Duran). </span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Chaka Khan's induction portion was uniquely memorable, even beyond the Sia wardrobe. Her inductor was R&B talent Jazmine Sullivan, who said that Khan was celebrating her 50th year in the business (inadvertently emphasizing how long it took the singer to be honored by the Hall). Khan's video package featured no less than Michelle Obama, Joni Mitchell, H.E.R., and Grace Jones, and noted the Black Panther rallies Khan attended as a young person. It also showed Khan performing with Whitney Houston, Miles Davis, Prince and Rufus (the latter group frequently nominated with Chaka in her earlier, failed nominations). "She's just leaving it all on that stage in every performance," H.E.R. beamed in the video. Speaking of performance, Khan offered a medley including a terrific duet with Common (covering the Melle Mel rap portion) on her breakdance-worthy Prince cover "I Feel For You." Elsewhere, H.E.R. played guitar on "Ain't Nobody" and stayed onstage for Rufus' "Sweet Thing." Finally, the Sia rainbow appeared for "I'm Every Woman." During her speech, Khan noted that without Rufus, she would not be where she is today, and brought out Rufus guitarist Tony Maiden. Khan's induction was a long time coming, delayed justice after seven nominations. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">While Ahmet Ertegun award honoree Don Cornelius' segment was among the briefest of the night, the question of why "Soul Train" was important was answered in no uncertain terms. In Cornelius' video package, Questlove called the show "a religion," going on to say that it was a depiction of black joy. Also appearing in the video were Lionel Richie, Chaka Khan, and Aresenio Hall. "This was our classroom," noted Richie.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Al Kooper's acceptance, via video, of the Musical Excellence honor was particularly gratifying. He's a retiree and 79 years old, and it seemed he was really savoring this recognition. In an unusual move, Kooper narrated his own video package, which chronicled his astonishing collaborations, including Bob Dylan (Kooper played the organ intro to "Like a Rolling Stone"); Jimi Hendrix (he appeared on <i>Electric Ladyland</i>); guitarist Mike Bloomfield; Blood, Sweat and Tears; and Lynyrd Skynyrd (he discovered and produced them). "It's been quite a long run for me," Kooper said, adding that it all began in 1958. (The great studio pianist Nicky Hopkins would be a fine choice in this slot next year.)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Public Enemy's enthusiastic Flava Flav was thankfully on camera several times, resuming the bouncy cheerleader role he originally took up amid the expensive tables at the 2013 ceremony.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Morello's impassioned acceptance speech as the lone member of Rage in the house was a keeper. "The world is not going to change itself... the world is changed by ordinary people that have had enough," he declared. Inductor Ice-T, who did his speech with no teleprompter, shared a great story: "We gotta go on after <i>them</i>?!" he recalled about an early gig where Rage opened up for Body Count (he said Zack de la Rocha started that show by leaping 5 feet into the air). He later added, "If you wanna go down in history, you gotta either make something or break something." </span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span>Missy Elliott's sensory-overloading extravaganza at the end of the night was outstanding, and it came complete with a UFO landing, a hologram and a high-energy, backing dancer-loaded medley of "Get Ur Freak On," "The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)," "Work It," "Pass That Dutch" and "Lose Control." H</span>ow great is it that <i>Jimmy Page</i> was watching all this?</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Finally, "Go Bernie Taupin" (and not just for suggesting Merle Haggard for induction). Someone had to say it, since the Hall (unlike Rolling Stone magazine, which made a statement and has published follow-up articles) despite rapidly ejecting Hall co-founder Jann Wenner from its board, has not followed up with even a simple, closure-giving statement of how they will go forward following recent controversy (sparked when Hall co-founder Wenner told a New York Times interviewer that he didn't feel that women and black artists were articulate enough to be included in his new book <i>The Masters</i>). Taupin, accepting his Musical Excellence honor, chimed in when no one else did: “I guess you could say my being inducted is a paradox, perhaps, but either way, I’m honored to be in the class of 2023 alongside a group of such profoundly <span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit;"><i>articulate</i></span><span style="background-color: white;"> women and outstanding </span><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit;"><i>articulate </i></span><span style="background-color: white;">Black artists along with all of the other music </span><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit;"><i>masters</i></span><span style="background-color: white;"> here tonight.” Indeed, for the Rock Hall, "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word." </span></span></li></ul><div><b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;">WHAT DIDN'T WORK / SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT</span></b></div><p></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">This was a four and-a-half hour show (last year's was 5.5 hours), and it ran relatively seamlessly (Elton John loitered at the mic a little too long prior to his Taupin speech, waiting for a cue), but speeches by Matthews and Morello came off rushed. There must be visible countdown clocks, as is often the case with these awards shows, but some participants clearly interpret those as stressors, and it shows. No one wants long speeches, but there is a fine line and maybe some finesse due in the area of letting the podium pilots breathe a little. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Teleprompter issues evidently threw Kate Bush induction speaker Big Boi off a bit. Stumbling over mixed-up words on the prompter he stammered, then jabbed, "Who the fuck?... Did you go to <i>class</i>?!" Other podium issues included microphones that were too low. Some technical issues are par for the course, but if this thing will now be streamed live, it's time to tighten it up.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Speaking of the Disney+ streaming user experience, some folks on social media reported frustrations finding/seeing the Rock Hall livestream due to the app's parental controls being on. Mickey Mouse and Ice-T, an unholy combination, to be certain. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">No way to fix this, but the Hall's gamble that Rage would reunite and blow the roof off of Barclays Center did not pay off. It's too bad, but where Morello sees Rage's induction as a mass communication possibility, perhaps his singer perceives it as compromising with corporate entities. If one looks at the optics of a Disney+ and ABC-broadcast show, and then considers de la Rocha's lyrics in Rage's song "Bullet in the Head" it makes a bit more sense: "<i>They load the clip in omnicolor / Said they pack the nine, they fire it at prime time / The sleeping gas, every home was like Alcatraz / And motherfuckers lost their minds... Just victims of the in-house drive-by / They say, "Jump", you say, "How high?</i>"</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Ice-T is an artist that has flipped off the establishment in myriad, dramatic ways, which makes him a terrific choice to induct Rage. But it would have been even better if Body Count had tackled a Rage song, in lieu of an actual Rage performance. As hard as it would be to rap Zack's vocal parts, maybe the Hall still could have enlisted Body Count, or another substitute performer in this case. (That said, Ice-T's walk out music, Body Count's "There Goes the Neighborhood," was tremendous. There are specific songs one <i>never </i>expects to hear at a ceremony, and that would be one, with 2022's "Rico Suave" being another.)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Ending an induction ceremony with an acceptance speech, as happened last night with Elliott, is a weird way to bring these dazzling annual events in for a landing. It's like they pack the ceremony with constant fireworks, only to have no "grand finale." It's possible something was cut at the last minute. An all-star jam around the 50th anniversary of hip-hop is possibly something that was in the works.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">That brings up an issue around how the showrunners structure the artist induction segments; music performances, induction speeches and acceptance speeches were shuffled around in a chaotic, variable order. This not only resulted in the Elliott speech being the end of the night (and this, after her off-the-charts performance that felt like the "thrilling conclusion"), but Crow performing one song, which led to speeches, which led to more performances, etc. At past ceremonies, there was an induction speech, an acceptance speech, and then the performance, which may not make for the most enthralling television sequence, but it prevents the awkward scene of an out-of-breath inductee who just sang, danced and/or played guitar having to run over to a podium to accept their trophy. A tricky problem, admittedly, but one that should be worked through. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Resource allocation is tricky with so many stars involved, and yet, it seemed a bit like blatant overexposure to have Crow appear for a third time for The Band's "The Weight," performed after the In Memoriam segment in tribute to Robbie Robertson. Especially when that number included the amazing vocal power station Brittany Howard, who might have taken an extra verse instead. Sometimes less is more, even at a jam-packed extravaganza such as this. Crow did great, and it's no dig at her talents, but this thing is packed with potential participants and other individuals might have been better slated in for that (Rodrigo, even? Get that cross-generational vibe happening). </span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Robertson will be sorely missed. He was a titanic musical talent, a member of The Band, a Scorsese film score maestro, and notably, a longtime member of the Hall's Nomination Committee. The music tribute to him was appropriate enough, but it's tough not to think of other options related to the dearly departed that, all due respect, might have happened instead. ("The Weight" is practically a cliche at this point; your drunk uncle is probably singing it at a coffeehouse open mic as we speak.) There is precedent for doing a musical tribute to late musicians that are not inductees (Exhibit A: Jerry Cantrell and Ann Wilson did "Black Hole Sun" for Chris Cornell at the ceremony in 2018), so, just putting this out there: What about Howard singing "Nothing Compares to You" for Sinead? Perhaps Matthews sings a Jimmy Buffett tune ("Come Monday")? Or, if there is to be fidelity to inductees, what about Frampton peeling off some stately Jeff Beck licks? So many possibilities.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Overall, this ceremony paled a bit in comparison to the 2022 edition. It's tough to say why, but with Bush and Rage members conspicuous in their absence, it makes 2022 moments like Judas Priest's appearance and Eurythmics' commanding reunion feel even more special. Dolly Parton and Rob Halford, opposing electrons drawn to center stage together singing "Jolene" ...well, there's no parallel moment like that in the 2023 show (for sheer jaw-drop quotient, Page's high-voltage "Rumble" comes closest). Like wine, these ceremonies are akin to vintages; some taste better than others, and others age more gracefully. It will be interesting to see how history treats the 2023 ceremony, but this was an intriguing mosaic of inductees, and the induction of the first female rapper in Elliott means a glass ceiling was finally shattered. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Finally, a note around matters of institutional identity. The Rock Hall has now branded induction into its ranks as "Music's Highest Honor" This is very close to the Grammys' tagline, "Music's Biggest Night." It seems minor, but it also could be construed as a step toward competing with the Recording Academy to a degree. The Rock Hall ceremony up to this point was an elusive, prerecorded music awards show, edited for later broadcast on HBO/MAX that, in 2023, jumped over to a Disney+ livestream, with a trimmed, three-hour version to air on major (Disney-owned) network ABC January 1, 2024. There were specific moments in last night's ceremony that felt spiritually similar to a Grammys show, such as the George Michael performance (no dig on it, it was mostly excellent), with its tandem of Miguel, Adam Levine, and Carrie Underwood. When you have Elton John, Chris Stapleton and Sheryl Crow onstage singing together, that feels Grammys-esque, too. It's not that it's "bad," it's more of a subtle, abstract thing. There's a certain smoothness and a drift to the middle. The Hall should study what the Grammys are doing, and locate incremental ways to distinguish its own tentpole event a bit more. As these inductions get bigger, more expensive, and put in front of more eyeballs, it should not be lulled into becoming "safer" and Disney/ABC-ready. It should have a touch of danger and a lot of attitude... that's rock and roll, after all. </span></li></ul>E-Rockracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04488528056947107950noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658837032884477115.post-760276858358174302023-09-24T10:54:00.010-07:002023-10-10T13:41:40.537-07:00No Sleep 'Til Brooklyn: Ahead of its Ceremony 11/3, the Rock Hall Has Serious Work to Do<p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>In light of the Jann Wenner controversy this past week</b>, it must be said: As Rolling Stone magazine has done already, the Rock Hall — as an institution, and the second-most conspicuous monument to Wenner's ambition and "vision" — needs to issue a statement to clarify its current position, distance itself, and re-establish some semblance of trust with its employees, donors, members, and ceremony ticket buyers. It's time for the Hall to meet the moment, especially with the looming inductions at Brooklyn's Barclays Center this November. </span></span></p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">To quote George Costanza, it may be time for the Rock Hall to reject its first impulses, and "do the opposite." Apologies and humility, as with Hall co-founder Wenner, seem as scarce as the women and people of color in its inductee ranks. The arrogance displayed by Wenner when his ignorance was exposed by writer David Marchese in last week's <a href="https://archive.ph/CJebQ" target="_blank"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">New York Times interview</span></a> was stunning. Arrogance is a trait that's palpable, too, in the Hall's public relations approach, which seems to toggle between diversion and denial. The "ignore it and it will go away" gambit works sometimes, but neither the Hall, nor Wenner can wish this one away. It's the equivalent of a cash deposit bag exploding a dye pack on a fleeing bank robber. <br /><br />On September 16, amid a reported atmosphere of "<a href="https://archive.ph/NIUqa" target="_blank"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">urgency and rage</span></a>," a vote was held by the Rock Hall foundation, and a statement was released saying that Wenner had been ejected from its board. (Also that day, the New York Times <a href="https://archive.ph/rJrGd" target="_blank"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">reported</span></a> that president and CEO of the foundation, Joel Peresman, contacted by phone, "declined to comment further.") In an <a href="https://hitsdailydouble.com/news&id=337648&title=TROY-CARTER-TO-WENNER:-YOUR-VIEWS...-ARE-CANCEROUS-SEEDS" target="_blank"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">e-mail</span></a> from foundation member Troy Carter to Wenner that leaked, words were not minced: </span></span><div><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">"</span></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i><span style="background-color: white;">It's mind-blowing to hear you imply that women and Black artists lack the intellectual articulation to be philosophers of rock, considering the significant contributions they have made, not only in terms of creative output but also in articulating the cultural, political and social aspects of their work. Artists like </span><span style="background-color: white;">Nina Simone</span><span style="background-color: white;"> and </span><span style="background-color: white;">Billie Holiday</span><span style="background-color: white;"> used their music to tackle pressing issues of civil rights and social injustice. They spoke eloquently about the purpose behind their music. </span><span style="background-color: white;">Robert Johnson</span><span style="background-color: white;">, </span><span style="background-color: white;">Little Richard </span><span style="background-color: white;">and </span><span style="background-color: white;">Chuck Berry</span><span style="background-color: white;"> laid much of the groundwork for what rock and roll would become, both musically and conceptually... </span></i></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>... You have every right to your opinion, whether or not I agree. But as a member of one of the most important music institutions in the world, your opinion is hurtful to all of the women and Black artists who hold the RRHF in high regard. While you have a storied history in the music industry, that story also includes a long history of racial bias and bigotry... </i></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">... </span><i><span style="background-color: white;">Nina and Joni would run circles around you on their</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span>worst<span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span style="background-color: white;">day. It’s always difficult when a board removes a founder, but in this case, it’s easy. Kick rocks, buddy."</span></i></span></div><div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">One gets the sense that Wenner was probably relieved that catapults are no longer in popular usage. </span></span><div><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Carter's e-mail represents a close-up perspective, but if one zooms out and takes a holistic view of the Hall, an unavoidable question emerges: Why does it seem that it's only when there's a four-alarm fire — when the Hall's hand is absolutely forced by bad optics and/or external pressure — that it is spurred into action? </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;">Yes, the Hall is a complicated, committee-laden bureaucracy. Yes, this thing's ideological concrete was set on a slant. Yes, the rotten tomatoes lobbed at the Hall on social media in one week could sustain Heinz production for a year. But is this a fire department, or a globally-recognized cultural institution? </span><div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;">The concept of being proactive, instead of constantly reactive, would seem to be a common-sense strategy for any public entity of this scale, particularly one that involves the preservation of culture and aspires to pantheon-building. Preventative maintenance and crisis management are two areas the Hall ought to explore with fresh vigor, especially after this past week. Specific phrases from Ice Cube's 2016 induction speech ("</span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;">Rock & roll is not an instrument, rock & roll is not even a style of music. Rock & roll is a spirit.</i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;">") are repeatedly parroted by Hall officials, but something else Cube once said should also be taken to heart by the institution: "</span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;">Check yo' self before you wreck yo' self.</i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;">"</span><div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;">The Rock Hall foundation's leadership presides over a world where </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;">women comprise only 8.63% of inducted members;</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;"> where </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;">an insulted Alanis Morrissette </span><a href="https://variety.com/2022/music/news/alanis-morissette-dropped-out-rock-roll-hall-fame-performance-sexism-olivia-rodrigo-carly-simon-1235425940/" style="font-family: georgia;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">unexpectedly leaves</span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;"> a ceremony rehearsal, blaming sexism and incivility; where hip-hop legends such as Eric B. & Rakim and A Tribe Called Quest languish with nominations but no inductions; where a host of funk, soul, R&B, and disco acts are still on the outside (the Meters, Patti LaBelle, Luther Vandross, Kool & the Gang, Pointer Sisters, 11-time nominees Chic</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;">); where punk, prog, hard rock, and metal lodestars struggle for recognition (no Bad Brains, no Jethro Tull, no Thin Lizzy, no Iron Maiden); where scenery-chewing weirdos sit on the bench (Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Grace Jones, the Cramps); where superstars of reggae and Afrobeat are missing (Peter Tosh, Fela Kuti); where Los Lobos gets a single nomination (2016), and never returns to the ballot; where iconic bassist Carol Kaye (88 years old) has never been honored; where god-tier pioneer Sister Rosetta Tharpe isn't honored until 2018; where Cleveland-born Tracy Chapman has zero nominations; where Chaka Khan has to endure 7 fruitless nominations across 11 years (with and without Rufus) before finally being honored in 2023. To put it lightly, this is a world in need of radical change. As Chapman once sang, "</span><i style="font-family: georgia;">Talking about a revolution.</i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;">"</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /><b>The Rock Hall</b>, now estranged from Wenner, yet associated with him forever, is in rough waters. At a time when they'd rather be touting their upcoming, $135 million museum expansion, as well as the the Brooklyn inductions six weeks from now, they're forced to navigate a spiraling public relations crisis. Past controversies have dogged the Hall, of course (everyone should know the name <a href="https://archive.ph/AZIrz" target="_blank"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Dorothy Carvello</span></a>), but the Wenner expulsion arrives on the heels of yet another embarrassing situation: Just last year, they had to suspend Craig Inciardi, a long-tenured museum curator and director of acquisitions, after he was <a href="https://archive.ph/ruK55" target="_blank"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">criminally charged</span></a>, with others, for trying to sell handwritten notes and lyrics Don Henley claims were stolen from him. The trial is reportedly slated for this fall. </span></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Rock Hall drama and malfeasance is nothing new — for years now, the noble, fact-based work of essential watchdogs such as the website <a href="https://www.futurerocklegends.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Future Rock Legends</span></a> and author/educator <a href="https://longreads.com/2019/03/29/the-manhandling-of-rock-n-roll-history/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Evelyn McDonnell</span></a> have provided a checks-and-balances system and conscience that the Rock Hall, with its unsavory associations and perplexing actions, often seems to lack. Along the same lines, Hole singer Courtney Love entered the conversation earlier this year with a series of impassioned Twitter posts, as well as a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/mar/17/why-are-women-so-marginalised-by-the-rock-roll-hall-of-fame" target="_blank"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">guest piece</span></a> in The Guardian, perceptively calling out the same sins of exclusion at the Rock Hall that Wenner just inadvertently exposed in himself. </span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />The 2023 induction ceremony is coming up fast, and the entire vibe and success of this annual gala truly depend on which key actions the Hall takes next. If Hall leadership wants to win back hearts and minds, it should trade stonewalling for pragmatism. It should release a public statement of contrition and renewed purpose to communicate its priorities and propel itself beyond the Wenner narrative. Further, several rounds of hat-in-hand diplomacy with 2023's inductees will be required to convince them to a) still believe in this thing, and b) show up. Mission-critical artist negotiations occur in advance of every ceremony, but Wenner has certainly made that task a lot tougher this time around.</span></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Indisputably, Wenner co-founded this institution and has had an outsized influence on shaping what it is today. Suggesting that new leadership in recent years, as encouraging as it is, somehow erases Jann's fingerprints from the Hall is short-sighted and not in line with the facts. It's hard work to change, but change, the Rock Hall must. Another part of Carter's e-mail says it all: </span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>"We can't change what was said, but we can learn from it and take steps to ensure that the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is an institution that truly honors the breadth and depth of contributions to music." </i></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;">It's time to take those steps. Ultimately, "Rock's Highest Honor" (the Hall rebranded it as "Music's Highest Honor" this month) cannot be administered from the low gutter of ignorance and exclusion.</span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;"></span></div>E-Rockracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04488528056947107950noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658837032884477115.post-82543217244053713462023-06-02T09:16:00.011-07:002023-06-03T07:51:24.176-07:00Shadows and Light: The Cure at Moda Center<p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>The Cure</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>Moda Center</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>May 31, 2023</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Cure’s music, elemental and potent, holds a certain magnetism. It was the final day of May, the outside air balmy and pleasant, yet the faithful
spirited themselves indoors. There was darkness to reckon with.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The shimmering, fractured beauty of the Cure was on florid
display throughout their 29-song presentation. Powerful yet delicate, drifting between eccentric and accessible, the setlist was culled
from albums going back as far as 1980 (no selections from the band’s debut<i>
Three Imaginary Boys</i> made the cut this night). Robert Smith, a most gracious host for nearly three hours, exhibited a vocal and physical durability that was
astonishing; at age 64, he might even be called goth rock’s Springsteen.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Early on between songs, Smith was self-deprecating, speaking
about the compressed nature of time and betraying a self-consciousness that,
somehow, he’d worn out his welcome in this city. The truth of the matter is,
the Cure hadn’t touched down in the region since 2016, and they hadn’t set foot
in this specific arena since 1997. Humility of this ilk can be a motivator, and
it might be part of what’s fueling Smith as he reliably carries the Cure
legacy forward. His colleagues (bassist Simon Gallup, keyboardist Roger O’Donnell, keyboardist/guitarist Perry Bamonte, drummer Jason Cooper, guitarist Reeves Gabrels), who conjured a gathering storm of atmosphere and sound, seem to be
on the same page.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">These guys mean business, but there’s a distinct benevolence
in the Cure machinery. Professionalism, immaculate live sound, and giving the
customer their money’s worth are all apparent Cure standards. Even the t-shirts in the lobby largely sold for $25, a
striking departure from the $40-50 per shirt most artists charge.
Fan-friendly? You better believe it. The industry needs much more of this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">For all the respect and
deference Smith gives to his supporters, recent history suggests that on the business
side, he’s more than willing to dole out the “<i>and find out</i>” part of the
equation when an entity like Ticketmaster offers their “<i>f*ck around</i>” nonsense. This past March, Smith went toe-to-toe with the ticketing behemoth, and negotiated lower prices
and fee refunds for his ticket buyers at a time when few (if any) of
his peers were willing to take up such a fight. In this case, good guys wear
black.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG2uXjsYu1Wr2SvT2BzcdhVobJWboekH0O_hHG--N-FRw-CNK-_N3HK8MJE4ysqGOhUGuaAA3z1Lm5WDZne3VN1Bsmvh59X-Idn_OfyzPhyRKJX01t8Ck_B2HGUHwS2BIWdrGJ0a-NfyG-HSeo-CmhToFh07ckXlOQKW-Gn_zOC5ST68gKZ9N1B3tV/s4000/20230531_220810.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1848" data-original-width="4000" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG2uXjsYu1Wr2SvT2BzcdhVobJWboekH0O_hHG--N-FRw-CNK-_N3HK8MJE4ysqGOhUGuaAA3z1Lm5WDZne3VN1Bsmvh59X-Idn_OfyzPhyRKJX01t8Ck_B2HGUHwS2BIWdrGJ0a-NfyG-HSeo-CmhToFh07ckXlOQKW-Gn_zOC5ST68gKZ9N1B3tV/w400-h185/20230531_220810.jpg" title="The Cure on their 'Shows of a Lost World' tour" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;">But on with the show. This night with the Cure was
christened with the sounds of thunder booming from the speakers,
foreshadowing the tempest the audience was about to be swept up
in. Far from a nostalgia trip and devoid of cynicism, Smith and his crew knocked down a lofty stack of songs. Overall, it was less fan
service than an exercise in pure artistic integrity, a total “come with us, you
won’t regret it” invitation. Sometimes, you have to just give yourself to the
storm.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Bookending the main set were the striking new works “Alone”
and “Endsong.” In between, and later in the encores, this West Sussex, England act led a mesmeric
journey through 44 years of their recorded history. Fans experienced a full spectrum of
emotions alongside their high-haired talisman: They reflected on lost love during “Pictures of You”; imagined a bed of flowers during “If Only
Tonight We Could Sleep,” and were time-warped back to 1994 and memories of
Brandon Lee during “Burn.” They also felt defiance and disorientation, respectively, in the
rhythmic <i>Seventeen Seconds</i> tandem of “Play for Today” (key lyric: “<i>Tell me I’m
wrong/I don’t really care</i>”) and “A Forest” (“<i>The girl was never there/It’s
always the same</i>”). Elsewhere, “Shake Dog Shake” found Smith adding extra hot sauce, with some bonus “<i>Sh- Sh- Sh- Sh-</i>” vocal
punctuation. He was having the time of his life.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">A pair of encores were more like additional
mini-sets, with “I Can Never Say Goodbye” a heart-rending standout in the first
of these two smaller frames. About Smith’s late sibling Richard, “Goodbye”
features the devastating lines “<i>Something wicked this way comes/To steal away my
brother’s life.</i>” Three songs later, the chiming “Plainsong” offered some solace
and counterpoint, as its keyboards surged with a wounded majesty.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The human condition requires us all to face darkness, but life is about balance and realizing that
there is also levity and light. In the second encore, after Smith
warbled on “Lullaby” that “<i>the spiderman is having me for dinner tonight</i>,” the
vibe shifted to something resembling joy and even whimsy. The frontman played a
miniature keytar on “Six Different Ways,” offered up the smash hit “Friday I’m
in Love” (<i>“It’s a wonderful surprise/To see your shoes and your spirit rise</i>”),
and roamed the stage during the percolating gem “Close to Me.” The twirling, upbeat “In
Between Days” was another serotonin boost, and the evening drew to a close with “Just Like Heaven” and
“Boys Don’t Cry.”</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Fealty to the Cure and similar acts is akin to
cave-dwelling; some<i> really </i>like it down there. But before one slips too deep into
darkness, along comes Robert Smith, holding a torch and summoning them back
from the ledge. He may be a purveyor of gloom, but, to quote some other Smiths, his band’s music is proof
that there is a light that never goes out.</span></div><p></p>E-Rockracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04488528056947107950noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658837032884477115.post-45539599155451463212022-12-31T14:46:00.009-08:002023-03-17T09:38:12.580-07:00Just Stand Back: Remembering Mimi Parker<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><i>"Here comes the knife </i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b style="font-family: georgia;"><i>You better just stand back</i></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><i>I could turn on you so fast"</i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Those lyrics, from the Low song "Just Stand Back," resonated anew last month. On November 6, the Duluth, Minnesota indie act's Twitter announced that its co-founder Mimi Parker had passed of cancer at age 55. Hers was a life lived, along with husband-collaborator Alan Sparhawk, in the service of uncompromising art. Parker's voice, woven with Sparhawk's, was a glowing beacon amid ominous yet mesmerizing music. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Like a viper lying in wait, "Just Stand Back" strikes the listener about a third of the way into the dense and jarring thicket of the 2005 album </span><i style="font-family: georgia;">The Great Destroyer. </i><span style="font-family: georgia;">It's an admittedly obscure corner of their musical legacy, but in line with the majesty and mystery of their overall body of work, it captivates just the same. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The guitar chords of "Just Stand Back" scuff and jangle as the song begins. Sparhawk, with his dry yet pleading voice, invites you in ("It's a hit / It's got soul," he sings). But once Parker joins in to harmonize with her partner, the shimmering magic of Low is revealed: "Just Stand Back" blossoms into an eerie campfire song. It churns and burns, seemingly daring the listener to interpret what lyrics like "Here comes the knife" and "I could turn on you so fast" mean to them. "With a swing like that / You better just stand back" is delivered by Parker and Sparhawk with such co-conspiratorial confidence, it both inspires awe and telegraphs danger.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Like Minnesota's countless lakes, "Just Stand Back" is just one place to dip into when it comes to Low's music. There are 13 studio LPs, and <i>The Great Destroyer </i>is just the seventh. It's an expansive songbook of cathartic noise, experimentation and abject sonic bravery. Parker co-created hymns for the struggling and the painfully alone, her voice and drums tossed like lifelines to anyone needing them. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_NoZIJZEHGCfwCUrcPF7KEmXOAbofFZiIyXMA2NxlqVFOIduW-CURczf-eZqbfZcOfdv7adwp5ECxB0w1ndgk1_xhnugknjYr4yGar5xiYyisS5G3KZEkJzMG5272BpW5V1_IPvczTnCdL4rx4g1Q2TDSKhg2eqRDBMo60GAWaT4GIuErwcbg3HVS/s1200/lowmimiparker.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="719" data-original-width="1200" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_NoZIJZEHGCfwCUrcPF7KEmXOAbofFZiIyXMA2NxlqVFOIduW-CURczf-eZqbfZcOfdv7adwp5ECxB0w1ndgk1_xhnugknjYr4yGar5xiYyisS5G3KZEkJzMG5272BpW5V1_IPvczTnCdL4rx4g1Q2TDSKhg2eqRDBMo60GAWaT4GIuErwcbg3HVS/w400-h240/lowmimiparker.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mimi Parker and Alan Sparhawk of Low</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: georgia;">In the realm of indie rock it's easy to become cynical and write off bands like Low as cult entities or just another Pitchfork-approved act of the week. It would be inaccurate to say they're easily accessible or widely known; the phrase "musicians' musicians" comes to mind. Tagged as slowcore, they've been heavily acclaimed in some corners, particularly for their last two albums, </span><i style="font-family: georgia;">Double Negative</i><span style="font-family: georgia;"> (2018) and </span><i style="font-family: georgia;">HEY WHAT</i><span style="font-family: georgia;"> (2021). Both of these releases garnered Low some of the strongest notices of their career, remarkably for work awash in digital distortion and static. Transgressive? Boundary-pushing? Avant-garde? All of the above, and then some. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Low did see an unlikely cheerleader emerge from the rock world. Their songs "Silver Rider" and "Monkey" (both from <i>The Great Destroyer</i>) were covered by </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Robert Plant on his 2010 album </span><i style="font-family: georgia;">Band of Joy</i><span style="font-family: georgia;">. And the day after Parker's death, Plant performed "Everybody's Song" and "M</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">onkey" at his concert in Glasgow, Scotland. Elsewhere, tributes poured in from admirers including <span style="background-color: white;">Sigur Rós, Tool's Maynard James Keenan, Will Sheff, El-P of Run the Jewels, and producer Steve Albini. Wilco's Jeff Tweedy even shared a cover of Low's "I Hear... Goodnight" on his Substack newsletter page. Onstage in South America November 8, Father John Misty talked about how important Low was to him, and performed a cover of the band's "In the Drugs." And this month, Phoebe Bridgers and Storefront Church released their take on the 1994 Low song "Words."</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white;">The marriage and creative partnership of Parker and Sparhawk has precedent in popular music, but it should be noted that they stayed together and thrived artistically until the end. In this one aspect, they're more like Johnny and June Carter Cash than say, Richard and Linda Thompson or Jack and Meg White. Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires, as well as the War and Treaty (Tanya Trotter and Michael Trotter, Jr.) are current examples of couples doing terrific work together. It all just underlines the inherent sadness and sense of loss when one half of a creative duo leaves this earth. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white;">Parker's voice dispelled the darkness. In joining her husband on songs of emotional turbulence matched by their music's noisy commotion, she shared her gift to magnificent effect. A phenomenal artist, gone too soon. </span></span></div>E-Rockracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04488528056947107950noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658837032884477115.post-52444187830879499802022-11-18T16:53:00.018-08:002022-11-19T07:36:40.784-08:00The Super-Sized 2022 Rock Hall Ceremony<div><span style="font-family: georgia;">We're not at the Waldorf-Astoria anymore.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">In light of the dazzling, genre-diverse spectacular that went down at the Microsoft Theater two weeks ago, it's worth reflecting back on the original location of the Rock Hall ceremony, held in New York City starting in 1986. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Ah yes, the glitzy, champagne-drenched Waldorf-Astoria, home to a whopping 23 private inductions over the years. The event did escape from New York at times—it landed at </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">L.A.'s Century Plaza in 1993 (still private), and in 1997, the Renaissance Cleveland Hotel had the distinction of hosting the first public ceremony. After a second public induction in Cleveland in 2009, the Waldorf-Astoria hosted two more closed-door ceremonies. Finally, in 2012, the walls came tumbling down, making this largely closed-off event open to everyday music fans. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Ten years later, so much has happened. There's been Rock Hall Foundation leadership and committee turnover (most notably, John Sykes in for Jann Wenner), the pandemic (which herded the 2020 inductees into a pre-packaged, documentary-style HBO program), and an erratic three-city rotation. This year, </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">inductions returned to La La Land (or, in Alex Lifeson parlance, "blah-blah land") for the first time in nine years. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">This was a big one. Super-sized. It will put the "Max" in HBO Max this weekend. In a first, there were even bleachers onstage packed with fans. This was Sykes' first Los Angeles ceremony, and the iHeartMedia President and co-founder of MTV (along with the foundation and production team) wasn't leaving anything to chance. </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">"Delivering the goods" appears to be the key methodology of 2020s-era Rock Hall ceremonies. Cleveland next year? Or Brooklyn? No matter where this event lands on the map, it would appear that state-of-the-art production and God-tier rock star power will be on tap. Last year, McCartney. This year, Springsteen. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">The 37th annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony is getting a 4-hour window for broadcast on HBO. At the Microsoft Theater, it spanned five and-a-half hours (7:15 p.m. to about 12:45 a.m.). </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Having been in the room for ceremonies that ran about that long, but felt <i>longer</i> due to speeches and near-comical staging delays (looking at you, 2015), it must be said that apart from Duran Duran's brief sound collapse early on, the show mostly cruised along, with just a few plodding segments along the way</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">. The final edit will likely jettison some of that excess baggage. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">The baggage isn't limited to the show itself. The Rock Hall ceremony is an exhilarating bubble to be in, but it remains peculiar due to various tensions. Maybe it's the mixing of industry and commoners, and maybe it's the feeling that the Hall, with its obvious inductee backlog and well-documented failures of committee-think, has a lot to make right; the fans showing up are carrying both expectation and indignation. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">If the show runners understand this, and they hopefully do, they'll work harder to find a balance between crowd-pleasing musical nirvana (knockout performances, once-in-a-lifetime moments) and the manner in which they recognize amazing individuals such as Harry Belafonte, Sylvia Robinson and Elizabeth Cotten. Those three inductees received only video packages, with no one onstage to even briefly announce their induction. In the late Robinson's case, her son Leland and granddaughter were there, so to not have them quickly accept the award on their mother's behalf was a mistake. Time truly must be made in these instances. Yes, it's a long show, time is of the essence, but some judiciousness was needed here.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">And that's the problem with "big." Small, nuanced things get trampled upon. It's a vexing problem with shows of this scale, and with the Hall specifically. Much is done well, and much seemingly gets ignored. But f</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">lawed as it may be, the institution appears to be steering this colossal ship in the right direction. Vocal, intelligent observers</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> have raised their voices for more women, more metal, more inductees, etc., and it would be inaccurate to say the Hall isn't listening. That said, Cleveland truly needs its first female hip-hop honoree, and hopefully 2023 brings that and much more.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">But back to the ceremony. iHeartMedia boss Sykes is a different captain than Wenner, and there is an ambitious, new-look Rock Hall era upon us. With its 14 honorees and top-shelf list of special guests, the highly-produced 2022 edition could be split in half, and two ceremonies could be made from it. Goodness gracious, there were even <i>two</i> all-star jams, for all intents and purposes. (It seems the days of 5-7 inductees are a thing of the past.)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Speaking of Sykes, the inductions these last two years seem to parallel, in subtle ways, the genre-diverse, mainstream tilt of iHeartRadio Music Awards shows. In line with Sykes' references to "the sound of youth culture," there are several household names crossing over, and back, between that event and the Rock Hall ceremony (J.Lo! LL Cool J! Ed Sheeran! Olivia Rodrigo!). It's fitting, too, that SiriusXM looms so large in this annual affair (from backstage interviews to broadcasting audio of the ceremony), because its panoramic music station menu echoes the genre-inclusive approach that, at its best, the Hall manifests with its inductee slate and ceremonies each year. Where there is Dolly Parton, there is also Rob Halford. Where there is Eminem, there is also Steven Tyler. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Started at the Waldorf-Astoria and now we're here. </span></div>E-Rockracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04488528056947107950noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658837032884477115.post-60261270621551953262022-11-03T06:26:00.006-07:002022-11-18T10:16:40.662-08:00The Rock Hall Triumph of Judas Priest<p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><i>"We don't accept defeat, we never will retreat..."</i></b> - "Freewheel Burning"</span></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Tough as leather, armed with a steely resolve, and road warriors to this day, Judas Priest finally enters the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this Saturday, November 5. It's a triumph for these metal gods, and for the heavy metal faithful across the globe. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span>It's also an exceptionally overdue honor, and one that unfortunately required special intervention by the Hall to even happen. Judas Priest, upon their third nomination this year, still didn't</span> earn enough votes from the official Rock Hall votership to be counted among the Class of 2022's seven "Performer" honorees (Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo, Duran Duran, Eminem, Eurythmics, Dolly Parton, Lionel Richie, and Carly Simon). As a result, they are being given the Award for Musical Excellence. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPDYIgIXkhpTxUR4jEUozXEaSizajPoimY4t7daYd853_NK56u5YNpc4I3Hq5cAYv1L2oF1qwE7ecdGkCgGP1ZzlOlwMtxP5SjWTr4Wqfr4szN64JhSKHgq6KZFAmeBjAtFlndwy6qGeqnmH3uHq4TmpOmFDfvXVe8bJrWBUGp1bpnzPIhn9K-Krhs/s3441/JP1.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2141" data-original-width="3441" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPDYIgIXkhpTxUR4jEUozXEaSizajPoimY4t7daYd853_NK56u5YNpc4I3Hq5cAYv1L2oF1qwE7ecdGkCgGP1ZzlOlwMtxP5SjWTr4Wqfr4szN64JhSKHgq6KZFAmeBjAtFlndwy6qGeqnmH3uHq4TmpOmFDfvXVe8bJrWBUGp1bpnzPIhn9K-Krhs/w400-h249/JP1.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Ian Hill, Glenn Tipton, Rob Halford, K.K. Downing, Les Binks</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: georgia;">Ultimately, the Hall arrived at a solution. Some observers are OK with it, some are not. But the institution had to take action. How could they continue to snub Judas Priest, arguably the second-most significant metal band after Black Sabbath? If Hall voters continue to reject this genre (Iron Maiden was on the ballot last year, another swing and a miss!), measures need to be taken. Maybe it's not perfect, but as Winston Churchill once said, perfection is the enemy of progress.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span>In many ways, this "other" honor is quite appropriate, and one truly hopes the Priest camp fully embraces and understands it. These guys wear their outsider status on their studded sleeves, and have soldiered through their career on their own terms. They are the embodiment of heavy metal, which is not a path for the faint of heart </span><span style="background-color: white;">—</span> these guys had to have wanted it. Officially formed in 1969, with their debut LP <i>Rocka Rolla</i> released in 1974, the group has overcome daunting challenges: label woes; personnel changes; world tours; a 1990 court trial where they were accused of putting subliminal messages in their music; and Rob Halford's difficult decision, as a gay man, to stay in the closet during Priest's most successful years (he came out in 1998). More recently, guitarist Glenn Tipton was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease in 2018, leaving him unable to perform full shows, though he still performs encores with his mates, and will fortunately be present at this week's ceremony. Despite everything, Priest have delivered on their vision for over 50 years, making thunderous, exhilarating music for hardcore fans and mainstream rock audiences alike. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Musical excellence? They've excelled indeed, from the sonorous vocals and haunting riffs of "Victim of Changes" to the revving, concussive "Hell Bent for Leather" to radio/MTV hits like "Breaking the Law" and "You've Got Another Thing Coming." On 1990's <i>Painkiller</i> album, they pushed the limits of speed and thrash metal to gloriously punishing effect. And these high points are just the tip of the iceberg <span style="background-color: white;">— at 18 studio albums, the Priest</span> discography is rewarding and vast, with 2018's <i>Firepower</i> earning rave reviews as a thrilling return to form. A new album is due in 2023.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Priest's induction feels rather special; there's a definite "triumph of the underdog" narrative here for both the band and its disciples. Suddenly, a worldwide community of marginalized metal believers, angry with the Hall for years about this snub, finally feel seen. For generations of lost souls and high school rebels, Priest has been a sanctuary. Their music is a rite of passage, sure, but it's also a lifelong companion. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span>Judas Priest represents so much. They are the smoking kids on the corner outside your high school. They are every Eddie Munson with a Dio backpatch. They are the rowdy denizens of heavy metal parking lots where<span style="color: #2b00fe;"> </span></span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whZuz5Dwtw8" target="_blank"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">zebra-striped</span></a> <span>shirts get soaked with beer and sweat. They are the sound of a teenager's bedroom door slamming after a fight with a parent. They are a backwoods kegger, where bonfires rage and bad choices are made. They have been there, reliably, to offer their faithful catharsis, community, and the credo "<i>One life, I'm gonna live it up.</i>" And that's why they belong in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, by any means necessary. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><b>Further Reading: </b><a href="https://www.e-rockracy.com/2017/07/why-judas-priest-belongs-in-rock-hall_14.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Why Judas Priest Belongs in the Rock Hall</span></a></span></span></div>E-Rockracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04488528056947107950noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658837032884477115.post-18783051991695948852022-07-10T16:00:00.012-07:002022-07-10T16:44:22.414-07:00We Are the Robots<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>Kraftwerk 3-D<br />Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>July 8, 2022</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Why are we here? What is our purpose? Is life a dream or an elaborate, predetermined program? Are we more machines than man now? Perhaps it's best to let German robots explain all this.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white;">Those are heavy questions, of course. And while witness accounts of Kraftwerk 3-D may vary, this multimedia presentation seemed intent on exploring universal truths and the challenges of modern human existence. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white;">Lest you think this whole enterprise sounds uncomfortable </span><span style="background-color: white;">—</span><span style="background-color: white;"> and that, by the end, you'd be imploring HAL 9000 to open the pod bay doors </span><span style="background-color: white;">— it was quite the opposite. By way of introduction, the talent onstage is founding Kraftwerk member </span><span style="background-color: white;">Ralf Hütter (age 75), along with Henning Schmitz, Fritz Hilpert, and Falk Grieffenhagen. </span><span style="background-color: white;">Wearing neon-lined body suits redolent of the movie "Tron," they manned individual, rectangular podiums while an unrelenting spectacle of 3-D-enhanced video played on a giant screen behind them. UFOs violated your airspace, protruding satellite antennas made you duck, sound waves bounced, 8-bit cars sped down the Autobahn. It was a technicolor feast for the eyes, but the subversive Kraftwerk ethos still burrowed into the psyche, going past the optic nerves and straight into the hippocampus and beyond. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaRn-ko7-17S8Xc0qJw3sp76of14RHRbO_uhBXBVJnK58oseWmTXVz40gLccspQM3obfcajfdrNYx0Zu-f_StOHDQOEJDkuovunesN1YJVZCaUoM0M3uA5-NWT7OBYuJQlmvTjvK541c1NGB6T_ZmrcC-Se6pWtgAq5qYmMUbIgvhnXihkNvpBy3nH/s4032/20220708_205204.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Kraftwerk 3-D" border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaRn-ko7-17S8Xc0qJw3sp76of14RHRbO_uhBXBVJnK58oseWmTXVz40gLccspQM3obfcajfdrNYx0Zu-f_StOHDQOEJDkuovunesN1YJVZCaUoM0M3uA5-NWT7OBYuJQlmvTjvK541c1NGB6T_ZmrcC-Se6pWtgAq5qYmMUbIgvhnXihkNvpBy3nH/w320-h240/20220708_205204.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="background-color: white;"><div style="text-align: left;">The best concert experiences draw you in, and deliver something unexpected. This futuristic extravaganza certainly did that. Just as the 3-D screen lent a sense of space and depth, the seemingly basic subject matter of songs like "Numbers," "Home Computer" and "Airwaves" blossomed into thought-provoking performance pieces. On a similar note, "Autobahn," "Tour de France" and "Trans-Europe Express" evoked forward movement and human progress, but given our recent history, one could not help but think of another band's theory of de-evolution.</div></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;">Underneath Kraftwerk's beeps, circular rhythms and cyborgian vocals lies a key question: What happens at the intersection of man and machine? On this night, many answers were possible. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;">"Computer Love</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;">," with its lyrics, "<i>I don't know what to do, </i></span><i style="font-family: georgia;">I don't know what to do</i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;"><i>/I need a rendezvous, </i></span><i style="font-family: georgia;">I need a rendezvous</i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;">" suggests a lot about how people connect in the modern age (and it's quite prescient for a song released in 1981). Elsewhere, t</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;">he folly of man/machine was laid bare on "Radioactivity," as it called out nuclear-scarred cities and displayed </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;">radiation warning symbols onscreen. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white;">Sobering nuclear outcomes aside, a rapt audience nonetheless sat with cardboard 3-D glasses on their faces while H</span><span style="background-color: white;">ü</span><span style="background-color: white;">tter and crew </span><span style="background-color: white;">—</span><span style="background-color: white;"> relying not only on substance, but resplendent, colorful style </span><span style="background-color: white;">—</span><span style="background-color: white;"> reasserted Kraftwerk's innovation and immeasurable influence. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;">Some of the haunting textures from "The Model" echoed goth-rock, one of many genres <span style="font-family: georgia;">H</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">ü</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">tter, Florian Schneider, Wolfgang Fl</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">ü</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">r, and Karl Bartos</span> either nudged along or made possible. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;">At other points of the show, robot voices confirmed that things like Auto-Tune and Daft Punk were beamed down from the Kraftwerk mothership. </span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white;">Of course, any </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;">musician that</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;"> ever touched a synthesizer or drum machine after 1970 can thank this quartet</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;">. S</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;">ynth-pop, New Wave, Neue Deutsche Welle, disco, industrial, hip-hop, techno, and a legion of pop and rock acts are all branches of the Kraftwerk tree. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white;">Masquerading as automatons, </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;">the original lineup of Kraftwerk gave their fans much to contemplate around identity and purpose. On this night, the tradition was continued by four men that, for all their amusing stoicism, were still recognizable as living beings. But in a chilling bit of future shock during "Robotronik," four </span><i style="font-family: georgia;">actual</i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;"> robots danced onstage, without a human in sight. It was turbulent and purposeful: a synthetic, sensory-overloading tableau that rattled the cages of our 21st-century souls. It was artificial intelligence reminding us to be human.</span></div>E-Rockracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04488528056947107950noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658837032884477115.post-8405775384283582432022-03-28T13:28:00.031-07:002022-04-01T08:47:57.112-07:00Indie Rock (and Cuervo) Gold<div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>Guided by Voices</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>Revolution Hall - Portland, OR</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>March 27, 2022</b></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><br /></b></span></div>"<i>Who do you think you are, Jethro Tull?</i>" </span><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">This snarky inquiry wasn't from a heckling audience member, but rather, a smiling, self-aware Bob Pollard after a rendition of "Moses on a Snail," a proggy number that culminated in ascendant riffing that found the singer slowly raising his arms and hands in religious fervor. The next logical step might have been speaking in tongues, but fear not, infidels: Uncle Bob picked up his Miller Lite, took a swig and got on with other sacred business.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">This Guided by Voices phenomenon is remarkable, and it endures. But what does one make of these Dayton, Ohio indie rock kings in 2022? They're 39 years into their inspirational story, with nearly as many lineup changes, albums and songs as beers consumed onstage. The center of the GBV universe, of course, is Robert Pollard, a former schoolteacher whose unlikely "parachutist into a boxing ring"-level party-crash of the indie rock world in the '90s still feels like a miracle. And there are fewer more reassuring sights than this fully-invested <i>bon vivant</i> joyfully kicking his leg backward, twirling his mic, and doing his signature high kick when his band launches into yet another irresistible anthem. Pollard is white-haired and 64 years old, but time has not diminished him.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU7Uz52X0A44EM97DGFhn_AsNKSSaMiS5Op797-kDl5Ug98kp6j8lvqG6E4RH6Y-L8SL9FxA8_04uygRLIFfKvOsS4VNnb86ibPIaYhOMr0KTd42SFWlh6JrKpunDEhwH0om0ipxmO3niPwVI6Yvn8Kk1S1I1Ag0GtRiAc55oHqG194nFbJ7e0xvIO/s4032/20220327_202443.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU7Uz52X0A44EM97DGFhn_AsNKSSaMiS5Op797-kDl5Ug98kp6j8lvqG6E4RH6Y-L8SL9FxA8_04uygRLIFfKvOsS4VNnb86ibPIaYhOMr0KTd42SFWlh6JrKpunDEhwH0om0ipxmO3niPwVI6Yvn8Kk1S1I1Ag0GtRiAc55oHqG194nFbJ7e0xvIO/w400-h300/20220327_202443.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pollard, March and Gillard</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: georgia;">When it comes to choosing songs, where does Guided by Voices even start? Pollard and company are on the road, theoretically supporting their 35th album </span><i style="font-family: georgia;">Crystal Nuns Cathedral</i><span style="font-family: georgia;">, but since it's their</span><i style="font-family: georgia;"> sixth </i><span style="font-family: georgia;">album since 2020, there's an always-swelling pile of tunes to craft a setlist from (seriously, there are thousands). "Prolific" is the word that is most often attached to Pollard, and justifiably: By his own admission on this night, he's put out 117 albums, if you count GBV and all his solo and side projects. The task of putting together a setlist is enough to drive a bandleader to drink. Luckily, provisions were acquired, and as usual, a cooler sat onstage, and Captain Pollard fished a bottle of Cuervo Gold and endless beers from it. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Whatever the setlist yields, though, this band's barley soda-guzzling cult is down for whatever, and ready to sing along. The 49 riff-heavy tunes GBV cranked out at Revolution Hall in Portland (a converted high school auditorium) kept spirits high, and the "G-B-V!" chant inevitably made its appearance a few songs in. And the thrill of surprise </span><span face="Roboto, arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #4d5156; font-size: 14px;">—</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> for those avoiding the spoilers of previous tour stop setlists, anyway </span><span face="Roboto, arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #4d5156; font-size: 14px;">—</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> was very much in effect. For every predictable, "they can't leave without playing that" selection like "Motor Away," "Echoes Myron" or "Game of Pricks," there were plenty of recent tunes and tasteful picks from the GBV/solo Bob repertoires: "Climbing a Ramp" (from 2022's <i>Crystal Nuns Cathedral</i>), "The Disconnected Citizen" (from 2021's <i>Earth Man Blues</i>), "King 007" (from 2017's <i>How Do You Spell Heaven</i>) and "Love is Stronger Than Witchcraft" (from Pollard's 2006 solo LP <i>From a Compound Eye</i>).</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">There was a welcome middle ground, too, as the less familiar (i.e. newer) tracks were offset by standout gems from across the colossal GBV songbook, including "Your Name is Wild," "Back to the Lake," "I Am a Tree," and "My Kind of Soldier." There is a copious amount of musical gold to dig for in this catalog, of course. But not everything worked: The harmonies on the reflective "Twilight Campfighter" were sloppy compared to the slick studio version (that is just a tough tune to improve live), while "Man Called Blunder" was a case study in the sometimes plodding, mid-set lull that naturally happens during a two and a half-hour show. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Overall, though, these guys came to play. Having witnessed this band in action since the year 2000, there's no question of its evolution —</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> there is now a sharpness, a rhythmic complexity, and subtle prog-rock elements dovetailing nicely with the power chords and power pop, lifting Guided by Voices to a higher echelon artistically. Many moments of this performance legitimately felt like "next-level GBV." The chemistry and enthusiasm onstage was evident, and one imagines Pollard is thrilled to have a steady, consistent lineup of GBV to go out there with. Axeman Bobby Bare, Jr., bassist Mark Shue, and GBV vets Kevin March (drums) and sharp-shooting guitarist Doug Gillard rocked an array of material in winning fashion. Additionally, it was charming to see Pollard act paternal with the youthful Shue, calling him "Colonel Whitepants" due to his stage attire. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">On a similar note, Pollard's self-deprecating stage banter is a hilarious aspect of any of his gigs; tonight he lamented that the pop act Fine Young Cannibals (!) was somehow a bigger band than GBV (he even sarcastically sung a line from FYC's biggest hit: "<i>She drives me crazy!</i>" to which the audience automatically lobbed the song's "<i>whoo! whoo!</i>" back at him). However, Pollard, seeing the beer bottle as half full, did remind the crowd that Fine Young Cannibals don't have a song as great as the next one GBV was about to play — "Smothered in Hugs." Fair enough, Bob... we can examine that Jethro Tull comparison another day. </span></div>E-Rockracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04488528056947107950noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658837032884477115.post-88933332211356600282022-02-21T10:00:00.001-08:002022-02-21T10:28:51.736-08:00Eric's Archive: Butch Vig Interview, Entertainment Today, January 1999<p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>From 1997-2001, I served as the Music Editor of Entertainment Today, one of Los Angeles' oldest weekly entertainment newspapers. The Internet was still something of a fledgling thing in those days, but a website for the paper did eventually exist. </i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>As a new feature of E-Rockracy called "Eric's Archive," I've rescued some of my more interesting Entertainment Today pieces from the dustier corners of the Internet, and have posted them here and below. </i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>I fondly recall this interview I did with Butch Vig, producer of Nirvana's </i>Nevermind<i> and a key member of the band Garbage. I remember Vig being quite personable and forthcoming. His response to my question about </i>Nevermind<i> is something I still remember:</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>"<span style="text-align: justify;">I know that Kurt sometimes tried to repress his pop instincts, but he was a genius when it came to that: He'd just pick up a guitar and he'd start ad-libbing something, and it was all this amazing stuff."</span> </b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Butch Vig... talk about a guy that was present at the birth of a major rock movement. Without further adieu, here is the feature article/cover story from January 1999:</i></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhL_BZtSrT_XhoplT7PQifEREZ3G-OFWIoRsZMM99By0NZ-t5Tx5VmLIBaXWmeMpMJG3H5B3X-QOyo6N0rGfJgjgpgujm50P991b99QT4UFpxjybuwXTQv-m4lqbMGX0KbJr3f4iZHW-7iwrUHxHs534jNvbOOOc3asveMJM3xUb6IYHBA3g6wGIpRB=s770" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="592" data-original-width="770" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhL_BZtSrT_XhoplT7PQifEREZ3G-OFWIoRsZMM99By0NZ-t5Tx5VmLIBaXWmeMpMJG3H5B3X-QOyo6N0rGfJgjgpgujm50P991b99QT4UFpxjybuwXTQv-m4lqbMGX0KbJr3f4iZHW-7iwrUHxHs534jNvbOOOc3asveMJM3xUb6IYHBA3g6wGIpRB=w400-h308" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><b style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Future, Thy Name is Garbage</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></p><p><i><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b>Überproducer/drummer/Wisconsinite Butch Vig sounds off on success, musical evolution, Y2K and the next big thing</b></span></i></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b>by Eric Layton</b></span></p><p align="JUSTIFY"><span style="font-family: Arial;">It's hard to believe that Garbage started as a fluke. When engineer-producer/"grunge architect" Butch Vig and his two Madison, Wisconsin buddies Duke Erickson and Steve Marker first laid eyes on the Scottish singer currently known as Shirley Manson, she was on MTV, crooning with the band Angelfish. That was nearly six years ago. Since then, the thirtyish Manson and this elder trio of Midwestern producers have become one of the dominant forces in modern rock. By taking traditional pop songs and hacking them apart with processed guitars, hip-hop beats and mutating, post-industrial soundscapes, the quartet delivered a knockout blow to the music world and alternative listeners bored with self-serving grunge misery. Fueled by such hit singles as "Only Happy When It Rains" and "Stupid Girl," their eponymous 1995 debut went quadruple platinum. In the meantime, Garbage became a ubiquitous presence on MTV, radio and the concert trail. In a truly queer turn of events, fans and critics finally seemed to agree on something: Garbage didn't stink.</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY"><span style="font-family: Arial;">This group could have easily become their own worst enemy - how in the world was this internationally recognized act going to follow-up such a promising first effort? The resounding answer is with <i>Version 2.0</i>, which, as its moniker implies, is a evolution of the sound and fury they began on <i>Garbage</i>. The sophomore release finds Manson, Vig, Erikson and Marker truly cohering as a unit; they not only wrote the material as a collective, but produced it together as well. It's a sonically futuristic, emotionally striking song cycle worthy of the overused description "fully realized." Manson's lyrics have taken on a whole new maturity (she may be a lusty heartbreaker, but she's paranoid, vulnerable and optimistic too), while the kaleidoscopic aural textures are pure ear candy - audible paintings that reveal something different with each spin. But where the first record was a nervous, kitchen-sink splatter of Basquiat-ian proportions, <i>Version 2.0</i> is crafted with a decidedly Van Gogh-ish flair, its colorful layers the product of painstaking workmanship. Cuts like "Hammering in My Head," "Special" and "The Trick is to Keep Breathing" are perhaps the finest examples of their artistry.</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Speaking by phone from a Chicago hotel suite just before Christmas (Garbage was in the Windy City to perform at yet another multi-act radio festival), the 40-year-old Vig sounds especially chipper. And he should. <i>Version 2.0</i> has been shifting serious units, and is on its way to triple platinum status (since this interview, it's been nominated for two Grammys, including Album of the Year).</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Possibly adding to Vig's general state of happiness is the fact that he's had such a deep impact on '90s rock. Besides his contributions to Garbage, he's the "superstar producer" who sat behind the boards on such albums as Nirvana's impossibly huge <i>Nevermind</i> and Smashing Pumpkins' breakthrough platter <i>Siamese Dream</i>. Grunge may be dead, but its influence is still being felt on the music of today. One case in point is Garbage, which couldn't have existed without the genre; how many knob-twiddlers, really, have been able to form and play in commercially and critically viable band? Vig is enigmatic in this way, though his pleasant conversational manner and dude-next-door attitude indicates nothing but a Wisconsin guy who's made good. <i>Real</i> good.</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Since Garbage had tasted and bonded over the sweet nectar of multiplatinum stardom before recording <i>Version 2.0</i>, one might assume a four-way traffic jam of inflated egos might have slowed down the album's creative process. However, Vig claims that it was easier to reconcile all band members' varied personalities into <i>Version 2.0</i> - especially that of Manson, Garbage's golden-voiced focal point. "I know that Shirley had a lot more confidence in her singing and lyric writing. I think she just felt freer to express herself," he remembers. "It was very awkward when she joined us on the first album - she didn't know us from anyone, and had to immediately go in and start writing and producing. She sort of took the ball and ran with it, and I think she's really grown as an artist. I think that the four of us just interact much better now than we did before."</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Attaining musical perfection is a process that has kept the Garbage members, who each have an iron in the production fire, burning the midnight oil on countless nights. Their often-schizophrenic sound is a mélange of synthesized noise, drum loops, grinding guitars and atmospheric touches that could probably be remixed an infinite number of times. Vig and co. are notorious for their studio overkill, so when he's asked his thoughts on the famous quote, "Art is never finished, it's abandoned," he chuckles in tacit recognition.</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY"><span style="font-family: Arial;">"I think that, if left to our own devices, I'd probably still be in there working on <i>Version 2.0</i>. I think there's a point where you sort of lose yourself in [the recording process] and you get so obsessed with it that it's hard to have any objectivity. That's one of the good things about having four very opinionated producers - at one point, somebody will say, 'It's good. We're going too far.'"</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY"><span style="font-family: Arial;">They may be workaholics, but it's a small price to pay for keeping Garbage, one of the most visible rock acts of the mid-to-late '90s, creatively vital and on the road. And Vig understands that the clock is ticking. "I think we realized that Garbage is very of the moment now. I don't know that we can sit around and think, 'Do we want to be remembered for a song 10 or 50 years from now?' We're enjoying making music and playing live, and we have loose plans to make a third album. Because we love this so much - even though we're exhausted all the time - it's our job and it's also our passion."</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Vig is humble about it, but his band can rightly take credit for forging a style that a slew of current acts has adopted, from the Sneaker Pimps to Morcheeba to Girls Against Boys. Though he's cognizant of Garbage's influence (he finds other groups' appropriation of their sound "complimentary and irritating at the same time"), he doesn't want its artistic vision corrupted by vain self-congratulation<i>. </i>"We don't necessarily want to tell people that we're waving a flag, that we started some new trend. One of the reasons we call Garbage a pop band is because you can embrace a lot of different things. It's important to us, though, to make records that we think are cool for ourselves - if other people think that's cool, that's great."</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Videos and MTV have played a critical role in Garbage's climb to the top of the alternative rock heap. From the next-to-ignored late '96 clip "Queer" to more widely-seen fare like "Only Happy When It Rains" and "Stupid Girl," the foursome has had a talent for marrying their music to an always-stimulating visual canvas. Not so surprisingly, Vig really digs the medium, even though he doesn't watch much MTV these days ("I don't have time," he admits).<i> </i>"We really enjoy videos - we've always been very visually oriented. Steve and I met in film school, and we're all into cinema. I think that, for a lot bands, [videos] are a drag, and I can see where it takes away some of the mystique of the song. And to a certain extent, I believe that also. But we also feel like it's a chance to make a mini-movie that is at least one visual representation of a song."</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY"><span style="font-family: Arial;">That fusion of sound and vision was also important to Vig's former collaborators in Nirvana. Their single "Smells Like Teen Spirit," with a little help from its video, became anthemic in scope, and pushed the album <i>Nevermind</i> into the stratosphere. When prodded, Vig shared his thoughts on why that watershed album, a collection that heralded the beginning of this decade's grunge movement,<i> </i>worked as well as it did.</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY"><span style="font-family: Arial;">"I think one of the reasons is that it had some amazing songs. It was a combination of the sort of energy that I was able to capture on that record, and the passion, the angst and all of the multiple, complex emotions that came out of Kurt. [The songs] were all well crafted and had intense passion, but you could sing along with them all. I know that Kurt sometimes tried to repress his pop instincts, but he was a genius when it came to that: He'd just pick up a guitar and he'd start ad-libbing something, and it was all this amazing stuff. That is extremely rare. And I think there was something in his personality - he touched a generation of kids who were dissatisfied and looking for something, and could relate to some of that in his lyrics and his<i> </i>singing."</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY"><span style="font-family: Arial;">At this juncture in popular music, grunge is extinct, electronica's failed to become the next big thing and bubblegum (Hanson, 'N Sync, Spice Girls, etc.), as they say, is blowin' up. But Garbage is in a class by itself, so learning about Vig's taste in current music was especially interesting. "I love Massive Attack's album, <i>Mezzanine</i> and I like PJ Harvey, Elliott Smith and Hole. And Fatboy Slim is probably the most played [artist] in the Garbage dressing room every night. Then we usually listen to Frank Sinatra when we come off."</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY"><span style="font-family: Arial;">And once they're offstage, the sex and drugs part of the rock 'n' roll equation is tackled with a drooling ardor, right? Well, <i>not quite</i>. Although Garbage has boasted that one its favorite pastimes is drinking, moderation, according to Vig, typically wins out. However, for this 40-year-old, it's still a challenge to stay healthy and balanced when he's on tour<i>. </i>"Our vices aren't that bad. If you're 20, you feel indestructible. But touring really wears you down - I've lost like 10 pounds since we started this tour. You know, we like an occasional beer or a good glass of wine or a cocktail, but we feel we need to be responsible to put on a good show every night."</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY"><span style="font-family: Arial;">The road, as they say, goes on forever - or for Garbage, at least until Y2K. They're currently on a European trek, with possible tours in South America, Japan and Australia on the docket. Vig is incredulous. "We're kind of laughing, kidding ourselves that we're going to tour until New Year's Eve, 1999. It's scary to comprehend."</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Scarier yet, in the opinion of some, is the Y2K crisis. But Vig can't be bothered with such pre-millennial tension. "It's still too far away for me to worry about, I think. I don't think [the year 2000] will be that different than [the present]. I think that music is evolving into something new, and I don't know what that is, but I think we're sort of in a transition period again. I think something's gonna come out in 1999 or in 2000, kind of like <i>Nevermind</i> did, and blow everybody away. I don't know whether it's going to be a rock album or a punk album or a techno record, but I think we're sort of in a period where we're waiting for something to happen. I can't quite define it, but I'm excited. If I knew who it was, I'd sign them."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><i></i></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: x-small;"></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></p><p align="JUSTIFY"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Whatever the future holds, Vig says that Garbage is determined to do another record, though the timetable for it, at the moment, is murky at best. "We have plans, when we finish this tour, to try and score a film. We've been talking to several directors - Oliver Stone, David Lynch, Ron Howard - but nothing's been finalized yet. Part of it has been a timing issue because of touring. We want to make a third Garbage album, but we have no idea when or what it's going to sound like. But I think that we feel, creatively, that we want to push out beyond where we've been on the first two records. It's enough to keep us busy for awhile."</span></p>E-Rockracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04488528056947107950noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658837032884477115.post-30025569239199496842022-02-20T17:22:00.008-08:002022-02-21T13:07:33.742-08:00Eric's Archive: Henry Rollins Interview, March 2001<div style="text-align: left;"><i style="font-family: georgia;">In 1991, Jane's Addiction were playing Rochester War Memorial, and there was no way I was missing that show. Jane's had an opening act I knew nothing about, beyond seeing his name alongside of Bad Brains on the "Pump Up the Volume" movie soundtrack, the contribution being a fierce cover of MC5's "Kick Out the Jams." </i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>That name was Henry Rollins, and his concussion grenade of a group, Rollins Band, deployed before Jane's took the stage, startled, fascinated, and scared me in equal measure. Rollins was crouched, seemingly simmering on some other plane of existence, and exploding vocally in time with the music; every song was like, tick-tick-BOOM. At one point, as a mosh pit roiled below Rollins, in this home to the Rochester Americans hockey team, I remember him sneering, "</i>Welcome to the hockey rink!<i>" At least there was a trace of humor in there somewhere.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Little did I know at the time about Rollins' spoken word career, his writing, his book publishing company, or what his tenure in Black Flag was all about (later, upon listening to the </i>Get in the Van <i>CD, the struggle was illuminated for me in harrowing detail). </i></span><i style="font-family: georgia;">I saw the Rollins Band again a few months later, opening the first Lollapalooza in Toronto, and in the ensuing years, caught various club gigs of theirs in the Buffalo area. It wasn't until I moved to Los Angeles in the mid-90s that I had an opportunity to hear Rollins just stand on a stage and talk for 2-3 hours. A different shade of Hank, to be certain.</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>The interview below was my second Henry Rollins cover story at Entertainment Today. My unlikely trajectory of shock-and-awed fan to interviewer amuses me, and yet, is a source of pride. Here I sat, 10 years after that skull-rattling Rochester night, talking to a guy I would have gone to great lengths to avoid if I'd seen him on the street outside of War Memorial in 1991. It's evolution, baby. </i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhQCYiPcqRDXcwL8RkmQQ-igT29M5WCFjaIv2V1izaUQKQ1N73Y97NboeaenhbmgQgKsufpH4ibDipGxn8vsvZdU18uB4U8bDYRbDYA4_EnpiaUuOZQoXNUWYZg9koqaykvpLQQmLYG8TO56XpDucpDukuiw-yozCnxfFCgg-hxH-FV4rVDcUwYum6F=s613" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="556" data-original-width="613" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhQCYiPcqRDXcwL8RkmQQ-igT29M5WCFjaIv2V1izaUQKQ1N73Y97NboeaenhbmgQgKsufpH4ibDipGxn8vsvZdU18uB4U8bDYRbDYA4_EnpiaUuOZQoXNUWYZg9koqaykvpLQQmLYG8TO56XpDucpDukuiw-yozCnxfFCgg-hxH-FV4rVDcUwYum6F=s320" width="320" /></a></div><b style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-large;">Henry, Unleashed</b></span></div><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><i>At 40, Renaissance animal man Henry Rollins sounds off on his band, his acting career, his changing priorities and his new spoken word disc, </i>A Rollins in the Wry</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b>by Eric Layton</b></span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family: Arial;">“You think I’m doing any of this against my will?” fires back Henry Rollins, when asked how voluntarily he carries on his multi-hyphenated existence.</span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family: Arial;">It’s a telling exchange. Indeed, there is just no stopping this guy. While everyone in life plays at least a few roles — employee, spouse, friend, addict, etc. — Rollins has totally upped the ante in regard to an individual’s possibilities for nearly 20 years. He’s been the singer of Black Flag, a spoken word artist, the leader of two incarnations of his namesake, post-punk band, an author, a publisher, a voice-over talent, an actor, and all along, a vein-popping weight lifter. You can also add TV host to that resume, as Rollins will be pulling a Rod Serling and emceeing the Fox horror series <i>Night Visions</i>, which premieres in May.</span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Rollins’ situation when he pauses for an interview reinforces his Renaissance man-dom. He was in the midst of recording the next Rollins Band album, about to do a spoken word tour behind his new talking CD <i>A Rollins in the Wry </i>(taped during his two-month residency in 1999 at the now-defunct L.A. club Luna Park) and recently filmed parts in three movies. The day after his 40<sup>th</sup> birthday, the garrulous icon, who will talk at the El Rey Theatre April 11 and 12, unleashed his tongue on <i>Wry</i>, why Clinton beats Bush, the upcoming Rollins Band record and his changing priorities.</span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><i>Entertainment Today: Was it difficult to go through all the tapes of your Luna Park gigs?</i></b></span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b>Henry Rollins:</b> Yeah. I hate doing it. Every two years I do a talking record, and it’s an excruciating task, sitting and listening to myself, and I never look forward to it. I always try and palm it off on my manager. Most of the time he’ll go, “Look, I heard these shows and I think this was good and this was good,” and I’ll listen to them and say, “Yeah, I think you’re right.” And that’s kind of what we did on this new one — he listened, I listened… I actually listened more than he did. But it was 18 hours of stuff, and I did not listen to all 18 hours. I kinda made notes after every show, like, “OK, that was cool, that was fun, that idea kinda fell on its face, we can leave that out.” So I consulted my notes, and it helped me cut some corners.</span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><i>ET: What you wrote in the liner notes suggests that you were sort of coerced into doing the Luna Park residency. True?</i></b></span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b>HR:</b> No, no, I was just having fun writing that. It’s just that I do a lot of shows and a lot of work. And my manager oftentimes knows better than to waste my time asking me if I want to go do a tour or something. He just says “Yes.” And then he’ll call me up and say, “Alright, you’re going to Australia for a month and you’re leaving in 10 days.” And I’ll go, “Cool.” And so his nickname is Richard “he’ll do it” Bishop. It was just a joke. I was in the studio mixing the new record and Carol from the book company called up and goes, “We need a paragraph of liner notes for the <i>In the Wry</i> CD right now, like in the next 20 minutes, or we’re going to miss the deadline.” I said, “OK, I’ll hit you with an e-mail in the next 20 minutes.” And I sat and wrote it right after hanging up the phone — one draft, one take, in seven minutes. I thought it was funny. There wasn’t a whole lot of thought that went into it.</span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><i>ET: Positive audience response aside, what qualities do you feel constitute a good talking show?</i></b></span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b>HR:</b> That I made the points I wanted to make, that I didn’t ramble too much and that I kept it going.</span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><i>ET: What do you like the most about doing spoken word?</i></b></span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b>HR: </b>The free range. You know, not having to [worry] about blowing the chorus or keeping in time. I enjoy that discipline as well, I just also like having no leash.</span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><i>ET: What’s more exhausting, spoken word shows or band shows?</i></b></span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b>HR:</b> Physically exhausting? Band shows. But they’re also physical like a work out — it’s an exhaustion you can deal with. The mental exhaustion of a talking show, six weeks [into a tour], becomes a heavy bear to wrestle.</span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><i>ET: You express admiration for Bill Clinton on the new CD. Do you have any comment on the Bush presidency thus far?</i></b></span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b>HR:</b> He hasn’t had a chance to do much yet, but he’ll fuck up — it’s coming. On a serious note, I liked Clinton in that I liked his people skills. On the global level, I liked that he cared about people or seemed to. He knew everyone’s name, and he seemed to be concerned with the bigger picture. I don’t see George W. being the same way. I see plot loss and failed arrogance that will slowly become unveiled as the four years go on. As the ignorance gets called out more, the arrogance will rise up.</span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><i>ET: It is alarming that he hasn’t even been out of the country that many times.</i></b></span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b>HR:</b> He’s only been to England — please! I was in England when I was 15. I mean, come on!</span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Have you ever stood and watched a man’s body <i>burn </i>for 20 minutes? It was a new one on me! It was like, “OK, I’m definitely not in Cleveland.” </span></b></span></blockquote><p></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><i>ET: On the CD, you really seemed taken with Israel. Is that the most impressive place you’ve been?</i></b></span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b>HR:</b> As far as the most impressive place, that’s probably someplace in Africa that I’ve been. Israel is a mind-blowing place. As far as the biggest mind-blow I’ve ever had, it’s India, for sure. I walked out of there and went, “<i>What the fuck was that?</i>” But Israel was fascinating — a beautiful country, amazing people — I had an amazing time. I can’t wait to go back.</span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><i>ET: What was it about India that stuck with you?</i></b></span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b>HR: </b>So much stuff… it’s 180 degrees from what you know. It’s just… what a trip! The first time I’m there, I’m standing in a room with 12 dead bodies as they’re lined up to get burnt. I was like, “Hello!” That’s just an everyday thing. It’s how they’re kickin’ it. I’d never seen that before — it wasn’t gross, it was just different. Have you ever stood and watched a man’s body <i>burn </i>for 20 minutes? It was a new one on me! It was like, “OK, I’m definitely not in Cleveland.” I saw many things there that I’d not seen before, and it wasn’t just because of the poverty — I’ve been to quite a few Third World environments. This was just a different kind of poor. Hard to explain, but it’s someplace one should go in one’s life, because it’ll definitely make you see your own country differently.</span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><i>ET: How is the new band album coming, and what can fans expect from it?</i></b></span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b>HR:</b> So far, there’s 30 songs in the can and we’re about 10 days away from completion. They can expect a record that will run over them like four jeeps.</span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><i>ET: You did 83 shows this past year with the new band in support of </i>Get Some Go Again<i>, but I imagine that’s less than some of the tours with the old band. Was that a purposeful slowing down?</i></b></span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b>HR:</b> Oh no, that’s how the tour ended up, actually. It’s just because we didn’t do as much in America as we usually do. We all wanted to keep going, but I had to do a bunch of movie stuff that I’d signed on for and a TV show. I had stuff I had to do, so it was time to give it a break. But for me, 100 shows is usually my minimum. The year before, I did like 130 shows or something like that. This year should be in the 150 range.</span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><i>ET: You’ve done a fair amount of acting — ever been offered a lead role?</i></b></span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b>HR: </b>Yeah, in smaller films. When I did this indie film <i>Past Tense</i>, they turned around and offered me the lead in their next movie, but I was busy. I would have been interested, though.</span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><i>ET: It seems as though you could produce your own film projects if you wanted to. Is that something you’d be interested in?</i></b></span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b>HR:</b> No. I would never want to produce or direct. It’s a fucking nightmare. I see these guys running around like maniacs… I’ve got no interest there.</span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><i>ET: Are you writing a book right now?</i></b></span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b>HR:</b> I just put out one (<i>Smile, You’re Traveling</i>), and I’m editing two, actually. As far as writing, I’ve been mainly working on song lyrics, because we’re in the middle of a record. So that’s kind of been taxing my brain, but I’m about to gather some steam and start another book project</span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><i>ET: You’re 40 now. In what ways have your priorities changed?</i></b></span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b>HR:</b> I think over the years, the art — the work — has become more and more important. The ego not so important. The reputation not so important. What people think not so important. But the work itself, 100 percent important. I’ve never been all that vain, but I’ve definitely been self-conscious. I find that the older I get, the less time I have for that.</span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><i>ET: How many Rollins Band tours do you think you have left in you?</i></b></span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b>HR:</b> I think I’ve got a couple more laps around the track — a few more years.</span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><i>ET: It seems that you could keep on doing spoken word, as opposed to the band, until you’re an old man. Is that something you could see yourself doing?</i></b></span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b>HR: </b>Absolutely. I think I could potentially get better and better at the talking shows. You know, if I did it right I could end up like a Henry Miller or a Mark Twain — not on the level of talent, but in just being able to look at things with a wry, observing eye, seeing a lot of culture come and go. I think at 60, I may be way more insightful than at 40. I would definitely have an opinion that a 20-year-old should pause for an hour for.</span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><i>Henry Rollins will perform spoken word shows at the El Rey Theatre April 11 and 12.</i></span></p>E-Rockracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04488528056947107950noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658837032884477115.post-8601143346828255782022-02-19T15:38:00.001-08:002022-02-20T18:35:19.842-08:00Eric's Archive: Brad Smith (Unified Theory) Interview, February 2001<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>In early 2001, I interviewed Brad Smith, bass player for '90s rock band Blind Melon as well as the underappreciated, now long-defunct quartet Unified Theory, a quartet that released a stellar debut album in 2000.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Formed in Seattle, Unified Theory had an impressive pedigree, as it was comprised of 50 percent Blind Melon members (Smith and Christopher Thorn), as well as original Pearl Jam drummer Dave Krusen, along with singer Chris Shinn.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="font-family: georgia;">I was lucky enough to witness an electrifying Unified Theory gig at the Troubadour ... and then, like a comet, they disappeared. Still, it's very much worth your time to check out that <a href="https://www.allmusic.com/album/unified-theory-mw0000609662" target="_blank"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">self-titled Unified Theory album</span></a>; it's a prime example of early 2000s modern rock. There are shades of Blind Melon, certainly, but there's also a sense of forward progress, with Smith and Thorn evolving the best aspects of their previous group into a soaring, psychedelic rocket ride. The groove, thunder and emotion of the last 3 tracks on the album especially ("Full Flavor," "Not Dead" and "Keep On") stick with me to this day. </i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgcXUAhyjoIpmXNEv-XZ8-Qt_FOWoLYR9Yvjj8YCILxPRh0mXb-tQHnoB-W2q1Dq7j1DF5a2J_LjT6jgK6wtZ2MfkUXcFaoMiXCUW8pA9euKzHSbV0tWJHrMHWRZvrKiC4dooFSfK6tYbdvdNbVpAaLjtNqXLiwf3bBEFp_5pMHb2lrr3Yo6_97Oqj7=s250" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="250" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgcXUAhyjoIpmXNEv-XZ8-Qt_FOWoLYR9Yvjj8YCILxPRh0mXb-tQHnoB-W2q1Dq7j1DF5a2J_LjT6jgK6wtZ2MfkUXcFaoMiXCUW8pA9euKzHSbV0tWJHrMHWRZvrKiC4dooFSfK6tYbdvdNbVpAaLjtNqXLiwf3bBEFp_5pMHb2lrr3Yo6_97Oqj7=w400-h240" width="400" /></a></div><b style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-large;"><div style="text-align: left;"><b>They’re In This Together</b></div></b></div><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b>Unified Theory, featuring former members of Blind Melon and Pearl Jam, prove that rock — and their careers — are still alive on their self-titled debut</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b>by Eric Layton</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family: Arial;">It was a shock, hearing that Blind Melon singer Shannon Hoon had died. His band’s self-titled debut album was the soundtrack of my life in late-1993 and beyond, a continuous presence on my car's tape deck. “No Rain,” Blind Melon’s biggest hit, while fine, wasn’t my favorite cut on the record. Rather, dreamy, melodic gems like “Soak the Sin” and dirty rockers like “Dear Ol’ Dad” had greater appeal. Listening to Hoon work his singular pipes with his talented mates was like hearing to Jane’s Addiction’s Perry Farrell — or perhaps Hoon’s cousin Axl Rose — fronting Lynyrd Skynyrd.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;">But Blind Melon, strangely cosmic and earthbound at the same time, provided far more than cool driving music. Like the best groups, they got under your skin and infiltrated your spirit. Though their second outing, 1995’s <i>Soup</i>, failed commercially and critically, and was followed by the 28-year-old Hoon’s untimely death by cocaine overdose that year, it was still an excellent effort — a soaring, often heartbreaking chronicle of a singer and a band hurtling helplessly toward an uncertain fate.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;">What does this have to do with Unified Theory? Well, along with boasting founding Pearl Jam drummer Dave Krusen (who recorded all the drums on <i>Ten</i> but was later replaced by Dave Abbruzzese) and singer/six-stringer Chris Shinn (formerly of L.A. band Celia Green), the band includes two ex-members of Blind Melon, guitarist Christopher Thorn and bassist Brad Smith. Thorn and Smith, the prime movers in Unified Theory, have done the impossible with their quartet’s eponymous debut: They’ve both continued and evolved the transcendent and layered rock sound of Blind Melon. In other words, this Theory has proven that rock is far from dead.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;">It helps Unified Theory’s case that the mighty-throated Shinn, at first listen, sounds like a dead ringer for Hoon (though further spins of the CD reveal him in possession of a vocal style different and more fluid than the late frontman). But certainly, this foursome isn’t just Blind Melon with a new guy at the mic — they’re a superb combo that, while encompassing the finer qualities of that prior band, rock-and-glide into lush new sonic territories on songs like “Instead of Running,” “The Sun Will Come,” and their latest single “Wither,” whose lyrics deal with watching someone suffer through drug addiction.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;">The Mississippi-born Smith, an easy-going guy as well as a great conversationalist, chatted via phone about Unified Theory (who play the Troubadour Feb. 28), Blind Melon and what it’s like working with a new voice.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><i>Entertainment Today: What qualities were you and Christopher Thorn looking for in a singer?</i></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b>Brad Smith:</b> Somebody that was good [laughs]! You know, I don’t think we were looking for a particular sound per se. One guy that we wanted was a guy Blind Melon wanted to work with when Blind Melon was looking for a singer, and he had a baritone voice. Chris Shinn is a tenor, and Christopher (Thorn) and I have always leaned toward tenor voices, just because that’s what I identify with rock ’n’ roll — the Robert Plant range.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><i>ET: What has the experience of working with Chris Shinn</i> <i>been like?</i></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b>BS: </b>We’ve had a great working relationship right from the beginning. We’re really lucky to have him, because he brings in a perspective that [Christopher and I] have never seen. When we were listening to like, fuckin’ Guns N’ Roses and bands like that in high school, he was listening to new wave stuff and the Cure. So he brings in that perspective. And he blows me away every night onstage. He really does. It took us a couple of months to get going and get our tour legs, if you will. And he started going for some stuff live that I never heard him do, and I think he even surprised himself — I mean the guy just rips. I wish we could go back and recut all the vocals, to tell you the truth. I feel like he’s improved probably 50 percent, just from touring.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><i>ET: Was it intimidating for you to go in the studio and record with a new band after everything that happened with Blind Melon?</i></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b>BS:</b> No. After Shannon died, I produced and made local records in Seattle, and played as a session player on other people’s records. [The studio is] where I’m most comfortable in the world — I’m more intimidated pumping gas in my car, you know? Sure, there’s stress — sometimes writing songs can be painful, just because you’re not getting what you want. But there’s no intimidation really.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><i>ET: The songs on the album flow together really well — they’re quite consistent.</i> <i>Was that a goal you were aiming for?</i></b><i></i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b>BS:</b> I think it just kind of worked out that way, and maybe it was our mindframe, living in Seattle around the rain and gray skies all the time. I think that the record, [in my opinion], came out a little mellower than the band really is. We’re way more intense live, and we’re way more intense as people as well. But you’re right, the record has a certain kind of consistency, and I think it’s just a reflection of people getting to know each other and trying to be sensitive to the things that we’ve all individually been through.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><i>ET: It seems like you guys could pull off a concept album — I mean, the band is named after an Einstein concept.</i></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b>BS:</b> Yeah, totally. We’ve kinda thought about that, and we have a lot of ideas for the next record. But I just don’t want to get too serious about the music and message. I don’t think we’re that serious a band, or maybe we are. We’ll just have to wait and see — I do know that we have 15 great songs ready for the next record. Our writing is going really, really well right now.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><i>ET: How did it work out that it was only you and Christopher Thorn that ended up in Unified Theory, and no other members of Blind Melon?</i></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b>BS:</b> Rogers (Stevens, ex-BM guitarist) moved to New York City, and Christopher and I were living in Seattle. I think the fact that Christopher and I are both studioheads — gearheads — we stayed really close to the creative side of music, even after Shannon died. I think that’s what kept Christopher and I together. Glen (Graham, ex-BM drummer) moved to North Carolina, and I haven’t heard from him in four years. He’s one of those dudes — a recluse. And Rogers got into painting and this singer Rennie Lopez, and started a band with him.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;">I think it was better that we all split up, to tell you the truth. I mean, I really miss playing with Rogers, especially — he was my best friend growing up in Mississippi. But there was something weird about when all four of us got together the last time — there were a lot of skeletons hanging around, and a strange darkness about the whole situation after Shannon died. And I don’t know, I’m much happier as a person in this band.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><i>ET: Someone once wrote that the reason Guns N’ Roses were so good was that they had five completely different personalities working together. Was that the case with Blind Melon?</i></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b>BS: </b>Oh, absolutely. When you got those four other whack-jobs in the same room together, it was almost like a social experiment — it was weird.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><i>ET: That can make for great music, though.</i></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b>BS:</b> Yeah, and it did for us — I felt that <i>Soup</i> was probably one of the most eclectic and arty projects I’ve ever been involved it. That record is all over the place in terms of musicality and styles.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><i>ET: Yeah, like “Skinned” — you don’t hear many songs featuring a kazoo anymore.</i></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b>BS: </b>No — Shannon was hell-bent on bringing back the kazoo, I guess.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><i>ET: Would you say that the members of Unified Theory are a bit more on the same page?</i></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b>BS:</b> Personality-wise, I’m not sure. For some reason, I feel like this band — especially me, Christopher and Chris Shinn — we’re just really focused on writing music. I think there was a lot more distraction in Blind Melon. I feel a little more focused now, and it might be because I’m not smoking as much weed. I kinda went through that phase. I feel like I’m getting a lot done. I think the closest band you’re going to find to Blind Melon, in terms of openness and musical style, might even be Unified Theory, to tell you the truth. Christopher and I both came from that band and I think that [we’re] influenced by that music. We’re still influenced by it, just because it became so big and we had so many people listening when we played onstage every night. And that sticks with you — all that experience sticks with you and flows over to the next project.</span></p>E-Rockracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04488528056947107950noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658837032884477115.post-49915506089632071362022-02-18T11:45:00.001-08:002022-02-20T18:36:22.832-08:00Eric's Archive: Rob Halford Interview, Entertainment Today, August 2000<span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>In the year 2000, I sat down with Rob Halford for an interview/cover story in support of his solo album, </i>Resurrection<i>. This was, in many ways, a culmination of a dream for me, as Judas Priest loomed so large for me in my youth. Was I really sitting down with the singer of the mighty metal gods Judas Priest? Indeed, I was. </i></span><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>One small, meaningless detail I remember, for some reason: As I set up my tape recorder, Halford was happily breaking out some candy for himself </i></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">—</span></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i> a Kit Kat. Just a metal god, indulging a very human craving for empty calories. This little moment dispelled any nervousness I may have been experiencing. Further, Halford's unfailingly polite British manner made the conversation go really smoothly. </i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Here is the cover image and the story:</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhxWCvMhvxA2tNBou9AJoX0p7f0TGPFcBtGtzgeFHyUdu_kwJvZTjPYPv8K3rQoIHqfMu-XmD5g46f26hzL2dqiM1D_mBRaJxyYrIxcnP2ESp_ZsRXYTHInyaAkU6LL7H4-VmhBGgmIbWvV8udKXmqZUxp7SYEoxpH8YLLBcTRBM7d2Us6UXYOJvBzL=s396" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="396" data-original-width="325" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhxWCvMhvxA2tNBou9AJoX0p7f0TGPFcBtGtzgeFHyUdu_kwJvZTjPYPv8K3rQoIHqfMu-XmD5g46f26hzL2dqiM1D_mBRaJxyYrIxcnP2ESp_ZsRXYTHInyaAkU6LL7H4-VmhBGgmIbWvV8udKXmqZUxp7SYEoxpH8YLLBcTRBM7d2Us6UXYOJvBzL=w329-h400" width="329" /></a></div></span><div><b style="font-family: Arial;">A Metal God Resurrected</b></div><div><p><b><i><span style="font-family: Arial;">Former Judas Priest leader Rob Halford screams for vengeance once again</span></i></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: Arial;">by Eric Layton</span></b></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><i>Holy angel lift me from this burning hell</i><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><i>Resurrection make me whole</i></b></span><br /></b></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><i>Son of Judas bring the saints to my revenge</i></b></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><i>Resurrection bring me home</i></b><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><i>—Halford’s “Resurrection”</i></b></span></span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family: Arial;">During the past decade, Rob Halford was a victim of changes. First came his separation from Judas Priest, the vastly influential, multiplatinum British heavy metal band he’d fronted since 1971. Next came some self-imposed changes: albums with the brutally riffing outfit Fight and, most surprisingly, a Trent Reznor-assisted effort with a project named Two that found this metal screamer diving headlong into Gothic-industrial sounds. Suddenly, longtime followers of Halford were confused by his mindset and intentions. Had he turned his back on the millions who bowed at the feet of Judas Priest? (Never mind Halford’s fanbase-dividing, long-overdue public admission in the late-’90s of his homosexuality, a fact that in hindsight seems quite obvious if one paid any attention to the singer’s attire and lyrics throughout his Priest tenure.)</span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Stylistic reinvention and sexuality aside, Halford remains one of the most commanding and legendary singers in the hard rock/metal lexicon. With his wide-ranging operatic voice — glass-shattering one minute, baritone-low the next — and leather-enhanced charisma, he is the quintessential metal frontman. His journey through the career valleys of Fight and Two may have been less successful than Priest, but the vocalist admits in his current press bio that he “needed to do the other things in order to get back to what I’m doing now.”</span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family: Arial;">What Halford is “doing now” is the classic style of metal that made such Priest LPs as <i>Screaming For Vengeance</i>, <i>British Steel</i> and <i>Stained Class</i> indispensable parts of any self-respecting metal fan’s record collection. Halford’s brand-new collection, a skull-rattling, eardrum-piercing return to form, is a rebirth into the hallowed genre he helped define. This is metal. This is <i>Resurrection</i>.</span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Yes, Halford is once again a defender of the faith — screaming for vengeance and hell bent for leather. With his latest group, simply dubbed Halford, he’s just released <i>Resurrection</i> on Metal-Is, a division of Sanctuary Records. Clocking in at a decidedly vinyl length of 48 minutes, it contains some of the finest metal songs to arrive in ages: the balls-out, statement-of-intent title cut, the whiplash-inducing “Made In Hell,” the epic “Silent Scream” and many more.</span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Sitting in a West Hollywood hotel suite (guzzling coffee, eating a Kit Kat bar and even smoking to keep his energy up for a long day of interviews), Halford is a low-key and cordial presence. The 48-year-old legend, who readily admits he has a bit of difficulty of getting his “old body” up and running in the morning, is in casual mode, wearing shorts and a tank top that reveal his many tattoos. This isn’t the fist-pumping banshee in skintight black leather famous for barreling onstage on a Harley-Davidson; this is kick-back Halford, enjoying some rare down time before he heads out on Iron Maiden’s “Brave New World” tour. The six-week North American trek, which also features Queensrÿche (Halford will open the show), hits Southern California in September. And if you’re skeptical about the viability of Halford and Maiden’s old-school metal sounds in today’s competitive concert market, you’ve got another thing comin’: the tour’s Madison Square Garden stop sold out in just two hours.</span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Halford agrees that the extremely self-assured title of his latest disc doesn’t just communicate that he’s back in the metal game, but, more importantly, that he has something to prove.</span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family: Arial;">“I’ve always got something to prove,” he says plainly. “I think everything that I do is a proving moment. That’s what drives musicians, I think. We’re always trying to prove something to ourselves… But I think [the title <i>Resurrection</i>] is particularly relevant for me, because it’s my first metal album since (Judas Priest’s) <i>Painkiller</i>, and if I’ve anything to prove to myself and to everybody else, it’s that I can still do a great job as a metal singer and be part of a great metal band. And that’s what I feel <i>Resurrection </i>represents.”</span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Sipping his java, the Birmingham, England native shared how his status as a metal legend is both a blessing and a curse.</span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family: Arial;">“There’s a built-in expectation, and the last thing I want to do is let myself down and let the metal fans down. So I work hard at making sure that I don’t leave people with a bad taste, you know? I want people to be excited about what they’ve heard and what they’ve experienced. That’s important to me.”</span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family: Arial;">To insure he didn’t disappoint his devoted following, Halford recruited an abundantly talented crew of players for the 12-track <i>Resurrection</i>: guitarists Mike Chlasciak and Patrick Lachman, found through cassettes and videos submitted to the singer; bassist Ray Riendeau, a holdover from Two; and drummer Bobby Jarzombeck, who used to pound the skins for Riot. The quintet proves a tight, dynamic unit, capturing both the pummeling, dual-guitar assault of Priest as well as its knack for melody. Shades of vintage Priest material is evident — there’s the grind of <i>Hell Bent For Leather</i>, the catchy thunder of <i>Vengeance</i>. What distinguishes <i>Resurrection </i>from Halford’s earlier achievements, though, are its highly autobiographical lyrics, encouraged by the album’s producer, Roy Z. Halford acknowledges that turning his self-examination into art wasn’t easy.</span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family: Arial;">“It was tough, because when we came to think about [the lyrics], Roy suggested, ‘Just tell people what’s been going on in your life, what you’ve been experiencing.’ And I said, ‘Well, is that going to work in metal?’ Because metal is fantasy, escapism and illusion, at least in my world. But he said, ‘Just give it some time, and just try to put these experiences and feelings on paper.’ And that’s what I did. It was tough for me, because I’d never been in that area before. But again, it’s about the challenge. I just step up to the plate and start to write… the bulk of the material on this record comes from the heart.”</span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Lyrics aside, Halford freely admits that the impetus for his return to the classic style of metal he perfected with Priest is simple: his absence from it made him grow fonder.</span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family: Arial;">“I missed it <i>so </i>much,” he says. “It just kept calling me back. I mean, the longer I was away from it, the more the fire was raging inside of me. I just couldn’t escape it — it’s what I’m about. The greatest things happen for me with my voice in that metal environment. It was just something that I couldn’t escape. It’s so vital and such a part of me that I couldn’t wait to get back.”</span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Indeed, Halford’s been born-again into a genre that might not have existed without his contributions. Between the mid-’70s and mid-’80s, one would be hard pressed to find a more significant or popular metal act than Priest. Sure, they had peers, like current tourmates Iron Maiden, but Halford, along with guitarists K.K. Downing and Glenn Tipton, bassist Ian Hill and various drummers, were in a heavy-duty league of their own. They toured the world, hammering millions of their subjects into sweet submission, and released nearly 20 albums. During their reign, Priest not only indulged themselves with sinister, often slow-paced pieces like “Tyrant” and “Beyond the Realms of Death” (Halford has put the former on his current setlist) but also proved they could write hits like the radio smash “Living After Midnight” and the MTV favorite “You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’.” They had their cake and ate it too.</span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Latter-day metal titans like Metallica and Slayer, who arrived in the ’80s, owe a tremendous debt to Priest. (They’re a key member of the “New Wave of British Heavy Metal” Metallica often trumpets as an influence.) Of course, yet another generation of metal emerged during the second half of the ’90s, a intermittently satisfying wave of “nü-metal” groups like Korn, Deftones and such rap-incorporating acts like Rage Against the Machine and Limp Bizkit. But however you bang your head, it’s difficult to imagine any of these artists coming into existence without the influence of Priest. So it was intriguing to hear Halford explain why he thinks his beloved genre has resurfaced to such a degree.</span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family: Arial;">“I think it’s still just the feeling and need for that heavy end of the rock ’n’ roll spectrum. It just touches people. It hits a nerve when you play something really loud, heavy, foreboding and full of angst, frustration or anger. These are just parts of life, and it’s one area of rock ’n’ roll that’s always needed. [Metal’s popularity] waxes and wanes… the recording industry pulls it in and out of the picture. Of course, it’s a fact that the love of metal music has [always] been substantial. But I think in recent years, there’s just been a lack of this kind of music, and people obviously want it, they need it and they like the traditional form of metal. It just carries a lot of clout, it’s the roots of it all; it’s the real deal. It’s something that’s not affected by trends or fashion. It’s just very pure and very direct and real.”</span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Some would argue that the “pure” aspect of metal Halford refers to has been corrupted by the hip-hop element countless popular groups have adopted. But, ever the Englishman, he views rap-inflected rock diplomatically.</span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family: Arial;">“Some of it I can appreciate, some of it doesn’t really touch me. But that’s just down to choice and preferences, isn’t it? I look at it all, and I feel good about it because I know where the roots of it come from. I think it’s natural that it should transform and mutate from generation to generation.”</span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family: Arial;">So are there any specific bands that have really caught Halford’s ear in the last four or five years? “No,” he replies flatly, adding a laugh that suggests he’s just joking (sort of). “The one band that really impressed me is Korn. I think what they do is very cool and special. And Deftones. And there are a lot of fringe bands that don’t really get into the mainstream. I get off on bands that most people have never even heard of — black metal bands like Emperor, Cradle of Filth and Mayhem. There’s a lot of stuff out there, a lot of great bands that never get covered in the press or played on the radio.”</span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Hearing Halford talk about all these questionably fated younger acts only makes one appreciate the man’s own accomplishments. In a revealing moment, he concedes that it is totally overwhelming for him to look back on his three-decade career and all the albums that he’s been involved in.</span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family: Arial;">“It’s a blur. It really is. I mean, this is my 23rd release… it’s just phenomenal. The last 30 years of my life seem to have just zipped by. But it’s been wonderful, it’s been great and I have nothing but the greatest memories and satisfaction. And here I am, in the year 2000, about to put out another release and be an opening act [laughs]! It feels great.”</span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Ironically, Halford is a warm-up band for a legendary metal act whose recent history mirrors Priests’. Iron Maiden lost their longtime singer Bruce Dickinson, replaced him, yet ultimately welcomed him back with open arms for a glorious, fan-approved reunion. Likewise, Halford split from Priest to pursue solo projects, only to see his void filled by Tim “Ripper” Owens, an Ohio twentysomething who used to helm a Priest <i>tribute band</i> (and whose fairy tale story of becoming the singer of his favorite band is the topic of the upcoming Mark Wahlberg-Jennifer Aniston film <i>Metal God</i>). Can Halford envision returning to Priest someday? Would he even want to?</span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family: Arial;">“I’d be a fool and a liar to say that I don’t miss it, because I do miss it. But beyond that, I’ve no control over it, because I’m no longer in the band. My relationship is better now than it ever was with Ken (K.K.), Glenn and Ian — we’re talking, and that’s the most important thing to me outside of the music. But who know where it’s going to go next? I mean, they’re working on their next record with Tim and I’ve got my stuff to do, so there hasn’t been the slightest discussion of any musical possibilities. We’re just too busy with what we’re all doing right now in our own worlds.”</span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Halford’s right — a <i>Resurrection</i> can be an all-encompassing thing. Even for a metal god.</span></p></div></div>E-Rockracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04488528056947107950noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658837032884477115.post-80223739329786849322021-10-29T14:15:00.015-07:002022-10-21T12:55:24.621-07:00Pushing Forward: Phish Lights Up Eugene<div dir="ltr" id="yiv9592580558yui_3_16_0_1_1463667554817_18493"><div dir="ltr" id="yiv9592580558yui_3_16_0_1_1463667554817_18493"><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif;"><b>Phish</b></span></div><div dir="ltr" id="yiv9592580558yui_3_16_0_1_1463667554817_18493"><b id="yiv9592580558yui_3_16_0_1_1463675791494_5182" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; padding-inline-start: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Matthew Knight Arena, Eugene</span></b></div><div dir="ltr" id="yiv9592580558yui_3_16_0_1_1463667554817_18493"><b id="yiv9592580558yui_3_16_0_1_1463675791494_3507" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; padding-inline-start: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">October 19, 2021</span></b></div><div dir="ltr" id="yiv9592580558yui_3_16_0_1_1463667554817_18493"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" id="yiv9592580558yui_3_16_0_1_1463667554817_18493"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;">The sense of kinship within the Phish fan base — that "we're in this together" feeling — had rarely felt so powerful. </span></div></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">There was no avoiding the elephant in the room: Phish was performing their first show after the tragedy at their San Francisco concert two days earlier, where a fan plunged to his death from a Chase Center upper deck. And as this evening unfolded, the band seemed to be working through their grief onstage, balancing sadness with duty. </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white;"><div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Everyone's heard that "the show must go on," and "life goes on." Moving forward in this scenario, however, felt like a challenge to everyone in the room. The wound of what happened merely 48 hours earlier was still fresh, and looming like a shadow. Prior to the show, many fans criticized Phish online for not having made any statement, but during the first set, Trey Anastasio, clearly hurt and shaken, did address the incidents (two fans actually fell (separately), with one death and multiple injuries).</span></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjgmoGsfa1EC4qKuqz8rg5Z8gpnxBaAwIK__n4UkJ4sP9tBsgQ6J6WDlQurBL4ShrRGtNa38bfuaGD-l9S2kb4FmN0OGDTtwuRu26vyGw8Ejg-O5xuGTMP6imrcanbkbiN9TYnxcUgJvk/s2048/20211020_184409.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjgmoGsfa1EC4qKuqz8rg5Z8gpnxBaAwIK__n4UkJ4sP9tBsgQ6J6WDlQurBL4ShrRGtNa38bfuaGD-l9S2kb4FmN0OGDTtwuRu26vyGw8Ejg-O5xuGTMP6imrcanbkbiN9TYnxcUgJvk/w300-h400/20211020_184409.jpg" width="300" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;">And so this Tuesday night in Oregon was weighted with emotion and a potential for serious catharsis. But it was also charged, in an almost electrical sense, with the pre-existing expectation among fans that this two-night Eugene stand, the first Phish stop here in 7 years, was going to be special. And this was a memorable Phish gig, indeed </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">—</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> one of those nights where the band showcased everything they do well: lengthy jams (their opening salvo, "Down with Disease," was in fact the longest opening song in the band's history), multiple segues, light show-enhanced cosmic journeys, and song selections vintage and new. In sports, commentators talk about "statement wins"; this was a statement concert, and contained everything the gathered, roving faithful could hope for.</span></div></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">As Anastasio, Jon Fishman, Page McConnell and Mike Gordon took this Oregon stage, one had to wonder how they would work through the darkness that had visited them just two nights earlier in California. </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">During "Rift," McConnell's singing these lyrics felt significant, as they seemed to confront the tragedy:</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white;"><div dir="ltr"><span style="color: black;"><span style="background-color: inherit; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="background-color: inherit; font-family: georgia;"><div><i><b><span>I struggled with destiny upon the ledge</span><br /><span>And gasped when defeated he slipped off the edge</span></b></i></div><div><i><b><br /><span>And silence contagious in moments like these</span><br /><span>Consumed me and strengthened my will to appease</span><br /><span><br /></span></b></i></div><div><i><b><span>The passion that sparked me one terrible night</span><br /><span>And shocked and persuaded my soul to ignite</span></b></i></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr">This was Phish understanding the assignment — shocked, and persuaded to ignite souls. Faced with unthinkable bad fortune, a good-time party band recognized they still had a job to do. What choice did they have but to be resilient? Phish fans ought to feel quite proud of the band's grace, sensitivity and acknowledgments of the late Ryan Prosser and the additional injured persons on this night. </div><div dir="ltr"><br /></div><div dir="ltr">What happened in Eugene, by any standard, was a real-time evolution of Phish and in so many ways, an emotional turning point that underscored the things humans should never take for granted: love, light, life, family, friends. Anastasio summed all this up so well during the encore of "Drift While You're Sleeping," singing these lines amid an arena full of folks singing them, too:</div><div dir="ltr"><br /></div><div dir="ltr"><b><i>And we move through stormy weather</i></b></div><div dir="ltr"><b><i>We know that our days are few</i></b></div><div dir="ltr"><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div dir="ltr"><b><i>And we dream and we struggle together</i></b></div><div dir="ltr"><b><i>And love will carry us through</i></b></div><div dir="ltr"><br /></div><div dir="ltr">And hey, if Phish also wants to churn out a face-melting, mind-bending "Also Sprach Zarathustra" and segue that into a knockout version of "Sigma Oasis," all the better. Passion, sparked. Souls, officially ignited. </div></span></div></div>E-Rockracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04488528056947107950noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658837032884477115.post-43798980463110693022021-04-23T08:32:00.005-07:002021-05-17T12:51:23.319-07:00Predictions: The Rock Hall Class of 2021<p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>It never gets any easier. </b>February brought 16 stellar Rock Hall nominees to the table, and close followers of the institution hope the voters check the right boxes. Picking a mere five artists from this ballot is just brutal.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">So who gets in? One thing that must be taken into account is the Fan Vote, and whether or not the winner makes the final cut. To date, the Fan Vote winners are 7 for 8: </span><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">Rush, KISS, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Chicago, Journey, Bon Jovi, and Def Leppard all earned induction, while last year's victor, Dave Matthews Band, got shut out. The current Fan Vote leader is Tina Turner, though Fela Kuti's engaged fan base has kept him at or near the top throughout the process.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">Recent induction history can also provide additional clarity, in terms of the number of actual artists that get in. It's perplexing that the Hall has voters pick just five artists, because quite often, more than five get inducted. Recent induction numbers bear that out: </span><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">2020's class had six performers and two Ahmet Erteguns. In 2019, there were seven performers. 2017 saw six performers, plus Nile Rodgers getting the Musical Excellence Award. In 2015, they "super-sized" it all, with seven performers and an Early Influence honoree in the "5" Royales. (This made for a painfully long ceremony, admittedly, and the gala might still be going on... there's no way of knowing if Elvin Bishop is done talking or not.)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">With the current ballot, it's impossible to vote for five acts and </span><i style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">not </i><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">make a painful omission. Here's a telling example of that: On April 16, Rock Hall VP of Education and Visitor Engagement Jason Hanley shared on Twitter that he picked Devo over Carole King. To quote Jason's tweet exactly, "</span><i style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">Hard decision, so many amazing artists.</i><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">" This must be a widely shared sentiment among the votership. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">Given this remarkable ballot </span><span face="Roboto, arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #4d5156; font-size: 14px;">—</span><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"> along with the fact that there was no actual ceremony last year </span><span face="Roboto, arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #4d5156; font-size: 14px;">—</span><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"> it's reasonable to expect that the Rock Hall will throw a huge, inductee-heavy party at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse this October 30. The prognostication here is a seven-performer class and a Musical Excellence recipient.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><b>The Predictions:</b></span></p><p><b style="color: blue; font-family: georgia;">Tina Turner</b><span style="color: blue; font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">- Quite simply, Tina is o</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">verdue, and this honor is richly deserved. Turner is a shining example of having a second act in American life. Her recent documentary on HBO makes it even more pressing and evident that she merits her second induction, independent of her abuser. She's probably winning the Fan Vote, as well.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b style="color: blue;">Carole King </b><span>- </span><span>One just pictures every Rock Hall voter going, "<i>What? She's not in yet?</i>" and checking that box. The 1971 album<i> Tapestry</i> alone makes King worthy of being in as a performer, in addition to her previous Non-Performer induction with her songwriting partner Gerry Goffin. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><b style="color: blue;">LL Cool J </b><span>-<b> </b></span><span>Everyone is so convinced Jay-Z is the rapper getting in this year... maybe rethink that. It seems cruel they'd put LL Cool J on the ballot for a <i>sixth</i> time and snub him again. Sure, it could happen, but with this ballot, it seems the Hall is trying to right some wrongs and improve optics across the board. In 2017, the illustrious Kennedy Center made LL its first hip-hop honoree; the Rock Hall is truly behind the curve with this guy. Inducting this rap superstar would be the right call, and Rock Hall board member Lyor Cohen's recent open letter in Billboard urging LL's induction might finally put James Todd Smith over the top. (Further, Jay-Z doesn't seem to care, is last in the Fan Vote, and next year's induction is in Brooklyn, Jay's hometown... you do the math. And yes, Eminem is eligible next year, but as Cohen insightfully notes in his piece, rap is the top musical form on the planet, as well as "the new rock & roll," so it's possible they could <i>both</i> see induction in 2022.)</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b style="color: blue;">The Go-Go's </b><span>-<b> </b></span><span>Hey Belinda Carlisle, time to book a flight from your home in Thailand to join your bandmates Jane Wiedlin, Charlotte Caffey, Gina Schock, and Kathy Valentine in Cleveland. Belinda, whose onetime punk moniker was Dottie Danger, is on track to be honored on the same night as Pat Smear, yet another former member of the Germs, which brings us to...</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><b style="color: blue;">Foo Fighters </b><span>- In 1995, on the Foo Fighters' second single, Dave Grohl assured everyone, "I'll Stick Around," and that, ladies and gentlemen, he has. To borrow a line from the Go-Go's, when it comes to the Foos, it doesn't matter what they say </span></span></span><span face="source-serif-pro, serif" style="font-size: 17.816px;">—</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> the ceremony requires a headliner, and they fit the bill. Further, the Hall has been dropping unsubtle hints (playing Foo Fighters music during press events, etc.), so this may be since the most predictable induction since Pearl Jam. And finally, it must be asked: What is left for David Eric Grohl now? One might go to the famous, often misattributed quote about Alexander the Great that Alan Rickman's Hans Gruber makes in "Die Hard" (with a key substitution): "</span><i style="font-family: georgia;">And when David saw the breadth of his domain, he wept, for there were no more worlds to conquer.</i><span style="font-family: georgia;">" </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b style="color: blue;">Iron Maiden </b><span>-</span><b> </b><span>The Rock Hall is hopefully wise enough to not enrage metal fans any further, as they've nominated ostensible shoo-ins Judas Priest twice (in 2018 and 2020) and failed to put them in. Imagine them dissing Iron Maiden this year and the Crazy World of Arthur Brown-level hellfire that would ensue. Additionally, various voters displaying their ballots on social media suggest that the box for Iron Maiden is frequently getting checked. Anticipate a Radiohead-like reception from the band upon their induction news, as certain members have been quite dismissive of the Hall in the past. One could easily envision founder/bassist Steve Harris and guitarist Adrian Smith showing up, and no one else, while a band like Mastodon or Baroness is subbed in to play "Run to the Hills" or something. But here's hoping that a change of heart and a good managerial pep talk to the boys is afoot, and Bruce Dickinson flies Ed Force One into Cleveland Hopkins International Airport this October. Their ghoulish mascot Eddie striding across the induction stage would be a most spectacular and welcome sight. Run for your life! </span></span></p><p><b style="color: blue; font-family: georgia;">Devo </b><span style="font-family: georgia;">-</span><b style="font-family: georgia;"> </b><span style="font-family: georgia;">It's an important duty to honor eccentrics and outsiders with a clearly defined, resonating worldview and aesthetic (see: the Ramones). Fitting this bill in 2021 is twitchy New Wave/synth-pop act Devo, whose prescient, foundational concept of de-evolution has, sadly, proven timeless. The energy dome hat-wearing Ohio spudboys and their fans would find it ideal to have this induction occur in Cleveland. Presumably, Devo has former MTV executive and new Rock Hall chairman John Sykes in their corner. Sykes co-founded MTV, where these Akronites broke out visually and inspired an audience of fellow misfits to create their own subversive music, including They Might Be Giants, Oingo Boingo, "Weird Al" Yankovic, Nirvana (a John Peel session found them covering "Turn Around"), Soundgarden (who covered "Girl U Want"), and even fellow 2021 nominees Rage Against the Machine, who did "Beautiful World" on their album <i>Renegades</i>. Devo has been eligible for 18 years, this is their second nomination, and it just feels like it may be their time. </span></p><p><b style="font-family: georgia;">Musical Excellence: </b><b style="color: blue; font-family: georgia;">Fela Kuti </b><span style="font-family: georgia;">- This Nigerian Afrobeat legend's impact is felt far beyond the borders of Nigeria, and his passionate fan base has kept him at or near the top of the Fan Vote. The call here is that the Hall finds a way to get him in (global attention for the Rock Hall could only be a net positive), and Musical Excellence is likely the path the institution takes. Fela's impact can be heard in artists from Bootsy Collins to Talking Heads to Nigerian-British pop star Burna Boy. The tribute performance potential for Fela is tantalizing, and hopefully could involve his musician sons Femi and Seun.</span></p>E-Rockracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04488528056947107950noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658837032884477115.post-27171015095061396352021-01-15T08:49:00.008-08:002023-09-19T09:09:45.529-07:0020 Suggestions for the Next Rock Hall Ballot<div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124;"><span><b>As Bob Dylan once sang, "... things have changed."</b> </span></span><span style="background-color: white;">The Rock Hall Nominating Committee meets later this month to generate a ballot for the Class of 2021, but it does so against the backdrop of a very different world. </span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;">The entire nomination/induction schedule has shifted, and an attempt will be made at a live Cleveland ceremony this October 30. Still, there are so many variables, from feasibility to content. Will Jann Wenner's stepping down from the Rock Hall Foundation board (and iHeartMedia's John Sykes stepping up) affect this annual ritual? Will the social justice movements of the past year be reflected in the pool of nominees, or will it be business as usual? Clarity around all these things will arrive in February, when the nominee slate is released, to guaranteed cheers and jeers. </span></div><div><span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;">Until then, it's time to break away from the usual predictions. It's an endeavor many already engage in, and there are plenty of prognostications circulating already. Consensus is forming around Dave Grohl's band as well as the artist formerly known as Shawn Carter. Why belabor the point?</span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;">Things have changed here, too. Making suggestions felt more appropriate than doing predictions, so below is a curated list of 20 artists worthy of Rock Hall consideration. Official ballots in recent years have had 15 to 19 names, so 20 options seemed viable. Any 15, 16, or 19 of these would comprise an outstanding field. </span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;">If only it were that easy. The names below are cast into the Rock Hall conversation amid a nomination/induction process that is broken, backlogged and maybe too far gone to ever fix. As Future Rock Legends recently noted on Twitter in response to Joe Hardtke's excellent <a href="https://twitter.com/PublicRadioPunk/status/1219489251856998401" target="_blank"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">list</span></a> of 155 deserving Hall candidates, acts basically have to "hit the lottery to get in." If those are the odds, why not expand the horizons of who has a shot?</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white;">And hey, no list, ballot or prediction can be comprehensive, nor does an exercise like this please everyone. The repeated criticisms of the Hall around gender, race, and genre are justified, valid and well-trodden. No submitted field of artists, official or otherwise, can cover it all, unless it was like, 200+ artists long. Nick Bambach is currently working through his stellar <a href="https://www.audiovisualrepository.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">series</span></a> of 100 Rock Hall prospects, and that is certainly required reading.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white;">So please sit back, read, and breathe easy in the knowledge that you are not alone in believing </span><span style="background-color: white;">that such legends as Big Mama Thornton, Link Wray, Kraftwerk, Tina Turner, Carole King, the Meters, Judas Priest, Kool & the Gang, the Spinners, Pat Benatar, and the Go-Go's deserve to be in – truths that at this point are self-evident. They've all received previous advocacy in this space, and just don't happen to appear on the list below. (On a related note, please check out the "<a href="https://twitter.com/HallWatchers/status/1348992515785981953" target="_blank"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">21 for 21 Project</span></a>" by Mary from Hall Watchers and Iconic Rock Talk Show's Michelle Bourg </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;">— a series of institution-rattling arguments for 21 female acts that need to be inducted.)</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>20 suggestions for the Rock Hall's next ballot, in no particular order:</b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_kNZvoCzNVf01ltYwnnzbiEjseENM1or7bvg57CjMLYbgPspNo6DVuUejc-6kiCIm3SOp9lHmGHrDO6Zf5mN4GNbbX6JvBlLbOFWECHAo2WZgcBfDD6exjl6tCimNkUj2upUxY_bR96c/s405/PJ.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="405" data-original-width="270" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_kNZvoCzNVf01ltYwnnzbiEjseENM1or7bvg57CjMLYbgPspNo6DVuUejc-6kiCIm3SOp9lHmGHrDO6Zf5mN4GNbbX6JvBlLbOFWECHAo2WZgcBfDD6exjl6tCimNkUj2upUxY_bR96c/s320/PJ.jpg" /></a></div>PJ Harvey</span></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><span style="background-color: white;">Darkness, jagged blues and desire all churn about in the tempest that is Polly Jean Harvey. Her music turned heads upon her arrival in 1992 with her album </span><i style="background-color: white;">Dry, </i><span style="background-color: white;">and what a stunning, uncompromising body of work this Somerset, England native has crafted in the years since. </span></span><span style="background-color: white;">It's strange to say that a repertoire of assaultive, haunting compositions has lost nothing with time, and it's almost counterintuitive to say that it's a pleasure to listen to (Ron Swanson's quote "like a banshee on the moors" springs to mind), but there it is. Patti Smith, Dylan, Cohen and Beefheart were among her muses, and they served her well. From 1995's hypnotic knockout </span><i style="background-color: white;">To Bring You My Love</i><span style="background-color: white;"> (listen to the closing track "The Dancer" again, and be devastated anew) to 2004's lauded </span><i style="background-color: white;">Uh Huh Her </i><span style="background-color: white;">to the Mercury Prize-winning, World War I-themed </span><i style="background-color: white;">Let England Shake</i><span style="background-color: white;">, Harvey's raging gifts and ambition have set a daunting bar for performers and singer-songwriters everywhere. Her near-universal critical acclaim places her in a lofty echelon, but it's warranted; for Harvey, pure artistic intent has proven to be a shield against backlash. Kurt Cobain loved her music, and the surviving members of Nirvana actually reached out to Harvey to participate in the band's induction performance (sadly she was unavailable, but that would have been amazing). Harvey's aftershocks can be felt in the work of artists such as Sleater-Kinney, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and Torres. </span></span></div><div><b style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEK9ntEg-aU0N8MERiEmOUe9E2oT6lsrbw1BNzwQ3eK6MNuZqa5Vnxdhb3jrhJpS94D6Eac8tcKxQ05NVKgdBh_pydQIH7pqOG53F5Ol2ZX70FSlgFDS6Z9Dui4B2l-AfhS_-HKyO5DAw/s1805/selena.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1805" data-original-width="1354" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEK9ntEg-aU0N8MERiEmOUe9E2oT6lsrbw1BNzwQ3eK6MNuZqa5Vnxdhb3jrhJpS94D6Eac8tcKxQ05NVKgdBh_pydQIH7pqOG53F5Ol2ZX70FSlgFDS6Z9Dui4B2l-AfhS_-HKyO5DAw/w240-h320/selena.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>Selena</span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white;">It's time for Selena Quintanilla to enter the Rock Hall discussion. She may have been tragically taken away at age of 23, but this Mexican-American Tejano icon's voice, style and staggering chart success makes her an exceptional candidate for Cleveland. Selena's 1992 breakthrough album, </span><i style="background-color: white;">Entre a Mi Mundo </i><span style="background-color: white;">went to number one on the U.S. Billboard Regional Mexican Albums chart and kept its perch there for nearly five months. That record's follow-up, </span><i style="background-color: white;">Amor Prohibido</i><span style="background-color: white;">, yielded four Number One Latin singles, among them the title track and “Bidi Bidi Bom Bom.” A major concert attraction, Selena performed three years in a row at the Houston Astrodome, where over 60,000 screaming fans showed up to see their beloved hero. </span><i style="background-color: white;">Dreaming of You</i><span style="background-color: white;">, her posthumous LP, was released in July 1995 and featured the major hits "I Could Fall In Love" and "Dreaming Of You." Further, her 1990 album <i>Ven Conmigo</i> was archived by the National Recording Registry in 2020. And if you think about it, last year's Super Bowl halftime show with Shakira and J. Lo. may not have happened without </span><span style="background-color: white;">Selena helping to light the path. Her massive influence is clear to see (Katy Perry, Marc Anthony, Solange), and the recent "Selena: The Series," which recently arrived on Netflix, has raised the late Quintanilla's profile even higher. It was also just announced that Selena is being given the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award this year. </span></span></div><div><b style="background-color: white; color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b style="background-color: white; color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY2Ea0IXqvruCY3ntrc2LPnQ_C6QH-TtruiAsUkzo_Q9a5l1nDnTx_x57G_iQthA3oq4Dr3sR1QhiRWgGmlnmw_8D_oZNa5wQ_c85xsdCXeZFDhrvI844eJRG6zCF8RMSHKnhmr8jNqqQ/s640/dio.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="394" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY2Ea0IXqvruCY3ntrc2LPnQ_C6QH-TtruiAsUkzo_Q9a5l1nDnTx_x57G_iQthA3oq4Dr3sR1QhiRWgGmlnmw_8D_oZNa5wQ_c85xsdCXeZFDhrvI844eJRG6zCF8RMSHKnhmr8jNqqQ/s320/dio.png" /></a></div>Ronnie James Dio</span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white;">"</span><i style="background-color: white;">Between the velvet lies/There's a truth that's hard as steel...</i><span style="background-color: white;">" In order to encapsulate and fully honor the unparalleled music career of the late Ronald James Padavona, it may be judicious on the Hall's part to just put this howling icon in on his own. It was totally unjust that he was left out of Black Sabbath's 2006 induction (he took over for a fired Ozzy Osbourne in 1979, resulting in Sabbath's classic </span><i style="background-color: white;">Heaven and Hell</i><span style="background-color: white;"> and </span><i style="background-color: white;">Mob Rules</i><span style="background-color: white;"> LPs, both to be reissued March 5). This man popularized the sign of the horns in metal, and his credits speak for themselves. There's Sabbath, which should have been enough to earn him induction, but there's also Rainbow (a case could be made for this group too), the late-'60s group Elf, and his namesake band Dio (again, a case could be made). Ronnie's soaring voice is heard on a treasure trove of songs, including "Man on the Silver Mountain" (Rainbow), "Neon Nights" (Sabbath), and the Dio favorites "Rainbow in the Dark," "Holy Diver," and "Straight Through the Heart" (check out Halestorm's kick-ass </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiqytKqLRTA" style="background-color: white;" target="_blank">cover</a><span style="background-color: white;"> of this one on the 2014 RJD tribute album </span><i style="background-color: white;">This is Your Life</i><span style="background-color: white;">). Metal as we know it is unthinkable without Dio's contributions, and the roll call of reverent peers (Judas Priest's Rob Halford, the Scorpions) and zealots (Metallica, Anthrax, Slipknot's Corey Taylor, Lizzy Hale) is extensive. Jack Black and Kyle Gass of Tenacious D, also proud Dio disciples, would jump at the chance to do the induction speech for their hero Ronnie. </span></span></div><div><b style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; background-color: white; padding-inline-start: 0px;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1465572082418_36864" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; background-color: white; padding-inline-start: 0px;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghfmh6Kq6NTslpDbY4ikWHglzRhAoI0q2OjdpZQ4iMZXWJW3n-pxBX6Y4IEB7zMxp8nrfHclVlUHC2zkG8kHMp1R6K3lZKQuzhsa3dhrcapsgt8uHvQ41JL3tyoOkxOzOT-eAZO7JCBbo/s1024/marv.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="914" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghfmh6Kq6NTslpDbY4ikWHglzRhAoI0q2OjdpZQ4iMZXWJW3n-pxBX6Y4IEB7zMxp8nrfHclVlUHC2zkG8kHMp1R6K3lZKQuzhsa3dhrcapsgt8uHvQ41JL3tyoOkxOzOT-eAZO7JCBbo/s320/marv.jpg" /></a></div>The Marvelettes</span></b></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;">Formed in Inkster, Michigan in 1960, the Marvelettes can lay claim to Motown's first Number One single, 1961's "Please Mr. Postman." The Supremes were their competitors, yet Smokey Robinson was a crucial mentor, assisting with production and songwriting. Others involved with their musical output include Berry Gordy, Holland-Dozier-Holland, and Marvin Gaye. "The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game" and "Don't Mess With Bill" are among their other notable singles. The Marvelettes have two previous Rock Hall nominations (in 2013 and 2015), but have yet to be inducted. Nonetheless, they've been honored by the Vocal Group Hall of Fame and the Official Rhythm & Blues Music Hall of Fame. Any induction this delayed means some members of the group are sadly no longer around to enjoy it. Last September, Georgia Dobbins Davis, co-writers of "Postman" and a founding member of the group, passed away at 78. Gladys Horton, her bandmate, left us in 2011, and Georgeanna Tillman died in 1980. Still, the Marvelettes are owed recognition for their achievements at Motown.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><b style="color: blue; font-family: georgia; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUMIih6au7IR0VeL5wfDjWhmqiAEhTfEims7-VOZ3K9egdHhZdOG3h6HStmuvq2Bn6vypbOdBQpzAIGEKYqqSAVmcGxZ-z14pDGK6lDKxGoyySs1yyxDeM5vAYQkSF6fUr7xn0nfEipzE/s1063/icet.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1063" data-original-width="857" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUMIih6au7IR0VeL5wfDjWhmqiAEhTfEims7-VOZ3K9egdHhZdOG3h6HStmuvq2Bn6vypbOdBQpzAIGEKYqqSAVmcGxZ-z14pDGK6lDKxGoyySs1yyxDeM5vAYQkSF6fUr7xn0nfEipzE/s320/icet.jpg" /></a></div>Ice-T </b></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;"><span><span>"<i>6 in the morning, police at my door/</i></span><i><span>Fresh Adidas squeak across the bathroom floor/</span><span>Out my back window I make a escape/</span></i></span><span><span><i>Don't even get a chance to grab my old school tape...</i>" Long</span></span><span> before Snoop deployed "6 in the mornin'" as a lifestyle-revealing time stamp (as in, the ladies weren't leaving his place until then), the law was at Ice-T's door at that hour. Arguably the father of gangsta rap, Ice-T deserves a place in the Hall alongside inductees N.W.A., an act he set the table for. Of course, the provocative thrash metal side project Body Count (nominated for a Best Metal Performance Grammy this year) is inextricably linked to the Ice-T legacy due to the 1992 "Cop Killer" song controversy. (The famous Rolling Stone cover of Ice-T dressed as a police officer has been on display at the Rock Hall more than once...very interesting). Lightning rod, TV actor, reality star... that fresh Adidas shoe fits. But above all else, Tracy Marrow, introduced to the world with the single "The Coldest Rap" in 1983, is an iconic and genre-defining figure.</span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;"><span><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;"><span><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtPI0gXAXBd_PaWzd5_NKk-lgryY6a7Z-kvfElEYX4jY75Jio6s8L_ieD4EBIWlXMBtm0oP02pY9Mq0bjHF3D8-NrNeRyR8qtLxSbfaNrs3KLi-gUienOO_BG6OREKptar6fG5mvrfCSg/s2048/weez.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2030" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtPI0gXAXBd_PaWzd5_NKk-lgryY6a7Z-kvfElEYX4jY75Jio6s8L_ieD4EBIWlXMBtm0oP02pY9Mq0bjHF3D8-NrNeRyR8qtLxSbfaNrs3KLi-gUienOO_BG6OREKptar6fG5mvrfCSg/s320/weez.jpg" /></a></div>Weezer</b></span></div><div><span><i>"Come sit next to me/Pour yourself some tea</i>," requests Rivers Cuomo on the career rocket launch that "My Name is Jonas," and an entire generation listened. Explosive in that tick-tick-boom/quiet-then-loud '90s way, it was the era's best album opener since Cobain felt stupid and contagious. Weezer's music, for all its peaks and valleys, is the result of three decades of chasing a winning formula. Rivers Cuomo, guitarist Brian Bell, drummer Patrick Wilson, and bassist Matt Sharp (later, bassists Mikey Welsh (RIP) and Scott Shriner) created an arena-shaking leviathan that commands respect</span><span>. </span>A synthesis of power pop hooks, Gen X dread, Beach Boys harmonies and heavy riffs have made Weezer alt-rock legends with a diehard following. They walked so bands like Nada Surf, Jimmy Eat World and Fall Out Boy could run, just as there would be no Weezer without Cuomo talismans Kurt Cobain, Eddie Van Halen, or Ace Frehley. And what a songbook this quartet has: <span>"Buddy Holly" was pure joy with its Spike Jonze-directed, "Happy Days"-referencing video; the detonative "Say It Ain't So," their creative zenith, confronts parental alcoholism's impact on children ("</span><i>...the son is drowning in the flood</i><span>"); <i>Pinkerton</i>'s "The Good Life" has one the greatest rock choruses ever (also, the lyrics "...<i>everything I want/Is taken away from me</i>... <i>I</i><span jsname="YS01Ge"><i>t's time I got back to the good life</i>" </span>feel even more relevant in this pandemic era); and 2016's <i>White Album </i>embraced Southern California fun on tracks like "Do You Wanna Get High?" and "Thank God for Girls." In 2018, their cover of Toto's "Africa" became their first Billboard Number One single in a decade. </span><span>Sober yet whimsical, metallic one moment and easy-breezy the next, Weezer contains multitudes. And 27 years after their debut, they're still going. A surprise new album, <i>OK Human</i>, drops January 29, and May 7, they'll drop their 15th LP <i>Van Weezer</i>, its title a play on Van Halen. Ridiculous, but these guys can get away with it, because their place in the American rock pantheon is cemented already. </span>That hasn't been lost on the Hall: Bassist Shriner played with the Cars for their 2018 induction, and the Rock Hall reportedly had Weezer set up to be the house band for the abandoned live 2020 ceremony. A nomination can't be too far off. To borrow a line from <i>Pinkerton</i>'s "Getchoo," this is beginning to be serious.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><span style="color: blue;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeBHwg1iayRGZ49_ZkQ2_2YMd75uhP0xhzvv56cC6ZSDrMVy6z7opqlJfkWHMk-T0rT6Htodm0usvjI-dGdW5CguWu3uvmnPLbtxyx-r0C10bObcw7S4HNohCUza4kUwe2Ky0vISZ3uv4/s525/pc1.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="525" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeBHwg1iayRGZ49_ZkQ2_2YMd75uhP0xhzvv56cC6ZSDrMVy6z7opqlJfkWHMk-T0rT6Htodm0usvjI-dGdW5CguWu3uvmnPLbtxyx-r0C10bObcw7S4HNohCUza4kUwe2Ky0vISZ3uv4/s320/pc1.jpg" /></a></div>Patsy Cline</span></b><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></div></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;">One of the greatest country singers ever, Virginia Patterson Hensley left us far too young at age 30 in a 1963 plane crash. Her country and pop crossover legacy, however, is a rich one. Cline recorded a pile of singles in the later half of the '50s, with "Walkin' After Midnight" emerging as a standout. When the '60s rolled around, and she was free from her earlier contractual shackles, she released the monumental hits "I Fall to Pieces" and "Crazy" (written by Willie Nelson). Indisputably, Cline built the stage on which so many female singers, regardless of genre, stand today. She was the first female solo artist to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, all the way back in 1973. Thus, recognition from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame should be forthcoming, given her pop chart success and iconic status. Musical excellence? Obviously. Influence? Everyone from Loretta Lynn to Dolly Parton to Linda Ronstadt (inducted) to k.d. lang. The Hall is certainly not averse to honoring country-associated artists (i.e., Hank Williams, Johnny Cash), so Cline just feels like an inevitable selection. She's been eligible since 1982, but has never been nominated. In a world where genres increasingly blend together and myriad digital music platforms find us all consuming a wide variety of sounds, overlooking an artist of Cline's magnitude due to her perceived primary genre is short-sighted. She transcends country, and is worthy of a nomination.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div style="background-color: white;"><b style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: blue;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj819n-fkNlbWaDNTMfFPsdwxm-zzh2bOEq3582cA9GQVC-BGID5I8B9dEeb84rZksLxR-hJtbZag4gQqoxXl6-gnHKSiYTqQWaQGzPkIR9eBJ5jdah2wbetauCo7e_uLWzyOlNK-ET1jg/s2048/snp.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1348" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj819n-fkNlbWaDNTMfFPsdwxm-zzh2bOEq3582cA9GQVC-BGID5I8B9dEeb84rZksLxR-hJtbZag4gQqoxXl6-gnHKSiYTqQWaQGzPkIR9eBJ5jdah2wbetauCo7e_uLWzyOlNK-ET1jg/s320/snp.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Salt-N-Pepa</b></b></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white;">Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, Run-D.M.C., Public Enemy, N.W.A., Tupac and Biggie are all inducted, but there's something missing, isn't there? Queens from Queens and among the most successful female hip-hop acts, Salt-N-Pepa and DJ Spinderella would be breaking the Rock Hall's glass ceiling. By any metric, they're deserving, with major, your-mom-even-likes-these-guys hits like "Push It," "Let's Talk About Sex," "Shoop," and "Whatta Man" (featuring En Vogue). This trio blazed a trail for assertive women in hip-hop, and TLC and Missy Elliott definitely took key inspiration from them</span><span style="background-color: white;">. </span></span><span style="background-color: white;">Salt-N-Pepa's 1993 album <i>Very Necessary</i> is the highest-selling album by a female rap group in history — a Hall of Fame qualifier, no?</span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: #fdef2b;"><br /></span></div></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="color: blue;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuZxbzRsFxPLBVIOuYwchBTk_-Ve9c8-1aJofrwdmw8KELqkELqS8309VcCZxOIA5UQScB9EbYMx9HIAZOLR9fyS6d5BkcEHVWBeywn0d2fsZRxTvBmb_371xN9JmqeoWt4oY9rrAG0R8/s465/jd.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="377" data-original-width="465" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuZxbzRsFxPLBVIOuYwchBTk_-Ve9c8-1aJofrwdmw8KELqkELqS8309VcCZxOIA5UQScB9EbYMx9HIAZOLR9fyS6d5BkcEHVWBeywn0d2fsZRxTvBmb_371xN9JmqeoWt4oY9rrAG0R8/s320/jd.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Joy Division </span></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;">Dark wave post-punk legends that set a sonic and atmospheric template for a legion of artists that came after them, including Depeche Mode, Radiohead, Nine Inch Nails, and Interpol. (For one clear-cut example of Joy Division's influence, listen to "Atmosphere" and the Cure's "Plainsong" back to back; the shimmering sonics are like a continuation of a DNA strand.) The group shattered upon singer Ian Curtis' death in 1980, then morphed into electronic-pop masters New Order. In the spirit of having an evolved opinion on this, a Joy Division nom, </span><i style="background-color: white; text-align: center;">without</i><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"> New Order being included (remember the Small Faces/Faces induction?) is perhaps the right decision. The band is singular enough to stand on its own, and its music is all about being painfully alone, anyway. In honoring Curtis and his surviving bandmates that soldiered on to form that second group, the Hall would at least be in the neighborhood of recognizing New Order, too. Henry Rollins, in a 2019<i> L.A. Times </i><a href="https://www.latimes.com/books/la-ca-jc-jon-savage-joy-division-henry-rollins-20190420-story.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">piece</span></a>, elegantly summed up Joy Division's music: "</span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>The songs are readings of temperature, light and lack of light. They walk silently for hours on city streets and return alone to small rooms with full ashtrays and no messages on the machine.</i>"</span></span></div><div><b style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT-yf5Okpla5EThSTobxLiKVdxJqaKOht2vzRf8_9PYJelx4lR3NgAPK25ZZXFpb9O1fpOVZ6WzHQh3bXt14AIY7I9VRAJMNWXYE7A1Q62p6Vh7zluucurQuSUEAcD472X2dQ4TgDFk4I/s2000/Boston1.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1489" data-original-width="2000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT-yf5Okpla5EThSTobxLiKVdxJqaKOht2vzRf8_9PYJelx4lR3NgAPK25ZZXFpb9O1fpOVZ6WzHQh3bXt14AIY7I9VRAJMNWXYE7A1Q62p6Vh7zluucurQuSUEAcD472X2dQ4TgDFk4I/s320/Boston1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Boston </span></b></div><div><b style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">"<i>People livin' in competition/All I want is to have my peace of mind.</i>" Now there's a statement anyone allergic to the rat race can get behind. Boston has sold a staggering 75 million records, with their 1976 self-titled debut moving</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> 1</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">7 million units. Tom Scholz, a guitar, songwriting and producing mastermind, created dynamic tunes that, when paired with the warm, surging vocals of Brad Delp, dominated the FM airwaves for 46 years (and counting). "More Than a Feeling," "Rock and Roll Band" and "Smokin'" might be the soundtrack to drinking warm beers in the woods on a high school Saturday night, but few would argue that those moments aren't among the best of their lives. Despite all the "too slick, too corporate" criticisms that have been lobbed at these guys, there is something undeniable: For a wide swath of a generation, hearing Boston (and previous inductees Journey, Cheap Trick, Deep Purple, and Steve Miller) transports them back to their formative years, and reminds them of simpler times. It's a kind of magic, and there's something to be said for that. </span></span></b></div><div><b style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></span></b></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><div id="yiv8613862235yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1465483526545_29756" style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: georgia;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3G1KdC7yCu2CMj5FvTsr6hHknHn293qDQ9O-DFQcsy1sPGCZUvJuNRD_51_ooTscnJhwVHwhlwLQwY5CCzQ8z0IwQ0ta1K1anQAz38xKJHeVLLq0ggOWekOCZjM2FQ9zj45kwjiwocHs/s1024/mc.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="634" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3G1KdC7yCu2CMj5FvTsr6hHknHn293qDQ9O-DFQcsy1sPGCZUvJuNRD_51_ooTscnJhwVHwhlwLQwY5CCzQ8z0IwQ0ta1K1anQAz38xKJHeVLLq0ggOWekOCZjM2FQ9zj45kwjiwocHs/s320/mc.jpg" /></a></div>Mariah Carey</b></span></div><div id="yiv8613862235yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1465483526545_29756" style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">As the insistent sound of "All I Want For Christmas Is You" fades from our psyche post-holidays, a thought still lingers: Mariah Carey is an all-timer with a worldwide impact that may rival that of Santa Claus. With her five-octave range and an endless stream of hits, this superstar owned the '90s pop/R&B music scene, and has helped define popular music in the decades since like no other. She's had a competition-humbling 19 Number One singles on the Billboard Hot 100 (more than any solo artist) and has sold over 200 million records globally. Charts and sales are one thing, but other aspects of this singer's narrative — her longevity and resilience — might be even more important. Those qualities are well-chronicled in her recent biography "The Meaning of Mariah Carey," which recounts her early success and marriage to Columbia Records' Tommy Mottola, the <i>Glitter</i> era, her 2005 comeback <i>The Emancipation of Mimi,</i> and beyond. Still relevant and ubiquitous up to the present day, it's clear that Carey is a survivor, not to mention a triumphant example of what a pop icon can and should be. Her influence on singers that followed, from Christina to Britney to Ariana, is plain to hear. This record-breaker will make it to Cleveland; the only question is when. </span></div><div id="yiv8613862235yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1465483526545_29756" style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div id="yiv8613862235yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1465483526545_29756" style="font-weight: 400;"><b><span style="color: blue; font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWFWvHkZWF_E1YS0ppi45Ner5-vb-i4PTcR8vWLc_GZ1gMaLm4eX-nKQ-WKQSKFMsBTArGMGRT_y0UJxPFzTAIy5bNSZdNqnYKKr4qi_8Gg-zpdS5WxtYbK9trshhOtXZlJ8k7RqNlbRs/s736/jp.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="549" data-original-width="736" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWFWvHkZWF_E1YS0ppi45Ner5-vb-i4PTcR8vWLc_GZ1gMaLm4eX-nKQ-WKQSKFMsBTArGMGRT_y0UJxPFzTAIy5bNSZdNqnYKKr4qi_8Gg-zpdS5WxtYbK9trshhOtXZlJ8k7RqNlbRs/s320/jp.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Jaco Pastorius</span></b></div><div id="yiv8613862235yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1465483526545_29756" style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Rock Hall, in a perfect world, should be honoring white-hot geniuses that redefined their instrument. The self-taught Jaco Pastorius is one of those talents. The late "Hendrix of bass" is commonly associated with jazz, but despite his stints with Weather Report, Pat Metheny, Herbie Hancock and others, some have argued that he wasn't really jazz at all. That makes him, what, rock? Fusion? Progressive jazz? Genre-transcendent? The truth is in there somewhere, but what cannot be taken away is Pastorius' pure gift, so spectacularly demonstrated on the fretless bass. With his fleet fingers, trombone-like tone and a tendency to outshine just about everyone else onstage (a habit Weather Report's Joe Zawinul legendarily detested), Jaco took bass sound and technique to a stratosphere not seen since. Bass players heard his playing and went home to first, have a good cry, and then completely reboot their approach to playing. Joni Mitchell called upon Jaco's electrifying talents (for the studio record </span><i>Hejira</i><span style="font-family: georgia;"> as well as the live album </span><i>Shadows and Light</i><span style="font-family: georgia;">), while his debut, simply titled </span><i>Jaco Pastorius</i><span style="font-family: georgia;">, is an audacious landmark of electric bass. His influence is vast — pretty much any bassist that came after him — but players that have sung Jaco's praises include Bootsy Collins, Geddy Lee, Sting, Flea, Stanley Clarke, Christian McBride, and Metallica's Robert Trujillo, who was a producer on the terrific 2015 documentary </span><i>Jaco</i><span style="font-family: georgia;">. Substance abuse and mental health issues coalesced tragically in Florida one night in 1987, when Pastorius had a run-in with a bouncer, leading to his death at age 35. In the end, this bass legend's legacy is towering, and players across genres have expressed a reverence for him afforded to few. American music giant Miles Davis, a 2006 inductee whose jazz work also impacted rock, once wrote a tribute song to him titled "Mr. Pastorius." All things considered, a Jaco nomination (or Musical Excellence nod) would be a sophisticated, insightful move on the Hall's part.</span></div><div id="yiv8613862235yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1465483526545_29756" style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div id="yiv8613862235yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1465483526545_29756" style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: georgia;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTzIEaTLg2E2sxqrRqyU0arV_GjqhLAiaLEDUOWjOjXhLuiodNAr9LnlJsAejKxEQ6JxWy84dojhWvB0nlMpm24AXNIrNplsgX1Y2j3esY2Mk_OLIlbNliptwB4UhXz6gSoyUYGdxgLW0/s462/sy.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="275" data-original-width="462" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTzIEaTLg2E2sxqrRqyU0arV_GjqhLAiaLEDUOWjOjXhLuiodNAr9LnlJsAejKxEQ6JxWy84dojhWvB0nlMpm24AXNIrNplsgX1Y2j3esY2Mk_OLIlbNliptwB4UhXz6gSoyUYGdxgLW0/s320/sy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Sonic Youth</b></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></div><div id="yiv8613862235yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1465483526545_29756" style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">New York City's masters of guitar noise and left-field alt-rock hits ("Kool Thing," "Incinerate") exuded a detached, cosmopolitan cool, yet were wholly committed to their punk-inspired craft. They disbanded in 2011 due to the marital breakup of Kim Gordon and Thurston Moore, but their rulebook-tossing contributions to 20th and 21st century music still reverberate. The experimentally-minded troupe was catnip for the often snobby rock intelligentsia, but the band's appearance on <span>"The Simpsons<span>" demonstrated that the group was capable of shaking off their hipster gravitas at times. </span></span></span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Gordon delivered an unforgettable version of </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Nirvana's<span> </span></span><span style="font-family: georgia;">"Aneurysm" during the 2014 induction ceremony, which can only help Sonic Youth's chances. Acts from Dinosaur Jr. to Slowdive to Helium can claim them as an influence, as can hundreds of other bands. </span></div><div id="yiv8613862235yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1465483526545_29756" style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div id="yiv8613862235yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1465483526545_29756" style="font-weight: 400;"><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDL3Pu4G90KEYrzU4Fz-rglcXYMFlF87Lc0sUHpwuc8zZymCCzAnQu9NuDQIhbwnWZGlMOYIIanyWtYGAqmh_0ggtVrW2AtZ-HveSpvXMBPizd1gDZPv1BSXbwrVCEPThX_QwQYx4_Pz0/s620/phs.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="390" data-original-width="620" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDL3Pu4G90KEYrzU4Fz-rglcXYMFlF87Lc0sUHpwuc8zZymCCzAnQu9NuDQIhbwnWZGlMOYIIanyWtYGAqmh_0ggtVrW2AtZ-HveSpvXMBPizd1gDZPv1BSXbwrVCEPThX_QwQYx4_Pz0/s320/phs.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>Phish</span></b></div><div id="yiv8613862235yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1465483526545_29756" style="font-weight: 400;">It's a steep challenge to adequately summarize Phish, but here goes: Improvisational rock legends from Vermont that forever changed music festival culture. The quartet has been at it intermittently since 1988, evolving across 1,700+ shows, curated festivals, and multi-night Halloween and New Year's runs. Their roving fan base is massive, loyal/critical, and currently trapped in a concert-less purgatory. So maybe this is the perfect time to pause and reflect on how exceptional their favorite band is. Humble, collegiate beginnings led to persuasive, high-energy shows at clubs, theaters, and arenas across America, a deal with Elektra, and "the cover of the Rolling Stone." There have been hiatuses, a breakup, and a cautionary drug tale that ended positively. But in the end, Phish's story is told in the live setting. Trey Anastasio, Jon Fishman, Mike Gordon and Page McConnell's achievements onstage defy quantification, but the 2017 "Baker's Dozen" residency at Madison Square Garden stands out. They did 13 shows, never repeated a song, and churned out some of the finest renditions of songs like "Lawn Boy," "It's Ice" and "A Song I Heard the Ocean Sing." Make no mistake: These guys will win you over. Naysayers that once scoffed at Phish or "never got it" get dragged to a show, and their viewpoint changes 180 degrees (an instant evaporation of the poisonous "groupthink" that late fan/comedian Harris Wittels once bemoaned). The jolt one feels when Anastasio rips into the heavy riff of "Carini" can convert even the most skeptical. In the painful absence of live gigs, one can only imagine the deafening rapture that will greet Phish when they finally take the stage again in front of an audience (2022?). Suffice to say, this quartet has earned its (presumably inevitable) induction into the Rock Hall. </div><div id="yiv8613862235yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1465483526545_29756" style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></div><div id="yiv8613862235yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1465483526545_29756" style="font-weight: 400;"><b id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1465572082418_29722" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; padding-inline-start: 0px;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ0aTVDZAIW9zwjZGSLd_ckgb16IJM-6lz45dgJDB-tlk40XDwfZy-tvS0D4PpAK6wHnNtCqolPvrVbyzpf7rSk92QAL_pWHqQS74WFU8LjC-Y7zhdzfKw9B2PcyXDzJRkumU1SplUuco/s607/so.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="607" data-original-width="405" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ0aTVDZAIW9zwjZGSLd_ckgb16IJM-6lz45dgJDB-tlk40XDwfZy-tvS0D4PpAK6wHnNtCqolPvrVbyzpf7rSk92QAL_pWHqQS74WFU8LjC-Y7zhdzfKw9B2PcyXDzJRkumU1SplUuco/s320/so.jpg" /></a></div>Sinead O'Connor </span></b></div><div id="yiv8613862235yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1465483526545_29756" style="font-weight: 400;"><span>Arriving as passionate as she was serious, Irish wailer Sinead O'Connor rejected and revolutionized the music industry's notions of what a female pop star should look like, act like, or behave like. She entered the global frame in 1987 with her head-turning debut album, <i>The Lion and the Cobra, </i>which contained the college rock/pre-"alternative"-era hits "Mandinka" and "(I Want Your) Hands on Me." In one early career highlight, she<span style="color: blue;"> <span style="color: blue;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JugUQJv9YlY">performed "Mandinka"</a> </span></span>on the 1989 Grammys in a startling breakthrough performance. Of course, the zenith of O'Connor's career is <i>I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got</i>'s "Nothing Compares 2 U," a timeless global hit penned by Prince and propagated by a bracingly intimate music video. Her discography continued in the decades to come with mixed success, though she received warm critical notices for 2014's <i>I'm Not Bossy, I'm the Boss </i>and especially 2012's <i>How About I Be Me (And You Be You)? </i>Of course, the elephant in the room is that<i> </i></span><span>O'Connor is a polarizing figure; she's stepped into the ring with everyone from Catholics to Miley Cyrus. But what has to be acknowledged is her knockout voice and warrior's resolve, as well as her influence on so many artists that followed her lead (see: any female "alternative" star of the '90s and beyond, and more than a few acts on the Lilith Fair roster). In spite of all the tabloid press and social media dust-ups that have tarnished her public perception over the years, O'Connor seems to have recently arrived at a state of grace and clarity, with a critically hailed early-2020 performances. A continuation of her career, that she keeps sharing her gift, is something to hope for.</span></div><div id="yiv8613862235yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1465483526545_29756" style="font-weight: 400;"><span><br /></span></div><div id="yiv8613862235yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1465483526545_29756" style="font-weight: 400;"><b style="color: blue;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXBGy84zTpYpdPfTSucgc1eEJ92c8FRKsyOjYpVv64AjNfSC-Cl8YFpWAczNuTvhOKoPxChYNSv3di0d9MjRHRoSwtFGRU87jhm61uCP3PjdPi0go_MoomHS1PJknhd1vjb4dsjo8-1vg/s372/cb2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="372" data-original-width="341" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXBGy84zTpYpdPfTSucgc1eEJ92c8FRKsyOjYpVv64AjNfSC-Cl8YFpWAczNuTvhOKoPxChYNSv3di0d9MjRHRoSwtFGRU87jhm61uCP3PjdPi0go_MoomHS1PJknhd1vjb4dsjo8-1vg/s320/cb2.jpg" /></a></div>Captain Beefheart </b></div><div id="yiv8613862235yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1465483526545_29756" style="font-weight: 400;">Where's the Beefheart? The late, bonkers experimentalist Don Van Vliet has been eligible nearly 30 years, but so far no Rock Hall love for his transgressive yet influential art-rock. A friend and collaborator of Frank Zappa (see: <i>Bongo Fury</i>), Captain Beefheart is a rare bird, and one that fellow outsiders Tom Waits and PJ Harvey have modeled their musical approach after. The admiration has stretched into the 21st century, as Third Man Records, Jack White's label, recently reissued the Beefheart masterpiece <i>Trout Mask Replica</i>. Besides White and certainly Beck Hansen, left-field outfits from Devo to Mr. Bungle to Morphine to Tune-Yards owe a debt to the Captain. His is a daunting, zigzagging catalog of variable accessibility, a demented blues/free-jazz racket that fascinates and clears rooms in equal measure. However, it bears noting that the lyrics "<i>I'm playin' this music/ So the young girls will come out/To meet the monster tonight,</i>" from "Tropical Hot Dog Night," are among the most honest a musician could write. </div><div id="yiv8613862235yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1465483526545_29756" style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></div><div id="yiv8613862235yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1465483526545_29756" style="font-weight: 400;"><b style="color: blue; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPClHgAw4D3P7sT4MLiql7ATYbzOYOjioF-mutWbtjvBAU5JD0Qi8jgN9pVWi6ghf0EKNEVACjyTNp8Wyhf5Lf0IUVTmbvOuu1NeJ-PbGfuIZLYgaYGyokGwJPUnEZ04aX8c84_BLU-qE/s320/ok.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPClHgAw4D3P7sT4MLiql7ATYbzOYOjioF-mutWbtjvBAU5JD0Qi8jgN9pVWi6ghf0EKNEVACjyTNp8Wyhf5Lf0IUVTmbvOuu1NeJ-PbGfuIZLYgaYGyokGwJPUnEZ04aX8c84_BLU-qE/s0/ok.jpg" /></a></div>Outkast</b></div><div id="yiv8613862235yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1465483526545_29756" style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Six Grammys, obvious influence, 25 million records sold... what more does Outkast have to do for a Rock Hall nomination? What will it take to make the ceremony a "Player's Ball?" Besides hits and commercial success, André "3000" Benjamin and Antwan "Big Boi" Patton have always had the critics on their side. In fact, three of their albums </span></span>—<span style="text-align: center;"> </span><i style="text-align: center;">Aquemini, Stankonia, </i><span style="text-align: center;">and<i> Speakerboxxx/The Love Below</i></span><i style="text-align: center;"> </i><span style="text-align: center;">just</span><i style="text-align: center;"> </i><span style="text-align: center;">made </span><span style="text-align: center;">Rolling Stone's recent 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. The most visible representatives of the Dirty South, this Atlanta duo's chemistry and lethal rap flow yielded music that was wildly progressive, kinetic, and full of funk and soul. That they evolved so impressively and attained such great commercial heights makes them one of hip-hop's most indisputable success stories. In their words, "... <i>the coolest motherfunkers on the planet.</i>" The Rock Hall's flawed, logjammed induction system is epitomized by its failure to even nominate an act like Outkast; this is the caliber of of artist that shouldn't sit on the shelf for two nomination cycles, as they have. </span></div></span></span></span><div id="yiv8613862235yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1465483526545_29756" style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></div><div id="yiv8613862235yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1465483526545_29756" style="font-weight: 400;"><b style="background-color: transparent; text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><b><span style="color: blue;"><b id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1459865702872_13826" style="color: black;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv0uFoDQ8EgM56jfg4V2hala1d5lHTqEjQkm2jDVCTQpURG0WUE_bG6BalDZbG4b0qxRHyGzNMbB9Oq-Hj7WkyBk-DReZAj-1d-YvESEY0-v-5V8kKrwR5fz2eLqXrxuLEUW96aFZ-SJM/s604/im.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="424" data-original-width="604" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv0uFoDQ8EgM56jfg4V2hala1d5lHTqEjQkm2jDVCTQpURG0WUE_bG6BalDZbG4b0qxRHyGzNMbB9Oq-Hj7WkyBk-DReZAj-1d-YvESEY0-v-5V8kKrwR5fz2eLqXrxuLEUW96aFZ-SJM/s320/im.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Iron Maiden </span></b></span></b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b></div><div id="yiv8613862235yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1465483526545_29756"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: georgia;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>With Judas Priest balloted twice to no avail, the NomCom could point its devil horns toward Iron Maiden, an act that, until 2020 at least, reliably filled stadiums and arenas around the world. Road warriors Maiden, once scary and parent-repelling with their ghoulish mascot Eddie and sharp-pointed logo, enjoy a massively-embraced, bring-your-kids status that recently got them tagged as "the Grateful Dead of heavy metal." Now a multi-generational rite of passage, these high-octane trailblazers of the Ne</span><span><span>w Wave of British Heavy Metal go all the way back to 1975. They've seen lineup changes (most significantly from original singer Paul Di'Anno to Bruce Dickinson in 1981), but have never compromised their galloping, operatic sound, one of the most distinctive and galvanizing in their genre. Led by bassist Steve Harris, these London chaps have always aimed for the sky creatively </span></span><span>— </span><span><span>Maiden's music has dealt with topics including the</span></span><span> literature of Gaston Leroux, </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: georgia;"><span>Icarus,</span><span> </span><span>war, tyranny, and madness. Primary songwriter Harris and his co-conspirators Dave Murray, Adrian Smith, Nicko McBrain, Janick Gers and Bruce Dickinson should all be included in any induction. However, the Hall must also remember late drummer Clive Burr (featured on Maiden's first three records, a three-shot opening salvo of lechery, murder and flat-out evil that alone would qualify them for the Hall) as well as Di'Anno, whose punky, menacing vocals enlivened the self-titled debut and </span><i>Killers</i><span>. Maiden has a remarkable history, distinguished by decades of LPs, tours, live albums, and the facts that Dickinson survived cancer and pilots the band's plane, "Ed Force One," from gig to gig. Name another metal frontman that does </span><i>that</i><span>. "<i>Fly as high as the sun!</i>"</span></span></div><div id="yiv8613862235yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1465483526545_29756" style="font-weight: 400;"><b style="background-color: transparent; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b style="color: blue;"><br /></b></span></b></div><div id="yiv8613862235yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1465483526545_29756" style="font-weight: 400;"><b style="background-color: transparent; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b style="color: blue;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNe_2yLn0Hjj9Zub3gAEWNG1IM3hRSHtYgHTNZdJZIQT5CWtNQYDqbjfuKlo5O4DJauwoq0NHQL1cawbylMOKqf1XVM-wme16Q8OlwWJZHSKUENlVdJ5HRHX1g8nzM-M3sITascZs2HKk/s410/beck.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="301" data-original-width="410" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNe_2yLn0Hjj9Zub3gAEWNG1IM3hRSHtYgHTNZdJZIQT5CWtNQYDqbjfuKlo5O4DJauwoq0NHQL1cawbylMOKqf1XVM-wme16Q8OlwWJZHSKUENlVdJ5HRHX1g8nzM-M3sITascZs2HKk/s320/beck.png" width="320" /></a></div>Beck</b></span></b></div><div id="yiv8613862235yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1465483526545_29756" style="font-weight: 400;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">This past September 16, Bruce Springsteen played Beck's ethereal song "Morning" on his "From My Home to Yours" DJ show on SiriusXM. That's one titanic songwriter tipping his hat to another, and provides more evidence that Beck Hansen's ascension into rarefied air is now complete. (For context, Bruce played John Prine right after Beck.) But even without acknowledgment from the Boss, this Generation X hero's stunning, shape-shifting career trajectory is Hall of Fame-worthy. Since his 1993 debut <i>Golden Feelings</i>, Beck has been a tireless practitioner of Dust Brothers-produced sound collages, Prince-like sex funk (Caligula would have blushed), full-on pop excursions (2017's <i>Colors</i>) and, at key stops along the way, deep-cutting singer-songwriter fare full of midnight confessions. It's this successful toggling between the profane and sacred that sets him apart as a once-in-a-generation artist. Nomination Committee member Amanda Petrusich, who wrote a magnificent New Yorker <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/12/02/beck-is-home" target="_blank"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">profile</span></a> on Hansen last year, could be his potential champion in the room.</span></span></b><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></div><div id="yiv8613862235yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1465483526545_29756" style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div id="yiv8613862235yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1465483526545_29756" style="font-weight: 400;"><b id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1465572082418_29722" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; background-color: transparent; padding-inline-start: 0px;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVybSQwY3cUsCmEQdyqErFt31W9qZemvm11lVeK9RY3lOEQp3Uyy1_U56C-BkbLct08FWHAebL-FerR6USWHDcUJAEtBZ6jM9rvgsO2UxcMKan2hUZ1rGIsxKQYU-53Mb9Kew055D3BT8/s1600/sls.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1497" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVybSQwY3cUsCmEQdyqErFt31W9qZemvm11lVeK9RY3lOEQp3Uyy1_U56C-BkbLct08FWHAebL-FerR6USWHDcUJAEtBZ6jM9rvgsO2UxcMKan2hUZ1rGIsxKQYU-53Mb9Kew055D3BT8/s320/sls.jpg" /></a></div>The Shangri-Las </span></b></div><div id="yiv8613862235yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1465483526545_29756"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span>Producer and songwriter George "Shadow" Morton orchestrated the Shangri-Las' widescreen teenage dramas, but these young ladies imbued the music with a passion and empathy that rocked a generation. Most notable was the death-courting "Leader of the Pack" (honored in the Singles category by the Hall in 2019) as well as the heartbreaking, seagull-accented "Remember (Walkin' in the Sand)." The Shangri-Las, in contrast to the more prim and proper girl groups of the era, cultivated a "bad girl" image, complete with boots and leather pants. And the raw feelings heard on both "Leader" and "Remember" potently epitomize the teenage mindset — <i id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1465572082418_42869" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; padding-inline-start: 0px;">everything</i> is magnified. The layered music responds in kind, featuring spoken dialogue, hand claps, and finger snaps alongside such sound effects as motorcycles revving, and glass shattering like hearts. Mary Weiss' plaintive lead vocals anchor both of these tracks, as well as other remarkable Shangri-Las songs like </span><span>"Give Him a Great Big Kiss," "I Can Never Go Home Anymore" (a track especially influential to Sonic Youth's Kim Gordon) and "Out in the Streets." This group (Weiss, her sister Elizabeth ("Betty") and twins Mary Ann and Marge Ganser) paved the way for punk rock and subsequent pop acts alike. Those that have covered and/or sung their praises include Blondie, the Go-Go's, the Jesus and Mary Chain, and Amy Winehouse. The Shangri-Las are Singles honorees that richly deserve a Performer induction.</span></span></div></div></div>
E-Rockracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04488528056947107950noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658837032884477115.post-49312487105173324082020-12-08T19:11:00.015-08:002020-12-20T11:01:30.218-08:00My First 10 Albums<p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>There's the influence of others</b>, and then there are the choices you make yourself. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">As a young kid, I'd duck into my older brother's bedroom and play various titles from his vinyl collection. It wasn't unlike little William Miller being handed a stack of records by his older sister Anita in "Almost Famous" — especially when I recall playing The Who's <i>Tommy </i>and, like, William, hearing the instrumental "Sparks." I was both DJ and a rapt audience of one as I repeatedly spun Jimi Hendrix's <i>Smash Hits</i>, the Beatles' "Red" and "Blue" compilations, <i>Aqualung, </i>every KISS album up to <i>Dynasty</i>, <i>Physical Graffiti, Quadrophenia</i>, Aerosmith's debut... you get the picture. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">I listened intently, while obsessively flipping through and reading the tall stack of Rolling Stone issues Jeff also had in his room. In total, it was a cascade of sound, imagery and words completely exotic and reflective of a sophistication and lifestyles light years away. As I gazed out the window and saw cows grazing in a pasture across the street, that distance could not have felt more pronounced.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">However, that relatable "older sibling" influence on musical taste, as weighty and enduring as it is, isn't the focus of what I've been asked to share in this space. What follows is a recollection of the decisions I made when it came time to buy my own music. My world expanded, I conspired with friends at school regarding these matters, and, importantly, my media diet began to include MTV, so its influence looms large, as it does with any Gen Xer.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">As requested by Wisconsin Public Radio Technical Producer Joe Hardtke (<i>@PublicRadioPunk</i> on Twitter), here are my first 10 albums, effectively the first LP purchases I made (or persuaded family members to buy me) in my youth. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">At Joe's direction, this list is unfiltered, dispensing any notions of being cool (not that there was any real risk of that). Fun fact: It was the Reagan era, so all but one of these were bought on cassette.</span></p><p><b style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1sLMEuH2bqQouD9oXRftdCNsu4I026ZOgsBCHbalk5_W4-iexEokbMKbUNByOhyphenhyphenZbPudwAjfl92u4LCSoIZSqxOSKK3K4jrlH60IejmVl4UxTHmMCA5TIp2DZR_eUaimE_4iosLbdFsM/s425/Lennon.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="425" data-original-width="425" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1sLMEuH2bqQouD9oXRftdCNsu4I026ZOgsBCHbalk5_W4-iexEokbMKbUNByOhyphenhyphenZbPudwAjfl92u4LCSoIZSqxOSKK3K4jrlH60IejmVl4UxTHmMCA5TIp2DZR_eUaimE_4iosLbdFsM/w320-h320/Lennon.jpg" width="320" /></a><b style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"></span></b></div><b style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">John Lennon - <i>Imagine</i></span></b><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">It's kind of remarkable I'm writing this on the 40th anniversary of Lennon's assassination. That event had a huge impact on me as a child, and I think that's why I convinced a relative to buy this LP for me, the only vinyl album in this group. My aunt and uncle would often take me off my mom's hands for a few days, and there was a record store in the college town of Alfred, NY where I pulled <i>Imagine </i>out of the rack and asked my uncle Bill if he would buy this for me. Ever generous, he did. A complex album for a kid my age, and I'm not sure I properly appreciated it in the ways I would later. But it was a start. "<i>Imagine there's no heaven...no religion too</i>" are lyrics that ran so counter to what was being fed to me in other areas of my life, that it possibly seeded my later, deep suspicion of authority and organized belief systems. But the humanism, mature themes ("Jealous Guy") and raised-fist demands ("Gimme Some Truth")... well, all of that unquestionably pushed the tectonic plates of my impressionable mind around.</span><p><b style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggGGFWfn8GS50YOhCEdH6Qp_uwRMl21J8UL8cfL6HvL1A483P8qzPp5Fx6ER8Sg_vYhcrIAHtZcd5PfFuWO7oVKAgHTKVq3v2OdK_1oqzVPDYt0UKhQpjbAN4oC8JHAa5vO4O1oz6_rF8/s600/Krokus.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="599" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggGGFWfn8GS50YOhCEdH6Qp_uwRMl21J8UL8cfL6HvL1A483P8qzPp5Fx6ER8Sg_vYhcrIAHtZcd5PfFuWO7oVKAgHTKVq3v2OdK_1oqzVPDYt0UKhQpjbAN4oC8JHAa5vO4O1oz6_rF8/w319-h320/Krokus.jpg" width="319" /></a></span></b></div><b style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Krokus - <i>The Blitz</i></span></b></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;">Congratulations, this is the first time you'll ever see Krokus mentioned directly after John Lennon. It won't happen again; this is the Hale-Bopp comet of these things. And sorry for the whiplash. Brian, a rather strident friend of mine at school, initially bought me Sammy Hagar's </span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;">VOA </i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;">tape (the one with "I Can't Drive 55") at the local K-Mart as I had a birthday party, and you know, friends had to bring you gifts. For some reason, I felt a Krokus album was the better choice, returned to K-Mart, and exchanged Hagar for </span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;">The Blitz</i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;">. The power ballad "Our Love" was a keening favorite, and in one cool twist, it was actually the first time I was exposed to the glam band Sweet, albeit via these leather-wrapped Swiss screamers, with their cover of "Ballroom Blitz." (Many got that privilege much later with Tia Carrere's band in "Wayne's World," so I feel I was ahead of the curve here, at least.)</span><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: georgia;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiTRyjg_9SoyRxsMlxqG-LtTpbvog_Wlr4nFoRI6k755gz7uZ1pqj7KufD0WZwLgsE1AWxh6B6D55sz6uUbzlBl1iwBTEePYXrfZ9pIMTXz5brlgzEhVlMWn_tdxne6PObGCqOwu20ILU/s1500/Ratt.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiTRyjg_9SoyRxsMlxqG-LtTpbvog_Wlr4nFoRI6k755gz7uZ1pqj7KufD0WZwLgsE1AWxh6B6D55sz6uUbzlBl1iwBTEePYXrfZ9pIMTXz5brlgzEhVlMWn_tdxne6PObGCqOwu20ILU/s320/Ratt.jpg" /></a></div>Ratt - <i>Out of the Cellar</i></b></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">We sometimes ask our grandparents to buy us things we can't attain otherwise. Asking grandma to pay for this 1984 debut by hard-rocking L.A. crew Ratt (with a crawling, prone Tawny Kitaen on the cover) was a wildy inappropriate ask. Still, to my late grandmother Lillian, that was so kind of you, thanks for catering to my whims at Buffalo's Eastern Hills Mall all those years ago. "Round and Round," "Lack of Communication," "I'm Insane"... bangers, all. Ratt gets </span><i style="font-family: georgia;">zero</i><span style="font-family: georgia;"> respect, but they were among the better of the "hair metal" bands (even Jane's Addiction's Dave Navarro is a huge fan). Allow me to share a true story: I remember my school librarian, vetting music to be included in the borrowing collection, and she was contemplating <i>Out of the Cellar</i>. She was wise and evenhanded enough to discuss the lyrical content of the album with me, and even rationalize the socioeconomic realities of why a song like "She Wants Money" had to be written. Hilariously, the record made it into the school collection (as did Iron Maiden's </span><i style="font-family: georgia;">Powerslave</i><span style="font-family: georgia;"> later on, surely due to the latter's depiction of Egyptian history).</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: georgia;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0JOENsSyu2-vb0-bOKeSupByZpIJJGVgSNxuc4EW7TEbyewgG-0ESft8Vz5YFfO5xQ_IMTBIAntPrh-r_PJ37N2ZW1JmZFsCa2KW0TIqZIf1AE4l6zZyCWYinCXdg8EXfVYXE1r8dlJ0/s1500/zz+top.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0JOENsSyu2-vb0-bOKeSupByZpIJJGVgSNxuc4EW7TEbyewgG-0ESft8Vz5YFfO5xQ_IMTBIAntPrh-r_PJ37N2ZW1JmZFsCa2KW0TIqZIf1AE4l6zZyCWYinCXdg8EXfVYXE1r8dlJ0/w320-h320/zz+top.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0JOENsSyu2-vb0-bOKeSupByZpIJJGVgSNxuc4EW7TEbyewgG-0ESft8Vz5YFfO5xQ_IMTBIAntPrh-r_PJ37N2ZW1JmZFsCa2KW0TIqZIf1AE4l6zZyCWYinCXdg8EXfVYXE1r8dlJ0/s1500/zz+top.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a></div><div dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b style="font-family: georgia;">ZZ Top - <i>Eliminator</i></b></div></b></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The influence of MTV led me to check a box on the Columbia House order form for </span><i style="font-family: georgia;">Eliminator</i><span style="font-family: georgia;">, in effect a mere audio component to some really wild videos with fast cars, comically hirsute men, and braless women (as my Mormon friend Jimmy made sure to point out to me, watching MTV at his house). We are all the protagonist of a ZZ Top video at some point in our lives, from the beset-yet-sharp-dressed valet with the asshole boss, to the put-upon shoe shop girl who's just looking for love... all we need is some confidence, pumped into our self-esteem tank by Billy Gibbons like so much gasoline. But lest you think it's all sex, a red Ford coupe, and a trio of morally-bankrupt women who have legs and can really make it happen for you, ZZ Top tackled the acute challenges of modern life and the compromised way we nourish ourselves, in the form of "TV Dinners." The bonkers MTV video for that song had a claymation creature that crawled out of the foil-covered meal, robotic choreography on the part of Gibbons and Dusty Hill, and computer age visuals that fit the song nicely. It just made me enjoy that track on <i>Eliminator</i> even more. And really, the lyric </span><i style="font-family: georgia;">"I throw'em in and wave'em and I'm a brand new man, oh yeah</i><span style="font-family: georgia;">" speaks quite accurately to the ZZ Top thesis statement: One missing component in your life, when added, can change it dramatically for the better. If there's a lesson in their videos, it's certainly that. They were the sage, bearded life coaches every American kid needed.</span></div></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white;"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: georgia;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOYv9W8aZhqRWdRW-KdfZFtUgxVkeFKYRal7eLAlPREmBBiW9ypOzZjcGjjaBUQ-vgwYCLBUeEgxmQC32U2qtcWcP2yDLjC9uGreDOzjSIczHXk8-TC1q-6tMxtaNOsAbXa_o7zpGNB5Q/s500/Judas+Priest.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="498" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOYv9W8aZhqRWdRW-KdfZFtUgxVkeFKYRal7eLAlPREmBBiW9ypOzZjcGjjaBUQ-vgwYCLBUeEgxmQC32U2qtcWcP2yDLjC9uGreDOzjSIczHXk8-TC1q-6tMxtaNOsAbXa_o7zpGNB5Q/s320/Judas+Priest.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Judas Priest - <i>Defenders of the Faith</i></b></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Priest's album covers alone were enough to get adolescent denizens of heavy metal parking lots (namely me, eventually) to hand over every last cent of their allowances in order to buy a copy. This is one of the band's stronger efforts, unfortunate as it was that it followed their commercial peak, </span><i style="font-family: georgia;">Screaming for Vengeance</i><span style="font-family: georgia;">. Still, it was worthy. With the bulldozer/tiger monster on the cover, and powerful classics like "The Sentinel," and "Love Bites," </span><i style="font-family: georgia;">Defenders </i><span style="font-family: georgia;">was the definition of awesome to me, and a significant brick in the gleaming, heavy metal wall I constructed around myself at the outset of my teenage years. Of course, the songs "Eat Me Alive" and "Jawbreaker" were lost on me at the time, and things have become clearer since, now that I have full context and understanding of Rob Halford's sexuality. (If nothing else, it certainly speaks as to how much Priest were getting away with, in terms of artistic expression.) At my age, I was just happy to get away with sneaking into a downstairs room on a Saturday night, quietly, to view MTV's Weekend Concert featuring Judas Priest. I was forbidden from watching it, so of course it only made me double down on my Priest fandom, which was fueled greatly by this record.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white;"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhHPb025NquitcIBDxW5iviSZGPELFi7xsGDC1rxqbcPP9h4qUCnHAaAz22c_09W8jq0cWJVJEzJpgXxHWterVAJnSq7UHF7C0UFeWw7sczuju0oBxi2p897lWRPIYvpTInLSQF0CVHPw/s300/Benatar.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhHPb025NquitcIBDxW5iviSZGPELFi7xsGDC1rxqbcPP9h4qUCnHAaAz22c_09W8jq0cWJVJEzJpgXxHWterVAJnSq7UHF7C0UFeWw7sczuju0oBxi2p897lWRPIYvpTInLSQF0CVHPw/s0/Benatar.jpg" /></a></div>Pat Benatar - </span><i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Live from Earth</span><br /></i></b></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">As with other selections on this list going forward, this tape arrived to me via a mail-order Columbia House club deal where you got several tapes for a penny, and had to buy just one within a year to complete the deal. However, you had to mail back reply cards so you wouldn't automatically be sent their monthly selections. It was about as much clerical work as I was charged with as a 13 year old, and I was more than OK with the arrangement. I must have ordered this one because it included "Love is a Battlefield," a video I saw on MTV and a bonus track added on to this otherwise live document. I think I also remembered Benatar kicking ass/taking names in the "You Better Run" clip that was in heavy rotation in the early days of MTV. Otherwise, this 1983 release is a terrific listen, and "Hell is for Children," offered here in a live rendition, certainly scandalized PMRC-adjacent religious leaders and parents, so it had that going for it. </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: georgia;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnAkDqw7hEDVV2EbVfFMRm8tfDvHdPjpBkTirnrloU8Yn_4AJLCuFmRX9huJ9ELcqNapYYh9UZmfTu7WXHUmhno9X0I49SoKZpIfROXTDmtZaGw-Q07GRSc6rS_9VPXGTupNydVf_17r8/s300/Hello_i_must_be_going.jpg" style="clear: left; display: inline; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnAkDqw7hEDVV2EbVfFMRm8tfDvHdPjpBkTirnrloU8Yn_4AJLCuFmRX9huJ9ELcqNapYYh9UZmfTu7WXHUmhno9X0I49SoKZpIfROXTDmtZaGw-Q07GRSc6rS_9VPXGTupNydVf_17r8/w320-h320/Hello_i_must_be_going.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnAkDqw7hEDVV2EbVfFMRm8tfDvHdPjpBkTirnrloU8Yn_4AJLCuFmRX9huJ9ELcqNapYYh9UZmfTu7WXHUmhno9X0I49SoKZpIfROXTDmtZaGw-Q07GRSc6rS_9VPXGTupNydVf_17r8/s300/Hello_i_must_be_going.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a></div>Phil Collins - <i>Hello, I Must Be Going</i></b></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Upon contemplating the trajectory of Phil Collins' career, from the concussive drums on "In the Air Tonight" to the "adult-contempo" escapade of "Something Happened on the Way to Heaven," I will quote the playacting Eddie Murphy in </span><i style="font-family: georgia;">Beverly Hills Cop,</i><span style="font-family: georgia;"> about to take down the shotgun robber at a strip club..."Phil, </span><i style="font-family: georgia;">man</i><span style="font-family: georgia;">, you </span><i style="font-family: georgia;">CHANGED</i><span style="font-family: georgia;">!" I echo the dismay in Axel Foley's voice, but in a very real way. Upon review, Collins' career has been a wide-ranging one, from Genesis to "Sussudio" to songs for an animated Disney movie about Tarzan. Look, the man's a legend and his accomplishments are staggering (including session drumming for Robert Plant and others), but dark, edgy Phil remains my favorite Phil. My discovery of that shade of Collins started with </span><i style="font-family: georgia;">Hello, I Must Be Going</i><span style="font-family: georgia;">, another Columbia House selection. Come to find out, the lead track "I Don't Care Anymore" was one of the few tracks on this album that possessed the darkness I craved. The preceding album, </span><i style="font-family: georgia;">Face Value, </i><span style="font-family: georgia;">with "In the Air Tonight," and the brassy "I Missed Again," inevitably got added to my collection. Both records, for all their occasional drama, also featured horns and a love of Motown. So maybe that Phil change I was upset about wasn't a change, but just a guy chasing his muse all along. Collins later drifted to the middle of the road, but even back in the cassette era, </span><i style="font-family: georgia;">Hello, I Must Be Going</i><span style="font-family: georgia;"> was acceptable to play within earshot of my parents.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white;"><b style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><br /></span></b></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white;"><b style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3WD9A7g8QRAyaj7dRfT9imOqMlb_jnM_RRXOw0PmKnYf4LXu8SioeDmzSOivEAzNV36EOZCVbQudujpPKFTPY4BZ1Phw_ztx5wPKsuZXXrn7piDqlpeo8gySbKxJr0Cwt0u-P9yUhflA/s601/beat+street.jpg" style="clear: left; display: inline; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="601" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3WD9A7g8QRAyaj7dRfT9imOqMlb_jnM_RRXOw0PmKnYf4LXu8SioeDmzSOivEAzNV36EOZCVbQudujpPKFTPY4BZ1Phw_ztx5wPKsuZXXrn7piDqlpeo8gySbKxJr0Cwt0u-P9yUhflA/s320/beat+street.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3WD9A7g8QRAyaj7dRfT9imOqMlb_jnM_RRXOw0PmKnYf4LXu8SioeDmzSOivEAzNV36EOZCVbQudujpPKFTPY4BZ1Phw_ztx5wPKsuZXXrn7piDqlpeo8gySbKxJr0Cwt0u-P9yUhflA/s601/beat+street.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a></div>Various Artists - <i>Beat Street (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)</i></span></b></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Back in the early to mid-80s, breakdancing was a thing. Like a one-person flash mob long before flash mobs came about, there was a guy at my high school that would start breaking, while several students would encircle him, either in a state of fascination, befuddlement or both. And so the </span><i style="font-family: georgia;">Breakin</i><span style="font-family: georgia;">' movies were very much on my radar, as was </span><i style="font-family: georgia;">Beat Street</i><span style="font-family: georgia;">, a 1984 dance film produced by Harry Belafonte, as was this soundtrack, bought for me by my stepdad's sister Regina, who lived in New York City. I'm loathe to admit this, but I'm not sure I ever got too far past the first track, "Beat Street," by Grandmaster Melle Mel & The Furious 5 , but it was a hot jam that was worn out, and rewound many times on a tape deck as my friends and I put down cardboard and attempted to emulate this national dance craze. (I just thank God smartphones, with their instant video-capturing capabilities, weren't around back then.) Certainly, the lyrics of "Beat Street" were aimed at a demographic outside of my own: "</span><i style="font-family: georgia;">And huh-huh Beat Street is a lesson, too / Because ah, you can't let the streets beat you</i><span style="font-family: georgia;">." This was a dispatch from a troubled locale I had never even seen nor visited. But the song's beats were undeniable, and my friends and I still moonwalked, noodled our arms and did backspins to them, anyway. Pop culture works in strange ways.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white;"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: georgia;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoKvrsrWy-2fK1fxU-NeaphqiqMBSAcMfJvzFoGgejEG69rhM4guFMLiNnY7VA4VmXoR8qkvNHGPT9APvrlWF0snRD22-eaAbsGNTcohU3avrfYINmmgUFNavWF2FjKwei891s-T1SZIY/s1510/scorpions.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1510" data-original-width="1510" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoKvrsrWy-2fK1fxU-NeaphqiqMBSAcMfJvzFoGgejEG69rhM4guFMLiNnY7VA4VmXoR8qkvNHGPT9APvrlWF0snRD22-eaAbsGNTcohU3avrfYINmmgUFNavWF2FjKwei891s-T1SZIY/s320/scorpions.jpg" /></a></div>Scorpions - <i>Love at First Sting</i></b></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">MTV was an amazing resource for sheltered kids in America who might otherwise have never seen many eye-opening things. A prime example is the Scorpions' "Rock You Like a Hurricane" video, where this hard-rocking squad from Hanover, Germany is surrounded by faltering prison bars while groups of painted, feral women try to get at them, arms outstretched. That video was how I first heard that song, and it was among the factors that drove me to procure </span><i style="font-family: georgia;">Love at First Sting, </i><span style="font-family: georgia;">the most successful LP the Scorpions had in America. Clearly, at age 13, I had nothing in common with these guys, but much like how we marvel at James Bond and superheroes, they held a certain "do you really live like this?" intrigue. For these love'em-and-leave'em Deutschland gentleman, sexuality was front and center, and many of their album covers had straight-up dirty/suggestive images. </span><i style="font-family: georgia;">Love at First Sting </i><span style="font-family: georgia;">is no exception: Sex is directly in the buyer's face, starting with the Helmut Newton-shot cover of a man tattooing a woman's thigh. The "write what you know, guys" lechery carries over with lyrics like "</span><i style="font-family: georgia;">My cat is purring, it scratches my skin</i><span style="font-family: georgia;">" (which, let's all agree, was not about being a veterinary tech). Questionable role models at best for a kid not even out of middle school, but these guys sometimes used </span><i style="font-family: georgia;">three </i><span style="font-family: georgia;">guitars and rocked hard, so I dug them. At least the debauchery was offset (kinda?) by more tender feelings, as heard on "Still Loving You," a power ballad and mega-hit that allegedly triggered a baby boom in France in 1985. (If you're inspiring the French to get even <i>more</i> amorous, </span><i style="font-family: georgia;">chapeaux</i><span style="font-family: georgia;"> off to you, good sirs!)</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white;"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: georgia;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsL0MAniJrzF2g8VG6zJZ2pdsH02ECwXLQnO6ptAspQzBBTh6rXObT1dr_sLypZO5sgx5TkKIx4dVDS-zhfhbt-GkZuaSZeG_CqnvqhX9z_yjsH1K05b87pNpekRO5Z3BH-PwNX1wsGnA/s1500/Twisted+Sister.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1497" data-original-width="1500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsL0MAniJrzF2g8VG6zJZ2pdsH02ECwXLQnO6ptAspQzBBTh6rXObT1dr_sLypZO5sgx5TkKIx4dVDS-zhfhbt-GkZuaSZeG_CqnvqhX9z_yjsH1K05b87pNpekRO5Z3BH-PwNX1wsGnA/s320/Twisted+Sister.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Twisted Sister - <i>Stay Hungry</i></b></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">At the nexus of wanting to rock and piss your parents off lies the mighty glam-metal act Twisted Sister, a fact not at all lost on me as I watched their antics on MTV. In heavy rotation on the channel were the videos for "We're Not Gonna Take It" and "I Wanna Rock," where authority is figuratively and literally thrown out of a window. It spurred me to buy </span><i style="font-family: georgia;">Stay Hungry</i><span style="font-family: georgia;">, with its grotesque album cover of the band's majordomo Dee Snider in black leather with pink fringe, about to gnaw on some poor creature's leg bone (perhaps it belonged to one of the PMRC members?). A vulgar display to be certain, but that's what made it so cool. The music on this record, curated precisely for young Americans, has proven it has its own legs, as "I Wanna Rock" still thunders through sports stadiums, and "We're Not Gonna Take It" has, well, been used for less dignified purposes recently (anti-lockdown protests, for one). Back in 1984, I gravitated to tracks like "The Price" and "Burn in Hell," and I still think they're prime cuts, teeming with a melodrama and campiness that I appreciate in new ways these days. Twisted Sister isn't in regular rotation for me at this point, but when I do revisit the defiant, motivational </span><i style="font-family: georgia;">Stay Hungry</i><span style="font-family: georgia;">, it takes me back and helps me understand, in small ways at least, of who I was then, and how I arrived at being the person I am now. </span></div></div>E-Rockracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04488528056947107950noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658837032884477115.post-81602884993682063122020-11-01T11:04:00.009-08:002020-11-01T13:13:44.904-08:00Long Train Runnin': The Endless Wait for the 2020 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Inductions<p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>As Talking Heads once sang,</b> "I'm still waiting."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">It feels apropos to compare the delayed Rock Hall induction special (airing on HBO this Saturday, 11/7) to other, long-anticipated rock and roll events. This prerecorded ceremony is the Hall's <i>Chinese Democracy, </i>Boston's 8-years in the making post-<i>Don't Look Back </i>album <i>Third Stage</i>, its Police reunion. The rescheduled, 35th annual dispensation of "Rock's Highest Honor" is finally here, but it rolls into the station to be greeted by a changed, troubled country that understandably has heftier things on its mind than an awards show and an Irving Azoff speech.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Indeed, a veritable eternity has passed since the last "normal" induction ceremony. Let's do the time warp back to March 29, 2019, when the 34th annual gala happened at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. If you can name all the 2019 inductees off the top of your head, you're either a close follower of the Hall, or you have Wikipedia in front of you (for the record, the class was <span style="background-color: white;">Radiohead, Janet Jackson, </span><span style="background-color: white;">Stevie Nicks</span><span style="background-color: white;">, Def Leppard, </span><span style="background-color: white;">the Cure</span><span style="background-color: white;">, </span><span style="background-color: white;">Roxy Music,</span><span style="background-color: white;"> and the Zombies). </span></span><span style="font-family: georgia;">March of 2020 feels like it was 5 years ago, so March 2019 might as well be the Stone Age. For further</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> perspective, mull this over: Ric Ocasek died in September of 2019, and there has not a ceremony since where they could have paid tribute to him. And in the intervening time between ceremonies, the music world has also lost such nominated or inducted luminaries as Dr. John, Dave Bartholemew, Robert Hunter, Ginger Baker, Neil Peart, Bill Withers, John Prine, Florian Schneider, Little Richard, Peter Green, and Eddie Van Halen. Folks at the Hall have expressed previously that they don't want the ceremony to turn into a wake, so it will be interesting to see how much time is afforded the dearly departed this Saturday. (A multi-guitarist tribute to EVH has already been announced.)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Death is on everyone's mind these days, though. It's inescapable and perspective-giving, and it marginalizes this Rock Hall business no matter what. In the midst of an unprecedented, psyche-pummeling pandemic, and four days after the most consequential election of our lifetimes comes... the class of the 2020 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The artists are <i>finally</i> inducted, and we can get on worrying/bitching about the 2021 slate [David Rose sigh of exasperation HERE].</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Indeed, at this rather haunted juncture of human history, the timing of the ceremony (the 11/7 date originally tied to a postponed live event) kind of evokes Hollywood's cynical dumping of bad movies in January, where no one will really notice them. On the other hand, it might still be a somewhat brilliant play by the Hall, as it's possible a fresh sense of optimism and the anticipation of a new era may be afoot in America at the time HBO broadcasts this thing. In essence, the "big party" Greg Harris mentioned in a <a href="https://www.e-rockracy.com/2020/03/rock-hall-news-museum-ceo-greg-harris.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">SiriusXM interview</span></a> way back in March, when we all thought this event still stood a chance of happening live at Public Auditorium in Cleveland. Oh, youthful optimism!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">In any case, this ready-made, reportedly performance-free HBO special honoring Depeche Mode, the Doobie Brothers, Whitney Houston, Nine Inch Nails, Notorious B.I.G., and T. Rex is a bit bizarre. Spontaneity has been jettisoned in favor of wrapping up unfinished business, and the invested can argue whether or not it was the right way to go, but</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> to be fair, the Hall was left with few options. Still, this HBO-only decision doesn't sit well with everyone </span><span style="font-family: georgia; white-space: pre-wrap;">– no less than</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> Stevie Nicks said recently that the Hall should have waited a year to honor this 2020 class live, in person ("It's not like going to the ball," she told Consequence of Sound). But take a breath, and imagine </span><i style="font-family: georgia;">that </i><span style="font-family: georgia;">scenario </span><span style="font-family: georgia; white-space: pre-wrap;">–</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> let's assume everything is even remotely back to normal by Fall of 2021 </span><span style="font-family: georgia; white-space: pre-wrap;">– </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">there would be two nights of inductions, maybe on consecutive nights or perhaps a week apart like Coachella weekends. Fine, but it would extend the limbo of this 2020 class for... Another. Effing. Year. (Good god, Michael McDonald, an unparalleled silver fox, might be looking like Gandalf the White by then.)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">So maybe this HBO special was the right thing. Maybe it was the <i>only</i> thing. After all, this Rock Hall train, stuck on the tracks for too long, is compelled to keep on moving. To quote the Doobie Brothers' "Long Train Runnin'," "<i>Well the pistons keep on turning/and the wheels go round and round</i>." A sincere congratulations and deep respect to the incredible artists being enshrined this Saturday. It's a richly deserved honor for the inductees across the board. Still, it's clear we're all ready to move on... in so many ways.</span></p>E-Rockracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04488528056947107950noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658837032884477115.post-46758987613434714072020-10-10T07:04:00.004-07:002020-11-01T10:28:53.241-08:00Quiet Storm: Why Sade Belongs in the Rock Hall<div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>On <span style="color: #2b00fe;"><a href="https://hallwatchers.libsyn.com/episode-44-quiet-storm-why-sade-belongs-in-the-rock-hall" target="_blank">Episode 44</a> </span>of Hall Watchers, Eric and Mary made a case for Sade to be in the Rock Hall. Here is an edited and updated version of the argument.</i></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Dqxj7xWaKF0YFJ_ymUsWWCPV7RUNA1BfB1SQ8T24EwM4UMC4SMg7IHQpOhkYeyoYveZPZCJsIkamb5JCle_oSBrATRgpxBStEoUcUH2mXwRWDNE-A5V8S-o89T7go15I_Zsjnjn8bgk/s1000/sade1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Dqxj7xWaKF0YFJ_ymUsWWCPV7RUNA1BfB1SQ8T24EwM4UMC4SMg7IHQpOhkYeyoYveZPZCJsIkamb5JCle_oSBrATRgpxBStEoUcUH2mXwRWDNE-A5V8S-o89T7go15I_Zsjnjn8bgk/s320/sade1.jpg" /></a></div><br />Take shelter from the Quiet Storm</b>, because the next artist to be championed for Rock Hall induction is Sade, eligible since 2009, but never nominated.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Sade is the band; Helen Folasade Adu is the lead singer.</span></span><span style="font-family: georgia; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Sade is a perfect candidate for the Hall – if one considers recent Rock Hall history, such icons as Janet Jackson and Whitney Houston have earned induction, and Chaka Khan has received several nominations, so Sade should also have a seat at the Rock hall table. Rock and roll can be a loud, uncivilized and brash listening experience, to be sure (and thank god), but hey, Cleveland, try a little tenderness.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Over the course of her career, Sade Adu has become this timeless icon, setting the template for pop stars and rappers alike. It's a good bit of fun to view her as the female James Bond – an aspirational figure that will always be so much cooler than we’ll ever be. (Agent Adu, you are hereby licensed to "chill").</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">How exactly did this happen </span></span><span style="font-family: georgia; white-space: pre-wrap;">– </span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">how did this diamond form? One wonders how Sade Adu came to be. This Nigerian-British sophisticate's identity was formed from her past lives as a model, fashion designer, backup singer, and stylist to acts like dapper New Romantic crew Spandau Ballet. She paid her dues doing gigs on the London club scene at venues like Heaven alongside creative partner Stuart Matthewman. It all materialized, with international gigs and the Sade debut <i>Diamond Life </i>dropping in 1984. The rest is history. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Adu's philosophical approach, life experiences and long-gestating "thing," if you will </span></span><span style="font-family: georgia; white-space: pre-wrap;">—</span><span style="font-family: georgia; white-space: pre-wrap;"> being "Sade" </span><span style="font-family: georgia; white-space: pre-wrap;">—</span><span style="font-family: georgia; white-space: pre-wrap;"> has been a graceful, slow-burn process. These things don't happen overnight, and the best things never do. </span><span style="font-family: georgia; white-space: pre-wrap;">It's precisely why she and her namesake group stand alone – Sade is effectively its own musical genre. Indeed, t</span><span style="font-family: georgia; white-space: pre-wrap;">here’s a singular strength to Sade and her musical expression. She demonstrates that you can be heartbroken but still maintain your game face through it all. She’s been hurt, but she’s a survivor. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Another reason Sade is exactly the type of artist the Hall should recognize: She’s always played by her own rules (a totally rock and roll attitude), creating and releasing her compelling music on <i>her</i> terms. In fact, she’s turned away from fame, letting it all come to her. She shuns the promotional process, doing very few interviews, demonstrating a wise self-preservation. It's basically non-existent in the social media era, but there's something to be said for mystery in popular music. Adu has maintained that mystery in a digital age where we know way too much about every public figure. There’s an absolute dignity and grace there that sets her part. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Sade’s suave and sophisticated music is a beautiful thing worthy of praise and contemplation. Bonafide musical excellence can be heard across the Sade discography, from 1984's <i>Diamond Life </i>to 2010's <i>Soldier of Love</i>. Both</span></span><span style="font-family: georgia; white-space: pre-wrap;"> ice and fire are found in this musical realm — a silky, assured blend of R&B, soul and jazz that has aged like fine wine, and well-exemplified on “Smooth Operator,” “Is It a Crime,” and “No Ordinary Love." A relaxed, romantic sentiment is woven into this music's braids, of course, but there's so much more. Listen again to the percolating escapade of “Paradise” and the striking “Soldier of Love,” which marked an evolution in her sound that nodded at industrial sonic textures, and featured these lyrics: "</span><b><i><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I'm at the borderline of my faith/</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;">I'm at the hinterland of my devotion/</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;">In the front line of this battle of mine/</span></i></b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;"><b><i>But I'm still alive.</i></b>" A torch song, if there ever was one, and verses that encapsulate the entire Sade mission statement. </span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sade wields an outsized influence on modern R&B, and she’s influenced everyone from Janet Jackson to D'Angelo to Beyoncé. In fact, Drake loves Sade so much, he literally got a tattoo of her face. (It's now abundantly clear who should induct her...)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">There is also remarkable influence into the 21st century. Sade’s breathy, whispery vocal style prefigured, and was ASMR before ASMR was a common term. Thus, a direct connection must be made from Sade to ASMR icon Billie Eilish – if you listen to such Eilish tracks as “When the Party’s Over” and “Everything I Wanted” you can hear that influence, clear as day.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">In closing, Sade has been a shining example to so many after her. She is a North Star to a legion of other artists. That she influenced Gen-Z hero Billie Eilish (whether or not Billie realizes it) is no-brainer criteria for Rock Hall consideration. It’s time for the Nomination Committee to put Sade on the ballot. The qualifications of influence and musical excellence are very much in evidence here, combined with a host of intangible qualities that transcend verbal articulation.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Put Sade in the Rock Hall. </span></span></div>E-Rockracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04488528056947107950noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658837032884477115.post-63805169337922999762020-10-09T08:52:00.014-07:002022-07-26T11:25:20.172-07:00Electric Warrior: Remembering Eddie Van Halen<p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>There's a great moment</b> during the song "Could This Be Magic," a calm acoustic island on the otherwise electrified, turbulent listen that is the 1980 Van Halen album <i>Women and Children First</i>:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">David Lee Roth: "Edward? </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Eddie Van Halen wordlessly launches into a carefree, plucked solo.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Roth: "Thank you."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">This little flash of friendship and cooperation is priceless. For a moment, Roth needs Eddie, and they're getting along, having fun, mixing it up. Personality-wise, Roth, a walking exclamation point, is somehow working with Eddie's parentheses. Given the legendarily fraught dynamic between these two rock stars, the whole thing also feels akin to fighting parents getting along on Christmas Day... you know, for the sake of the kids. There's tension underneath the surface, but despite competing temperaments, harmony wins out. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>Later</b>, on the 1988 record <i>OU812, </i>singer Sammy Hagar tellingly belts these words out on "A.F.U. (Naturally Wired)," which was the detonative opening salvo of the band's sets on the "Monsters of Rock" tour:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i><b>Ninety days on the road is what I need/</b></i></span><i style="font-family: georgia;"><b>When my axe cuts me deep, I let it bleed/</b></i><i style="font-family: georgia;"><b>On the stage, off my strings, down my face/</b></i><i style="font-family: georgia;"><b>And all over me</b></i></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Excessive, perhaps. But to Hagar, being in Van Halen was high-stakes stuff. It meant something. There was an imperative to going onstage and leaving it all on the table; how could he <i>not</i> feel that way, with one of history's most important and innovative guitarists on his left? At "Monsters of Rock," when Eddie ran out on stage, took his firing position, and started tapping out the fiery introductory notes of "A.F.U.," it put both Hagar and entire stadiums on notice. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">And so Eddie Van Halen was the great motivator, collaborator, and awe-inspirer. A composer, a virtuoso, a six-string maestro, naturally wired with God-given talent. In the end, a man who steadfastly fought and lost his long battle with cancer. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">What a gift this electric warrior was. An inspirational figure to a global legion of guitar players that bent the knee at his pyrotechnic altar, and surely an intimidating cat to be in a band with. Roth, Hagar and Gary Cherone were each seated at some point in the high-performance car that was Van Halen, but it's clear who was driving. (Roth reached down between his legs, and eased the <i>passenger </i>seat back.) Diamond Dave's brilliance was a shining star indeed, and his own achievements in this discography are staggering, but... when you're standing next to the sun, you go crazy from the heat. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">The genius of Eddie Van Halen needs no further embellishment or explanation; it's settled science (listen to "Eruption" or "Light up the Sky" if you somehow still need proof). Still, the musical/lyrical dualism of Van Halen's music is a fascinating thing. The Hagar era had some positive themes ("Right Now"), and touched on romance ("Love Walks In"), lust ("Poundcake") and life enjoyment ("Cabo Wabo"). By way of comparison, the Roth era feels like one endless bacchanalia, with few exceptions. </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">As for Eddie's involvement, here's a Mozart-level musician spinning sonic gold out of guitar and keyboards... but in the service of songs of beer-soaked, adolescent debauchery, with lyrics like these:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span jsname="YS01Ge" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Well, I'm a bum in the sun and I'm having fun/</span><span jsname="YS01Ge" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">And I know you know I got no special plan </i><i>- </i>"Beautiful Girls"</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #222222; font-family: georgia;"><b><i>I've been sitting here 'bout half the night/</i></b></span><b style="color: #222222; font-family: georgia;"><i>Oh, mama, fill my cup up/</i></b><b style="color: #222222; font-family: georgia;"><i>Said I came to waste some time/</i></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: georgia;"><b style="font-style: italic;">I think I'm gonna jump up </b>- "Bottoms Up"</span></p><p><b style="color: #222222; font-family: georgia;"><i>Everybody wants some/I want some too </i></b><i style="color: #222222; font-family: georgia; font-weight: bold;"> </i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: georgia;">- "Everybody Wants Some"</span></p><p><span style="color: #222222; font-family: georgia;"><b><i>Drop dead legs, pretty smile/</i></b></span><b style="color: #222222; font-family: georgia;"><i>Hurts my head, gets me wild </i></b><i style="color: #222222; font-family: georgia; font-weight: bold;"> </i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: georgia;">- "Drop Dead Legs"</span></p><p><span style="color: #222222; font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white;">It's all quite a combination. Eddie's guitar fireworks conveyed a thrilling amount of feeling and attitude alongside words of fluctuating quality and sophistication, some of that due to Roth's tendency to put pen to paper at the very last minute (per ex-manager Noel Monk's 2017 book "Runnin' With the Devil"). Still, when it worked, and it worked more often than it did not, it was a ridiculous, exhilarating thrill. The hyperactive speed and overspilling confidence of "I'm the One" remains jaw-dropping, a joyride where these Pasadena boys mischievously work in a gleeful "<i>Bop-ba-da, shooby-doo-wah</i>" vocal interlude before the instruments rapidly fall back in and clobber your psyche once again. This was sharpshooting of the highest order; you can almost visualize cowboy Ed blowing smoke away from his gun barrels. Every up-and-coming hard rock band that heard this in February 1978 must have went home and cried. </span></span></p><p><span style="color: #222222; font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white;">Van Halen was top-shelf party music, no doubt, but sensitivity and commentary did seep in at times, as evidenced on "Jamie's Cryin'"(</span><i><b>Now Jamie's been in love before/And she knows what love is for/It should mean, a little, a little more/</b></i></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: georgia;"><i><b>Than one-night stands</b></i>); "Push Comes to Shove" (</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: georgia;"><i><b>And then one night in sunny victory/She decides and you agree, she's leaving/Will you ever be the same?</b></i>); and "Mean Street" (<i><b>See, a gun is real easy/ In this desperate part of town/Turns you from hunted into hunter/You go an' hunt somebody down</b>). </i>Meanwhile, teenage rebellion was rarely more in-your-face than on these verses of "Romeo Delight": </span><b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Wanna see my ID?/</i></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: georgia;"><i>Try to clip my wings/</i></span><i style="color: #222222; font-family: georgia;">Don't have to show you proof of anything/</i></b><i style="color: #222222; font-family: georgia;"><b>I know the law, friend. </b></i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: georgia;">Given Van Halen's history of playing Southern California backyard parties and diving headlong into all manner of underage revelry, these guys often wrote what they knew, but in other cases they demonstrated a (gasp!) maturity beyond their years. </span></p><p><span style="color: #222222; font-family: georgia;">Van Halen was one of the most popular and beloved rock acts of all time — and for better or worse, it was a group effort. If life teaches us anything, nobody reaches lofty heights alone. Eddie seemed superhuman, but alas, he was all too human, like the rest of us. For all his incandescent abilities, he needed Roth, Hagar and Cherone to fulfill his vision. He needed his drummer brother Alex, and his bassist Michael Anthony. He needed his wife Janie Liszewski, his ex-wife </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: georgia;">Valerie Bertinelli, and his son Wolfgang, who eventually went on to play bass in his dad's band. He needed all these people. </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: georgia;">And rock fans, we needed Eddie too, and felt reassured, despite the VH camp's radio silence of the past five years, that he was still out there somewhere, plotting another tour. In his greatness and vulnerability, we saw the potential in ourselves, and also our own humanity. He wasn't just a guitar player; he was a living rock god on the level of Jimi Hendrix that revolutionized the possibilities of his instrument.</span></p><p><span style="color: #222222; font-family: georgia;">No one here gets out alive, but losing Eddie Van Halen at the relatively young age of 65 on the heels of losing Neil Peart at age 67, Tom Petty at age 66, Prince at age 57, and David Bowie at age 69 is just a lot for a rock fan to bear. Guitarists much older than Eddie are mourning his loss, from Pete Townshend to Jimmy Page. It all seems backwards and wrong. </span></p><p><span style="color: #222222; font-family: georgia;">Eddie Van Halen's legacy was effectively cemented with Van Halen's debut, and that's a hell of a thing, to be so talented upon arrival. The pressure must have been on, and he made good on impossible expectations, giving the world so much more as time went on. He toured the world, made albums, put up with Roth (good lord), installed two more singers, and battled illness. His ever-present smile, worn while summoning the most incredible sounds out of a guitar, is a detail worth remembering forever.</span></p><p><span style="color: #222222; font-family: georgia;">Edward? Thank you. </span></p>E-Rockracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04488528056947107950noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658837032884477115.post-91432762244731037822020-09-21T10:40:00.007-07:002020-09-24T08:56:00.239-07:00Why Jethro Tull Belongs in the Rock Hall<p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>On Hall Watchers' <a href="https://t.co/vJBFvKd74t?amp=1" target="_blank"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Episode 46</span></a></b>, released September 21, Eric made a case for Jethro Tull's induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. He received a key assist from his friend Steve, a deeply knowledgeable Tull superfan who sent in a wildly persuasive argument of his own.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">What follows is a transcript of Eric and Steve's arguments; let's call it "Two for Tull." It seems these mystical purveyors of flute and guitar-driven prog rock need an inductee plaque on Level Three of The Rock Hall museum... in other words, these minstrels deserve a place in the gallery.</span></p><p><b style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">ERIC'S ARGUMENT</span></b></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;">Jethro Tull has been eligible for the Rock Hall since 1993.</span></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white;">Why this band from the seaside resort town Blackpool, England? First of all, they feel like a major omission from the Hall; whenever you tell someone Jethro Tull is <i>not</i> in the Hall, they are shocked. Being eligible for 27 years and not getting in will have that effect. They’ve waited so long, founding bassist Glenn Cornick passed away in 2014, as is often the case with delayed Rock Hall recognition.</span></span><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Jethro Tull, led by mesmerizing singer and flute maestro Ian Anderson, is a one-of-a-kind band – and precisely the sort of distinctive act that the Rock Hall should ideally value and want to honor. Many "classic rock" acts have been granted entry into the hall in recent years, but I’d argue few of them are quite as unique as Jethro Tull. There’s ambition, experimentation, mysticism and, courtesy of guitarist Martin Barre, some <i>serious</i> hard rock thunder here. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">This band essentially exists in their own universe, a universe where the flute and the guitar are equally important. Sometimes they transport the listener to the middle of a mystical forest where elves run free, and sometimes they put the listener on a runaway train. And sure, Fairport Convention and the band Traffic had flute playing in their music, but I’d argue no one rocked the flute harder and with more impact than Jethro Tull. It’s a central feature of their music </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;">– </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;">one of those special qualities that should be figured in when a band’s Rock Hall qualifications are being considered.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white;">It’s no secret that Jethro Tull were never critical favorites or really deemed “cool.” In fact, the legendary rock critic Lester Bangs hated Tull, but he still had to give them “some” credit after seeing them live, going on to admit how hard they worked in his 1973 write-up for <i>Creem</i> magazine:</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"><i><b>“Make no mistake: in terms of sheer professionalism, Jethro Tull are without peer. They stand out by never failing to deliver a fullscale show, complete with everything they know any kid would gladly pay his money to see: music, volume, costumes, theatrics, flashy solos, long sets, two encores. Jethro Tull are slick and disciplined; they work hard and they deliver.”</b></i></span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white;">Bangs also had this other fantastic quote about them: </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white;"><i><b>“Jethro Tull are so far off the wall they ain't even in the room.”</b></i></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Rock critic jeers aside, Jethro Tull is globally popular, and is one of those rock acts that is pretty much a household name. Of course, everyone knows “Aqualung” – even Ron Burgundy in the movie “Anchorman” quoted it. Having said that, I’m going to put the name recognition, however important, on the back burner, and talk about Jethro Tull’s musical excellence.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">If you survey their ambitious and expansive body of work, it’s full of towering achievements – rock, folk, blues and prog all breathe freely under the Jethro Tull umbrella. They can summon both thunder and calm in equal measure. There are major landmark albums like <i>Aqualung</i>,<i> Thick as a Brick</i> and <i>Songs from the Wood</i>, but with Tull, it behooves the listener to dig deeper; lesser celebrated efforts like <i>Stand Up</i> and <i>Minstrel in the Gallery </i>are just excellent. </span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;">Of course, we have to talk, too, about </span><i style="font-family: georgia;">Crest of a Knave</i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;">, the 1987 release that, hilariously, stole a Hard Rock/Metal Performance Grammy out from under Metallica, who was nominated in the same category for their Album <i>...And Justice for All</i>. (Some extra trivia - Jane’s Addiction’s landmark album <i>Nothing’s Shocking </i>was also up for the award in this category). Jethro Tull didn’t even attend the Grammys, as they were sure they would lose! But...they won. And i</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;">t bears noting that this controversy of Jethro Tull winning over Metallica in 1989 led to the Grammys creating separate Hard Rock and Heavy Metal categories going forward. </span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;">It’s easy to take Jethro Tull for granted. Heavy rotation on rock radio airwaves has had the unfortunate effect of sometimes reducing their impact. In fact, I flipped on the radio recently, and heard one of their songs, and instead of being like, “oh, god, Jethro Tull again,” I was just freshly knocked back yet again by the still-amazing “Locomotive Breath.” This music has not gone away, and in my eyes, the gigantic songbook of Jethro Tull is not the least bit diminished for having been played a lot. </span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white;">So yes, Jethro Tull is a bit overplayed on FM radio, but another way of looking at it is, their music is just permanently etched on the walls of rock history — songs like "Bungle in the Jungle", "Living in the Past," “Teacher,” “Skating Away (On the Thin Ice of a New Day)," and of course “Locomotive Breath” and “Aqualung” have truly endured. And they’ve fared well commercially, too, as they have 5 platinum albums and 11 gold albums.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">So that covers "Musical Excellence," now it's time to talk about "Influence." As one of the giants of prog rock, Jethro Tull has influenced artists across the spectrum, and some acts that have taken cues from Tull’s fantastical ambitions and complex music include Marillion, Iron Maiden, Dio, Kansas, Porcupine Tree, and even the Swedish prog metal band Opeth.</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white;">Past critical snobbery and the absence of a champion in the NomCom room might explain Jethro Tull’s omssion from the Hall, but this band’s unorthodox yet outstanding body of work is a wildly convincing case for induction. They have absolutely cemented their place in the pantheon of popular music. </span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;">Jethro Tull belongs in the Rock Hall. </span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><b style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">STEVE'S ARGUMENT</span></b></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white;">A kid from Memphis discovered that by stealing liberally from gospel churches and old blues men, he could convey to the largest number of girls possible just how horny he was. Surely it came as a surprise to subsequent rock and rollers when they realized the medium's versatility. A guy from Hibbing infused it with profundity; some dudes from Hawthorne soaked it in sunshine; longhaired Londoners drove it with the top down, leering at ladies on streetcorners, while four wiseacres from Liverpool, after learning about drugs from the profundity guy, got under the hood and souped up its engine with psychedelia.</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Jethro Tull, meanwhile, once did a tour where the entire stage was a pirate ship. It bankrupted them. That alone is so quintessentially rock and roll, it should earn them a place of honor in the Hall.</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">These guys from Blackpool did everything those other guys did, and if they didn't do it better </span><span style="background-color: white;">–</span><span style="background-color: white;"> and no, they didn't do it better </span><span style="background-color: white;">–</span><span style="background-color: white;"> still they did it all, and they did it determinedly, and extremely well, and without ever losing their sense of humor about the whole thing. They started out as a pretty impressive blues band, the oddball instrumentation notwithstanding </span><span style="background-color: white;">– </span><span style="background-color: white;">check out "Nothing Is Easy" or "Someday The Sun Won't Shine For You" </span><span style="background-color: white;">–</span><span style="background-color: white;"> and then, too smart for their own good, they went gleefully leapfrogging over records about their flautist frontman's harrowing schooldays, "Wind-Up" and "My God" the examples par excellence. Not to worry — there was plenty of Elvis-worthy horniness in there too: "Cross-Eyed Mary" has to be the catchiest song imaginable about a homeless man ogling schoolgirls in a public park. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><blockquote><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #2b00fe; font-family: georgia; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700;">"They were hilarious, but they were not kidding around; they never took it seriously even as they were deadly serious."</span></div></blockquote><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700;"></span></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;">Over time they morphed into something like prog, producing what is surely the only forty-three-minute-and-forty-six second song to both mention sperm prominently in its lyric and also become a classic-rock radio staple. "Thick As A Brick" opened new doors: Jethro Tull stumbled, concept album by concept album, into music that couldn't be more British: at its best it sounded like Monty Python playing proto-heavy metal. At its worst it was caterwauling and dreary, but who among their peers never produced a dreary, midperiod LP? It's almost </span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;">de rigeur</i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;">, for Hall inductees especially. </span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white;">Jethro Tull's frontman Ian Anderson may have had a penchant for codpieces, but he also wrote one of the greatest songs of all time </span><span style="background-color: white;">–</span><span style="background-color: white;"> and no, I don't mean "Aqualung"; I mean "Skating Away On the Thin Ice of a New Day," a song so good John Lennon himself might have written it if he'd ever thought to. Their guitarist, Martin Barre, has the panache of Jimmy Page and the chops of John Mayall </span><span style="background-color: white;">–</span><span style="background-color: white;">check out "Minstrel In The Gallery," and tell me he's not up there with the best. They wrote pastorals; they wrote songs about agriculture; they did their Viking album long after it was fashionable; they won a Grammy for best hard rock/metal album for maybe their least metallic record ever, beating <i>Nothing's Shocking</i> and <i>...And Justice For All</i> </span><span style="background-color: white;">–</span><span style="background-color: white;"> another Spinal Tappy bit of rock and roll nonsense, by the way, that should earn them a fast track to a Hall nomination. </span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;">Uncomfortably far into middle age they recorded songs unashamedly comparing the playing of a flute to fellatio, and they had an album called <i>J-Tull Dot Com</i> embarrassingly early in the Internet era. They were hilarious, but they were not kidding around; they never took it seriously even as they were deadly serious. To a kid learning about this music by piling up vinyl at a used record store in suburban Philadelphia in the late eighties, Jethro Tull was the happiest discovery of his life. They were the best band he'd ever heard </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;">–</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;"> at least until he came across Talking Heads.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">What is the Rock Hall if not a celebration of the many different things you can do with rock and roll? Who else did, with rock and roll, what Jethro Tull did? How utterly mind-blowing are future generations, exploring rock and roll, going to find records like <i>Stand Up</i> and <i>War Child</i> and <i>Broadsword and the Beast</i>? It's long past time we recognized these guys for their titanic achievements, and give our blessing to Jethro Tull's undeniable place in the canon of great rock and roll.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white;"><i>A very special thanks to Steve Hanna (Twitter: @ecsongbysong) for his contributions. </i></span></span></div>E-Rockracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04488528056947107950noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658837032884477115.post-44224836409287966882020-03-25T19:24:00.003-07:002020-03-26T10:23:21.959-07:00Rock Hall News: Museum CEO Greg Harris Guests on "Debatable"<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The show must go on. It was announced this week that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony will now be held on Saturday, November 7 at Public Auditorium in Cleveland (fingers crossed). Prior to that, as with the vast majority of "non-essential" public places, the Hall's museum temporarily closed its doors starting March 14 due to concerns over the current COVID-19 pandemic. (The current reopening date <span style="color: blue;"><a href="https://www.rockhall.com/coronavirus" target="_blank">per the Rock Hall site</a> </span>is March 27, but that seems likely to change.) </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In times of crisis and uncertainty, it can be helpful to hear from the people in charge. On that note, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame museum CEO Greg Harris was a call-in guest on SiriusXM's "Debatable" show today, chatting about all the recent Rock Hall upheaval with hosts Mark Goodman and Alan Light. Here are some of the highlights of what Harris had to say, transcribed for those who missed it:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"><b>On the induction ceremony postponement: </b>"It was the right thing to do as Coachella was postponed, as [SXSW] was being cancelled, as the NBA was looking to pause their season... it's one of those decisions that as soon as it was made, you knew it was the right decision."</span></span><br />
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<b style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">On the Rock Hall museum's closure: </b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"It was a Friday, and we were thinking, do we keep the museum open for the weekend, because there are already tickets out, people may have traveled, and all those things. And our Governor came out with this message. We knew we were closing, the question was, were we going to close on Friday or were we going to close on Monday, and after getting a lot of information, quite frankly from the CDC and others, we made the move to close at the end of [Friday]."</span><br />
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<b style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">On the museum's mission going forward in our current era:</b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> "Our museum's mission is to engage, teach and inspire through the power of rock and roll... does that hold up in a changed world? And the mission actually holds up because it isn't dependent on physical space. Looking at how do we make the items in our vast collection available, how we do a lot of live concerts at the museum...[we] use the induction as an example - there's going to be 5000, 6000 people in the room for the ceremony, but there's going to be millions, and tens of millions that watch it online and through HBO's broadcast and through Sirius' broadcast. That's still very relevant and very important, and that's an opportunity to continue to expand and reach and connect."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>On the challenges of rescheduling the induction ceremony: </b>"Balancing the time when HBO could handle the broadcast, when [SiriusXM] could handle the broadcast, when the artists could travel, when our city had the spaces available. We take up a ton of hotel rooms, and getting all that together was a real Tetris puzzle... locally, we needed to get the hotel rooms, we needed to get the venues. There was a group called Union Home Mortgage that was holding an event for 1,200 friends and clients on the exact day we needed. They generously took on the task of moving that to another weekend, having to rebook all their hotel rooms... it got as granular as that."</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"><b>On the scope of putting on the induction ceremonies:</b> "It's an event that's on par with hosting the Final Four, or on par with major conventions. It's a citywide thing, it'll be the biggest event in Cleveland of that quarter. And quite frankly, if this [COVID-19] crisis continues, this could be the big party when we're all in the clear and ready to come back out again and celebrate rock and roll and how important it is to us."</span></span>E-Rockracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04488528056947107950noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658837032884477115.post-71841646588763894052019-11-27T11:36:00.000-08:002020-01-14T14:14:59.115-08:00Predictions: The Rock Hall Class of 2020<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>An eventful year and decade comes to a close</b>, and still, this question lingers: What names will be read this January by museum CEO Greg Harris as he announces the Rock Hall Class of 2020? Judging by the Fan Vote stats, and t</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">o quote "Everything Counts" by Depeche Mode, "It's a competitive world." (And if you read Evelyn McDonnell's <a href="https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/8543758/rock-roll-hall-fame-gender-racial-diversity-guest-opinion-evelyn-mcdonnell" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">brilliant, mic-drop of a piece in Billboard this past November 15</span></a>, another lyric from that song holds true, as well: "The <a href="https://www.billboard.com/files/media/rock-hall-market-chart-bb27-2019-billboard-1240.jpg" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">graph</span></a> on the wall/Tells the story of it all"). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">But back to the lecture at hand. It's time to be bold. It's time to be pragmatic. So, bombs away: This will be the first year where the Rock Hall Fan Vote Winner (presumably Dave Matthews Band) <i>does not get into the Hall</i>. Let's be clear — this prediction has <i>nothing</i> to do with</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> Dave Matthews Band's arguable merits or Hall-worthiness, so DMB fans need not take offense; if any other act from the ballot was at the top of the Fan Vote, this (admittedly wild) prediction would still have been made.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Yes, it's true that Rush, KISS, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Chicago, Journey, Bon Jovi, and Def Leppard each triumphed in the Fan Vote, and were subsequently inducted. The prognostication here is that this will be the first year that will <i>not</i> happen. Look, a</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">t some point, this streak has to end. Otherwise, the pattern of the Fan Vote winner automatically being swept into the Hall every year starts looking, well, a bit suspect. And does the Hall really want to throw even more fuel on the fire of what many observers view as a broken, exclusionary induction process in need of radical change? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">While the Hall's fan engagement initiatives are here to stay, there's no denying that the world, and its institutions, are places where electoral processes don't always favor the candidate with the most votes (but enough about the <a href="https://www.salon.com/2007/03/14/rock_hall_inductions/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Dave Clark Five</span>)</a>. P</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">lease view Exhibit A when it comes to artists at the top of fan-voted Rock Hall mechanisms: The museum kiosk vote found Mötley Crüe and Blink-182 in the top two slots right before last month's ballot announcement. Both of those bands failed to make the nominee pool (unlike Def Leppard and Stevie Nicks a year prior, both inducted). If the Hall is willing to disregard/leapfrog acts the public votes for at the museum, it's reasonable to speculate that this year's Fan Vote winner might just have to enter the race anew another year.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Here are E-Rockracy's predictions for the Rock Hall Class of 2020:</b></span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<b style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Pat Benatar </b><br />
<b style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Depeche Mode</b><br />
<b style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The Doobie Brothers </b><br />
<b style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Whitney Houston</b><br />
<b style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Judas Priest</b><br />
<b style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The Notorious B.I.G.</b><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Early Influences:</span><span style="color: blue; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b> Kraftwerk</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So let's unpack this. This year's ballot, for all its faults and redundancies, is nonetheless genre-diverse. This predicted class keeps that eclecticism in mind. There's the untouchably cool rock icon Pat Benatar; representation of </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">synth-pop/alternative with Depeche Mode;</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> the </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">FM radio-beloved, boomer-friendly American rock of the Doobie Brothers; </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">a pop superstar in Whitney; an overdue nod to heavy metal with Judas Priest; and hip-hop achievement with Biggie.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">By any standard, six performers, plus the Early Influences category, is a class that could certainly happen, and function tidily for a live HBO telecast. This may appear to be a hefty ballot with seven artists, but the Class of 2019 had that many, and it bears noting that two of these artists, Whitney and Biggie, are no longer with us. Right or wrong, deceased solo artists’ ceremony time is often shorter than time allotted to living nominees.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Regarding Early Influences and the prediction that Kraftwerk earns this honor, reference needs to be made to SiriusXM’s “Volume” show when the ballot dropped last month (thanks</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> to Future Rock Legends for compiling and <a href="https://futurerocklegends.com/blog.php#unique-entry-id-370" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">transcribing this</span></a> on the FRL site)</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">For context, this is regarding a possible redefinition of the Early Influences category, which, <a href="https://www.rockhall.com/inductees/categories" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">per the Rock Hall site</span></a> is “Awarded to influential artists whose music predates rock and roll."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">On SiriusXM October 15, nomination committee member Alan Light and Rock Hall Foundation CEO Joel Pereman said the following:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Alan Light:</b> "<i>We've said this before, there's also some of these who at a certain point should you look at them as Early Influences? Should Kraftwerk be not in the general ballot, but moved to go in a different way because of everything in that whole universe tracing back to this one band. That's another thing that we would look at.</i>”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Joel Peresman:</b> "<i>Absolutely. As we get older and move on, when you think about Early Influences it's not the 50s and 60s anymore. The Early Influence can be 70s and 80s depending on the certain genre of music.</i>”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So there it is. The prediction here is that the Hall does exactly that, and gives Early Influences to the overdue electronic music pioneers of Kraftwerk. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">And why not? In the end, and for all the widely reported dysfunction in this institution — the sound, the fury, the easily avoidable, <i>Jesus-wept</i> outrages — the Hall, its executives, and its committees <i>can do whatever they want</i>. And so, i</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">n the spirit of optimism on the cusp of a new decade and a new era with chairman John Sykes, hopefully that intrinsic latitude can lead to to more just, inclusive, and contemplated Hall going forward. It's time for changes. Rock Hall, there are more eyes on you than ever. Watching. Waiting.</span>E-Rockracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04488528056947107950noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658837032884477115.post-27873797625568010822019-09-27T08:19:00.001-07:002021-10-24T11:34:48.976-07:00Hall Watchers Episode 15 Companion Guide: Rock Hall-Worthy Women Behind the Music<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>On a recent Hall Watchers podcast</b>, Mary put a spotlight on 19 Rock Hall-worthy women behind the scenes in the music industry. What follows below is a companion guide to <a href="http://hallwatchers.libsyn.com/ep-15-engineering-greatness-rock-hall-worthy-women-behind-the-music" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">that podcast</span></a>, showcasing the amazing women that were discussed.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">For additional context on the Rock Hall and its need to induct more women, here's</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"> a bit of info about the Non-Performer category </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">from the Rock Hall website (i</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">n 2008, the category's name changed to the Ahmet Ertegun Award):</span><br />
<i style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></i>
<i style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">"This award honors songwriters, producers, disc jockeys, record executives, journalists and other industry professionals who have had a major influence on rock & roll."</i><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Fact:</b> There are only 3 women inducted into the Rock Hall as non-performer/Ahmet Ertegun out of 47 people, and they are inducted with their partners: </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>
</b>1990 - Gerry Goffin and Carole King
2010 - Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich
2010 - Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="white-space: normal;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">There is not a single female non-performer in on her own. Let's change that. Here are the candidates discussed on Hall Watchers, Episode 15: </span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixXNKYa_Tih1XeBGUuWlU2mIhEVZWIiYUiO5VZzXAuYai8xopChmbsUEm5tTQW20-6qoOBOQpaqW4m9p6RekH9WstWHVPFCcpbwd844op8DtxYqJeKxDvdCW7-2JTYse0P6Kscp_HlqzU/s1600/2019-09-22+15.16.19.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="410" data-original-width="618" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixXNKYa_Tih1XeBGUuWlU2mIhEVZWIiYUiO5VZzXAuYai8xopChmbsUEm5tTQW20-6qoOBOQpaqW4m9p6RekH9WstWHVPFCcpbwd844op8DtxYqJeKxDvdCW7-2JTYse0P6Kscp_HlqzU/s320/2019-09-22+15.16.19.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Ruth Polsky, Booker and Concert Promoter</span></span></div>
<i style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></i>
<i style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">What she is notable for: </span></i><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">She was crucial in breaking UK bands such as </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Simple Minds</span><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, Echo and the Bunnymen, the Smiths, the Psychedelic Furs, the Birthday Party, Jesus & Mary Chain and many more. She also </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">booked the Joy Division USA tour in May 1980, which was canceled after Ian Curtis' death. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlYUdFb3aINWzTIwa-I1-rMb9A1Gis8YL853rJrhh3p8s9wNw9RVTBG6z3cmFrp6xHFeFTyGGNENdlMXtNqCkMmn_hjwtRKxux0p-XACWb_gab-CVdoLg5gmfs5Qwo_khv3FbBM1mG70o/s1600/Susan+Rogers.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlYUdFb3aINWzTIwa-I1-rMb9A1Gis8YL853rJrhh3p8s9wNw9RVTBG6z3cmFrp6xHFeFTyGGNENdlMXtNqCkMmn_hjwtRKxux0p-XACWb_gab-CVdoLg5gmfs5Qwo_khv3FbBM1mG70o/s1600/Susan+Rogers.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Susan Rogers, Record Producer, Engineer, Mixer, and Audio Electronics Technician</span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></i></span>
<span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">What she is notable for: </span></i></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">Worked alongside Prince from 1983 to 1988 as the sound engineer for his albums </span><i style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">Purple Rain, Around the World in a Day, Parade, Sign o' the Times</i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">, and </span><i style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Black Album</i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Also worked with artists such as David Byrne, Barenaked Ladies, Tricky, the Violent Femmes, the Jacksons and Toad the Wet Sprocket. just to name a few.</span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Sylvia Robinson, Record Label Executive and Producer</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">What she is notable for: </span></i></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mother of hip-hop, best known for her work as founder and CEO of the Sugar Hill Records hip-hop label. She is credited for being the force behind the two hip-hop singles, “Rapper’s Delight” by the Sugar Hill Gang released in 1980 and “The Message” by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five in 1982.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Lillian McMurry, Record Producer, Owner of Trumpet Records</span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></i></span>
<span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">What she is notable for: </span></i></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">Influential in the development of blues music particularly through her recordings of Sonny Boy Williamson II and discovery of guitarist Elmore James.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaiHUNhUq2i21Ws3p6EKbPOA_JnZsQAKV9v-Aa4CIsXCNIPKUq682WGxxDY_v2x1M3N5TyRDG_38ckZAnvvhG5n-_0uCaWKCeVtU_x3FaaFRmJ9G5nVTM5E9ththstcQsS9fmxAuzqTWY/s1600/Sylvia+Massy.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="766" data-original-width="1170" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaiHUNhUq2i21Ws3p6EKbPOA_JnZsQAKV9v-Aa4CIsXCNIPKUq682WGxxDY_v2x1M3N5TyRDG_38ckZAnvvhG5n-_0uCaWKCeVtU_x3FaaFRmJ9G5nVTM5E9ththstcQsS9fmxAuzqTWY/s320/Sylvia+Massy.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Sylvia Massy, Record Producer, Mixer and Engineer</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">What she is notable for: </span></i></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">Her big break came in producing comedy-rockers Green Jello’s debut album featuring the radio hit “Three Little Pigs.” She is perhaps best known for her work on 1993's </span><i style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">Undertow</i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">, the double platinum-selling debut for Los Angeles metal band Tool.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1vIuqHjS1rJr93nkvAr4cEYbzE5p0mJc1tAN6Eifg7Bf2gOQIGQG-M47T6fhCab8eUdNOFcAlZfXiWs0deL_ckCTzDJOznX9K_j_kQLeTQbQE0UsXJ5j77Ou4zXrpiKw0IkZtLn_Wk88/s1600/Helen+Oakley+Dance.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1351" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1vIuqHjS1rJr93nkvAr4cEYbzE5p0mJc1tAN6Eifg7Bf2gOQIGQG-M47T6fhCab8eUdNOFcAlZfXiWs0deL_ckCTzDJOznX9K_j_kQLeTQbQE0UsXJ5j77Ou4zXrpiKw0IkZtLn_Wk88/s200/Helen+Oakley+Dance.jpg" width="168" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Helen Oakley Dance, Jazz Critic</span></span><br />
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<i style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">What she is notable for: </span></i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">Pioneering female jazz critic in the 1930's as well as a record producer, music publisher and personal assistant to musicians like Duke Ellington, Red Norvo, Chick Webb, Johnny Hodges, Bob Crosby and Earl Hines. She helped organize one of the first sit down jazz concerts that featured an interracial band. Wrote "Stormy Monday: The T-Bone Walker Story" which is considered the definitive book on T-Bone Walker.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoZWHP8b0tNRg9aRU60-DPyozBd6hjQo72VIavAAiYifWyOjHPyskZr8rCvcAyQk5uNhKMtSyyT3AoSvm5FUtM30HtPStknBHzEra5uGeKDHxWSRfwVC9Ai73J9sINlJO4nxTEW9MQKKw/s1600/Marion+Keisker.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="699" data-original-width="476" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoZWHP8b0tNRg9aRU60-DPyozBd6hjQo72VIavAAiYifWyOjHPyskZr8rCvcAyQk5uNhKMtSyyT3AoSvm5FUtM30HtPStknBHzEra5uGeKDHxWSRfwVC9Ai73J9sINlJO4nxTEW9MQKKw/s200/Marion+Keisker.jpg" width="135" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Marion Keisker, Assistant at Sun Records</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">What she is notable for: </span></i></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">Was the first person to record Elvis, and encouraged Sam Phillips to take a chance on him. Her detailed logs of the activities at Sun Records provided music historians with ample and interesting information about the label's history.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvUbvUuyZBLc8DVFW5AyO1tpMFGqNRBFx8J74ZSUFE_muzV74Mjia7wy5rFw1T0ZBbrxlgB58nITL9ETdwcORFmiwzVNr6uHtcQX6VbT7OkMqGab8qmfCRB_iUMGWBSrjQVNuDFTPJ0vo/s1600/Gwendolyn+Quinn.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="400" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvUbvUuyZBLc8DVFW5AyO1tpMFGqNRBFx8J74ZSUFE_muzV74Mjia7wy5rFw1T0ZBbrxlgB58nITL9ETdwcORFmiwzVNr6uHtcQX6VbT7OkMqGab8qmfCRB_iUMGWBSrjQVNuDFTPJ0vo/s200/Gwendolyn+Quinn.png" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Gwendolyn Quinn, Public Relations</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">What she is notable for: </span></i></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">Organized media campaigns for artists such as Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, P. Diddy, Notorious B.I.G. and Faith Evans.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJc-pBlHn512zihWnLU6RnBSNBCMdeG3g7LkgKXPcbYlARvLvXTlAtzv4GK8Eo2IGspCl33WeHkyz66mO7ETIPmsay5Rzwy580fximthmU549shEpgrHy0UNxP5bYWfqsykb3egZocnx0/s1600/Sharon+Osbourne.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="596" data-original-width="393" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJc-pBlHn512zihWnLU6RnBSNBCMdeG3g7LkgKXPcbYlARvLvXTlAtzv4GK8Eo2IGspCl33WeHkyz66mO7ETIPmsay5Rzwy580fximthmU549shEpgrHy0UNxP5bYWfqsykb3egZocnx0/s320/Sharon+Osbourne.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sharon Osbourne, Manager</span><br />
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<span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">What she is notable for: </span></i></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">Managed her husband Ozzy Osbourne to a successful solo career, which then resulted in her beginning her own management agency that managed the careers of artists such as Lita Ford and Smashing Pumpkins. In 1996, she created Ozzfest, which featured both new and established metal bands.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7KCxIY41hCVbvp7IdpCTaDMFeNLxZFkgimwJhE7bv04vtcVr0lBxtuet-lwAP0xkW8R7l-xK5TPbPXvGDIFBJFOTwP-LEiYbkpGVyPhuYzQ6N04OL3XZTgZX-dx3Zu-X9KqoIbPWhjko/s1600/Lenise+Bent.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="425" data-original-width="600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7KCxIY41hCVbvp7IdpCTaDMFeNLxZFkgimwJhE7bv04vtcVr0lBxtuet-lwAP0xkW8R7l-xK5TPbPXvGDIFBJFOTwP-LEiYbkpGVyPhuYzQ6N04OL3XZTgZX-dx3Zu-X9KqoIbPWhjko/s320/Lenise+Bent.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Lenise Bent, Audio Engineer</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">What she is notable for: </span></i></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">One of the earliest women working on sound in the 70’s, she was assistant engineer on </span><i style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">Aja</i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"> by Steely Dan; </span><i style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">Breakfast in America</i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"> by Supertramp and </span><i style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tusk</i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"> by Fleetwood Mac. But one of her biggest accomplishments is that she engineered </span><i style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">AutoAmerican</i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"> by Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees Blondie; her work on that album resulted in her being the first woman to receive an RIAA Platinum album.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNAZsQyzAXbHS8uXZoX9rD3Xv0B_GeWWTAgB40KKenZs0N9pZe7TsyVXhAGCMOt5Caz0TOFgs4s7kjbUgzDUB7OpA5nA0My8Slgu6WKMYkXGFHLcnQE9XCAk-KKoaZHbETWnq6vK1Qrww/s1600/Donna+Halper.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNAZsQyzAXbHS8uXZoX9rD3Xv0B_GeWWTAgB40KKenZs0N9pZe7TsyVXhAGCMOt5Caz0TOFgs4s7kjbUgzDUB7OpA5nA0My8Slgu6WKMYkXGFHLcnQE9XCAk-KKoaZHbETWnq6vK1Qrww/s1600/Donna+Halper.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Donna Halper, Deejay and Music Director</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">What she is notable for: </span></i></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">Donna is credited with discovering the rock band Rush when she was working as the Music Director at radio station WMMS in Cleveland in 1974. After a Canadian record producer gave her the then-unknown band's album, she played a track called “Working Man” on the air. Listeners started requesting more Rush tracks, which resulted in other radio stations beginning to give Rush more airplay. By late summer of 1974, the band got a U.S. recording contract.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilQm7cjx8Ac5KxRHlGtyAOU54WfubYQOysks5LQPUqasfCBTHcrm-q3nDXerjYMbnQx24osjTmg0zbk-CSh9YO73pKlwmbtMlaxvq5YYGZGMhK0Hs7TDLq7QWgDSdCTL0AAb95jid8VMs/s1600/Polly+Anthony.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="703" data-original-width="587" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilQm7cjx8Ac5KxRHlGtyAOU54WfubYQOysks5LQPUqasfCBTHcrm-q3nDXerjYMbnQx24osjTmg0zbk-CSh9YO73pKlwmbtMlaxvq5YYGZGMhK0Hs7TDLq7QWgDSdCTL0AAb95jid8VMs/s320/Polly+Anthony.jpg" width="267" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Polly Anthony, Record Label President</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">What she is notable for: </span></i></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">She was one of the first women to head a major record label, she was the president of Epic Records from 1997 until 2003, then she became president of DreamWorks and after a corporate reorganization she was named co-president of Geffen Records. She worked with artists like Korn, Macy Gray, Celine Dion, Michael Jackson, Pearl Jam, and Rage Against the Machine. She allocated hundreds of thousands of dollars to the “Korn Kampaign,” which led to the band going multi-platinum.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Ann Powers, Writer and Music Critic</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>What she is notable for: </i></span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">She was the senior curator at the Experience Music Project (EMP) in Seattle, which later became Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP). Powers and her husband Eric Weisbard have helped organize the annual EMP Pop Conference (now MoPOP Conference) since its inception. She currently is a music critic for NPR and a contributor at the Los Angeles Times, where she was previously chief pop critic.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Angelica Cob-Baehler, Music Executive</span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></i></span>
<span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">What she is notable for: </span></i></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">Angelica moved to Virgin Records as an SVP in 2005 where she launched an ultimately successful campaign to bring Katy Perry to the label after she had been rejected by Columbia Records. She played a large role in the creative direction of the singer's 2008 breakthrough album </span><i style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">One of the Boys</i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"> as well as the follow-up, </span><i style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">Teenage Dream</i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Carla Sacks, Publicist</span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></i></span>
<span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">What she is notable for: </span></i></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">Founder of Sacks and Co., a PR company with offices in Seattle, New York and Nashville.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ellen Willis, Rock Critic</span><br />
<span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></i></span>
<span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">What she is notable for: </span></i></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">She was the first pop-music critic for the New Yorker, and was a regular contributor at </span><i style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rolling Stone, The Village Voice </i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">and many other publications. She wrote 56 pieces for</span><i style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"> The</i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><i style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">New Yorker</i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">'s “Rock, Etc.” column over seven years, including famous pieces on Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin and The Sex Pistols.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Vicki Wickham, Manager, Entertainment Producer, and Songwriter</span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></i></span>
<span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">What she is notable for: </span></i></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">She is most known for producing the 1960s British television show "Ready Steady Go!" and managing the pop/soul acts Labelle and Dusty Springfield. She cowrote the English lyrics to Dusty Springfield's only British #1 hit "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" and also co-wrote Dusty's biography </span><i style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dancing with Demons</i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Vicky Hamilton, Record Executive, Personal Manager and Promoter</span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></i></span>
<span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">What she is notable for: </span></i></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">Famous for managing the early careers of Guns N' Roses, Poison and Faster Pussycat, as well as working as a management consultant for Mötley Crüe and Stryper. Began her own record label, Small Hairy Dog, after being outraged no one wanted to work with June Carter Cash. This ultimately resulted in June recording the album </span><i style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">Press On</i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">, which won a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Album in 2000.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Jane Scott, Rock Critic for the <i>Cleveland Plain Dealer</i></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></i></span>
<span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">What she is notable for: </span></i></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">She was world-famous for being the oldest rock critic, retiring in 2002 at the age of 82. Over her career, she covered over 10,000 shows with stars ranging from Bruce Springsteen, Beastie Boys, the Who, the Rolling Stones, the Doors, Led Zepplin, the Beach Boys, and more. Many, including former Rock Hall CEO Terry Stewart, consider her the reason the Rock Hall museum is in Cleveland.</span></div>
E-Rockracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04488528056947107950noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658837032884477115.post-67200265990394819172019-09-01T06:37:00.001-07:002019-09-01T06:37:35.470-07:00The Idealist's Ballot: Mary Picks 15 Nominees<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>E-Rockracy readers, please welcome guest columnist and Hall Watchers co-host Mary, offering her 2020 Rock Hall ballot picks.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>It’s
the most wonderful time of the year!</b> NFL preseason has begun (go Saints and
Bills) and so has our Rock Hall preseason — ballot predictions! Eric has posted
his picks, and is now kindly allowing me to guest post with what we’ve
dubbed the “Idealist Ballot.”</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Eric
will tell you that I refuse to ascribe to the “Rock Hall won’t ever nominate so
and so” philosophy. It’s a negative, self-fulfilling prophecy, and I would much
rather work toward fighting for the people who <i>should</i> be in the
Rock Hall rather than predicting what the nominating committee will do this
year. I don’t like trying to predict what the Rock Hall will do, because it
means thinking like the nominating committee and also giving credence to
whoever is at the top of the kiosk. Thinking like that usually means omitting
legacy artists, women, and people of color. It means bowing to pressure to sell
ceremony tickets instead of honoring music history and educating people. I
won’t do it, even if it means I’m “wrong” when it comes to predicting what
artists will end up on a ballot.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I
am an idealist to my core and firmly believe that we have the power to change
the Rock Hall, even if it's small and incremental changes. More women and
people of color are being discussed, and I know that’s due to us. Janet Jackson
was inducted, and I know that was due to us. The Texas Playboys will rightfully
be restored to the Bob Wills plaque, and that’s due to us too. I think more
people are watching and listening than we think they are, so why not use our
voices for change? I believe that if we continue to respectfully put out names
of people who we know deserve to be in, and we continue to make a case for
those people, then eventually someone will hear us. And you know, maybe it's
all for nothing and we’re just screaming into the void, but at least we’re
screaming the right things. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This
was a really difficult ballot to put together. I had to make some really hard
cuts, but I think this would be a ballot most anyone could find 5 boxes they
would be happy to check. Also
note that out of 15 slots, there are 8 amazing women on this ballot, including
Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth. Shockingly the world is still managing to spin on
its axis, and I hope the Rock Hall takes note of that.</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Without
further delay, here are the 15 artists I would put on a ballot:</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: red;"><o:p><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: red;">Black
Flag</span></b><b style="color: red;"> </b>- Punk has been woefully ignored for the last few years, so g</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">immie
gimmie gimmie a Rock Hall nomination for this legendary punk band! They're the very essence of rock n' roll. They truly suffered for their art and the story of their perseverance and grit would make one hell of a ceremony video package. With their name recognition, Black Flag may be able to succeed on a ballot where MC5 and Bad Brains couldn’t, which could help grease the wheels for the rest of the punk bands from the late 70's to 80's who have been snubbed for far too long. And let's be honest, wouldn't it be awesome to hear "Rise Above" being snarled at some of those in the audience who have likely snubbed our favorite artists? I'm already getting in the van for that. (Discussed
on Hall Watchers Episode 5)</span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: red;">Carole
King</span></b> - </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">She’s
been rightfully honored as a non-performer for helping countless artists
achieve hits, now it’s Carole’s turn to be honored as a performer for her own
singing career. <i>Tapestry</i> is obviously enough to get her in, but let’s not
forget she made a total of 17 studio albums including <i>Music </i>and <i>Wrap Around
Joy</i>, both of which went to number one. For heaven’s sake, when it comes to
albums this woman has more gold, platinum and diamonds than Elizabeth Taylor,
can we just get her inducted? (Discussed in Episodes 2 and 6)</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: red;">Dolly
Parton</span></b> - </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Whether
it’s teasing a possible collaboration with Lil Nas X or surprising fans at the
Newport Folk Festival by joining an all-female collaboration with Amanda
Shires, Maren Morris, Brandi Carlile and Natalie Hemby, Dolly Parton is having
a moment this year, and it’s one of many over her incredible career. In a
world that often feels dark and divisive, a Dolly induction would not
only be a well-deserved honor for this inspirational woman, but perhaps a light
in the darkness. I can already feel the breath of fresh air she would bring to
a ceremony. (Discussed on Episode 8)</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: red; font-weight: bold;">Glen
Campbell </span>- </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">With
both a staggering session musician portfolio and a successful solo career, Glen
Campbell has more than enough credits to warrant a place on a Rock Hall ballot.
Don’t think he’s rock and roll enough? Glen was such an incredible guitarist
that Eddie Van Halen once asked Alice Cooper, one of Glen’s closest friends, if
he’d be able to get Glen to give him a lesson. He gave the finger to
Alzheimer's disease by touring and making one last album for his fans. He was
just that much of a bad-ass. (Discussed on Episode 8)</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b style="color: red;">Link
Wray </b>-<b style="color: red;"> </b>"<i>(</i></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Greg)
Harris also confirmed that just because an artist’s song is honored, it doesn’t
mean they can’t be nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame moving
forward. Meaning, previous nominees like Link Wray and Procol Harum are still
eligible for induction."</i> - Troy Smith of Cleveland.com</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I
feel like this is the year where the Rock Hall watcher community will either
have their faith restored or their worst fears about the Singles category
confirmed. I think I speak for most of us when I say we’d be thrilled to be
proven wrong. It’s your move Rock Hall. Do you stand by your words, or will we
have to continue to rumble to get this legendary man in the hall where he
rightfully belongs? He was so rock n' roll that the instrumental "Rumble" was banned in 1958 over fears that it would cause teenage gang violence, and influenced everyone from Iggy Pop to Neil Young. If you listen to Link, you hear the birth of punk and metal. Rock Hall, this is a ridiculous snub and a long overdue induction. (Discussed in Episodes 4, 5 and 6) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: red; font-weight: bold;">Mary
Wells </span>-<b> </b></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">At
this point, the exclusion of Mary Wells feels like a mistake the Rock Hall is
hoping no one will notice, and it’s really a damn shame given her legacy. Her
story would provide inspiration to many young women and let them know that with
tenacity and hard work, they can accomplish anything at any age. The Rock Hall
needs to rip off the Band-Aid and admit her not being inducted is outrageous
and finally honor this Motown legend the way she deserves. (Discussed in
Episode 2)</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: red;">The
Monkees </span></b>- </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Despite
increasing public clamor for their inclusion, the Rock Hall has missed
opportunity after opportunity to induct The Monkees, including in 2016 after
the release of their fantastic album <i>Good Times!</i> and the 50th anniversary tour
that followed. Now with both Davy and Peter gone, time is of the essence. Mickey
and Mike were just out touring together, and would likely show up to the
ceremony. Artists like Rivers Cuomo would probably be thrilled to participate
in their induction since The Monkees were the stepping stone for bands like
Weezer. (Discussed in Episode 6)</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: red;">MC
Lyte </span></b></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">- There
isn’t a single female hip-hop artist in the Rock Hall, and it’s an injustice we
need to remedy immediately. I can’t think of any better woman for the job of
“first” than MC Lyte given the many firsts she accomplished and the barriers
she broke for women in hip-hop. If you’re in the Smithsonian for being a
hip-hop pioneer, then you belong in the Rock Hall, period. (Discussed in Episode
2)</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b style="color: red;">Motörhead</b> - </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">“<i>With
the passing of Lemmy, it’s really, really important for me to see Motörhead
acknowledged in (the Rock Hall), cause there’s no more rock and roll person on
this planet than Lemmy and Motörhead.</i>” - James Hetfield</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It
will be bittersweet without Lemmy here to deliver what surely would have been a
delightfully snarky acceptance speech, but it’s time once and for all to put
Motörhead on the ballot. They are the pioneers of thrash metal, and clearly mean
so much to so many metal and hard rock fans. I can only imagine that James
Hetfield and/or Dave Grohl would be all too delighted to induct them. (Discussed
in Episode 3)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: red;">New
York Dolls </span></b></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">- The
Rock Hall is an institution that is supposed to honor pioneers and
trailblazers, but somehow they haven't inducted the New York Dolls. Talk
about a personality crisis! While the Doll's career was limited, their
influence and impact on music is lasting. They are critical to glam, and drew up
a blueprint for punk that makes them well overdue for the Rock Hall.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: red;"><b style="color: red;">Pat
Benatar </b>-<span style="color: red;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">With
four consecutive Grammy awards three American Music Awards, two multi-platinum
albums, five platinum albums, three gold albums and 15 Billboard Top 40
singles, Pat Benatar is well overdue for Rock Hall nomination. No one can tell
us we’re wrong. We’ve been searching Rock Hall ballot for so long, just waiting
for this incredible woman to be nominated. (Discussed on Episode 2)</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: red; font-weight: bold;">Patsy
Cline </span>- T</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">he
Rock Hall can't ignore country forever, and they definitely shouldn't ignore the
great Patsy Cline, who I am convinced would be the ballot dark horse that would
run away with a 2020 class spot. Her ability to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with
her male peers is an inspiration, and the way she mentored her female peers is
a reminder to us ladies to uplift your fellow woman instead of tearing her
down. She's influenced everyone from Loretta Lynn to LeAnn Rimes, and her
timeless music makes her more than worthy for the Hall.</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b style="color: red;">Sonic
Youth </b>-<b style="color: red;"> </b></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Hey,
Kool Thing, come here, sit down/There's something I go to ask you/I just want
to know, what are you gonna do for me?/I mean, are you gonna liberate us
girls/From male white corporate oppression? -</i> "Kool Thing" from the 1990 Sonic Youth album <i>Goo</i></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">With
16 studio albums, three compilation albums, seven video releases, 21 singles
and 46 music videos, how in the world has Sonic Youth never been nominated? Their
experimental sound defines "alternative" and influenced a generation
to play outside of the box. They've influenced Beck, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, My Bloody
Valentine, Dinosaur Jr. and oh yeah... NIRVANA. Bassist Krist Novoselic even
said Nirvana's initial goal was simply “to do as good as Sonic Youth.” Kim
Gordon is such an incredible frontwoman on her own, she even had Carrie Underwood
headbanging during her brilliant performance of Nirvana's "Aneurysm"
at the 2014 ceremony. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: red;">Suzi
Quatro </span></b></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">-"<i>I
just don't like being ignored because that's not correct. It's a big fault. I
hear from a lot of people -- they say, 'What? You're not in it?!' No -- and my
biggest fan is, and that's not right. You can't rewrite history just to suit
your organization.</i>" - Suzi Quatro</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Full
disclosure, I originally had The Runaways in this spot but then realized I was
wrong and I'm woman enough to admit that! Suzi majorly influenced my beloved
Runaways and she should rightfully be in first, and her significance of being a
pioneering woman in the glam rock scene is undeniable. She is critical to
paving the way for not only The Runaways, but also Heart, The Pretenders,
Siouxsie and the Banshees and countless others. She's one of the many women the
Rock Hall should be ashamed for excluding, and I think she’d do well on a
ballot.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: red;">Warren
Zevon</span></b> - "</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>One
day I hope to come back here for the induction for my friend Warren
Zevon.</i>" - David Letterman during the 2017 Pearl Jam induction.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Warren
enjoyed every sandwich, but critics and fans have never been able to enjoy his
inclusion into the Rock Hall because of the mind-boggling fact this revered
singer songwriter has never even been nominated. While perhaps he didn't enjoy
the populist chart success of some of the bands inducted in recent years, there
is no denying that his body of work is extensive, exemplary and beloved. Bruce
Springsteen called him the greatest songwriter, and Warren's fans also include
Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt, R.E.M. and Fleetwood Mac. With fans like that,
I can't imagine he'd languish long on a ballot.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>So
those are my 15 ballot picks, but wait...there’s more.</b></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Trying
to limit my picks to a certain number of artists is agonizing for me and I will
always find a way to bend the rules. In that spirit, I have also chosen picks
for Early Influences, the Ahmet Ertegun Award and the Award for Musical Excellence. I
know many people don’t like these categories because they feel they are a
lesser induction, especially the Award for Musical Excellence. I understand
that viewpoint but I personally don’t see it that way, though I’m moderately
more forgiving towards the Rock Hall than most. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The
long and short of it is, the Rock Hall has a backlog of artists who need to be
inducted, and while having more inductees per year would be a simple solution
to the problem, it seems for whatever reason that the Rock Hall is not going to
deploy it anytime soon. I don’t understand it either; if Eric and I had our
druthers, we would support the Rock Hall doing two nights of inductions and
inducting 10-15 artists per class. As much as an idealist as I am, I never,
ever see that happening. It’s not ideal, but our best chance at chipping away
at the backlog is utilizing Musical Excellence. At the end of the day if it’s a
choice between a worthy artist never getting in, or them being inducted via a
backdoor manner, I will pick the “lesser” option every time unless it’s the
Singles category. We cannot complain about people being left out, but then also
complain when an effort is made to induct them. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Lastly,
let’s face it, we’re the only group of people who care this much about the
minute details with the Rock Hall. The public at large isn’t going to care or
understand the difference of an artist being inducted as a performer or as a
Musical Excellence pick, they will just see them as a Rock hall inductee. And
you know what, I think there is credence sometimes to simply letting go of the
labels and being happy that the artists we love are being celebrated. With that
said, let’s talk categories!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Early
Influences: <span style="color: red;">The Carter Family</span></b></span><span style="color: red; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This
was a no-brainer pick for me and frankly, it's shocking that the Carters are
not already in as Early Influence. When you’ve influenced every country artist
alive, including Johnny Cash, and acts such as The Grateful Dead then you
belong in the Rock Hall. (Discussed on Episode 8)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Ahmet
Ertegun Award: <span style="color: red;">Rick Rubin</span></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">He
created Def Jam Records, has worked with a staggering amount of musical acts
(many of them Rock Hall inductees), and even helped Aerosmith revitalize their
career with their collaboration with Run D.M.C. on “Walk This Way”. He is
critical to hip-hop and metal, and I can only imagine the talent who would
raise their hands to be the one to induct Rick or perform a set in his honor. Maybe
we’d even get a Slayer performance at a Rock Hall ceremony after all!</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Award
for Musical Excellence: <span style="color: red;">Tina Turner</span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This
might but controversial, but if I had to pick a “backdoor” person for
induction, then I think I would have to go with Tina Turner. She is already in
as a performer, so it doesn’t seem as egregious to use this category to honor
her solo career and shine a spotlight on the fact that she is pretty damn excellent. One might even
say, she’s simply the best. (Discussed on Episode 2)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So
that’s my idealist ballot. I guess now we wait and see if this year maybe there
is an idealist or two on the nominating committee! Thank you guys so much for
indulging me, thanks Eric for letting me invade E-Rockracy, and finally, thanks to
everyone who has supported the Hall Watchers podcast! Happy Rock Hall season!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Make sure you don't miss our podcast episode on Monday, September 2nd, where we will recap all 33 artists we picked for the 2020 Rock Hall season!</i></span></div>
E-Rockracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04488528056947107950noreply@blogger.com