First, let’s address the most burning question surrounding the 2011 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominations: No, Rush didn’t make the cut, again. Let the annual wailing and gnashing of teeth begin!
But, the great prog blackout notwithstanding, some other traditional oversights did get addressed with this year’s round of 15 nods.
Most gratifyingly, rock’s female pioneers of the mid-‘70s are finally getting a shot at getting their due. It’s sometimes seemed as if the Rock Hall doesn’t believe women did much of anything between Janis’ death and the Madonna nation’s birth. But now they're coming straight on for you! The figures who arguably did the most to advance women in rock in the Me Decade, Heart and Joan Jett, both picked up first-time nominations.
So did Rufus with Chaka Khan. Two previous women nominees associated with the era, Laura Nyro and Donna Summer, are also back among this year’s mix of contenders. (Maybe the nominating committee actually visited the Hall of Fame's new "Women Who Rock" exhibit this summer?)
The other area of obvious emphasis: the late ‘80s dudes who helped make up the second generation of MTV rock stars. Guns N’ Roses and the Cure are up for the first time, joined by second-time nominees the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Surely this town ain’t big enough for all three of ‘em. Will Anthony be telling Axl to put a sock in it? Or will Rose tell Kiedis to put a scarf on it?
And then there’s late ‘80s hip-hop, with first-time nominees Eric B. & Rakim pitted against the Beastie Boys, who are trying for induction a second time. You’ve got to fight for your right to… Parma! (Sorry, a little joke there for the Rock Hall’s hometown, Cleveland.)
The nominee slate is rounded out by the usual potpourri of strange bedfellows that include the Spinners, the Small Faces/Faces, War, Donovan, and Freddy King.
But, the great prog blackout notwithstanding, some other traditional oversights did get addressed with this year’s round of 15 nods.
Most gratifyingly, rock’s female pioneers of the mid-‘70s are finally getting a shot at getting their due. It’s sometimes seemed as if the Rock Hall doesn’t believe women did much of anything between Janis’ death and the Madonna nation’s birth. But now they're coming straight on for you! The figures who arguably did the most to advance women in rock in the Me Decade, Heart and Joan Jett, both picked up first-time nominations.
So did Rufus with Chaka Khan. Two previous women nominees associated with the era, Laura Nyro and Donna Summer, are also back among this year’s mix of contenders. (Maybe the nominating committee actually visited the Hall of Fame's new "Women Who Rock" exhibit this summer?)
The other area of obvious emphasis: the late ‘80s dudes who helped make up the second generation of MTV rock stars. Guns N’ Roses and the Cure are up for the first time, joined by second-time nominees the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Surely this town ain’t big enough for all three of ‘em. Will Anthony be telling Axl to put a sock in it? Or will Rose tell Kiedis to put a scarf on it?
And then there’s late ‘80s hip-hop, with first-time nominees Eric B. & Rakim pitted against the Beastie Boys, who are trying for induction a second time. You’ve got to fight for your right to… Parma! (Sorry, a little joke there for the Rock Hall’s hometown, Cleveland.)
The nominee slate is rounded out by the usual potpourri of strange bedfellows that include the Spinners, the Small Faces/Faces, War, Donovan, and Freddy King.
