Many rock fans--myself included--consider this place a real joke, but the rock establishment, in its PC way of doing things, believe that this place in Cleveland is the real deal, and to show how current, in vogue and politically correct the place really is, in its announcement about what acts are going into these hallowed halls, it excluded a "sure thing" to garner ad revenue, instead allowing in an act whose anthem is as current as the media has made it to be.
"F--- the Police!" yell N.W.A.--I won't even go into what "N.W.A." stands for, as it would add fuel to my fire--and they are going into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
What they have to do with rock and roll is something I don't know, but aren't they just perfectly placed for today's times, where the nuts have taken over the asylum we live in, and the police are the bad guys and the criminals are the good guys?
Sure, they had other tunes--I can't name a single one, sorry--but you just know that PC maven Jann Wenner, who runs the joint, wanted them in to make a point.
Hate cops, have white guilt, whatever.
And their entrance made the once "sure thing" Janet Jackson old hat. They don't need her to sell ad revenue to the broadcast. They have the race baiters. She will have to wait.
Four other far more deserving acts went in, and here they are:
Chicago has been knocking at the HoF door for years, and has been around since the mid 1960s. Their early jazzy, horn-based rock and roll certainly set the tone for many other acts, and yes, their early stuff was as anti-establishment for the time as N.W.A.'s was for its time, but it was countered by numerous terrific singles--"Saturday in the Park," "25 or 6 to 4," "Make Me Smile," "Harry Truman" and a boatload of others--to kind of quell whatever revolutionary thoughts they had in their canon, soothing the masses with sweet sounds while they yelled and screamed about everything else.
Deep Purple is the British import that kind of bridged pop, rock, hard rock, and the emerging heavy metal genre, making classics out of "Hush" and "Smoke on the Water" and then moving onto lots of other familiar FM-oriented music in the 1970s and beyond.
The Steve Miller Band is another one of those links to a different time and different types of music. Their bridge of pop, rock, bubblegum and jazz included such diverse tunes as "Living in the USA," "The Joker" and "Abracadabra," and this band is perhaps, along with Journey and the Grateful Dead, the San Francisco bands with the longest lifespan.
Cheap Trick personifies the working class spirit in rock and roll, Midwest style. It took them a long time to catch on with the masses, but once they did, they had huge albums, huge singles, huge tours and became the band that never forgot its roots in 1960s pop rock, whether talking about the Elvis, the Beatles, the Move, or even fellow Midwest faves like the New Colony Six. Whether it be "Live at Budokan," or their singles "I Want You To Want Me," "Surrender" or "The Flame," these guys always knew how to rock, and still do.
I really can't argue with the final four, but N.W.A. ... let's move onto other matters.
It should be interesting to see how these acts are welcomed into the HoF, and who from the many, many membersof each act are there. Each of the above named acts have had many, many members throughout the years, so each act could have as many as 20 people come up on stage to accept the entrance into the HoF--except for Cheap Trick, and they have had their own problems with personnel recently--with drummer Bun E. Carlos suing the band, later settling, but the acrimony reportedly still exists--so it should be an interesting evening early next year.
But it is the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which along with the Baseball Hall of Fame, seems to feed off controversy, so what else is new?
So ok, I have never been a fan of rap or hip hop or similar genres, never heard of NWA until today. So I had to Google the name. And while I happen to like Janet Jackson ... Clearly she sold more records. A lot more records. But if the criteria is that you're doing something new and innovative ... Well, if Wikepedia is to be believed, NWA wins that battle. Although I'm sure I'd never like their music. Here's what wiki said.N.W.A (an abbreviation of Niggaz Wit Attitudes)[1][2][3] was an American hip hop group from Compton, California. It was one of the earliest and most significant popularizers of the gangsta rap and West Coast hip hop subgenres, and is widely considered one of the seminal groups in the history of hip hop music.[4] Active from 1986 to 1991, the rap group endured controversy owing to their music's explicit lyrics that many viewed as being disrespectful of women, as well as its glorification of drugs and crime.[5] The group was subsequently banned from many mainstream American radio stations. In spite of this, the group has sold over 10 million units in the United States alone. The group was also known for their deep hatred of the police system, which sparked much controversy over the years.
ReplyDeleteSo you give a Hall of Fame nod to an act that is disrespectful of women ... that is OK in your mind? How about the police? (I think I know the answer to the latter one.) They have nothing to do with rock and roll, and Mr. PC himself probably welcomed them in there with open arms due to his own white guilt. And Janet Jackson doesn't really belong in there, either.
ReplyDeleteAre we examining their political philosophy, which I dislike, or their "artistic merit"? Frankly my musical taste runs more to Ms. Jackson than NWA, I hadn't even heard of them until your blog post and I'm sure I would dislike their music immensely. But Ms. Jackson's music was neither new nor innovative, she's cut from the same cloth as her older brothers. It's a winning formula, it's quality music, she sold tons and tons of records, the fact that she's still recording, touring, etc. shows that her music endures. All good arguments for putting her in the hall next year. But that doesn't obviate the fact that NWA apparently created an entire genre, gangsta rap. You and I may not like the genre or their music, but they sold 10 million records without any mainstream radio access, so someone must be listening.
ReplyDeleteYou never answered my question--they have views on women that will never make them mainstream. People listen to this, and they think that is how it is. It is pure crap, not music, a lot of yelling and screaming. They are in for PC reasons only, and that is not a reason to be in there.
ReplyDeleteLarry, I don't like their message, I've never heard their music, I'm sure I wouldn't care for it. But what's being said in all the newspapers: hip-hop and rap have had a strong influence over the past 15-20 years and NWA are considered visionaries who broke down barriers in society to let the rest of the world in on the harsh confinement of street life in America's forgotten corners. the NY Daily News said:
ReplyDeleteN.W.A., led by Dr. Dre and Ice Cube, was elected after three unsuccessful nominations — a win that may have been linked to the release of a “Straight Outta Compton,” a hit movie about their career. Their hard-core tales of life on the street on songs like “F—- tha Police” made them a provocative chart presence in the late 1980s and influenced an empire of other acts.
The NY times pointed out:
N.W.A, the pioneering gangsta rap group, is only the fifth hip-hop act to join the Rock Hall, after Grandmaster Flash, Run-DMC, the Beastie Boys and Public Enemy. The group had been on the ballot three times before; this year they were the subject of a hit biopic, “Straight Outta Compton,” which has grossed over $161 million at the box office and is considered a contender in the film awards season.
I don't like their message, I'm not familiar enough with their music to say whether I like or dislike it. But quite clearly, if the NY Times is to be believed, NWA were pioneers of the genre and a huge influence on the industry. And that's the criteria for admission to the hall, isn't it?
Incidentally, I hard that the hall replaced a large segment of its nominating committee, and actually allowed fans to vote this year. The Times reports:
The music world has been closely watching the results of the secretive Rock Hall process, after the organization this year dismissed a large contingent of its influential nominating committee and, according to reports, made an effort to expand its membership with younger voters and more women.
I'm not sure what you mean by "People listen to this, and they think that is how it is." You and I don't relate to their music, because we didn't live their experience. But obviously they touch a nerve in some parts of the audience.
And I truly find it offensive that every time you review an artist, a band, a TV show, and you don't like it, you label it "crap" or "garbage". Every single time. It's a huge put-down, you're basically telling the people who like that band or TV show that they have no taste or intelligence. I like Robin Williams, he was a funny man, a serious actor and a mensch. I like Adele, her sad songs are cathartic. And I like Star Wars, it's a fun and escapist. I don't like professional wrestling, but if I were to call it "pure drek", you know what kind of response I would get from you. You'd be all over me, defending your favorite wrestlers and telling me you love it because ...well, I'm sure you have your reasons for enjoying it.
And that's my point. Not every choice for the hall of fame will be a band or performer you like or appreciate. Earning the respect of your peers in your industry goes a long way with me, even if I don't like the artist or the message. No, I'm not running to the next Dr. Dre concert, and yes, I'll probably skip over that portion of the show where NWA is inducted, but so what?
It is my opinion, and I will stick with it. It is garbage, and for what it is worth, I am not alone in that thinking. Jann Wenner is clearly making a statement by having them join the party, and don't be surprised if during their induction, they perform "F--- the Police."
ReplyDeleteHonestly, all that I am saying is that people get so enraged about things at the drop of a hat today, and here we have an act that might have had an influence on some people, but their views on certain aspects of life are so against the grain that I cannot believe that people are not more enraged by this than they are. Sure, it is only music, so who cares, but their music spreads messages of hate, which is never good. And yes, the music is garbage. It doesn't have to directly speak to my generation to know that music that puts down the police, glorifies rape and is anti-white is garbage. No, it doesn't take a college education to know that, and if I were younger or older than I am, it would horrify me just as it does at age 58.