The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame may have its detractors, but by and large it's still the best place in town to see a procession of creaky bands brimming with replacement members and age-old resentment glowering at each other over cocktails.
That could all be different next year, though, because the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame shortlist has been announced and it contains five different solo artists including John Mellencamp, Donna Summer, Leonard Cohen, Afrika Bambaataa and Madonna. And, unless all of these Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame shortlisted acts are riddled with self-loathing, chances are they haven't spent the last decade bitterly estranged from themselves – although at various points in her career it could be argued that Madonna has been estranged from her underwear, her sense of common decency and, thanks to her marriage to Guy Ritchie, her marbles. And that probably sort of counts a bit, right?
To enter the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, you need to be able to pass a series of tests. Number one, your first release had to come out 25 years ago, and secondly you need to a) get onto the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame shortlist and then b) get voted through that to enter the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame proper. There's also a third test which scrutinises your ability to awkwardly pretend to be friends with people who you fell out 15 years ago after an argument about songwriting royalty percentages, but that's less relevant for the time being.
And it's completely worth it to get inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame because, although it's basically half music industry circle-jerk and half transparent tourist attraction, it presents one of the greatest-ever chances for an old band to embarrass itself in front of the whole world, whether it's by refusing to play with your old members like Blondie or writing barely legible letters about piss like the Sex Pistols or by not turning up because you're either in rehab, supporting your brother in rehab or just a bit angry at everything like Van Halen last year.
Because of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame's 25-year quarantine period to make sure that it doesn't just keep inducting flavour-of-the-week fly-by-nights, the acts usually inducted into the Hall Of Fame are usually hugely irrelevant, long-split groups to whom commercial success is as distant a memory as having hair or their own teeth. But next year's Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame looks set to be different because among its shortlisted inductees are two acts which could still be considered contemporary – Madonna and The Beastie Boys. E! Online reports:
Madonna's love may be on the borderline, but apparently her rock credentials aren't. The Queen of Pop joined a disparate group of artists on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame shortlist, a ballot that includes the Beastie Boys, John Mellencamp, Leonard Cohen and another music royal, Queen of Disco Donna Summer, for the Cleveland class of 2008. Rounding out the nominees, which were announced Friday: Afrika Bambaataa, Chic, the Dave Clark Five, and the Ventures. An act becomes eligible for induction 25 years after its first release, be it single, EP or album. That means the current contenders had to have issued their inaugural record no later than 1982.
Of course, each act on the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame shortlist deserves its place in one way or another, whether it's because they made groundbreaking, genre-splitting records like Afrika Bambaataa, were disco heavyweights like Chic, played some songs to farmers like john Mellencamp or spawned the anthem for Crystal Palace FC like the Dave Clark Five – but it's Madonna and The Beastie Boys who really stand out on the list because they're still releasing well-liked, successful pop albums now. The Beastie Boys don't seem old enough to be in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame partly because they didn't get famous for five years after their inaugural release and partly because they go through years of inactivity at a time between releasing albums.
And as for Madonna, well let's just say that if anyone reading this wants the same level of enduring success as Madonna, it's deeply important that they only ever shit through any toilet seat once.
Read more:
Madonna, Beasties, Mellencamp Up For Rock-God Status – E! Online
Michael says
Madonna should have been included 10 years ago early just because she is Madonna, lets hope she continues to rock the world another 25 years.
Adam Gade says
Madonna be damned. All I care about are the Beastie Boys.
alice303 says
madonna is definately old enough to work there.
maybe she could look after the cloak room, help out in the gift shop….that sort of thing.