Because it’s Tuesday and the latest class for the hall was announced last week.
First, the Winston-Salem Journal has a nice write-up on the “5” Royales, which will enter the hall in April as an early influence. And yes, them were from Winston-Salem though sadly the last member of the band died in 2005.
And then there a well-written column by Joe Lynch in Billboard of all places arguing that the “Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Needs to Venture Outside of Mainstream to Stay Relevant.” A highlight:
It’s insane that Ringo Starr will join the Rock Hall twice while Big Star — one of the most influential under-the-radar acts of the ’70s — isn’t in once, despite its massive influence on the music of the last 25 years.
The ’90s alt-rock/indie rock boom would be unthinkable without the Replacements, Pixies, The Smiths and R.E.M. But tellingly, R.E.M — the best-selling (and dullest) band of that group — is the only one in the Rock Hall.
That’s the real problem with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame — its confounding disinterest in anything outside the mainstream.
Lynch is, of course, absolutely correct but good luck trying to get the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to change.
