You know, earlier last year, I co-hosted a day at Shake It Records in Cincinnati where me and my co-host Billy took people out of the Hall of Fame that clearly didn’t deserve to be in and inducted many who so painfully deserved it. Of course, along the way, Billy and I became lovers. So it’s with great pleasure that I noticed that Van Halen are FINALLY being inducted. They’ve been eligible for four or five years but (as with most industry oogie-boogie rituals) there’s no rhyme or reason as to who gets in or who doesn’t. And the Ronettes? Doesn’t it seem like they would’ve been in ages ago.
This year’s inductees are:
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five
R.E.M.
The Ronettes
Patti Smith
Van Halen
Feel free to list any bands that should be inducted in the comments section. Me? The Thirteenth Floor Elevators, The Troggs and The Sonics seem like no-brainers, but I know I don’t have mass popularity in the front of my mind very often. Call it a curse.
Van Halen – Live at US Festival 83