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. 

Can Rock be… Smart?

Rock ’n’ is party music, and the Rock Hall is totally fine with that. And as long as the party keeps going, it kind of doesn’t matter what the lyrics are. They can even address a political issue, make a point, or “send a message.”

And, as long as— and the kid in American Bandstand says— “it’s got a good beat and you can dance to it,” it’s all well and good.

But then there are the acts that prize brain over beat. And for those acts, the Rock Hall, well, takes a beat.

No doubt, there is tremendous literature-type brainpower among the Hall’s inductees as they stand. Some have been compared to, and even are, published poets. One has won the Nobel Prize for Literature!

But there are an equal number of such acts who have not gotten in… yet.

Again, nothing against straightforward lyrics. Sometimes a simple lyric is very powerful, and surprisingly hard to craft.

Also, nothing against nonsense lyrics. I have a dream to collect all the nonsense lyrics in one book; it could even spin off into a game in which players had to guess which na-na-na-na or sh-boom or shang-a-lang came from which song.

But it seems that only one, or maybe zero, poetic— OK, fine: “nerdy”— lyricist gets in a year. Meanwhile, many more wait to get picked. As nerds are used to doing.

Out of the 100 greatest songwriters in rock history, many (while eligible) are not yet in the Rock Hall:
https://www.rollingstone.com/interactive/lists-100-greatest-songwriters/

Update: Thinky performers Kraftwerk and Gil Scott-Heron were inducted as Early Influences in 2021. 

Don’t Know Where I’m Goin’…

A “long, strange trip” down a “long and winding road” may be great to sing about. But if your music resembles that, don’t expect to be inducted into the Rock Hall. 

The Hall tends to favor music that is melodic, structured, and direct. There are very few inductees that indulge in meandering musical exploration— prog rock, jazz-rock, jam bands, and the like.

Guitar solos seem fine, as long as they are short. And a jam or two in the course of a concert is also acceptable.

But don’t commit those to record, or expect them to be played on the radio, or make them a regular part of your identity… and then expect to be inducted.

A long song or two in your catalog might be OK, but again, the song should be highly structured and melodically predictable. No noodling and doodling for them.

"TL;DR" is Internet-speak for “Too Long; Didn’t Read.” Except for the Hall, for whom it stands for “Too Long; Don’t Regard.”

https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/jazz/jazz-musicians-look-to-rock-n-roll-hall-of-fame-for-inspiration/