2021 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Nominees POLL

Although I'm glad Rundgren got in, it occurred to me that it's weird to see him go in before the New York Dolls. Tried to think of an analogy, and the closest I could come up with--far from perfect--would be if Peter & Gordon had gone in before Linda Ronstadt.

Of his production clients, Patti Smith, Laura Nyro, Cheap Trick and Hall & Oates got into the hall before him, and Grand Funk Railroad, Meat Loaf and the Hello People will follow him.

haha hope you are well, cuz! xxxxxxxpost

sadly i never saw mr. joel at mfp. he was probably already a star by the time i started going there regularly. i think the only place i ever saw him post-hassles was when he guested at that garth brooks show, way off in the distance in central park. i've seen his old mates in that lords of 52nd st thing.

that thing in the article about mfp being shut for parking violations is true enough but also total bs. the village of old roslyn briefly became a youth hangout in the 80s, with multiple clubs (u.s. blues! the little club!) and some spillover onto the once-sleepy historic streets. the town had enough, and started forbidding parking under the big viaduct, where the only enemy had been pigeon shit. my father's place itself had a tiny lot. today old roslyn is again a sleepy town, with no youths and no clubs.

:)

i was at that garth brooks show too, way way way off in the distance. it probably would have been a $12 cab fare from where we were sitting to the stage.

Sonic Youth have never even been on the ballot? As a part-time fan who ranks a handful of songs among my favorite ever, that is truly ridiculous. It doesn't even make sense within the strictures of Rolling Stone--they are very much a part of "rock tradition" by now.

I agree, it’s surprising (as a non-fan). They seem to fit the profile

As a longtime fan, this doesn't surprise me much at all. They're not very famous, compared to most of these artists. I don't really know what being part of "rock tradition" means, in this context? I don't think they've added many radio classics or standards for covers or that we're seeing loads of young bands playing in F#F#GGAA...?

They’re critical faves who have been influential (like the Stooges, Patti Smith, Velvets, Kraftwerk…).

Daydream Nation is #171 on their most recent Top 500 (and was #45 on their '80s list--even by 1990, they had been canonized), Goo is #358; in the most recent RS guide, Daydream Nation and Sister were given five stars. Skimmed through their reviews page on RS--most albums got four stars on publication, a few three-and-a-half:

https://www.rollingstone.com/results/#?q=sonic%20youth%20album%20reviews

The fact that they tune their guitars differently seems irrelevant to me; they're as much of a fit as Frank Zappa.

They're not very famous, compared to most of these artists.

Fame has different meanings--there's Hall & Oates/Go-Go's fame (for a few years, they sold a lot of records), then there's a much deeper kind of fame, the Velvet Underground/Jean-Luc Godard kind of fame. (Except for maybe a brief moment in the mid-late '60s, Godard's films have been seen by few people.) I'm not saying Sonic Youth sit right alongside the VU and Godard, but that is the direction in which they're headed over time.

Haha, I forgot that the Stooges and Patti Smith were in tbh.

Definitely don't deny that Sonic Youth were critical favourites in the late 80s and 90s. Most of the inductees from the last few years have been big sellers (Rundgren and the Zombies seem closest to being cult acts and even they had some hits) but SY definitely fit in alongside artists like the VU and Zappa.
xp

And if Fela Kuti can at least get on a ballot…

The more shocking thing to me is they haven't been nominated. I would have expected three or four unsuccessful nominations, then they get in. When I did this poll 12 years ago (my first ILX poll), they dominated. (None of the runners-up are in either...)

The Bert Blyleven Poll

Fela Kuti was hugely popular and layperson-level famous, though, right, just not on this continent?

(I do agree that Sonic Youth could fit on grounds of critical acclaim or innovation tbc, although my suspicion is the people who care most about those things wrt Sonic Youth may care less about the RRHOF.)

Sequel to Sadness (Sund4r) at 7:05 30 May 21

As a longtime fan, this doesn't surprise me much at all. They're not very famous, compared to most of these artists. I don't really know what being part of "rock tradition" means, in this context? Sequel to Sadness (Sund4r) at 7:05 30 May 21

As a longtime fan, this doesn't surprise me much at all. They're not very famous, compared to most of these artists. I don't really know what being part of "rock tradition" means, in this context? I don't think they've added many radio classics or standards for covers or that we're seeing loads of young bands playing in F#F#GGAA...? in F#F#GGAA...?


I mean.... there's tons of underground rock that's either directly or indirectly influenced by them, that balance of dissonance and melody is so baked in (SY and Mission of Burma), focusing on tuning seems weird

also what's true about this:
Sequel to Sadness (Sund4r) at 7:05 30 May 21

I don't think they've added many radio classics or standards for covers or that we're seeing loads of young bands playing

that isn't true about Zappa?

just not on this continent?

I always took the RRHOF to be pretty UCAN-centric, no?

I just picked that tuning as a random example. I don't hear that much of their influence in the kind of artists that I was thinking RRHOF voters would be concerned with but, yeah, I conceded that I wasn't thinking about artists like the VU and Zappa being included, as well as Tina Turner and the Foo Fighters. I do agree they fit alongside those.xp

Thurston Moore, in his own way, also kind of fits in with the Dave Grohl elder statesman/ambassador idea (Henry Rollins, too, although I'm less enthusiastic about him). Moore has always been a cheerleader for bands he likes, turns up in numerous documentaries, is kind of affable and unthreatening, etc. And if they do start to shift some of their focus towards women, Kim Gordon has to be at or near the front of that line.

I honestly have no investment in them being inducted in the RRHOF and it's not something I ever hear from SY fans.

Iron Maiden otoh

Fela Kuti was hugely popular and layperson-level famous, though, right, just not on this continent?

No, but don't discount the power of having a hit jukebox musical based on your work.

(xpost) No, I don't think their longtime fans would care, though I suspect some would get a kick out of the incongruity--like hearing that Apple commercial with Delta 5 right now. I'll be honest: my guess is that Moore very much wants to get in. (I haven't read Kim Gordon's book, so I don't know about her--probably not.)

I don’t get why fans of any band wouldn’t think it was at least cool if they got in.

bc the RRHOF is a ridiculous and meaningless institution?

trenchant commentary thread 3 could basically be this thread

xp Even if someone thinks that, wouldn’t they still enjoy / get a kick out of it? Who’s that terminally grumpy, lol

I mean rock & roll is often ridiculous, that’s what makes it fun

i refuse to listen to a foo fighters album

xp, i mean it's like getting on the cover of aarp magazine, good for them i guess?

At the very least it means a professionally produced video package on the history of your favorite band, that lots of ppl will see

Royal Trux could be inducted to the Midwest Auto Parts Hall of Fame and I’d be watching with excitement

Not sure why or how to explain it, morrisp - maybe that recognition for "critical acclaim and influence" by a hall of fame doesn't seem like much to get excited about? Maybe that it's the band that recorded "Kill Yr Idols"?

I guess I feel like you (or they) don’t have to take something seriously to enjoy your favorite band doing it. Isn’t that also part of the “punk rock” tradition? “We’re too cool for this, but we’re gonna goof on it?”

(SY also seem pretty reverent/respectful of their own idols, that song title notwithstanding!)

I mean, I'd watch if they were inducted but I'm not like writing letters or anything.

They could play “elegy for all the dead rock ★’s” [I know that’s Thurston solo]

Yeah, the song was more of a jab at Christgau than anything else. I meant more that it's a bit whatever if rock writers immortalize them, not that they have a philosophical stance against canonization.

https://www.insidehook.com/article/music/yr-kill-yr-idols-inspired-sonic-youths-iconic-song

Inneresting… I only know the “I Killed Xgau With My Big Fucking Dick” song (shows what I know!)

I just thought that was how they labelled the same song on one release - was there a different song?

Mayo Thompson recorded “Portrait of V. I. Lenin in the Style of Jackson Pollock, Part I" (several times)—and I’d shine all of Jann Wenner’s shoes if it meant I could somehow see Mayo up on that stage.

John Sykes’s, too. He could talk about his bud Mellencamp while I did the work.

At the very least it means a professionally produced video package on the history of your favorite band, that lots of ppl will see

― like a d4mn sociopath! (morrisp), Sunday, May 30, 2021 6:56 PM (fifty-four minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

i mean this with all sincerity: who cares

award ceremonies are fucking dumb

I think the only thing I really wanted from Jann Wenner was to see him eat shit and induct Rush, which he already did eight years ago.

xxp I thought all fans did! Honestly never heard of the “hate to see my favorite band on film / onstage / get recognition” kind of fan.

it's not hate it's a total lack of interest, oh boy jan werner likes royal trux yippee

we do have the rnrhof for giving us LULU though, so it's good for that

i guess i really like the speech brian may gave about def leppard last year.. or maybe it was joe elliott talking about queen... anyway it was sweet