And the nominees are...

Well, for those of you who are all caught up, I now work at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. Please note that this is a different (although related) entity from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  We are a non-profit, they are a for-profit and we would not exist without them, although it is (mostly) they who make decisions about nominating candidates for induction.

In the meantime, my position is that I love rock and roll. I love soul, funk, punk, rock, indie, pop...the whole nine yards. But for whatever reason, I'm not particularly invested in who gets inducted. I don't have those allegiances that Kiss or Rush fans have, and the bands that I would induct (the Smiths, the Pixies, Sonic Youth, Afrika Bambaataa, Bjork) are a long way from getting inducted (politically, I believe), and that's ok by me. I still love their music, and their induction will not validate nor undermine that love.

But really, why do people get so invested? (And I'm glad that they do - it makes great fodder for discussion and it certainly demonstrates the power of popular culture. Yeah, take that, Adorno!) As my boss often notes, it's all about expertise: our adoration of a particular music, style or artist is deeply rooted in our knowledge about that music, style or artist. We know, we love, we devote our money and ears to that thing. And we are intimately acquainted (e.g. my fidelity to Guided by Voices' Under the Bushes, Under the Stars). So having an internationally recognized institution validate our expertise and devotion means a lot to a lot of people. But why the animosity when Neil Diamond gets inducted or when the Beastie Boys get nominated? Ultimately, rock and roll and all its roots and branches are deeply personal and reflect the diversity of the United States. This stuff is made of so much other stuff, and this institution is called the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame likely because it's less catchy to call it the Rock, Popular, Semi-Popular, Underground and Acoustic and Electric Roots and Who Knows What Branches Hall of Fame. Why is hip-hop part of rock and roll? Because it wouldn't have happened without rock and roll, without those LPs that were recorded in the late 1960s and early 1970s (Spinners, Chic, the JBs) and those artists that recorded those LPs wouldn't have happened without the Jackie Wilsons and Aretha Franklins and James Browns of the world who wouldn't have happened without the Mahalia Jacksons, Sister Rosetta Tharpes and Soul Stirrers who wouldn't have happened without the...you get my gist. While the melting pot metaphor has long since been abandoned, especially considering the palpable segregation that still exists here, it's apt when discussing popular music and how it happened: everyone influences everyone else and while power differentials obviously exist (and arguably we live within a post-colonial framework), it's all mashed up together.

SO...be nice and respect others' tastes. And maybe even take a listen to that Rush or Beastie Boys record. You might learn something you don't know and frankly, isn't that what life is all about?