Rock & Roll Hall of Facebook
In which people tried to guess who I voted for
I have never actually cared who gets into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame; never will. Made fun of it for years — still think it’s meaningless. But they started sending me ballots several years back, and hey, voting’s kinda fun. As is letting facebook friends try to guess who I’m voting for.
For instance, 2018: Okay, here’s a fun activity for boys and girls alike! Below you will find this year’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ballot, listing all nominees voters were allowed to choose from. Your mission, if you wish to accept it, is to guess which five artists I voted for. I’ll tell you how many you got right, but won’t tell you which ones they are, and whoever gets all five first wins! Fun, huh? (Important Caveat: I briefly posted my list of votes on someone else’s page for about an hour or so yesterday, then quickly deleted it when I thought of this activity. If you saw that post, and remember who I voted for, you are disqualified from posting guesses here, because it wouldn’t be fair. Your comment, therefore, will be swifty DELETED, because you CHEATED. Sorry — but please don’t let that stop you from stopping by and saying hi.)
After which lots of people guessed, and eventually Rolf B. Bloodstar of the seminal space-metal combo Bloodstar guessed correctly: Def Leppard, Devo, Kraftwerk, MC5, Roxy Music. Roxy and Kraftwerk easily being my favorites — nobody else came close. Rolf almost said the Cure, but though I do really like the ‘70s Cure, they lose me by 1980. Regardless, I’m ashamed and hereby apologize that all my votes went to white guys — not how my tastes generally work. But I didn’t pick the nominees, so sue me. (Also, I voted L.L. Cool J last year, if that’s a consolation. This year’s ballot was better. Always a close call.)
As for Stevie Nicks, pretty sure she’s already in with Fleetwood Mac. And do people really value her solo career, beyond say “Edge of Seventeen,” that much to put her in twice?? Great singer; nothing at all against her. But her solo career means less to me than, I don’t know, Laura Branigan or Tiffany or Gloria Estefan much less Pat Benatar (who I assume isn’t in?) I don’t even get the idea she was that big as a solo artist, though I might think otherwise if I checked her chart history.
2019: About to send in my Hall of Fame ballot. Think I’ll only vote for four this year — that’s all I really care about. (Honestly, I’d be comfortable with two.) Feel free to guess. Steve Crawford: “Kraftwerk, Motörhead, Notorious B.I.G., Thin Lizzy. Anywhere close?” Pretty darn close! Josh Langhoff: “Swap out Biggie for MC5?” Bingo, Josh. Boy that was fast. (And I could live without voting for Motörhead or MC5.)
Might as well confess here that if I were to add a fifth vote, it’d probably be T. Rex. I just don’t think they were good enough — They seem way too minor . Just a gut feeling. It’s bizarre and ridiculous to me that they’d be nominated before, say, Slade or Sweet (or hell, Suzi Quatro for that matter), any of whom I’d pick in a heartbeat. Makes no sense at all. I’m not sure T. Rex were even better than the Bay City Rollers, for Crissakes. (Actually, maybe Slade have been nominated in the past? Who keeps up with this crap? Are Mott the Hoople in yet??)
Also I’ve never particularly cared about Todd Rundgren one way or the other, sorry to say. I love a few T. Rex songs (which pretty much sound exactly the same as each other), like a couple albums, but I could say the same about Depeche Mode, or Pat Benatar, or the Doobie Brothers. They’re all fine — so are Biggie and Judas Priest and Rufus (who I barely know) and Soundgarden. But those all strike me as kind of lame, as nominees go. PS): So, I wound up writing in War for my vote #5. Just couldn’t, in good conscience, vote for any of the others.
2021: Still don’t particularly care who’s in and who isn’t, but on the other hand voting the past few years has been a nice diversion (and an honor I suppose.) Still trying to decide which boxes to check off; I’m allowed five, and am only absolutely committed to one (well, maybe two) of the nominees, with five others vying for my other three votes.
I used to hate Iron Maiden, but I’ve been trying more with them lately. Turns out they weren’t always awful, at least early on. Though claiming their dumb ugly monster mascot was “punk rock inspired,” as their bio in the pamphlet sent to HoF voters does, is just ridiculous. That bio actually uses the word “punk” three times in its first two paragraphs, and I suppose it’s all relative — they certainly started out less highfalutin than they wound up, no argument there. And I mean, sure, they did a few short fast songs. In the UK in 1980, it would’ve been hard not to be aware of punk, I’m sure. But you could say the same for pretty much any British metal band of the time, most of whom came off way more poverty-stricken and stuck in the gutter. Hell, if it’s punk credibility you’re after in your metal, why not nominate Venom? So anyway, I voted NYDolls/Dionne Warwick/L.L. Cool J/Fela Kuti/Devo.
2023: Still have until April 28 to send back in the ballot (13 more days than I have to file my income tax), and I know for sure four of the five I’m voting for. Right now I’m torn between three possibilities for fifth place: Cyndi Lauper, Kate Bush or Missy Elliott??? I am truly torn, so this is all y’all’s chance to have a huge effect on my R&RHoF ballot!
My rough take: Lauper made just one great album, and….not much after. (I’m a fan of her 2008 dance hit “Into the Nightlife,” which almost nobody else knows, and that’s about it.) Elliott made two all-time-genius singles, and…some okay ones, on her debut mainly. Bush strikes me as probably the most consistent of the three, most musically influential and interesting for the longest span of time, but her peaks don’t seem nearly as high as those other two. Hmm.
Deb Sprague: “Lauper is a wonderful personality. I personally listen to Kate Bush more, but i think Missy is more impactful overall.”
Bill ‘Bubba’ Singleton: “That is tough! But I’d go for Cyndi; her early influence on 80’s music, enduring status as a continuing icon to women in music and along with her Tony win for Kinky Boots. I think she just edges out Missy. PS: And how many times have ‘Time After Time’ and ‘True Colors’ been covered? She rules.” (Note: is it weird that can’t think of any “Time After Time” or “True Colors” covers? Oh wait…Miles Davis did the first one, right? Otherwise, I bet this is maybe an American Idol thing? I am far from a reality television expert.)
Jake Alrich: “Agreed; Cyndi ftw in terms of career impact.” Ian Rosen: “I’d pick Kate Bush. Her unique vocal style has been very influential and she’s continued to progress over a number of albums.” Patrick Hould: “Bush has unbelievable peaks, but usually too arty and florid for me. Lauper is a one-album wonder. Missy wins this easily.” My wife says Kate and my teenage daughter says Missy. (“Oh, so you’re only allowed to pick one woman??” Sigh.) Anyway. Results inconclusive!
Tom Lane goes so far as to suggest alternatives: “Cyndi. All three are worthy. Missy would be first female rapper inducted, so there’s that. There’s always others if those three don’t do it for you. [Sheryl] Crow has been a consistent presence since 1993. The [White] Stripes might have peaked early for some, but have some good to great albums.” Not to mention: “Just curious your take on George Michael.”
My fellow early ’80s University of Missouri-Columbia alumnus Crow also figured in all ten phone interviews I did this week (more than in the past 20 years)! I have nothing against her. Seems like a swell person and I wish her well. She has a couple CDs on my shelf, including her best-of. She just strikes me, sorry, as really really minor. She’s been consistently “okay,” but (unlike the other three I’m considering) has never been an original in any sense of the word. Saw somebody saying you might as well put Tommy Tutone on a Hall of Fame ballot, and while that’s an exaggeration, it still made me laugh. Sheryl’s like the definition of inoffensive middlebrow triple-A mereness, not quite stodgy but…pretty close. As for White Stripes, I’d consider them if everything else was equal (three or four good albums right at the start, nothing to sneeze at even if Jack White wound up a major annoyance later), but that’d mean an all-male ballot. I’d like to avoid that. (As for George Michael: Peaked in Wham!, and with the “Faith” 45. The rest of that LP was fine. I reviewed an Andrew Ridgeley album once for Spin!)
Steve Crawford: “Sheryl is from Kennett, Missouri, where I was born. And, God, no, she doesn’t deserve a R&RHOF slot.” Scott Seward: “I would vote for Cyndi Lauper just for that one album. I got no problem with that. I would vote for one song! I mean, in the end, who cares kinda? She should be in just for ‘She Bop’.”
And yeah, I totally get that logic, and I’ve used it many times, inasmuch as I care about the R&RHofFame in the first place. The Swingin’ Medallions and Nena and Funky 4+1 should be in, too. If I liked “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” (or “She Bop,” or “Work It” or “Get Ur Freak On”) as much as “Double Shot of My Baby’s Love” or “99 Luftballons” or “That’s the Joint,” this would’ve been a much easier choice! I have no problem with Cyndi (or Missy or Kate) being in, good luck to all of those ladies — it’s just a matter of which one I think deserved it most! I only have 5 votes! So the one-album limitation (really, 60% of an album in Lauper’s case) only really matters as a point of comparison, not as any kind of disqualifier. But in the end, I went with Warren Zevon / Spinners (those being my two shoo-ins) / Willie Nelson / Joy Division (which apparently includes New Order but whatever) / Kate Bush.
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