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Welcome to my Rock n’ Roll Hall of Shame

For nearly 26 years,Cleveland, OH has been the proud home of the beloved Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, an establishment dedicated solely to the celebration of rock and roll’s most prominent and influential artists. 

Which is why Kiss, Rush, Deep Purple, Journey, Thin Lizzy, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Bon Jovi, and Cheap Trick have been ignored by this illustrious institution.

And I guess it also explains why icons of rock and roll, like Run-DMC, Abba, Grand Master Flash, and Madonna are honorary inductees.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is like the opposite sex.  You’ll simply never understand some of the decisions they make.

The Deep Purple snub alone is just outrageous.  I mean, Smoke on the Water? DUH-DUH-DUH. DUH-DUH-DUH-NUH.  That is about as iconic a riff as any rock and roll band has ever played.

 But apparently not as iconic as all the great guitar riffs Run-DMC has written.

Now before I continue ranting, I would like to take a second to congratulate the Hall on recently inducting two legitimately credible rock bands this year, in Guns ‘N Roses and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. These two bands can now be mentioned in the same breath as other legendary rock and roll acts, like Madonna and Run-DMC.        

And even when the Hall gets it right, they get it wrong.  On the few occasions that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has farted out a credible inductee, it has come after years of disrespect. 

Black Sabbath, Van Halen, and Alice Cooper all waited 10+ years to be inducted after being eligible.  Who is more iconic in rock and roll than Van Halen?  The 80s hard rock era is entirely their fault.  And Black Sabbath and Alice Cooper? Both acts singlehandedly invented entire genres. 

Now at this point, readers are probably waiting for some justification for a rant of this magnitude.  Here’s why you should care:  people simply are not aware of the atrocities that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame commits year after year: who’s in and who’s left out.  It is my job here to be your source of enlightenment, the catalyst to your epiphany.

Yes, the bands who played “Rock ‘N Roll All Nite” and “Smoke On the Water” have not been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. You also read correctly when I said that Madonna has been inducted. 

There must be some strong smoke in the room when the “expert committee” makes its selections. 

It is atrocious, blasphemous, and sickening.  I mean for God’s sake, LL Cool J was nominated last year.  No one with half an ounce of respect for rock and roll and its history can justify that action. 

I guess what I’m hoping for is that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame chooses to induct some of the most influential and iconic rock bands of all time, and that they not induct hip-hop and rap artists into a rock and roll institution.  My sincere apologies if that is too much to ask.

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  • H

    HAHAJan 19, 2012 at 9:41 am

    Yea, thats cause everyone at the Rock and Roll HOF has musical taste. Madonna and Grandmaster Flash both brought their Genres to the spotlight and basically fueled and entire generation of people. Without them, music would be very different today.

    Bon Jovi is just another guy from Jersey strumming his guitar. He had some of the worst songs of the 80s too. Sales dont make you a great artists.
    And Journey?!?! Come ON! they suck! they had one song that randomly blew up out of no where. again, that doesnt give u HOF recognition.

    Reply
  • W

    WRONG AGAIN!Jan 19, 2012 at 9:37 am

    No way, Kiss is a Joke.
    And a famous guitar riff doesnt get u into the HOF. the HOF is for the best of the best, Deep Purple never has been close to there

    LL Cool J is one of the founding fathers of hip hop, and you refuse to accept that cause your biased against that kind of music. so its not called “Rock and Roll” if i recall, John Coltrane and Miles Davis aren’t Rock and Roll, but your not complaining about them having a place in the HOF.
    Maybe if u stopped listening to the repetative and overplayed rock songs ofthe 70s and 80s, you would discover a different sound that many people find genius. A guy in a top hat playing a guitar as fast and loud as he can doesnt equal greatness.

    Reply