I mean no disrespect to Madonna or The Dave Clark Five or John (he'll always be Cougar to me) Mellencamp, but I wouldn't brag too much about those recent inductions into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame.
It's a sham.
Why? Because Kiss isn't in.
Now before you get all up in arms, let me first defend my position while also mentioning a few obvious and concededpoints ... Yes, I know that Kiss can't sing and their songwriting skills are elementary at best. That's not why they deserve to be in the Hall of Fame.
Heck, The Ramones couldn't sing, play their instruments or write a song that didn't use the phrase "I don't wanna ..." at least 37 times. And, like Johnny Rotten, frontman of the Sex Pistols once famously spat to crowd just before they walked of stage, "Do you ever feel like you've been cheated?"
Yep ... Oh, by the way, The Pistols are in the Hall and Sid Vicious not only couldn't play bass, they rarely bothered ever even plugging him in.
The reason that bands like the Sex Pistols and especially The Ramones deserve to be acknowledged are because of the influence and inspiration they gave to others.
So why does Kiss deserve to be considered? Because of what they've meant to the spirit of Rock. What would hard rock, heavy metal, glam or even grundge be without Kiss
Before Kiss exploded in the mid-1970s, Bob Denver had the number one record. They made concerts more than just musicians playing off in the distance, they made it fun - blood, bombs, fire, exploding guitars. Sure it was kitsch, but - at least for a little while - they made rock dangerous.
Plus, they were marketing geniuses. Before Kiss, selling out wasn't even possible. They've got a rabid fan base (the Kiss Army won't be denied ... in 2006 they picketed the Hall, demanding Kiss be nominated) and haven't put out any new music in nearly a decade.
They've also got more gold records than the Beatles. Kiss became eligible for The Hall in 1999. Put 'em in. What ... 'cause Blondie's better?
Sign the petition at http://www.petitiononline.com/TheQuest/petition.html
Oh, and put Tom Waits in there too. If you can justify Leonard Cohen, the dark poet, then you can invite the "poet at the crack of dawn," too.
It's a sham.
Why? Because Kiss isn't in.
Now before you get all up in arms, let me first defend my position while also mentioning a few obvious and concededpoints ... Yes, I know that Kiss can't sing and their songwriting skills are elementary at best. That's not why they deserve to be in the Hall of Fame.
Heck, The Ramones couldn't sing, play their instruments or write a song that didn't use the phrase "I don't wanna ..." at least 37 times. And, like Johnny Rotten, frontman of the Sex Pistols once famously spat to crowd just before they walked of stage, "Do you ever feel like you've been cheated?"
Yep ... Oh, by the way, The Pistols are in the Hall and Sid Vicious not only couldn't play bass, they rarely bothered ever even plugging him in.
The reason that bands like the Sex Pistols and especially The Ramones deserve to be acknowledged are because of the influence and inspiration they gave to others.
So why does Kiss deserve to be considered? Because of what they've meant to the spirit of Rock. What would hard rock, heavy metal, glam or even grundge be without Kiss
Before Kiss exploded in the mid-1970s, Bob Denver had the number one record. They made concerts more than just musicians playing off in the distance, they made it fun - blood, bombs, fire, exploding guitars. Sure it was kitsch, but - at least for a little while - they made rock dangerous.
Plus, they were marketing geniuses. Before Kiss, selling out wasn't even possible. They've got a rabid fan base (the Kiss Army won't be denied ... in 2006 they picketed the Hall, demanding Kiss be nominated) and haven't put out any new music in nearly a decade.
They've also got more gold records than the Beatles. Kiss became eligible for The Hall in 1999. Put 'em in. What ... 'cause Blondie's better?
Sign the petition at http://www.petitiononline.com/TheQuest/petition.html
Oh, and put Tom Waits in there too. If you can justify Leonard Cohen, the dark poet, then you can invite the "poet at the crack of dawn," too.
