The Spin I’m In: Kids in “The Hall”

This week's YouTube and playlist include the 2007 inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Kind of a strange year: Eddie Van Halen (in re-hab) and David Lee Roth were no-shows, The Ronettes performed and accepted their induction whilst their "idiosyncratic"-turned-suspect producer Phil Spector awaits trial for murder.

Grandmaster Flash was eloquent in his statement on his website about his induction: 

"It's a wonderful feeling to be remembered as one of the architects that pioneered an idea that the whole world fell madly in love with. It's called Hip Hop". 

I was a bit surprised that Patti Smith accepted her induction (in honor of her late husband Fred Sonic Smith of the MC5), but not without a slight disclaimer from her in the New York Times:

"On the eve of this event I asked myself many questions. Should an artist working within the revolutionary landscape of rock accept laurels from an institution? Should laurels be offered? Am I a worthy recipient? I have wrestled with these questions and my conscience leads me back to Fred and those like him – the maverick souls who may never be afforded such honors. Thus in his name I will accept with gratitude." 

I used to think that being inducted was so regal and important, but The Sex Pistols lampooned The Hall last year in their flamboyant rejection of their induction and kind of tarnished the event for me, thankfully I suppose:

In a handwritten note posted on their website, they called the institution "urine in wine." "We're not your monkeys, we're not coming. You're not paying attention."

The note further criticized the Hall of Fame for offering "fame at $25,000 if we paid for a table or $15,000 to squeak up in the gallery." The group's letter acknowledged that the organization's judges are anonymous, but denounced them as "music industry people."

In the last couple of years, the Hall has inducted some artists that were not even supported enough by ‘the Industry" to get them on the radio, but because of these artists' (Ramones, Sex Pistols) obvious importance to musical and pop culture history "the Industry" is jumping on the "we always loved you" bandwagon to save face. 

The Sex Pistols hand written note remains on their website.