The Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame Has Nothing To Do With Rock ‘n’ Roll

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is a joke. It has been a joke for a long time, and I don’t see how anyone can takes it seriously.

From the start, I think the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame should’ve been a museum, nothing else – holding rare guitars, keyboards, sheets of music, and other rarities owned by the legends of rock ‘n’ roll, blues, metal, and so on.

The idea of having a “Hall of Fame” with inductees… I’m sorry, when has music become a sport? How do you decide who gets inducted or not? The beauty of music is that, unlike sports, medals and prizes don’t matter here. Pink Floyd and The Beatles would still be considered legendary even if they had never won a Grammy… newsflash, non of the people who listen to them actually give a damn about the Grammy wins.

I’m pretty sure Queen never won a Grammy… and? Does anyone care about it except those who actually run this award, which gives them a sense of importance like they are a part of something they’re not? Will it change the fact Queen are more influential and notable than any of those who do win it these days?

Same with the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The thing is… it could’ve been great, as a museum, as an experience, like the Hard Rock Cafe is absolutely awesome and has a beautiful atmosphere.

But, not only did they decide to award “medals”… apparently Jay-Z belongs in the Hall of Fame… while Iron Maiden, one of the greatest and most influential rock bands ever, don’t? Roxy Music and the Cure only got inducted in 2019, The Moody Blues only got inducted in 2018… but pop band Green Day got inducted in 2015? Rap group Public enemy got inducted in 2013?

Should I even get into the fact that the morons who run the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame are so clueless about rock that British 90s bands like Oasis, Suede, Blur, and The Verve who shaped a whole generation don’t even get mentioned as potential candidates to be nominated? What music do those who run this organisation even listen to, 50 Cent and Justin Bieber?!

And while I think that the whole idea of awards in music is meaningless because it has no effect whatsoever on the legacy of a given artist, in the early days a lot of it did make sense. I love the fact that early rock ‘n’ roll pioneers like Chuck Berry and Little Richard got introduced into it straight away. It was obvious to everyone when The Beatles, Bob Dylan, The Kinks, Simon & Garfunkel, The Who, The Police, the Doors, David Bowie, Elton John, U2, Blondie, Hendrix, Joan Baez, Guns N’ Roses, and Queen god inducted… because those guys ARE what people think of when they hear about rock ‘n’ roll.

I also think the likes of Robert Johnson shouldn’t have been inducted as more than just “early influences.”

But later… it become a complete joke. I still find it shocking Sister Rosetta Tharpe and The Jam aren’t in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame… but apparently Jay-Z is.

Kendrick Lamar introducing NWA into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame… I mean, WTF does that have to do with rock ‘n’ roll.

Suede – Brilliant, Underrated, and Dog Man Star is The Dark Side of The Moon of the 90s

You can see many lists online of the most influential bands ever, but one band gets criminally omitted, and it’s Suede.

The Beatles started the whole rock band thing, The Who pretty much invented the power chord and heavy music, Queen added the flamboyance and theatrical appeal of the theatre and ballet to music, Pink Floyd cemented the progressive format, Iron Maiden defined what heavy metal is meant to be… but the band that revived rock in the 90s, guitar rock, glam rock, at a time when it seemed it was dead, was Suede!

Here’s a great quote from the mastermind behind Oasis, Noel Gallagher: “Guitars weren’t cool for a long time. Suede came along about six months before us, but ‘the guitarist’ sort of died after Johnny Marr. Then there was Bernard Butler and he was someone to admire. When I heard Animal Nitrate I went away and wrote Some Might Say the very next day, it was that inspiring. I wouldn’t say I saved the guitar industry, but I made Epiphone a lot of money, that’s for sure.”

This quote accurately defined that period’s spirit! I’m not completely convinced that Oasis or Blur would’ve been given the radio airtime to begin with if it hadn’t been for Suede bringing that sound back in its updated form.

A good question that arises is this, how did it happen that the Battle of Britpop was between Oasis and Blur? What happened to Suede in that time period?

Well, here’s my explanation. Imagine there’s a party going on, an open air party. Someone starts the fire, brings the food… but then they have to leave due to personal circumstances. That person, despite starting it all and setting the atmosphere won’t be on the pictures because they left early. That’s what happened to Suede!

While Suede kickstarted the revival of British rock in 1993, that snowball reached the pick of its momentum in 1995… a year when Suede didn’t release any new albums, Brett Anderson was struggling with personal issues, and Bernard Butler left the band. Suede were going through changes at a time when Britpop was at its peak and bands were expected to be ready with packaged products.

Also, while technically starting Britpop, they never wanted to be classed under such a specific brand, that’s why Dog Man Star was so different to their debut, and while for many of us Dog Man Star is one of the greatest albums ever, it definitely moved away from the trends of the time (trends they had themselves started).

The fact is, when you listen to Suede… you discover one of the most original, melodic, and creative bands in the history of British music. Be it the gritty glam rock of their debut Suede, the art rock sound of Dog Man Star, the 60s influenced Coming Up… or their post-reunion trilogy, the masterpieces Bloodsports, Night Thoughts, and The Blue Hour, every album is different, but equally exciting and energetic!

For me, Suede are up there with the greatest! They brought back to life the gritty, very British guitar sound, but mixed it with the creativeness of art rock, the wit of the swinging 60s, and immense talent of their members.

I think that Dog Man Star is the Dark Side of the Moon of the 90s. So why did it not achieve the same commercial success as Dark Side of the Moon? How is it that Dark Side of the Moon reached number one on the Billboard 200, while Dog Man Star “only” reached #3 in the UK (I’m saying “only” because it’s still a very impressive achievement)?

I was trying to figure out this injustice towards Dog Man Star, and I’ve come up with this explanation.

Suede brought back that gritty guitar sound and lyrics with that very British kind of sarcasm and wit. Their first album was very lively, sharp, kick-in-the-face… pure genius that defined a whole generation! It was the success of that album that showed radio stations that there was demand for that kind of music, which later allowed such great bands as Oasis, Blur, and the Verve to make it.

However, while people thirsted for more of that attitude… Suede, being true artists, wanted to do something else. In 1994-1995, more than ever, people wanted more of the attitude found on Suede’s debut album, that’s why the wonderful albums Definitely Maybe by Oasis and Parklife by Blur made it, because you could find that attitude there! But Suede decided to step away from it at a time when it was more popular than ever.

They did Dog Man Star, a dark, deep album, something that touches upon the most fragile and embarrassing parts of our soul, but that wasn’t what the public wanted. The public didn’t have enough of “Animal Nitrate,” that lively sound full of hope and electricity. Suede’s lively debut put electricity through your veins, while Dog Man Star went into the most secret rooms of your subconsciousness.

Basically, while Dog Man Star was a brilliant and sophisticated album, the public wasn’t ready for it. The public wasn’t ready to sit alone in the room and to feel exposed by that album, for it to dive into their souls.