Rock Hall Induction Ceremony Thoughts

Whether you want to call it, the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame, the Rock n Roll Hall of Shame and so on, the committee made their induction decisions earlier this week and for people anywhere from the age of 25 to 45, this year’s inductees will actually be some groups that people know and will pose some interesting questions. Before you go get all Eddie Trunk on me and scream “it’s a crock of s--- until Kiss and Rush get in!” and “why am I writing about this?”, hear me out. I totally agree 100 percent those bands should be there, right alongside the best bands and there is some sort of secret music industry code that puts these bands into the Hall of Fame, but I’m not even trying to write about conspiracy theories and let’s just discuss who’s in it this year and what questions that could come up between now and April 14^th:

Guns n Roses: Most people I talked with were shocked to learn that they hadn’t been inducted yet. But given that the legendary “Appetite For Destruction” album and eligibility for the Rock Hall is granted 25 years after the release of your first album, this is actually GnR’s first year of eligibility. Metallica is the only other hard rock/metal band to be inducted in their first try. But this could pose some questions of who will show up, who will play and so on. Will Axl and Slash co-exist for 10 minutes while accepting their award? Will Axl show up for it after the ceremony is done or at all? Will Steven Adler overdose on stage? And these are just a few of the dozens of questions to ask about this potential firestorm.

If Axl does show, I am almost sure he’s gonna be late and insist the new GnR lineup comes out, complete with the ghastly Slash wannabe DJ Ashba and Bumblefoot playing “The Pink Panther” theme. If he doesn’t show, the rest of the guys will accept the award and perform a few tunes with a few different lead singers. Obviously, the second option sounds the safest. I don’t expect Axl and Slash to patch things up in time for the ceremony and who knows what will happen that night. Either way, it’s gonna make the Van Halen induction fiasco look tame in comparison.

Red Hot Chili Peppers: The Chili Peppers made it into the Rock Hall in their second year of induction and are a fine choice for the Hall of Fame. But for Anthony Keidis, please shave that most recent mustache off- it looks pretty 1980’s porno theater-ish. Will Dave Navarro show up and declare he should be there because he did one so-so album with the band? I hope not. And will they have a Spinal Tap montage to all their guitarists over the years? Maybe. But I think no matter what, the Chili Peppers guys will be wild but restrained. I am sure they are gonna be wanting to watch the GnR fireworks after them.

Beastie Boys: I am sure the future Rock Hall voters would have had a heartattack 25 years ago, when the Beasties came blazing out of the gates with the fratboy-ish yet blissfully simple “Licensed To Ill” and thought this would have been a Hall of Fame worthy group. But as we already all know, the group became far more diverse in their music over the years, mixing rock, hip-hop and even jazz into the mix. In their second year of eligibility, the Beasties are now one of the very few hip-hop acts to be inducted and the influence they’ve had on any white rapper since is undeniable. They will probably be the most gracious of the award, and yes- they’ll probably want to see what happens when GnR hits the stage.

The Faces and a few other names that escape me right now will also be inducted when the Rock and Rock Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony comes back to Cleveland on Saturday, April 14^th. It’s open to the public as well, as some tickets for $50 and $100 are available at www.rockhall.com starting December 17^th.