Please Don’t Give The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Your Attention

I think we should take a small step toward delegitimizing this nonsense.

I know we're sitting here in little ol' Lubbock, Texas, but the best way to change the world is by cleaning up your own backyard.

Every year we go through the same cycle with the Rock Hall. We are aghast at who is, and who is not, nominated and who is and who isn't being inducted. We see names that bear no resemblance to anything "rock" being inducted while huge superstars and early influences are neglected. I realize the line between what is "rock" and what is "pop" or even metal can be very blurry. That's not the problem, the problem is there is no line with the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. Apparently, any music at all qualifies as "rock" to them.

A lot of us radio and media folks are probably the guiltiest at spreading the yearly nonsense. It gives us something to talk about, whether it's praising our favorites getting in or scratching our heads at who's nominated. For that, I'm sorry. At least I tried to give it much less attention this year.

What the Rock Hall Of Fame has done is lost its core audience in an attempt to appeal to a broader one. When I was younger, the H.O.F. was my Mecca. It was on my list of dream vacations. It was a place I HAD to go to because I'm a ROCKER. Now that its credibility has been run through a shredder, I would actually feel like an idiot if my friends saw me visiting a place that has strayed so far from its name.

I'm checking out 100% after this year. I'll find other things to talk about. I'm not visiting Cleveland. I'm not watching the t.v. special. I don't even find it funny that something that I hold so dear is not given proper respect by the people who should be in the respect business.