The Nom Com Project: Part 2
Part 1 is listed on Mark’s Northumbrian Countdown site.
Mark and I began the meeting with the “conscious pick” round, a no-brainer who everyone collectively agrees should be on the ballot. The selected winner automatically earns a spot on the coveted mock ballot. We wanted to avoid a potential blunder such as the actual nominating committee almost forgetting to put Green Day on the 2015 ballot. We narrowed down the field to four artists—Foo Fighters, Jay-Z, Kraftwerk and Judas Priest. The former two are the biggest newly-eligible FYE candidates and the latter two are previous winners of Future Rock Legends’ annual tournament of the biggest Rock Hall snubs. Each voter could only select one artist in this rapid-fire round. Putting everyone’s microphones on mute, I asked each person which artist they wanted to select. Jay-Z was the clear winner with 11 votes, followed by Kraftwerk with 8 votes. Both the Foo Fighters and Judas Priest received zero votes. As a result, Jay-Z became the first artist officially nominated on the ballot. The other three names could be nominated by the voters later on.
Now we get to the fun part—cosplaying as the members of the Rock Hall’s nominating committee. Just like the annual September meetings, each member nominates two artists for the remaining fifteen spots. Because this took place late at night and avoiding a potential all-nighter, each member was given two minutes to articulate a case for each artist they nominated. You cannot pick an artist somebody has already nominated. To make matters more fun and suspenseful, I used a random name generator so the members did not know when it was their turn. The order would proceeded in snake draft format: whoever drafted last in round one will go first in round two. Mark served as the timekeeper and (if need be) would rattle one of his son’s toys in front of his screen to signify time’s up. That would also be my cue to mute that member’s mic and move on to the next person. With 20 people in a Zoom meeting, it’s essential to keep tabs on time and ensure the process runs as smoothly as possible.
Here are the summaries of the arguments presented, in order, for round one of the draft:
Phillip was drafted first and went with early rock icon Chubby Checker. Noting that he’s “more than just ‘The Twist,’ Phillip argued Checker’s candidacy rests on his contributions to dance music in popular culture. Respected by the “old guard,” he also noted Checker’s rendition of “The Twist” was performed at the inaugural ceremony.
Greg made a well-articulated case for Joe Cocker, a “voice so unique with so much soul.” Greg believes Cocker’s lack of songwriting credits should not be a detriment to his Rock Hall candidacy, noting the inductions of Elvis Presley, Linda Ronstadt and The Temptations as counterexamples. “He put his definitive stamp on everything he had done” and argued Cocker’s place as one of Rock’s great interpreters.
In a pre-recorded video screen-shared to the group, Joe made a case for hitmakers Kool & The Gang. Joe emphasized the band’s contributions to hip-hop as they are one of the sampled artists in music history, something “that cannot be understated.” He also argued a potential induction could give “at least 7 living black musicians inducted into the Hall of Fame,” which would diversify the voting body.
Nick chose seminal New Wave pioneers The B-52’s, a “brilliantly subversive band” who “defined experimentation in the late 20th century.” He argued their inclusion would open the doors for more queer representation in the Rock Hall. He also noted the band’s longevity and how they spearheaded one of the greatest comebacks in rock history.
Troy chose “the pop diva to end all pop divas,” the incomparable Mariah Carey. After Whitney Houston’s induction this year, a case could be made that Carey was “just as important and bigger.” Carey redefined the modern pop diva in “an urban context” and became one of the most commercially-successful performers of the last three decades. Only the Beatles have more #1 hits than Carey.
Although she admitted hip-hop “is not a strong genre for me,” Michelle noted “before we had Missy Elliott, Nicki Minaj and Cardi B and all those queens, we had Salt N Pepa.” Recognizing their status as trailblazers of both their genre and gender, Michelle believes Salt N Pepa are just as responsible for bringing rap to the mainstream as their male counterparts.
Eric chose the musically-eclectic Jethro Tull, “a band that exists in its own universe where the flute and guitar are equally important.” While songs such as “Aqualung” are still heavily played on FM radio, Eric mentions they have “never been critical favorites” who have yet to receive a Rock Hall nomination.
Mike chose another one of his favorite pop idols: the legendary Tina Turner. Although she’s already inducted with her abusive late husband Ike, she achieved solo superstardom in the mid-1980s and would become one of the best-selling artists of all time. Mike astutely concluded, “it’s time she gets her just due as a solo act.”
As one of the few artists ranked on Rolling Stone’s list of the 100 Greatest Artists who is not inducted into the Rock Hall, Darin put forth country-rock pioneer Gram Parsons. “It’s hard to find a country-alternative artist that doesn’t list him as an influence,” argues Darin who feels Parsons’ body of work is exceptional.
Although she didn’t appear on his initial list of biggest Rock Hall snubs, Mark chose the iconic Dolly Parton. “Equally beloved by drag queens and conservative folks,” Parton became an instrumental figure to bring country music to the mainstream and wrote many songs that would become standards.
On the heels of Dolly Parton, Josh chose another important female country music superstar: Patsy Cline. Despite her short career, Cline is responsible for one of the genre’s crossover hits (“Crazy”) and influenced virtually every female country performer in her wake.
Darren went with political rebels Rage Against the Machine as his first pick. Arguing that they are “a continuation of political rock such as The Clash, MC5 and Public Enemy,” Rage Against the Machine fused rap and hard rock and became one of the biggest bands of the 1990s. He also mentioned the band’s planned reunion tour would’ve gotten them back on the ballot.
Mary chose the Queen of Tejano music Selena who would become the best-selling Latin artist of the 1990s. She notes Selena’s influence on contemporary pop music and can be heard in the music of Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, Katy Perry and Jennifer Lopez. Despite her tragic death at age 23, Selena’s importance in the Latino-American community cannot be overstated.
We’re working our way to Tom and unsurprisingly he nominated Philly Soul legends The Spinners. Although their regional contemporaries The O’Jays were inducted in 2005, The Spinners have yet to be enshrined at the Rock Hall. The Spinners’ “lush-sounding” records are among the best R&B records ever recorded and they became one of the most consistent hitmakers of their time. He also noted their admirers included David Bowie, Elton John and Steve Miller.
Next up in the court of our meeting is Kyle who chose the always ambitious King Crimson. Kyle argued they were consistently evolving and pushed the sonic limits of prog rock and later incorporating elements of metal and new wave along the way. He also noted the egregiousness of Robert Fripp’s omission from the Rock Hall, a la Brian Eno’s absence until Roxy Music’s induction last year.
FRL mastermind Neil presented a brief argument for Beck, an artist who he feels had “all the ingredients of what you’d want in a first-ballot Hall of Famer—critical, popularity, influence, relevancy.”
Donnie went with electronic pioneers Kraftwerk, a prospect most Rock Hall Watchers would consider the most egregious snub of them all. “I think there’s an argument to be made that Kraftwerk is the most important band in modern music history, even giving the Beatles a run for their money,” which says a lot given the latter are Donnie’s all-time favorite band.
Paul presented a succinct case for grunge pioneers Alice in Chains who had “many hits with a distinctive sound.” Although late lead vocalist Layne Staley’s death hampers a potential induction, he believes they will be enshrined very soon.
David went with rap’s first male superstar LL Cool J. “It’s frustrating he’s not in…he’s done a lot of firsts in hip-hop and remained relevant through the 80s and 90s which was rare for rappers at that time,” argues David who remains unsure what else the previously-nominated rapper can do to boost his induction chances.
Last but not least is Charles who selected The Clovers. He noted they had more hits than most doo-wop groups already in the Rock Hall and even had a one huge crossover hit, the legendary “Love Potion No. 9.” He also mentioned their associations with legendary Hall of Famers such Ahmet Ertegun, Leiber and Stoller, and Jesse Stone. He concluded this is a group “too big to ignore.”
Part 3 of the series will continue on The Northumbrian Countdown.
