I'll never visit the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame...
Earlier this week, U2, the Pretenders and a few others were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and I had the same reaction I do whenever I hear anything about it: So what. The whole idea of a Hall of Fame for rock n roll is ridiculous. If nothing else, rock n roll celebrates the freedom of youth. Even the most commercial rock n roll has an anti-institutional undercurrent to it. Even fake rock n roll (every generation has a Limp Bizkit, you know) tries to appear to thumb its nose at the "establishment." And then we have the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame standing as a monument, not to the artists inside, but to the forces that are killing what made them great. It's absurd. Music isn't sports. It shouldn't be competitive. And it's not just about the big artists. It would dry up and die without kids starting bands in garages the world over. The Hall of Fame ignores that and instead celebrates the celebrity of the elite few, at least some of whom have surely forgotten why they started playing in the first place.
posted by bob_vinyl at 12:01 AM
3 Comments:
I plan on visiting the Hall of Fame. Soon actually, hopefully this spring.
I don't really care about who got in, who didn't, and crap like that. I want to see sites.
A friend of mine, loves music. She worked in London in the late 60's for a record label and eventually managed "The Stranglers" for a while.
She described the RRHoF as I hoped it would be. It's not really about who was in it, it's really a shrine for people who worship music. It's not the guitar on the wall (though very cool) it's the memories and feelings the place pushs to the forefront.
I don't know, it may suck. It may suck hard. For me though, music is about passion and emotion. I can only analzye it so deeply. If the RRHoF is a place I can go to make me feel music, then its worth a 4 hour trip to Ohio.
I intend to visit now that Prince is in there, not to validate him, but ME for sticking with him all these years!!!
Seriously, I want to just see the artifacts more than anything else. It's a sociological interest I take, not a pomp and circumstance interest.
I will say in conclusion that I agree with you in theory, but it's nice to celebrate musicians for their accomplishments in order to preserve them for future generations, since the Grammys are the worst construct ever...
And an endnote you'll dig: when I reviewed the Joni Mitchell DVD, the second disc has a more recent concert of hers and after Graham presented her with the RNRHoF award she didn't show up to receive, she looked noticeably upset and made a comment about knowing what to do with "such trash," or whatever the comment was, but it was along those lines.
Unfortunately rock and roll is a business and it is a huge business. Like all other businesses, they are out to make money and the rock and roll hall of fame is part of this. Sports hall of fames set themselves up as honoring their greatest players. That's all well and good, but look at some of the prices to get into these places.
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