It's been over two weeks already, so most of what's been needed to be said has been. So, we'll try to keep most of this short (famous last words). The Class Of 2023 has been announced, and it's loaded. Good.
First off, I went 5/7, so I feel pretty good. I don't know how many did better, but I feel that's the modal average among those of us in the watching community. Maybe not. Either way, it's not bad. Remember when I first reacted to the ballot and said to pay attention to Kate Bush and Rage Against The Machine? I said at least one of those two was getting in, and I was right. And it turns out both got in. It's been a common thing lately with artists that are on the ballot three consecutive years. Perhaps it's a matter of gaining momentum that they finally break through, but three consecutive ballots seems to be the magic number lately. It's why I picked Todd Rundgren for 2021. And it also resets the counter back to zero for acts like Dionne Warwick and Fela Kuti who weren't nominated for their third consecutive years.
Aside from Rage, the Spinners were my other bracket buster and one of the two names that comes off the list I made almost twenty years ago. And I'm so happy to be wrong about their chances. This is big, and I'm here for it.
Sheryl Crow gets in, confirming the LinkedIn nature of the Hall and how relatively effortlessly a popular act can get in sometimes. A lot of disgruntlement over her getting in, simply because she's such a "safe" pick, but you can't deny her ubiquity and how many songs of hers you know once you sit down and think about it. Congratulations to her.
Not a lot of surprise about George Michael getting the votes either, though his name being announced just further stirs the pot regarding the fan vote, as he was the only one from the fan ballot to make it. It's an annual heartbreak for us hobbyists who know how it works to see the disappointed fan bases, who think sheer numbers win the day and that they can love their favorite artists hard enough to get them inducted, like a Care Bear stare of clicks, only to see them find out that all those millions add up to one. That's why it was kind of funny when the people from Africa on Twitter told the Hall to go sit on it and rotate last year after being duped about the importance of the fan vote for Fela Kuti, but I digress.
And congrats to Willie Nelson making it too. There's been some discussion about who in the country world could be next for the Hall, but I'm going with a hot take here: no one. I think the Old Town Road stops here for a spell, and I'll tell you why. Dolly got inducted, and Willie is getting in for basically the same reason, and it's only partially about their music. Willie was especially innovative with outlaw country, so it's defensible, but the real reason for those two names is their names. Dolly and Willie are national treasures, and the Hall needs them for their cache. After those two, there are no more country artists who are universally beloved who aren't already in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. Not Waylon, not Merle, not Kris, maaayybbeee Loretta or Patsy, but certainly not Garth. In fact, Garth Brooks is almost considered a benchmark of country music truly losing its authenticity and becoming "Nashville pop." Maybe his sales numbers get him some chatter, but if I'm trying to think like the Hall, they're gonna say "Amen" on country for awhile, congratulate themselves, and take a bite out of the hoagie.
But big huzzah for Missy Elliott getting in. She is truly deserving, and it is great that we finally have a female rapper getting inducted, hopefully not the last. And it's so great that we finally have an African-American woman getting in on her first year of eligibility, as well, though I'm still really sad we couldn't have more in the form of Destiny's Child. I said it then, and I'll say it again: if Beyonce is not good enough to be a double FYE, then who is? Apparently Dave Grohl (not gonna argue against Lennon, obviously).
And that segues into the first point on the other categories. Chaka Khan is getting in for Musical Excellence (the other name from the aforementioned list), and it's bittersweet for me. If getting more women inducted is important, and it is, then having more women as double inductees should also be considered important, and I do not see any possibility of Rufus getting acknowledged now that this is happening. I actually have a flicker of renewed hope for Chic getting in under the newly renamed Musical Influence moniker (more coming), but I genuinely do not see Rufus being nominated for the ballot now that Chaka is getting her laurels, nor do I see any special committee having any impetus to acknowledge Rufus in this way, not even to give Khan the second induction she absolutely deserves.
Al Kooper getting in is pretty cool, but I'm not especially thrilled. Undoubtedly deserving, but growing up and listening to Oldies radio, he was always and exclusively referred to as the guy who was in Blood, Sweat, And Tears before they got popular. I've enjoyed going down the rabbit hole of his career on Spotify, and I really hope the video package and induction speech do him justice.
There are two inductees that really make me tilt my head, but not because they're being inducted, but where. The first is Bernie Taupin. If there's any quibble with his merits, it's that as a songwriter, he had a client list of one, Elton John. That's still a huge asset for him though, but when it comes to songwriters and producers, unless your name is George Martin, being famously linked to one name only is a roadblock to the Hall usually. Even so, I have no qualm with Bernie getting in, but Musical Excellence is a bit of a headscratcher. Songwriters traditionally get in under the Non-Performer category, so why Bernie here? But then again, I'm a Logical; I like structure, accuracy, consistency, and all that. But I've also been following the Hall long enough to know that Hall gonna Hall. So I just roll my eyes cynically, but still happy for Mr. Taupin.
But the Non-Performer we do get is a big one. Don Cornelius has been chosen, and it's a major form of representation that we thought if we would get, it'd be in the form of Thom Bell. But this is huge. Sadly, it also continues the trend of the Hall being a rogues gallery. I admit, I knew nothing about the domestic violence until Joe Kwaczala brought them up on the reaction episode of "Who Cares About The Rock Hall." But '70s soul getting a second representative this year is gladdening. But I will add that between Taupin and Cornelius, the new line seems to be about what they did. Songwriting is a part of the creative and creation process for music, which seems to justify Musical Excellence, whereas Cornelius was involved in the exhibition, the promotion of the music, so Non-Performer. In short, the operative phrase is "music business," and if the former word applies to you more, you get Musical Excellence, whereas if the latter applies to you more, you're a Non-Performer. But I'm sure that line will be erased next year so let's move on. At least we didn't get any lawyers this time, to quote Michelle Bourg.
Moving onto the renamed Musical Excellence category... at least it's honest-ish. I hope it doesn't preclude pre-rock acts from getting in anymore, and I really don't want the category to be a Veterans Committee category, though it seems that ship has sailed. First though, Link Wray is going in, and a big hell yeah to that. The completist in me wants the Ray-Men included, but I'd be lying if I said I thought that had a snowball's chance of happening. But the big uptick to this is that it starts dismantling the sham that is the Singles "category." In a way, it's giving Little Steven what he wants, but it's also what we'd rather have than that. I really really really really really hope Chubby Checker is next. The man deserves it. Shut up; yes he does. I really hope they do more than focus on "Rumble" too. "Copenhagen Boogie" may not be as revolutionary, but it is a jam!
Speaking of revisitations, what one Podcaster said with irony, I'll say with conviction: let's talk about a band called Chic. Think about it. This is a band that has been sampled so many times in hip-hop that Musical Influence would absolutely befit them. Their eleven nominations were always about Nile Rodgers, much to the Hall's detriment, but the rest of the group deserves the acknowledgment as well. And hey, I'm sure his buddies would love to induct him a second time too. Those eleven nominations will not have been completely in vain if we can induct this outfit into the Hall, and since categories are meaningless anyway, this would at least make sense under the new and tortuous parameters.
Speaking of tortuous parameters, that brings us to the last name, and an important one, but another one that shows the seeming meaninglessness of category distinctions. DJ Kool Herc is a seminal figure in hip-hop and rightly belongs in. Under the old guidelines, though, he couldn't have been in this category, even while they inducted Kraftwerk and Gil Scott-Heron as Early Influences, because he didn't release any records. Caveat: I've heard he has released an album, back in '15. Is that correct? Seems no one can find it. Best I've been able to find is the collaborative album with Mr. Green, narrated by DJ Kool Herc, "The Last Of The 'Classic Beats'." It's a short album and a good listen, but the music comes from Mr. Green, with spoken bits from Herc. I would have put him under Musical Excellence for the energy of his live work at parties and such, and insisted that the Musical Influence category requires an actual discography, however brief. But here we are. And while it wouldn't be unwarranted, this induction actually does make it possible to induct ragtime pioneer Scott Joplin as a Musical Influence, even though there are no wax or vinyl recordings of the man playing his own compositions, as he created barrel rolls for player pianos to play his compositions in an automated fashion. Again, not unwarranted, but seemingly previously impossible, given the Hall's previous methods of operation. Heck, this makes it possible to induct classical composers now, who predated the recording technology, for the influence their works had on progressive rock outfits. All things that were probably previously possible, but now have a precedent of sorts with Kool Herc's induction.
So that's the Class and those are my thoughts. It's good to get another perspective after the news has settled and simmered a bit (though I wouldn't object to being on a reaction episode sometime), and I hope you've enjoyed it. And yes, Brian Colburn, with a class this size, I already have a Playlist Wars-style playilst made for this class, and I'd enjoy knowing what your theoretical list would be too.
Doubt I'll be able to attend the ceremony, but I still look forward to it. Not ready to think about 2024 yet. Just enjoying this moment. Let's all do that: take some time and just enjoy the music.
