Rock Hall Newbies...a dream come true?

You've probably heard by now who made it into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year.

Overall, a rather medium year I would say. There seemed to be a large amount of musical ground that was covered by the selection committee. I mean, from Green Day, to Joan Jett, and all the way to Ringo Starr as a solo artist? Don't forget about Lou Reed, Bill Withers, and Stevie Ray Vaughn (with Double Trouble). We certainly have quite a few dreams coming true.

Is it a dream to become part of the Rock Hall though?

I'm sure all of these inductees, or inductees-to-be, will say that it is. Where else can you be immortalized in some fashion alongside other musical icons like KISS, Rush, Buddy Holly, Elton John, William (Billy) Joel, and many others?

On the other hand, it could be argued that getting into the Rock Hall depends on the amount of outrage about not being in, or your overall popularity that has been garnered over the years.

I mean, Rush, who have been performing as Canada's most popular and recognizable Prog Rock trio for decades, only got in a couple of years ago. They have much more seemingly complex music, and a much larger body of work than Green Day, yet Green Day made it in during their first year of eligibility.

I enjoy Green Day, and I'm glad they made it in, but how come it has taken so long to recognize the venerable Joan Jett? She was already well on her way to becoming a rock icon when Green Day started playing in punk bars in the late 80s. She'd been rocking for about 12 years already, but maybe the loophole there is that she was with a different group than the one she was inducted with?

I don't know how these things work.

What I do know is that if the Hall is not careful in some of their future considerations, they could sully the honor that being inducted should be.

The hall should be inclusive to many different areas and genres of rock and roll, we agree there, but they should take care to not try to be a catch-all honor for every musician out there. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is a brand, after all, and if they start letting every Peter, Paul, and Mary in, well, then who can they exclude (I do enjoy PPaM by the way, I only mention them for pun reasons)?

Overall, it should be seen as an honor to make it into the Rock Hall, and I hope they can keep it that way. I do wonder, if they could start all over again, if folks might be inducted in a different order. Who knows? If time is cyclical, we may find out.

I'm very happy to have more people join the ranks of musical legends, and although this year is a good one, I fear the time when Justin Bieber might end up being eligible...*shudder*

As a side note, to the folks running the HoF:

At least hold the ceremony in Cleveland more often, I mean, the freaking building is there.