We've all been there, right? You know the drill. You're in HMV and you want to pick up a CD by the band who recorded Strawberry Fields Forever. Or maybe the little known beat combo behind Sympathy For The Devil.
Or just possibly you're looking to purchase some tunes by the cheeky scamps responsible for that dreadfully obscure Quadrophenia soundtrack. And – lo and behold – you can't remember any of their goshdarn names. "Christ almighty, this is frustrating," you scream. "If only there was some sort of yearly event that brought to light these artists again, thereby keeping in the public memory by giving them an imaginary slot in a special make-believe museum."
Well – hey – are you ever in luck. The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame is about to embark on another awe-inspiring ceremony, during which the organisers will perform the valuable task of reminding us how a bunch of multi-million-selling pop stars are… you know… quite good and that. This year's selection of not-at-all obvious Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame entrants runs as follows: Van Halen, REM, Grandmaster Flash, The Ronettes and Patti Smith. Phew – you guys really threw us a curveball there, didn't you?
If ever you need official proof of the dire, retrograde, unchallenging and derivative state of the modern music scene – apart from anything involving Pete Doherty – you really need look no further than the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame: the fact that we have nothing better to do than dish out platitudes to 'role models'. Why end there – why doesn't the Booker Prize go straight to Dickens or Shakespeare this year? How about we give three Michelin stars to the Earl Of Sandwich? Why not just stop trying to do anything new or exciting altogether and simply circle-jerk ourselves to death in a smug haze of recycled cultural standards?
And before any Q readers get all arsy, please note that we're not saying any of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame bands or artists are bad. They're not. But gathering an auditorium full of people together simply to waffle on about that? Really – who gives a shit? (Put your hand down, Radio 2 listeners. No-one was asking you). Expect the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame awards to be dished out in a televised 'spectacular' so self-contragulatory you may well puke your own lungs up. And expect – on a rainy night with nothing else to do – you'll probably catch the whole pissing thing live on Channel 4.
Just accept it, kids.
Read More:
Five New Artists To Be Added To Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame – Belfast Telegraph
Nobody move says
I agree. Instead of having a hall of fame there should be like a revolving door of fame, where Bloc Party and The Kooks have a poster on a bit of glass for a week and then get replaced by The Fratellis and the blonde bloke from Big Brother. That’d work.
DeusXM says
You left out that either Jimmy Carr or Justin Lee Collins will be presenting it too.