It's important to remember that Morrissey isn't racist

There have been few things more divisive in British public life this century than Brexit. And you know who can't hear the word "divisive" without deciding to share his view?

So, Morrissey. Tell us what you think about Brexit:

“As for Brexit, the result was magnificent, but it is not accepted by the BBC or Sky News because they object to a public that cannot be hypnotised by BBC or Sky nonsense. These news teams are exactly the same as Fox and CNN in that they all depend on public stupidity in order to create their own myth of reality. Watch them at your peril!”

Morrissey appears to be doing media studies at GCSE. I was half expecting him to add "you might say someone is a terrorist, but somebody else could call them a freedom fighter."

Morrissey, of course, doesn't live in Britain and when he visits he feels it's important to mention that he hears people speaking languages other than English, but obviously not in a racist way. In other words, he's pretty much prime UKIP material.

It's fascinating that he feels the most important thing about the result isn't anything to do with the EU, but merely proves something about the BBC. Naturally, living in America he'd be in the perfect position to judge the tenor of BBC News coverage of the referendum. In precisely the same way that a person living in Didsbury is able to tell you about the weather in Miami right now.

Pitchfork also reminds us that he's as addled and deluded about music as he is about, sadly, everything:

Later in the same interview, he discussed how his legacy as an artist is folded into the Smiths’ success. “The Smiths are listed as, for example, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominees, because people generally think that the Smiths also covers Morrissey—which it doesn’t.” Though they were nominated for the Hall in recent years, the Smiths were not nominated this year.

Then, he said, “we have PJ Harvey as a Hall Of Fame nominee,” which also isn’t true (though this was the first year Harvey became eligible for nomination). He continued, “It can’t be argued that she has ever meant more than Morrissey in the USA, and needless to say I have never been a nominee.”

This is a man angry that someone who hasn't been nominated for something he hasn't been nominated for isn't, in his opinion, any fitter for the prize that they both aren't in the running for.

It's a bit like me getting angry that Nigel Farage's eligibility for the Nobel Peace Prize instead of me.

The claim that a Smiths nomination doesn't include Morrissey isn't right, either - individual members of the band are inducted, and I don't think you can be inducted more than once. And, let's be honest, Moz - your best chance is getting considered for Strangeways and The Queen Is Dead rather than Years Of Refusal and... your other solo albums. The one about the ring or something?

And as for meaning than PJ - admittedly, Viva Hate went gold in the US back in 1993, and Bona Drag managed to scrape gold after a decade on the racks. But PJ Harvey's records consistently enter the US charts - maybe not at such a level that Taylor Swift will be worried, but still enough to show she has a strong base of interest in the US. And she's still doing interesting work, rather than... well, just complaining about a lack of respect.

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: Rolling Stone decides its not Miller time

Back, then, to last night's inductions to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Over at Rolling Stone, you can read dispatches from the night.

You can read, for example, Deep Purple's acceptance speeches.

You can luxuriate in every detail of how Lars Ulrich introduced them.

You can spend some time with the text of Kendrick Lamar's introduction of NWA.

You can read NWA's acceptance speeches.

You can pore over every detail of Dan Auerbach's introduction to Steve Miller's induction.

And of course, you can read Miller's acc... oh, hang on. No, you can't. The Steve Miller acceptance speech, which - as we heard earlier was the only interesting thing of the evening.

Why, you wonder, would Rolling Stone neglect to run a speech which attacked the very idea of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and called out its management? I wonder if Wikipedia might have a hint?

Jann Simon Wenner (born January 7, 1946) is the co-founder and publisher of the popular culture biweekly Rolling Stone, as well as the current owner of Men's Journal and Us Weekly magazines.
[...]
Wenner, who was made a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation in 1983, has endured controversy during his career as it relates to his involvement in the organization.

That noise? That's the sound of Wenner's part in the Berkely Free Speech Movement being erased from history.

Steve Miller less than impressed with the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

Steve Miller has been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. He's not entirely thrilled by it all:

Asked to expand on his criticisms of the organization, which was founded by industry heavyweights like Jann S. Wenner of Rolling Stone and has its museum in Cleveland, Mr. Miller said, “The whole process is unpleasant,” suggesting that it be “changed from the top to the bottom.”

“They need to respect the artists they say they’re honoring, which they don’t,” the singer continued, making references to issues like licensing agreements between the show and its honorees. (Friday’s ceremony will be broadcast by HBO on April 30.)

Mr. Miller, 72, then turned to the ceremony itself. “When they told me I was inducted they said, ‘You have two tickets — one for your wife and one for yourself. Want another one? It’s $10,000. Sorry, that’s the way it goes,’ ” he said, adding, “What about my band? What about their wives?”

When a publicist for the Rock Hall tried to interrupt him, Mr. Miller persisted. “No, we’re not going to wrap this up — I’m going to wrap you up,” he said. “You go sit down over there and learn something.”

The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame organisation tried to put a brave face on it by pretending that being condemned by the people they seek to celebrate is somehow very on brand:

“Rock ’n’ roll can ignite many opinions,” the hall responded in a statement. “It’s what makes it so great. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was honored to induct Steve Miller tonight and congratulates him.”

Not so honoured they didn't try to shake him down for asking for three tickets.

What's lovely is the way they try to suggest that Miller is angry at rock and roll - "yeah, people get so animated about rock and roll" - rather than the museum they've built around it.

Ian Gillan gets all sassy with the Rock & Roll hall of Fame

Talking to Rolling Stone, Ian Gillan gently schools the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in rock:

I've heard quotes of somebody on the [Rock Hall voting] committee saying, "Well, Deep Purple can't be in it, because they were a one-hit wonder." I don't know if they were referring to "Hush" or "Smoke in the Water" or "Child in Time" or "Highway Star" or "Perfect Strangers," any of those one hit wonders that we were.

He then says he'd treat the museum with respect if they approached the band, but "it's really an American thing", which is the sort of respect you get when someone says "I hear what you're saying, but..."

Beyonce is put into a museum

Exciting news from Elle:

Beyonce's hotness is now being honored at a major museum: http://t.co/qlaYhwl6go pic.twitter.com/Mg1r1gugp1

— ELLE Magazine (US) (@ELLEmagazine) July 21, 2014

You'll note it's her "hotness" rather than her successes as a musician, entertainer or businesswoman that Elle thinks is being celebrated.

Still, this is a "major museum" - which could it be? The Smithsonian? The V&A? Maybe even the Guggenheim?

Which is it, Elle?

32-year-old Beyoncé isn't eligible for induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame until 2022, but that hasn't stopped the museum from putting on an exhibit celebrating Queen B.

Oh. So it's a bunch of her outfits down by the Cleveland docks. This is news on a par with "is being added to the waxworks at Tussaurds."

Kiss unhappy at induction process

Next month, Kiss get inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame - they're told about the fire escape procedure, get to meet their line managers and get given a swipe card that lets them get into the stationery cupboard.

But they're not happy.

They're annoyed that only some Kiss people are being allowed in:

“We have continuing issues with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, starting with the fact that they chose to only induct the original lineup when that’s hardly the case with other bands,” [Paul Stanley] said from Los Angeles.

“In the Grateful Dead’s case, (they) also inducted a writer who never played an instrument,” said Stanley, referring to Robert Hunter’s inclusion when the band was inducted in 1994. “Or they’ve inducted rap artists, or they’ve inducted people who have been in the band for seven years as opposed to ... 25 years or 20 years — whatever their criteria of this week is.”

It does seem, on the face of it, to be unfair. But on the other hand, it's a pop museum and a band who are mostly known these days for squeezing every merchandise cent they can from their fanbase. I suspect the human rights agencies won't be taking many calls on this one.

1993 all over again: 1 - The Breeders

1. The Breeders - Cannonball

Not only did NME think this was the best song of 1993, they considered it the 22nd best indie anthem ever. Oddly, Pitchfork considers it the 22nd best track of the 90s. From this we can extrapolate that it is also the 22nd best polka tune and number 22 of your 100 Best Hymns.

It also is comprised of two little ducks.

So robust a song, it survived being used in the trailer for Dude, Where's My Car.

You can go and look at the outfit Kim Deal wears in this video in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.



[Part of 1993 all over again]
[Buy: The Breeders - Last Splash]

Nobody in Cleveland much cares for Axl Rose

Last night, Guns N Roses were officially inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Some of the band turned up, but Axl didn't.

How did that go down?

Boos rang out from some of the 6,000 in attendance early in the evening when Billie Joe Armstrong, lead singer of Green Day, asked the crowd "who was missing" as members of Guns N' Roses were up on stage accepting their award.

I imagine if there'd been a moment when Axl had been wondering if he'd done the right thing when he stayed away, those doubts would have vanished faster than GNR's dignity when they had they guy with chicken bucket on his head.

If I've understood the scenario correctly, the people at the Hall Of Fame have decided that Rose created one of the seminal rock acts in music history, and wanted to show their appreciation of that work by, erm, booing him for not schlepping over to Ohio on a cold Saturday in April for them to tell him how great he is.

Surely not going to the Hall Of Fame bunfight is exactly the sort of anti-establishment bullshit the Hall Of Fame is supposed to be celebrating?

[UPDATE: Fellow inductees Rod Stewart and Adam Yauch also had better things to do. Oddly, their non-appearance wasn't turned into a circus.]

Axl Rose makes a lot of fuss about something unimportant to him

When asked why he accepted an OBE, John Peel would say that part of the reason was that he didn't want to be the sort of bloke who stood in the pub going "you know, they offered it to me. I turned them down."

Something to think about as Axl Rose writes a long letter explaining why he won't go to the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony this week:

Speaking about why he has made this choice, Rose wrote: "This decision is personal. This letter is to help clarify things from my and my camp’s perspective. Neither is meant to offend, attack or condemn. Though unfortunately I’m sure there will be those who take offence (God knows how long I’ll have to contend with the fallout), I certainly don't intend to disappoint anyone, especially the fans, with this decision."

He continued: "Since the announcement of the nomination we’ve actively sought out a solution to what, with all things considered, appears to be a no win, at least for me, 'damned if I do, damned if I don't' scenario all the way around. In regard to a reunion of any kind of either the Appetite… or Illusion… line-ups, I've publicly made myself more than clear. Nothing's changed."

The option of simply ignoring the event and not drawing attention to it seems to have passed Axl by. Although then, of course, there would have been no publicity for his oh-so-antiestablishment not going to a party.

John Lennon time capsule to be stuck in cupboard at JMU

Together at last - the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame and John Moores University, as some sort of time capsule thing will be stored at both to mark Lennon's 70th birthday.

With the co-operation of Yoko Ono Lennon, the three time capsules will each include; John Lennon’s entire body of post-Beatles recordings, newly restored art prints of his LP artwork, rare memorabilia, a newly commissioned essay on John’s career, plus additional key items to help preserve his legacy and spirit for future generations.

In addition to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, Ohio USA, the second Time Capsule storage location has now been named as the Liverpool John Moores University.

You've got to love that co-operation of Yoko, as if it's awfully hard to get her to agree to something to keep her lucrative brand afloat.

So it sounds like it's a box set with a couple of knobs on. Quite how this will differ from anything on the shelves of the nearby HMV isn't clear. Apart from everyone planning it still to be there in 2040, of course.

[E]ach of [the three capsules] will be re-opened in a world-wide ceremony on October 9th, 2040, the 100th anniversary of John Lennon’s birth.

One will be locked up in Cleveland; the location of the third box is still up for whoever wants it.

Now, of course, a box of just records that you can find anywhere is hardly likely to get the post-apocalypse kids excited, so will there be anything else in the box?

The general public are invited to contribute to the John Lennon Time Capsule by submitting birthday wishes, commentaries, musical performances and personal thoughts online, at www.BoxOfVision.com/TimeCapsule. After the closing date of October 1st, the fan contributions will be collated and included in the 3 Time Capsules

You've got to love that "general public" - could that be any more condescending? Maybe the original draft had "schmucks" in but they decided to soften it.

Is anyone actually clearing their diaries to turn up to see a bunch of mawkish fan mail and a tape of Imagine There's No Heaven being opened in 2040?

It's a long way off. Given the way the current government is destroying the public sector, maybe there's as much hope of Liverpool JMU being around as there is of HMV.

Clapton needs surgery

Eric Clapton has pulled out of an event celebrating the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame because he needs to have his gallstones removed.

Isn't the idea of pop stars playing a gig celebrating a rock museum the wrong way round?

Hall Of Fame shortlist announced

Who'll be given the increasingly-watered-down honour of an induction into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame? Some of this lot:
Abba
LL Cool J
The Red Hot Chili Peppers
Kiss
Darlene Love
Jimmy Cliff
Donna Summer
Laura Nyro
The Chantels
The Stooges
Genesis
The Hollies

It's hard to believe that Kiss - precisely the sort of dreadful good-idea-turned-into-grim-cash-machine that the Hall Of Fame trades in - aren't already in there.

Hall Of Fame invites Metallica, Run DMC

The no, no, not at all pointless decision of who to induct to the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame for this year has been made.

Run DMC are in. Metallica are in. Jeff Beck is already in, as a Yardbyrd, but he's going in again. Commemorative Plates are going in. Little Anthony and the Imperials, Wanda Jackson, Bill Black, D.J. Fontana and Dewey Lyndon "Spooner" Oldham are all in.

Actually one of these might be something Stephen Fry put in to Room 101. My notes are confused. That little glut of brilliant musicians who haven't made it yet are interesting - almost as if the organisers are trying to suddenly perform some sort of museum curatorship role.

The ceremony will be back in Cleveland this year - although not, obviously, at the purpose-built building built for the purpose - and comes with a dreadful threat:

With such a wide-ranging group of musicians, fans can look forward to a spectacular jam at the end of the evening.

Leave early! Leave town! Metallica and the Reverend Run together jamming.

Kiss upset about not being put in some sort of museum

Kiss want to know where the respect for them is. Respect? Love, perhaps. They feel unloved by their exclusion from the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame. Yes, like it matters:

"There are disco bands, rap bands, Yiddish folk song bands in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but not Kiss," the band's outspoken frontman said during a speech at the Billboard Touring Conference on Thursday. "I believe we have more gold records in America than any other group, but it's OK."

Perhaps the Hall Of Fame team don't realise that - alongside the bobble-head dolls, action figures, Kiss-branded lighters and Kiss footballs, the make-up bags and army buckles - there's actually a band using the same logo and trademarks.

Not that Simmons is bitter about it, or anything:

"A lot of those guys on the board [of the museum] can go and get my sandwich when I want, and I mean that in the nicest way," he said.

It would have to be a Kiss-branded sandwich, of course.

Still, Simmons might be able to draw comfort from knowing that while Leonard Cohen might be getting a small section in a corner of the Cleveland museum, nobody has yet bothered to make a Leonard Cohen Mr Potato Head.

Gathering at the hall

The shortlist for the 2009 intake into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame has been announced, with five of the following to have themselves pickled in aspic in next year's ceremony which should be in Cleveland with tickets for the public this year:

Jeff Beck
Chic
Wanda Jackson
Little Anthony and the Imperials
Metallica
Run-D.M.C.
The Stooges
War
Bobby Womack

The Stooges turned up to play for Madonna's induction this year; we're sure that's just a coincidence.

What is the collective term for rock and roll halls of fame?

If I was the city of Cleveland, having poured public support - both goodwill and cash - into the building of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, I'd be less than delighted to discover that they've now decided to open a branch in New York, followed by others, around the globe.

Come to that, you have to wonder if there's much point in opening branches - what is a fairly broad collection of pop-related stuff in one central location might look a little thin spread out through a dozen or so sites. In fact, isn't this just going to be the Hard Rock Cafe without the overpriced burgers?

[You might enjoy No Rock's day trip to the Cleveland Hall of Fame]

Mail Clark

As if to prove that it's equal-opportunities shallow, the Daily Mail chooses to mark Dave Clark's elevation to the Hall of Fame by focusing on his appearance:

Clark's hair appeared to have been dyed back to its 1960s colour and any grey on his beard looked to have been blended in with a touch-up brush. His face was remarkably wrinkle-free and there was a conspicuous absence of lines on his forehead.

They would, of course, have been just as happy to run a story on how he no longer looked like he did in the 1960s. Indeed, it looks like they might have been expecting a snaggly-toothed madman:

In a rare public appearance, Clark, who lives the life of a recluse in a multi-million-pound mews house in London...

"Lives the life of a recluse" in a tabloid means "doesn't appear in the newspapers" - we suspect that Clark doesn't actually live the life of a recluse at all.

Oh, yes... Madonna went in

Last night was the induction ceremony for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, celebrating Cleveland's role rock history by, erm, holding it in New York.

MTV reports:

Madonna Shocks, Justin Timberlake Pays Tribute At Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Ceremony

Madonna 'shocks', does she? Or - and let's just take a wild guess here - did she conform to the worn stereotype by doing something supposedly outrageous but probably scripted?

the sinewy singer ascended the stage and thanked seemingly everyone who helped shape her career, from her earliest dancing teachers to the critics who've blasted her over the years, and told her she "was talentless, that I was chubby, that I couldn't sing, that I was a one-hit wonder — they helped me too, because they made me question myself and they pushed me to be better, and I am grateful for their resistance."

After quoting from the Talmud, she called Timberlake — who'd said, "She became the biggest name on the planet the old-fashioned way: She earned it" — a "fucker." Moments later, she blurted out the word "motherfucker" for no discernable reason.

No discernable reason? How about 'in a desperate bid to make people notice the ceremony even existed'?

By the way, how exactly does Justin Timberlake induct Madonna into the Hall? He's not qualified to be a member himself - either chronologically or artistically - so how does he have the power to elevate someone to its portals?

The Iggy Pop came on, and sang some Madonna songs, and swore.

Billy Joel was on next - he also swore, which is mildly more surprising. But while all this cussing might make the giant-sized picture of Tipper Gore at the museum weep real tears, is it really that surprising?

Curiously, MTV chose not to mention Madonna's brief reference to taking drucks in her speech.

Madonna amongst the dinosaurs

Madonna has been slowly coming to terms with her rock and roll hall of fame nomination:

"I heard about it and I kind of felt ambivalent, like, 'What is that, the place they put musical dinosaurs?' said Madonna.

"I didn't really know what to think of it. But then lots of people explained to me that it's an acknowledgement of singers and songwriters who have made a contribution in the world of music for 25 years, and so eventually I came around to the idea that it was flattering."

Aha. You needed someone to explain the concept of the hall of fame before, reluctant as Jim Hacker accepting nomination for party leader, allowing your name to go forward, huh?

Presumably it's a different Madonna who donated all those stage costumes to the Hall a few years back, then?

[See also: No Rock and Roll Fun visits the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]

Madonna: Almost officially famous

The inductees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, 2008, have been announced: Madonna - who has donated large numbers of items to the museum - is in; The Beastie Boys - who haven't - are not. Funny that.

Also going in will be John 'Where's The Cougar' Mellencamp and Leonard Cohen. The funny thing is, despite the amount of cash the good people of Cleveland have poured in to the Hall, they hold the induction in New York. It's almost as if the birthplace of rock and roll isn't good enough for today's rock and rollers, isn't it?

[You might also enjoy: No Rock's trip to the Hall of Fame]