In the Fringes… Not in the Hall

A page in a sociology textbook shows two photos— one of businesspeople in suits and ties, and one of hippies in fringed vests and bellbottom jeans. The caption for both?

“Conformity.”

Even nonconformists tend to conform… to each other. They rebel in the same way, forming their own norms. As my college roommate, who showed me the textbook, put it, “What if I totally believed everything the hippies did, but felt most comfortable in a rugby shirt and khakis? Wouldn’t that be truly rebellious?”

How many acts in the Rock Hall are truly like no other, in the Hall or outside it? Yes, many acts are unique, but they still fall within certain parameters.

Their songs have verses and choruses. And a 2/4 or 4/4 beat. And they use guitars, basses, drums, and keys.

Truly “out there” acts, where the music— not just the fashions— stretch the boundaries of what “music” even is? Not so much.

I can think of only a couple of acts in the Hall like this, whose music is abstract, unpredictable, left-field… just plain weird.

Then again, maybe such acts don’t belong in a hall of fame. Maybe the simple fact of their incomprehensible unapproachability keeps them being niche acts with relatively few, if ardent, fans.

Still, it would be nice to have a few more of the most influential ones in there. Putting some more in the Hall would certainly raise the profile of those artists…

And what is rock music, if not a series of sounds that raise an eyebrow or two?

Update: In 2023 eyebrow-raiser Missy Elliott was Inducted as a performer. 

The Women Issue

Yeah, yeah…. You knew we were eventually going to get to this.

Here we go: There aren’t enough women Inductees.

In one category, they are shut out almost entirely: The Award for Musical Excellence, formerly Sidemen. It might as well still be called Sidemen, because only one Sidewoman— Patty Scialfa, a member of the E Street Band (which, first, should have been inducted as Performers with Springsteen or at least by itself in 2012 along with several other “backing bands” that got full Induction)— is in.

I can think of many women who deserve to be here. If you can’t, please watch the documentary Twenty Feet from Stardom. And then see the 2008 doc The Wrecking Crew and meet Carol Kaye. In any case, there are many women who have backed big-deal acts in the studio and on tour for decades, often as singers but even as musicians (like bassist Kaye). It should be easy to find dozens of worthy candidates, and yet here we are, and here they aren’t.

The next most glaring category in this regard is the Ertegun (Non-Performers) Award.  There are 50 winners (as of 2020), all of three of whom are women. And all of those are inducted alongside a man… and as part of a songwriting duo: Mann and Weil, Goffin and King, Greenwich and Barry. Not as “producers, disc jockeys, record executives, journalists and other industry professional(s).” Even though women have, um, been those things.

Yes, this reflects the sausage-fest reality of the music industry. No, you can’t award who’s not there. Yes, it’s hardly the fault of the award that this has been the sad history of the industry.

But come on. Since 1986, there haven’t been one or two women “producers, disc jockeys, record executives, journalists [or] other industry professional(s)” deemed worthy of the award? Even looking back at the entire history of rock, which goes back some 70 years at this point?

None? Zero? Zilch?

Early Influences, you’re next. Seven out of 33. We’re talking about performers from, more or less, the 1920s to the early 1950s. Guess what? Women were performing back then, too. In all the genres that fed into rock. But only a fifth of these Inductees are female acts. Even accounting for the sexism of those days, they should be around 40%, not 20%, of this category.

OK, now for the Performers. There have been other websites crunching the figures here, but I’m going to take a different approach, closer to the Bechdel Test for women in movies.

We’re going to see if there are any years in which more than two women got inducted as Performers in the same year:

In 1988, three women got in, but all were Supremes, so three women but one act got in.

1998 (ten years later): Four women in two acts; this time each act (Fleetwood Mac, The Mamas and the Papas) had two women.

The following year, 1999, The Staples Singers made for three of the four women who got in, so still two acts.

That also happened in 2007 (eight years later). Four women got in…but three were Ronettes, so again only two acts.

And in 2013, three women got inducted in the same year. Two were in the same band (Heart). So three women, but again only two acts.

So… did it ever happen that three or more different acts, each one with female members, got inducted in the same year?

Yes. Once. In 1996— after 10 years of inductions… and not since, in almost 25 more years of inductions.

In that year, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Grace Slick (with Jefferson Airplane), Maureen Tucker (with Velvet Underground) and all four Shirelles were inducted. So, seven women inducted as Performers in one year..!

Along with 19 men.

I found at least nine years in which no female Performers were inducted at all. There were zero years in which no male Performers were inducted at all.

Have men simply been the ones more “allowed” to make music in all that time? Maybe. But… given all the music that gets in? I mean, think about how wide a variety we are talking about here, from disco to punk, from folk to rap.

Women are slightly more than half the population. Given the historic sexism of the music industry, maybe allowances have to be made. You can’t award someone who wasn’t there.

But to say that there are simply no women worth inducting in some years? And only one or two the rest of the time? Impossible.

There are many lists online of women who are both eligible and deserving. In 2021, everyone who dropped their first album in or before 1996 will be eligible, Maybe not enough women were making records in the very early days (which I doubt), but by the mid-1960s, they had likely caught up. At this point, there is really no excuse. There aren’t enough women Inductees.

“When you know better, do better,” said a great singer (and poet, and author…), Maya Angelou. So, Rock Hall… do better.

https://www.npr.org/2020/01/15/796717978/41-women-who-should-be-in-the-rock-roll-hall-of-fame

Update: They did better! 

In 2021, three different acts with women were Inducted as Performers: The Go-Go's, Tina Tuner (solo this time) and Carole King (both solo this time and as Performer this time). Several other women were nominated, as well.

In 2022, four different acts with women in them were Inducted as Performers: Pat Benatar, Dolly Parton (yes, really!), the Eurythmics with Annie Lennox, and Carly Simon. Additionally, folkie Elizabeth Cotten got in as an Early Influence and there was even a women winning the Ertegun-- Sylvia Robinson. 

This is very gratifying and heartening. Keep it up! 

2023 was another banner year for women: as Performers, Kate Bush (after several tries), Sheryl Crow and Missy Elliott. None in the other categories, but three women with very different styles all in one year should be the norm. 

The One That Rankles the Most (Updated: She got in!)

[I originally published this post before its subject was inducted, which she was in 2021.]

I promised myself that I would not discuss specific or individual acts, but keep this blog about genres and subgenres which are unfairly (if they are) excluded from the Rock Hall.

But there is one person I really feel I need to talk about: Tina Turner.

Yes, she is inducted, but as part of a doubles act—  with Ike.

And I feel that she more than deserves an individual induction for her much-longer solo career. Now, that’s true of several other acts who are also in only as part of a band, and not as solo artists.

What is specifically upsetting in Turner’s case is her well-known mistreatment by Ike. And it is beyond upsetting to me that she had to work as hard as she did to be free of him… only to find her name linked to his, for eternity, in the annals of the Hall.

Inducting Tina Turner as a solo artist would send a very clear message that the Hall recognizes her as a person, as an artist with boatloads of talent and sterling integrity.

The Hall already has received a lot of criticism for not including more women. Tina Turner is a shoo-in. She is universally beloved. She had a bio-pic movie way before some of the other Inductees. And she lives in Europe, so her induction would be worldwide news. She's already in her 80s, so the clock is ticking loudly here.

If you want ratings for your Induction broadcasts, I bet you could get Oprah, an avowed fan, to induct her. In case you needed more incentive to right this wrong, or to induce Turner to fly from Switzerland to the States for a statuette.

Update: Turner has been nominated for solo induction for 2021. 

https://ultimateclassicrock.com/tina-turner-should-be-in-the-rock-hall/

Update: She got Inducted in 2021! At least she was alive to know about it.

This documentary was released prior to her Induction, and no doubt helped that Induction happen: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8399720/

Also, she won the Fan Vote. I will have to see how much this, historically, has helped acts get Inducted, but I doubt it could hurt: https://www.vulture.com/2021/05/tina-turner-wins-2021-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-fan-vote.html

The Case (Study) of KISS

While this blog is not about the merit of this or that act, the reasons KISS was Inducted are worth discussing, because they could help other bands (and genres) under the same situation. 

KISS was one of the most contentious inductions to the Rock Hall. The Hall seemed dead set on keeping them out… and yet, they did get inducted. Eligible since 2000, they did not get in until 2014, with only one other nomination along the way, in 2010— a decade after they were first eligible. 

I feel that there are two factors at work here, neither of which have to do with the quality of KISS’s music. They both have to do with the fact that the Hall is also a Museum. It’s right there in the full name of the place: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum.

The Museum set itself up, from the get-go, to embody a huge oxymoron; they want you to come see what you ordinarily only hear: music. So they have to have some things, some physical objects, to put in the displays, right?

And, say what you will about their musicality, few bands are a visually arresting as KISS. What are you going to display about, say, Nirvana? A flannel shirt? A notebook? With KISS, you have a guitar shaped like an executioner’s axe, and sky-high boots with skulls on the toes. Those, my friend, are some museum-quality artifacts worth selling tickets for.

Further, as a Museum, they need to sell tickets to stay open. And when tens of thousands of people— who call themselves an “army,” no less—  say they will not buy a ticket until you do a thing, but they will when you do do the thing, well… after a few years, you start to wonder if doing that thing just might be worth it.

TIME magazine once asked Spinal Tap to explain their longevity. They responded, and I’m paraphrasing: “We weren’t the strongest. We weren’t the smartest. But we were the loudest.” 

So there’s your lesson from KISS. You want your favorite band or genre in? Get organized, get stubborn... and get loud.

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/tom-morello-salutes-kiss-army-in-rock-hall-induction-speech-244529/

Singling out Singles

If you walk up to the bell, the saying goes, ring it.

So the Hall inducts songs now, as of 2018. And that’s great. It inducted six songs in that year, and another six in 2019.

And in 2020… zero.

Please don’t tell us this is going to be like the Ertegun (Non-Performer) and Early Influences and Musical Excellence (Sidemen) all over again… where you say you’re going to give an award but then forget to actually do so.

Is this a consolation prize? Steven Van Zandt explained: “…not to say these artists will never be in the Rock Hall. They just are not in the Rock Hall at the moment.” Uh-hunh. And I have a bridge to sell you.

Look, it’s fine to have a consolation prize. The Musical Excellence award should not be that— at least not for Performers, as it has become.

But Singles will work. Or could, given a chance. How many times have you heard, “How could (act) not be in? (Song) is one of the best rock songs ever!” See, OK, yeah, maybe that song is… but can you even name any other song by that band? Even if you can name five, that doesn’t make them Induction-worthy, necessarily.

And so— induct just the song, then. If the implication is, “You’re getting this one song in, but never your whole band,” while that sucks on some level, it’s at least an answer. And it’s not a loss; your song— and your band’s name, attached to it— will be in the Hall. Forever. While that’s not an induction, it’s way better than nothing. Tons of great bands will never get anything at all, Hall-wise.

Would you rather hear, from your crush, “Maybe… someday…” and be strung along for ages? Or get a simple, devastating— but final— “Ain’t gonna happen,” so you can mourn and move on?

I would further argue that having a song in the Singles list is better than being considered a “sideman/woman” when you— and everyone else— knows you were in the damn band.

How can I say that? Turns out, there have been studies done on Olympic medalists. Gold winners are happiest, of course. But Bronze, third-place, winners are second happiest. They didn’t lose, they medaled! “Hey! Got an Olympic medal! I will have ‘Olympic Medalist’ in my name here on out. I got to stand on the podium, see my country’s flag flown at the Olympics, come home with a prize…”

Silver medalists, meanwhile, were the least happy. Remember, in some Olympic competitions, you can lose by a tenth of a point, or a hundredth of a second. All that came between you and Gold was a hangnail, an eyelash!

So while the fact that the Hall is already— in just the third year!— skipping a year of Singles inductions is upsetting, the fact that they are doing it at all is a good thing. Now they have to, y’know, actually do it... not just step up to the bell, but ring it.

And let six songs in every year. We may run out of “Early Influences” at some point, and even “producers” (who knows how the industry will change?!)… but it will take ages to run out of Singles to induct, even at the rate of an EP’s worth a year.

https://www.futurerocklegends.com/blog_files/The_Rock_Hall_Singles_Category_Clings_to_Life.html

Update: I do not see that any Singles were inducted in either 2021 or 2022. Harumph.

Getting Behind in “Behind-the-Scenes”

So… the whatever you want to call it—  the Non-Performers Award or (since 2008) The Ahmet Ertegun Award— which once were two things and now seem to have merged, even retroactively (all those who won Non-Performers when it was called that are now considered Ertegun winners)…

You know, the award for contributing to rock history without being on stage? That one.

Well, since 2015, they have only given it out in two of those years— once in 2016 and twice in 2020.

Thing is, before that, it was annual. It was given to at least one person or (usually songwriting but sometimes producing) team from the inaugural year—1986— to 2003.

That’s a pretty solid run. Enough to encourage anyone who could reasonably be up for it to think, “OK, maybe this year.”

Then… they stopped giving it. For five years! Then they gave it in 2008.

Then in 2010, they gave it to six recipients! It seems like they suddenly remembered: “Oops! We forgot we give this award! Better make up for lost time. Just give a bunch out at once.”

OK! Whew! Back on track! They gave it every year again, from 2010-14.

Then… 2016. OK, skipped a year. That can happen.

But then, not again until this year, 2020. A four-year gap!

What the hey?

Here’s the thing. This category is HUGE and vague. It encompasses “songwriters, producers, disc jockeys, record executives, journalists and other industry professionals.”

And there is not even a 25-year built-in time lag between when you began in the music biz and when you become eligible, as with performers. Everyone in rock-industry history is a candidate right now! 

And they’re telling us that four or five years go by and you can’t think of anyone worthy? Year after year?

While most websites tracking snubs focus on performers, there are critics out there who have made lists of pros who should get an Ertegun. They can also see if the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame, or Radio and Broadcast halls, have inducted anyone who also needs one.

I am not going to sit here and sift through all 50 current Ertegun awardees to determine what percentage are execs vs producers vs songwriters (and many are two of these things, or all three)… vs DJs or journalists. A quick glance reveals far more execs and producers. I see 9 or 10 I would consider songwriters.

But if someone wants to do a breakdown of who’s there based on what their actual contribution was, I’d love to see it (and comment on it). I predict there would be clear patterns that would suggest which kind of Ertegun awardee is missing.

And so maybe another 10 people who deserve one can, in 2021, stop waiting. That’s right, it’s time for another 2010-type clean-up sweep. Maybe consider doing a sweep in every year that ends in zero? Or is a multiple of 5?

Of course, then the Hall just has to go back to giving one or two out every year, making sure not to ignore the songwriters (again, take a peek at their Hall)… without whom we would have far less music to begin with.

But, if you're gonna bother having the award? Bother awarding it.

https://www.audiovisualrepository.com/blog/Producersrockhallsnubs

https://www.songhall.org/

Update: In 2021, there were two inductees as Early Influences, three for Musical Excellence, and one Ertegun. In 2022, two more Early Influences, two for Musical Excellence, and three Erteguns.

Good, good. Let's keep that up, shall we? 

There were two Early Influence, three Musical Excellence, and one Ertegun inducted.