Yesterday (15th) the nominees were announced for the 2020 Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame. While we were happy to see artists including Motörhead, Judas Priest, Soundgarden and Nine Inch Nails get nominated, we still haven’t seen bands such as Iron Maiden, Alice in Chains, Slayer, and Megadeth make the cut. When we saw Phil Campbell and Micky Dee snubbed from the ballot of the Motörhead lineup, we knew it was time for a Headbangers Brawl to discuss RNRHOF snubs.
Jeff Podoshen: The fact that Mickey Dee and Phil Campbell are not part of the Motörhead lineup on the ballot is complete bullshit. Yes, the classic lineup of Motörhead was legendary, but Dee and Campbell played thousands of shows in Motörhead for decades!
Of course, the fact that Judas Priest are merely nominated and not already IN the HOF demonstrates how out of touch it is.
Bram Teitelman: Bitching about the rock and roll hall of fame has been around so long that I think it’s eligible to be inducted this year. The term “rock and roll” has lost its relevance to the point that people complaining about Whitney Houston being a nominee are just showing themselves to be as out of touch as the rock hall itself.
I agree with Jeff that the Motörhead members eligible for induction is shameful. It’s about damn time that them, Soundgarden, T. Rex and Thin Lizzy got nominated. I’m honestly surprised that Nine Inch Nails and Judas Priest haven’t won by now. I’m a little nervous that it’ll take someone in Judas Priest dying for them to win, as morbid as that sounds. I’ve seen some backlash online that Mötley Crüe hasn’t been nominated yet, and I think that those people should watch some footage of Vince Neil live first. In short, if there’s a hall of fame for music, I’m not against rock and metal being inducted, but I don’t think that anyone started a band or got into music with the sole purpose of one day being inducted into the rock and roll hall of fame.
Chris Annunziata: I agree with Bram; “Bitching” should totally be inducted into the rock and roll hall of fame. It’s crazy that Mickey Dee and Phil Campbell aren’t being inducted. Dee has been in the band since 1984 and Campbell since 1992. I actually thought Judas Priest was inducted already..shows how much I paid attention.
Annnnd just because we’ve been writing and reading about Machine Head and Robb Flynn all week, I totally think they should be inducted. After all, Burn My Eyes did come out in 1994!
Jeff Podoshen: You know who gets snubbed every year? Danzig. Say what you want about some of the later records, but Danzig I – Danzig IV are absolute classics.
Zenae Zukowski: According to Google Dictionary, rock n’ roll is defined as:
“A type of popular dance music originating in the 1950s, characterized by a heavy beat and simple melodies. Rock and roll was an amalgam of black rhythm and blues and white country music, usually based on a twelve-bar structure and an instrumentation of guitar, bass, and drums.”
According to Amazon, rock has several different categories clumped together, including power pop and singers/songwriters.
To add to the bemusement, RNRHOF’s website reads:
“Our educational programs, designed for everyone from toddlers to adults, are developed to offer a deeper understanding of the impact that rock & roll has made on our world.”
Therefore, if the RNRHOF is trying to preserve the sound, history and evolution of rock n’ roll, why do they continuously misdirect all by snubbing rock n’ roll?
The only time I remember when pop, rock, and possibly soul music together at once is in a music store. Typically we would see different genres grouped together to make space/room for their inventory.
Aside from that, I leave my opinion with this:
It’s best we either slam our heads into a brick wall, take advice from Kirk Hammett and cry about it, or expect disappointment every year. I don’t think anything is stopping them as it’s turning into a more mainstream, popular category in music as a whole. And perhaps, they should change the name to music hall of fame.
Mark Zapata: Machine head in the RNRHOF? Smh. The entire system is flawed. I’m of the mindset that the RNRHOF is a ridiculous thing. Based on the opinions of some. The induction should be based on achievement and longevity.
Zach Fehl: Nominations were announced?
Zenae Zukowski: Will Miley Cyrus win best metal song for her NIN cover at the Grammys next year?
Matt Brown: I’m actually surprised Priest is finally being considered, though I’ll wait to see if they follow through with the induction before I give my nod of approval. Good to see Thin Lizzy and Motörhead in there (though I totally agree that Mikkey Dee and Phil Campbell should be inducted). Soundgarden will probably get in following the death of Chris Cornell. While they’re totally deserving of being inducted, the aforementioned are long overdue. I’m also kinda pleased to see Pat Benatar on there, not gonna lie.
If we’re gonna talk about snubbed bands, you have to talk about Iron Maiden. Those boys have 16 studio albums and are still touring with one of the best live shows on the planet. I’m not necessarily saying they deserve to me nominated more than the aforementioned bands, but they’re definitely in the long overdue crowd.
Jeff Podoshen: Machine Head’s newest record should be called “Burn My Ears.”
Zenae Zukowski: To Matt: Iron Maiden are so legendary that I forgot they haven’t been inducted yet. Thanks for the reminder!
Between what’s been happening with Machine Head, Dope, Static-X and Fear Factory, I would like to know what Dino Cazares thinks about the RNRHOF snubs.
