Inducting Rush and Heart Into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Would Make it Less of a Joke

Alright, it’s time the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame got it right. Thankfully, they were wise enough to nominate Rush and Heart this year, but what are the chances these perineal rockers will actually get voted in? Listen, I'm no Kiss fan, but they deserve to be in the Hall of Fame, too.

Joining Heart and Rush on the list of nominees are Deep Purple, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Procol Harum, Albert King, the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, the Meters, Chic, Randy Newman, the Marvelettes, Kraftwerk, Donna Summer, Public Enemy and N.W.A.

I’m sorry, but if N.W.A and Public Enemy get into the Hall of Fame before Rush and Heart, there are going to be some real problems. And who the heck are the Meters and the Paul Butterfield Blues Band? I'm an audiophile, and the thought "Hey, I should pick up a Kraftwerk record” never crossed my mind. Pardon the pun, but I will freak out if Chic gets in the Rock & Roll Hall Fame.

The HOF's CEO, Joel Peresman, defended some of the choices in a press release defending the broad artistic territory encompassed by the nominees.

“The definition of ‘rock and roll’ means different things to different people, but as broad as the classifications may be, they all share a common love of the music. This year we again proudly put forth a fantastic array of groups and artists that span the entire genre that is ‘rock and roll’.”

Yeah, no. I don't ever remember saying "Hey, you want to go to that rock and roll show featuring Public Enemy?' The Hall’s definition of rock and roll is a little goofy.

Rush has released powerhouse records for over 30 years and may be the most disrespected band in rock history. The albums are epic, and they continue to excel at making music. This month, they play the First Niagara Center, and rumor has it this may be their last tour (please, God, no!). If it is, let them go out in style as members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Heart paved the way for women who rock, and even when they sold out in the '80s (who didn’t), they melted the hearts of adolescent men with some of the most memorable songs from the video music era. They just released a new album, 'Fanatic', which includes raw, grimy blues band rock and soulful acoustic ballads. These chicks can still bring it!!

The Hall of Fame committee always seems to get it wrong and votes some really questionable choices into the Hall. The Hall of Fame shouldn't be about eclectic choices like Randy Newman, and, seriously, Joan Jett has some decent songs, but is she Hall of Fame material? Prolific rockers with legions of dedicated fans are left out year after year. Putting Heart and Rush into the Hall would go a long way to making that right. Then maybe it wouldn't seem like such a joke.