Predicting the 2025 Ballot

 Time to play some parlor games.  Time to predict the ballot for the Class Of 2025 for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.

To be honest, I really debate posting this at all.  I really don't see myself having any unique bent on how the ballot will shape up that hasn't already been shared by other bloggers including Tom Lane and Michelle Bourg, or by others on Facebook, or on the Rock In Retrospect episode drafting this class.  Also, big shout out to both the Hall Watchers podcast and Michelle Bourg for their commentary on the shadier side of this past ceremony.  I was mostly zeroed on trying to understand their rationale, but not actually concluding whether or not that point of view is justifiable or valid.  I failed tremendously on that front, whereas Eric, Mary, and Michelle came through.  I cared more about actually acknowledging the symbolism, and also saying how awful some of the performances sounded and maybe why.  That's really on me.  

Either way, this post feels like one of those cooking competition shows, where we're all trying to make the tastiest dishes, even though we're all being forced to use mostly the same ingredients.  So here is my presentation of Turducken Flambe.  And in my defense, the recipe said to first "clean the birds," and the oven I was using had a "clean" button on it.  Shut up, that's why.

First, let's recognize those who played ball with the Hall.  That absolute shill of a segment of the ceremony advertising the museum has to mean a return to the ballot for Cyndi Lauper.  Not just the segment itself, but the very fact that it made it to the ABC broadcast of the ceremony.  We can't show Tom Morello's speech for the MC5 or give any dignity to Suzanne DePasse's induction on ABC, but we have to have this commercial... sorry, promotion.  If it's relatively in-house, it's a promotion.  But given how much of DePasse's career was in television and especially music-based television specials, her segment being clipped out entirely feels somewhat ironic.  

Also playing ball was Billy Idol, performing a very British version of "No More Tears" during the Ozzy Osbourne segment.  And despite the lack of heavy hitters from the Golden Age of MTV in this past class, I think there'll be at least two.  The tribute to A Tribe Called Quest offered at least two eligible and feasible possibilities.  But unfortunately, I don't see Queen Latifah getting nominated for two reasons: one, the Hall still has a problem with recognizing induction-worthy women in many aspects of the rock and roll diaspora; two, the other possibility has at least been Previously Considered, and she hasn't.  That other possibility is De La Soul, who is more similar to A Tribe Called Quest in style and approach.  I'm predicting them to make the ballot, but a lot of depends on how well Eric B. & Rakim fared on this past ballot.  

On the tails of A Tribe Called Quest though, we also may see Outkast finally get nominated, and since the NomComm has no problem putting two hip-hop acts on the ballot, I think we could see those two together.  The fact that both members have been part of the past couple ceremonies, one way or another, doesn't hurt either, as Andre 3000 was in a video package this last time.  Speaking of '90s acts that have been involved in video packages, I have to confess my befuddlement regarding the hold up in nominating No Doubt to the ballot.  This one may be my Iron Maiden or Devo, where I keep predicting them every year until they finally make it.  They might be a little lower in the order of consideration for various members of the committee, but I have to imagine that if they were actually submitted, there'd be some nodding along by others in the room as a distinct possibility of getting supported.    And speaking of Iron Maiden and Devo, there's always a chance that one of those two could show up, even though the hobbyist community has widely agreed that neither one of them is getting in via the ballot.

Looking at the list of newly eligible artists, there are several that I think have a shot at getting inducted: P!nk, Nelly, Linkin Park, Joe Bonamassa, Gorillaz, and maybe Regina Spektor.  Ryan Adams might have been feasible if he hadn't gotten canceled.  But none of those are going to be high priority.  Nelly might have been if Tribe could've gotten in on their first nomination.  P!nk has played ball with the Hall, but I think she'll still have to wait.  Joe Bonamassa is a blues legend already, but this isn't the NomComm or voting body that held the door wide open for Buddy Guy or Albert King.  Of all those, the one with the best chance of getting on this year would be Gorillaz, but they might be a little too indie, and also too kitschy with their whole avatars shtick.  So dialing back over some acts that recently became eligible, I'll opt to predict Coldplay to get their first nomination, and also for the White Stripes to return.

Combing back over the recently passed over nominees, I'll select a return for the likes of Warren Zevon and Oasis.  The optics are better for the latter, and the former fills a singer-songwriter spot that is hit or miss for nominations.   And if this class taught us anything, it's that the only way the lanes will be crowded for classic rock artists is if you have more of them than a person can vote for.  I don't think there'll be eight of them, but Zevon already has one of those spots, and you can never rule out Thin Lizzy returning to the ballot, and I think that it really is a matter of time for Bad Company to be nominated.

But with all the names I've put in bold so far, I have almost no women.  Cyndi, plus the Gwen-fronted band, and the Meg-backed duo.  That's it.  Even the Hall isn't that pitiful, at least not anymore.  So, let's include The Pointer Sisters, because they're a logical successor to Kool And The Gang, and the demand is really getting to echo chamber levels at this point.  With Sheryl Crow on the Nominating Committee now, there's a chance she could get Melissa Etheridge on the ballot, though I'm less sure of her chances of getting in.  And even though the Hall is almost a year late to the party, that also tends to be par for the course for them, so I think there's every possibility that Tracy Chapman gets put on as well, even if the moment has passed.  Lastly, with two women and LGBTQ+ representation, plus just so much fun to listen to, I'm gonna say Joe Kwaczala will go two for two with The B-52's getting nominated.  And since I have yet to have picked anyone that hasn't already been predicted or drafted, I'll go all the way to eighteen names and go somewhat left field with Huey Lewis And The News.  Huey's health decline is also well-known, they're part of that golden age of MTV, and are pretty much Disney approved; so, let's make them a left field pick, even if it is only shallow left field.

And with those eighteen names, I'm gonna put a bow on my predictions and present it to the critics, and wait to see what actually comes out in February.  There are a lot of excellent names that there could have been, but this isn't like the Hall in 1986 or 1987 with nearly thirty-ish names.  That's what I'll go with, and that's how silly I"ll look when I get maybe only four names correct.  Until then, we wait.