Rant #3,764: Let's Twist Again

I have grown to abhor the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as the years go by, because it has become too political--and less musical--to my liking 

The Hall chooses acts to be enshrined based almost solely on politics and ad revenue, and has about as much to do with rock and roll as a can of tuna does.

The latest tussle the Hall of Fame is enraptured in now revolves around finally-an-inductee Chubby Checker, who, rather unnecessarily, waited decades to  get in, and now has informed the Cleveland, Ohio-based museum that he does not plan in attending the induction ceremony on November 8, because he prefers to perform before a live audience than to be there.

Checker--real name Ernest Evans--should have bern inducted decades ago. 

He was perhaps the biggest male hitmaker on the Anerican chart in the pre-Beatle 1960s, and he has actually been performing for more than the past 60 years.

And at age 83, there seems to be no stopping Checker or "The Twist."

The main problem here is thst after Elvis, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and all the top-tier rock and roll performers gained entrance into the Hall, Checker was pretty much forgotten about--

And he took great offense to it, letting the Hall know, on an almost yearly basis, how disappointed he was, and did it in barbed terms 

And he was right 

Without Checker and "The Twist," dancesable rock would not have had the door open for other formats, including disco, hip hop and rap--

Formats that the Hall has salivated over, neglecting true rockers in the process.

A lot of him being ignored had to do with Rolling Stone Magazine publisher Jan Wenner, who pretty much ran the Hall during most of its existence and who had a very publicized.disdain for various eras in rock history, including post-Beatles pop-rock and pre-Beatles pop from the 1960s, the latter of which Checker ruled in.

Thus, to this day, you have deserving performers like Lesley Gore, Paul Revere and the Raiders, Tommy James and the Shondells and the Monkees who will probably never get in because Wenner's residue still resonates in the Hall, even though the publisher is not as active in the Hall as he had been.

Anyway, Checker very publicly grilled the Hall for his annual omission, and then somehow, he was nominated and made it in--

Putting the shoe on the other foot, so to speak.

So now, still reeling from not even being considered for the Hall for decades, Checker is is doing it his own way--

By staying away.

You just know that producers of the Hall show are not too happy about this, as you know they had visions of the show ending with a "The Twist" finale featuring all the musicians there.

But with Checker not there, that is pretty much out the window.

They also probably figured that Checker's induction and appearance might bring in another demographic of viewers, boosting ratings and ad revenue, but that won't be happening.

Checker is having the last laugh, and who can blame him?