Posted by
Sidney Allen Johnson on Wednesday, August 08, 2007 7:55:15 PM
THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF SHAM
"Kiss
is not a great band, Kiss was never a great band, Kiss never will be a
great band, and I have done my share to keep them off the ballot." Dave Marsh; Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame historian and pompous a**.
Another year, another induction ceremony for the Rock and
Roll Hall of Fame. Another opportunity to deride KISS by refusing to
even nominate them for this fraternity of Rock and Roll elitism. Yet
again the most popular and influential band not already in the hall has
been passed over for reasons that actually reinforce the validity of
their claim to join the status of the so called "rock elite."
One of the most common ways to criticize the omissions for nomination
to the Hall of Fame is to call into question many of the lesser
candidates who have already been nominated and inducted to the Hall.
Certainly the "fame" and "influence" of many of the bands is
questionable. I submit, for example, The Pretenders. An appropriately
named band, but a great one? If you were reading any of the rock press
during the band's heyday, (particularly the Rolling Stone Magazine
cabal that controls entry into the Rock Hall) they were a band that
could more accurately be described as a "critics darling." How much
influence have the Pretenders had? Maybe a few women will claim Chrissy
Hynde was influential in making them want to get into a rock band but
not much otherwise. Certainly they did not get in the Rock Hall because
of overwhelming record sales or a volumous list of hit songs. They had
neither. Where is the Electric Light Orchestra? The Moody Blues? Is the
Pretenders claim to fame and influence greater than theirs? I think
not. The Pretenders are just good buddies with the right people.
Then there is the case of The Velvet Underground. How many
of you have truly ever heard one of their songs? Have you even heard of
the Velvet Underground at all? I have tried really hard to like them
myself. I bought all their CD's. I suppose I can appreciate some of
what they were trying to do, especially in their time, but famous? Most
people still don't even know who Lou Reed is, their most famous member.
So much for fame. But how about influence? Even though they didn't sell
many records, it has been said that everyone who did buy their records
started a band. This may very well be true, but look who all those
bands were. The New York Dolls, Patti Smith, Television, Talking Heads
etc. The whole New York avante-guarde scene of the 60's that evolved
into the punk and new wave scene of the CBGB's 70's. "Critics darlings"
all. A few of them had a couple of hits, particularly the Talking
Heads, but all of them will be in the Rock Hall before long. Why?
Because with the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame its all about who you know.
They know the right people. Sorry Jethro Tull, you didn't hang out with
the guys at Rolling Stone Magazine so you'll have to wait outside. But
hey, you can keep the Doobie Brothers, Deep Purple, Thin Lizzy and
Chicago company. They can't come in either.
This
wouldn't bother me so much except that they aren't even consistent with
their own arbitrary rules of disenfranchisement. Why is Blondie in
there?! Sure, compared to the Pretenders, the Velvets and all their
descendants, Blondie actually had hits. Lots of them even. And if
Chrissy Hynde influenced a few women Debbie Harry influenced way more.
But Blondie certainly violates all the rules of "taste" that the Rock
Hall, and their Rolling Stone Magazine benefactors, look upon with such
disdain. If KISS was considered somewhat tasteless with their disco
tryst in 1979 with the "I Was Made For Lovin' You" single, where does
that leave Blondie? They never found a passing trend they wouldn't jump
on and ride. Be it pop, disco or even a pathetic (ie. mighty white of
em' version) attempt at rap. Does any one remember "Rapture?" But they
were all successes with the record buying public.
But
hey, I'm not bitter. I don't particularly begrudge anyones induction
into this unnecessary institution. However it is somewhat useful to
determine just what Rock and Roll music has been over the years. Taken
in its rightful and proper context, induction into the Rock and Roll
Hall of Fame appears to be more of an indictment than a tribute. Since
when has Rock and Roll and its true practitioners ever sought out
acceptence by any so called "establishment?" Historically Rock and Roll
has been associated with rebelling against such notions. Each
successive generation has created its own musical heroes while
discarding those of its predecessors. Rock music has always sought to
seek and create a new path, at least in terms of its consistent pursuit
of new performers. The so called "next big thing." The very concept of
a Hall of Fame actually flies in the face of all that rock music has
ever stood for. Remember "hope I die before I get old?"
Hall
of Fames are ALWAYS associated with something that no one thinks about
with rock and roll.....retirement. In most other endeavors that
celebrate the careers of their practitioners with a hall of fame, you
have to have completed your professional career before you can be
considered for induction. Now it certainly can be argued that, from a
realistic and practical perspective, everyone inducted into the Rock
and Roll Hall of Fame is "done" as far as the validity of their careers
are concerned. Hardly anyone pays attention to any new records released
by "geezer" bands, even if they can still sell out an arena,
regardless of the quality of their new material. Why is that? Because
rock and roll is not associated with being old! People tend to stop
seeking new bands and buying new records when they start their working
lives and/or get married. But everyone always continues to listen to
the music they grew up with. They will always buy new reissues of the
music of their youth, even as they lose interest in keeping up with the
new acts coming along. Why? Because it makes them feel young! Rock and
roll is always about youth.
So where does that leave a
band like KISS or other highly influential rockers like Alice Cooper?
Strangely enough, it proves that as rock artists go, they were among
the very few who really got it right. They still aren't accepted by the
"rock establishment." Denying their induction into the Rock and Roll
Retirement Home actually validates their their careers. They are the
"supreme" rock artists.
Which brings me back to this statement from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's gatekeeper Dave Marsh:
"Kiss
is not a great band, Kiss was never a great band, Kiss never will be a
great band, and I have done my share to keep them off the ballot."
Though
he thinks he is deriding KISS, his statement amounts to more of a
coronation. Rock and roll is not about good taste. Rock and roll is
about what tastes good! That KISS is still viewed by the likes of Dave
Marsh as being in bad taste all these many years later, and in spite of
the successive layers of tastelessness since applied, only makes the
taste of their brand of rock and roll that much sweeter. It's
populism's inevitable triumph over elitism, and Rock and Roll is
nothing if not a populist movement. The KISS Army has won. KISS is
still a thorn in the side of the "rock establishment" and I wouldn't
have it any other way.
I'll give the last words to the architect of some of the greatest rock and roll ever made:
"The
beauty of America is that you can basically start any kind of private
club you want to. This one happens to be called the Rock and Roll Hall
of Fame. It's a very impressive name for a club but it's an illusion.
It's the creation of a group of industry people and critics who decide
who they deem as qualified to be in their little admiration society.
It's their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but it's not the people's Rock
and Roll Hall of Fame. Have you ever voted? I know I haven't. That's
why the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, besides having people who very much
belong in there, have an abundance of people who most people will
scratch their head and not even have a clue who they are. I don't have
anything against anybody who's been inducted, but more than a couple of
them are a joke. A band or musician's impact is measured by how they
change and influence society and other musicians. That and how many
albums and concert tickets they sell should be what gets them into the
Hall of Fame. As far as I'm concerned it's a private club with a
misleading name. It's a sham." Paul Stanley;KISS
Well said Starchild.