Rejoice! Paul Stanley Calls Out The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Wise Man, Bad Hair
For those of you new to town let me school ya- The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is to music to what Disney World is to reality. It mimics it well and super shiny cool- but its a cartoon, its not reality and what you see is very calculated and designed.
So these ‘nominations’ are quite the joke. Although its fun to see your faves get noted, it really means nothing in the scheme of things. Artists behave as if its some grand honor- it isn’t. Leave it to Paul Stanley of KISS to call them out on it. Seems it took some guy in greasepaint to clarify it for the masses- and he does quite well.
On April 10th KISS will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and this is the opion of one of its original members.
Stanley said, “No, it was done begrudgingly and because it had become absolutely ludicrous that they were choosing to ignore us. At the end of the day most people don’t realize that the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame was a privately created establishment and that it has a self-appointed board. It’s a perfect case of perception becoming reality. People heard ‘Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame’ and gave it credibility. So whether it deserves the title has to be weighed against who it inducts. So was it an honour to be nominated? No. It means a lot to the fans and I understand it because it’s validation for them. So for that reason I accept graciously and accept on their behalf.”
“My feelings and my ambivalence about the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame hasn’t changed any,” he continued. “Their attitude is elitist and it doesn’t reflect the public. It reflects a small group who dictate who meets the criteria that they set up as ‘rock and roll’. I’ve always felt the spirit of rock and roll meant not only ignoring your critics, but ignoring your peers and going your own way. I think we’ve done that pretty much with few exceptions for forty years. So that same criteria that kept us out has not gotten us in. I scratch my head a little and I also take issue with a certain arrogance within that group.”
“Nonetheless,” the singer added, “I look at some of the inductees and any club that has Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton and The Who and the Beatles and the Stones is company I don’t mind being in and my feelings have nothing to do with any of them, it purely has to do with a system which I think is tainted, corrupted and distorted.”
I have to admire him for being so outspoken and acknowledging the validation this will give the fans. That is an angle I had not thought of before. “doing it for the fans” always seems such a lame comment until now. I get it.
As for the Hall of Fame, well if you want to see an old guitar its a nice place to visit but Id take the accolades as cliche’.
