I admit, I don’t really follow who’s in the Hall Of Fame and who isn’t, but I do know that there have been some questionable inductees and many, many glaring omissions. This year was certainly no exception. Of all people, Madonna was inducted. The others (The Ventures, The Dave Clark Five, John Mellencamp and Leonard Cohen) I can see, but Madonna? WTF?
Now, I can’t deny the popularity she (still) has or how successful she has been over the course of her career, but I don’t see the connection. Bringing the Stooges (one of the aforementioned glaring omissions) to perform in your place doesn’t give you rock credentials and doesn’t really make you look good or give the critics any reason to reconsider their doubt. There may have actually been a good reason for it, but it certainly doesn’t give the choice to include her any weight. Who knows, maybe it was a savvy move by Madonna on behalf of the Stooges, in protest to their having been passed by in the past. Having Iggy Pop and the Stooges perform at the show that has previously snubbed them might make them contenders next time around – might being the key word here. Anything can happen.
There are many deserving acts in the HOF, even if it took a while for them to finally be put in after becoming eligible, Black Sabbath being one of the better examples of the delay for an important band. Some of the bands were quite successful, others were more of an influence, some are well known but aren’t as successful or aren’t as influential. And there are several non-performers who are in the HOF for their contributions as well. However, like with the performers, there are people missing from that list. Quincy Jones should be considered one of the most flagrant omissions of all.
There’s no way every worthy band is going to make it to the list and no one will ever completely agree on who should be in and who shouldn’t be there. But I have to believe Madonna is one of the more questionable entries in the history of the Hall Of Fame. For now. Give it time, we’ll see another inductee that doesn’t seem to fit the bill.
Does the HOF really matter to music? That’s debatable. The music industry, like the movie industry, is big on self gratification. And it is nice to receive the recognition of your peers. But at the end of the day, does being inducted into the Hall Of Fame mean anything? I don’t really know. Being a mix of popularity contest and genuine recognition, it’s hard to say.
