And there you have it, folks.

And the inductees were announced.  And the people were disappointed.  Mostly at the fact there were only five Performer inductees, some about how predictable it was, overall.  And some were upset that other acts didn't make the grade.  In other words, par for the course for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame when they announced the 2018 inductees.

The old saying goes, "One for them, one for you."  And in a way, that's kind of what we've got here.  First off, one for the highbrows and the critics.  Nina Simone is going in.  Now, sure, she did have a lot of love from fellow musicians, and no doubt that absolutely did help her get in, but overall, Nina is the pick for those who value the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame as an institution for enshrining culture and art, and heralding the unification of diversity that rock and roll music is supposed to stand for.  And even if she was primarily jazz, her impact on rock and roll musicians, not to mention that some of her songs could quite comfortably fit into the soul songbook (seriously, had they lived, Sam Cooke and Otis Redding could have done some great homage covers of "I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free"), Nina is indeed a welcome inductee.

Then of course, you have one for the great unwashed.  The masses.  Bon Jovi is the candidate for the people at large.  Out of all the names on this ballot, Bon Jovi is the one that most young and old have at least heard of and probably even know a song by, whereas the older generation might not even really know the name of Rage Against The Machine, and the younger haven't heard of Link Wray, the MC5, the Meters, or the J. Geils Band.  But Bon Jovi is a big enough name that parents make sure their children know.  And they're going in the Hall this year.

Thirdly, you have one that is primarily the musicians' choice.  That would be Dire Straits, a band that may have had some initial critical respect, and many people know a couple songs by, but ultimately, I would have to believe that it was the fellow musicians' respect for this band, and primarily for Mark Knopfler that pushed this band over the final hurdles.  When I measured the nominees by merits, I absolutely did not give full credit to that aspect of the band.  The respect among peers for Mark Knopfler and his extraneous work beyond Dire Straits should have been more of a factor than I allowed, though to be honest, it would have probably fallen under "Intangibles" and still wouldn't have gotten them a notch higher.  That said, I still came very close to predicting them.  And again, I don't think they're a bad call overall, though maybe the least desirable of the nineteen names for me, but there's room for them in the Hall.  And there'd better be, because they're heading that way.

Which brings us to the other two Performer inductees.  These are acts that I would deem each to be a happy medium for everybody.  Though prog rock is not well-loved by the critics, the musicians and the people certainly have love enough for the Moody Blues, and even some of the critics have admitted that despite their reluctance to vote for them, they should be in.  So, this is an act that had solid support from two of the three camps, and begrudging acknowledgment from the third.  Lastly, the Cars get the nod after two previous failed attempts.  As I've said repeatedly, this is the band that had something for everybody, even if they aren't the biggest name.  While I still believe that Bon Jovi will be the headliner and closing act for the ceremony in 2018, I wouldn't mind it if the Cars ended up being the finale. That is doubtful, though, since they apparently have never excelled at stage presence.

So those are the Performers.  We also have Sister Rosetta Tharpe going in as an Early Influence, to which we all say, "Finally!"  AlexVoltaire of the Northumbrian Countdown posited a hypothetical hypothesis as to how she even ended up on the main ballot to begin with, but she is being inducted in the correct category.  What might have been called the biggest Rock Hall injustice will be corrected, and we can just put it behind us.  About time she got in.

Of course, the story is as much about who didn't get in as who did.  While almost nobody felt Kate Bush had a chance, it was the choicest of chances to make a statement about rock and roll beyond an Americentric scope.  The Eurythmics and Depeche Mode both could have spoken for a sound of the '80s that the Hall is still dragging its feet to enshrine.  Judas Priest misses out for the metal fans, though I suspect they just got lost in the shuffle this time, and will be inducted within the next five years.  It seems Mark Knopfler fills the guitar god slot instead of Link Wray.  The Moody Blues are as close to representing the 1960s as we'll have this year, instead of the Zombies, the MC5, or the aforementioned Wray.  Actual, unquestionable R&B just flat-out got shafted, as the Meters, LL Cool J, and Rufus featuring Chaka Khan all fell short.  It's particularly disheartening to see LL Cool J miss, but not surprising. This is not the first time he has missed while being the only rapper on the ballot, and may not be the last time, either.

For me, it's the other three that didn't make it that are the most interesting stories for me.  First off, while few actually predicted Rage Against The Machine to make it, it's still noteworthy that they didn't make it as it both speaks in favor of the Rock Hall's integrity that they didn't use their lack of transparency to fast-track a NomComm member's induction, and also raises eyebrows at the establishment, regarding conflicts of interest in the first place.  While I am not certain if Nile Rodgers was ever on the committee for any of the eleven times that Chic was nominated, this may be something to keep in mind over the next few years, when both the Roots and the Foo Fighters become eligible.

Secondly, the failure of the J. Geils Band to make it piques my interest because this is a band that is a favorite with some of the highest higher-ups within the Foundation, most notably Jann S. Wenner himself, and also because the death of the namesake member failed to vault them over the bar this time.  I wouldn't say they should give up trying to get this group in yet; however, given the voting trends of the past three classes, if they are ever one of only three or fewer classic rock acts on the ballot, and they still cannot get enough votes to make the top five or six recipients, then it is pretty safe to say it's time to concede defeat and move on to other names.

But if course, it's the one nominee from this ballot not yet mentioned that has caused the most shock and turning of heads.  How the hell did Radiohead miss?  This would still be a valid question to ask even if the story about their Argentinian gig the night of the induction ceremony had never materialized.  Radiohead was the act that nearly everyone had predicted to make it.  They've been heralded as the last important rock act, they were the last "sure thing" as far as newly eligible artists going in immediately, the critics loved them, it seemed the people loved them.... so double you tee eff, eh?  Well, Troy L. Smith published a fascinating read as to why that might have been.  However, there's one possibility he didn't consider that I'd also inject into the discussion: everyone figured everyone else would vote for them.  It's a hypothesis I've conjectured before.  If enough voters figured that Radiohead was a certainty, without the help of their individual votes, and thus decide to select another name that they figure needed the help to get inducted, it could very possibly add up (or not add up, so to speak) to Radiohead not coming close enough to the other five to be worth inducting a sixth act, as Joel Peresman claimed.  It's a suggestion that's almost impossible to prove or disprove, without hearing from actual voters as to why they didn't vote for Radiohead, and that would come way too close to the kind of transparency that the Rock Hall eschews.  Nevertheless, it's another log in the discussion's fire.

So where does that leave us, and where does that leave us heading?  Well, while I refuse to discuss predictions of any kind for 2019, it is important to look at the implications for the future at large.  Once again, Troy L. Smith states it beautifully and succinctly.  This is the fourth year in a row that acts in the "classic rock" radio format ("dad-rock" as Smith puts it) has comprised at least half the Performer inductees.  With the Rock Hall, trends don't last much longer than that, but this time it may be different.  Why?  NomComm member Alan Light gets it: it's becoming a pyramid scheme of sorts that benefits classic rockers.  Now, it won't expand the number of classic rock acts that will be inducted each year; the Hall has proven pretty inflexible on that.  It may or may not cause the number of classic rock nominees to balloon further with each coming year, but again, the people in charge try to keep that number under twenty.  No, the pyramid is the number of votes that classic rock acts will receive in the coming years.  Of all the classic rock band members being inducted this year, only Benjamin Orr is deceased.  The sad truth of our society that life expectancy of Whites is currently longer than that of Blacks, coupled with the fact that most of these are bands that have had several members inducted with the band, means the number of White men who become voting members keeps growing every year.  And as Alan Light noticed too (as paraphrased by Tom Lane), the voting pool is expanding with Classic Rockers who are voting for their peers over younger nominees.  As long as there are enough classic rock bands nominated for it to be mathematically possible to literally have an all-classic-rock-bands induction class, inducted classic rock members who've become Rock Hall voters will vote for the acts who are their friends and with whom they toured--even if they're nowhere near the most worthy nominees on the ballot.  The number of votes for classic rockers will keep growing every year, in a fashion reminiscent of Pascal's triangle.

So, if there is to be any hope for diversity, any hope for quality acts that weren't classic rock to be inducted before fourth-rate, one-hit-wonder classic rock acts, the NomComm needs to determine ahead of time where they stop scraping the bottom of that barrel.  Personally, and I know this will be unpopular, I'm fine if the Hall never inducts (or even nominates) acts such as Foreigner, Kansas, Free, Fairport Convention, Red Rider, Rainbow, Golden Earring, the Ozark Mountain Devils, or even Styx.  Boston probably isn't that deserving either, but I like them enough to where I wouldn't complain if they got in.  Supertramp, I'm on the fence about.  So, there are still classic rock acts I think should probably be inducted, but I think the whole format is chafing from getting so much action over the past few years.  Here's hoping that we go a different route next go-around.

On that note, and as I've said above, I am not, repeat NOT going to engage in any discussion regarding the ballot or class for 2019.  For crying out loud, it's been less than a month since this year's inductees were announced.  Play with and cherish the toys you got this Christmas before you start nagging Santa with your wishlists for next December.  Frankly, it's a little sickening already.  So much so, that I am announcing right now that any reply in the Comments section about 2019 is going to get 86-ed.  It's not abusing my power; it's maintaining my sanity.  Not until we're halfway through July at least, m'kay?

Instead, I'm going to ask you to think about this year's inductees, and last year's, and every inductee already enshrined.  All of them.  In every category.  This year, we're going on journey together.  Stay tuned for details...  Oh, and Happy New Year's, everyone.