If you can't kill it, put it in a museum

First off, there's just something about the whole concept that grates me. Damn it to hell, Rock and Roll is about rebellion, about flipping polite society the bird, about telling mom, dad, the police, your teacher, your boss, and whoever else gets in the way, to kiss your ass. The idea of Eddie Cochrane, Gene Vincent, Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley, and LITTLE RICHARD (!!) being exhibits in a slick museum, with a gift shop, and a million ways to make money is absurd. Christ, rock and roll is a euphemism for (and excuse the language, but it is the truth) fucking, and somehow, a damned glass case with Elvis gold lame' suit from 10,000,000 Elvis Fans Can't Be Wrong doesn't fit that picture.

I can't help but feel that a young Pete Townshend would be less amused, and instead be very angry about all this. Sex and drugs and rock and roll....they're synonymous....and this is just another way for corporate America to neuter it. Co-opting the rebellion, and selling it back to us. Lord knows, they tried from the outset-why else did we have to tolerate such pap as "Teen Angel", and "Take Good Care of My Baby"? Let's make it safe, so that mommy and daddy will buy it-Then thankfully, the British invasion, in particular the seedier side like the Animals, Stones, Kinks, and the Who arrived to tell mom and dad to go to hell.

But wouldn't you know it-the 70's arrive, and we're getting sensitive singer/songwriters...James

Taylor? Give me a break, will ya? Thank god, along come Johnny and Sid, to spit in everyone's milk (right now,,,ha ha ha ha ha).

That's why I loved Nirvana-they just refused to be the good little boys, and tease their hair just right like Bon Friggin' Jovi...mind you, in turn they were then copied by the cretins that run these things-Bush? Who the hell are they? Some A&R promoters idea of grunge...*sigh*

It's crap like the RnR HoF that made me appreciate rap, even if I can't stand to listen to it-I loved Townshend's comment-"It's not for us to like, it's not for us to understand-It's for us to get the fuck out of the way". Long live the chairman.

Then, we get to the second part of my annoyance at this 'institution' (to be read with a sneer, please)-Just why the hell are some of these people getting inducted? If you're going to recognise the best of the best, can't we do without Aerosmith? And this is no rip on them, hell I've actually been known to enjoy a record or two of theirs-But will someone explain to me what innovation, what truly classic moment, just what, other than sell a bunch of midtempo rock songs did these guys do, to be considered part of the upper echelon? Jesus, if they're in, surely it's only another few years before we get hear about Poison, Bon Jovi, Britney Spears and Foreigner going in.

(Newsflash, I originally wrote this about ten years ago. Unbelievably, ABBA are being inducted in 2010. Case closed)

Okay, I'm done swearing for the moment-I think I'll go and listen to my The Jam collection....

Sincerely yours,

Andrew (a formerly angry young man, now just angry)

PS- Songs that ARE Rock N Roll...
C'Mon Everybody
Summertime Blues
Johnny B Goode
Well All Right
Satisfaction
My Generation
All Day and All of the Night
Honky Tonk Women
Sweet Home Alabama
Anarchy in the UK
The Modern World
Smells Like Teen Spirit
Born in the USA (Could you believe Reagan was so stupid to think that was about patriotism-wadda maroon)
Heroin
Back in Black

Songs that aren't
Dreamlover
Rosanna
Kyrie
Wheel in the Sky
Anything by Survivor
The Warrior
Anything by an American Idol contestant