I can't stand the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It's the perfect embodiment of how Baby Boomers have sold out their ideals for crap. Rock is the music of revolution and creating an institution like the Hall of Fame neuters those forces for change. The same people who once protested against institutions that separate a chosen few above everyone else went ahead and created one themselves.
Well, I guess the Sex Pistols agree with me because last week they flipped the Hall of Fame the bird. In a simple (if not rambling with a hint of derangement) note, they have rejected the hall's invitation to them to attend their own induction ceremony. Thank goodness someone finally rejected the "honor" in order to call attention to what horseshit the place is.
Actually, the Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments called this one back in 1995 in their song "RnR Hall of Fame". One of the lyrics goes "Blow it up before Johnny Rotten gets in." Who knew those guys would be so prescient? It's a pretty rough tune to listen to but the lyrics (while crude) are spot on.
RnR HALL OF FAME (from Bait and Switch)
Bombs away on the Rock 'n Roll hall of fame
Even if I get inducted I'd probably feel the same
I don't want to see Eric Clapton's stuffed baby
I don't want to see the shotgun of Kurt Cobain
Bombs away bombs away
Cleveland's cool, Cleveland's cool
I don't want to see the liver of David Crosby
I don't want to see all the drugs I couldn't take
I don't want to see collector scum pay
Blow it up, blow it up
Blow it up before Johnny Rotten gets in
Blow it up before Paul Westerberg sits in
Blow it up before Steve Albini gives a speech
Bombs Away Bombs Away
Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments | RnR Hall of Fame
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Sex Pistols | Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
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3 comments:
Saw this today and I have to say this note is pretty sweet. Wish more artists had this type of backbone to stand up to authority.
I dunno.
Something in my meta-cynicism sez that's the easy punk rock route.
More punk would have been to demand complete broadcast rights, a renaming of the Hall of Fame to the Sex Pistol Hall of Piss, $100,000 (per Pistol), a pink Hummer Limo (per Pistol) and a dozen 21 year old virgins (per Pistol).
But that's just me.
Ha!
That would have been great. Perhaps Ozzy will take that approach and stick with Sabbath's rejection of the hall. However, I'm not very hopeful. I think he'll cave.
Either way though, the key is that they rejected the idea of being "accepted" as being more important than other bands simply because a chosen few annointed them as such.
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