Predicting the 2014 Rock Hall Inductees

A very tough ballot.  Last year was much more easy to predict. And to be honest, after my first 2, I'm stumped.  Again, these are my predictions, not my personal choices.  The Hall tells its voters to pick only 5 names.  But they've been known to induct 6. Lots of talk about how loaded this ballot is with many deserving names.  So, maybe they go big this year?  That's why I think 6 inductees seems likely.   But then again, they could go all in with 7(!).  But let's not dream too big here.

1.  Nirvana -  Nothing more to add.

2.  Linda Ronstadt - No way they can avoid her now. But will she show up?

3.  Yes - Not the sure shot that Rush was, but might be just enough

4.  Chic - Nile Rodgers had a big 2013.  If he can't get in this year, then when?

5.  Deep Purple - Among hard rock bands they always get mentioned first as a Hall snub.

6.  Link Wray - This year's wild card.  Have a feeling they are going to pull him out of this category and put him in as an Early Influence, they way did with Freddie King/Wanda Jackson.

Which could mean an opening for anyone of the names below.

7.  Hall & Oates - It took Abba 2 tries to get in.

8.  Peter Gabriel - Too soon after Genesis' 2010 induction?

9.  NWA - They really want this group in there, and soon, but I get the feeling not many voters think the same way.

10.  KISS - #1 with the ballot stuffing KISS Army, but I don't see enough regular voters who want them in.

11.  Replacements - Critical favorites.   Voters who championed them in the 80's have been talking up this nomination.

12. Paul Butterfield Blues Band - Still think most voters don't know much about them.

13. Meters - The Neville Brothers would go in first ballot, but amazingly have never been nominated.  Maybe the Hall could do what they did with the Small Faces/Faces.  I wouldn't complain.

14.  Cat Stevens - Next year he'll get more support, after his new album comes out. And if he gets nominated again.

15. LL Cool J - Now thought of as a TV star.   His 80's/mid-90's reign as Rap's biggest male star kind of forgotten, sadly.

16. Zombies - They need  a household  band member name like Graham Nash of the Hollies to get them in on the first ballot.

Playlist for 11/27

Now 48
Lou Reed - Berlin
Johnny Cash - Hello I'm Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash - Ride This Train
James Booker - Classified
Timmy Thomas - Why Can't We Live Together

Fave TV Shows Poll

A Twitter friend is conducting a poll for his website and asked for people to give him a list of their fave TV shows.  In my typical fashion, I went overboard, past the 50 that he wanted.  Below is the list I sent him.  Did this real quick.
So, at the end of the original list are ones that I forgot.

1. Honeymooners

I Love Lucy

Sopranos

The Wire

The Office (UK)

Twilight Zone

Monty Python's Flying Circus

All In The Family

Dick Van Dyke Show

Andy Griffith Show

Tonight Show with Johnny Carson

Breaking Bad

MASH

Carol Burnett Show

Your Show of Shows

Saturday Night Live

Get Smart 

Taxi

Cheers

Happy Days

Rockford Files

Hawaii Five-0 (70's version)

Ed Sullivan Show

Lost 

Jack Benny Program

Sesame Street

The Muppets

60 Minutes

Mad Men

Police Squad

Barney Miller

Sgt. Bilko

The Shield

Daily Show with Jon Stewart

Late Show with David Letterman

Gunsmoke

Bonanza

Simpsons

Game of Thrones

Boardwalk Empire

Bob Newhart Show

WKRP In Cincinatti

Fugitive

Magnum PI

Cosby Show

Chappelle Show

Deadwood

Star Trek

Wonder Years

The Office (US)

Extras

Odd Couple

Mystery Science Theater 3000

Seinfeld

30 Rock

Justified

Others I would have included:

Brady Bunch, Rat Patrol, Columbo, Partridge Family, Wanted Dead or Alive,  Little House on the Prarie, Family Ties, Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, Laugh-In, Maude, Jeffersons, Good Times, Monkees, Parks & Recreation, Walking Dead, Mod Squad, High Chaparral, China Beach, Courtship of Eddie's Father, My Three Sons, Family Affair, Everybody Loves Raymond, Sanford & Son, Welcome Back Kotter

Keeping Up With The Hype

People may wonder why I waste my precious listening time with artists I don't really like.  But I have no problem getting caught up in the hype and with today's streaming options it's easier than ever to hear what other critics are praising or over-praising.

So, wasting an hour of my life listening to a new Eminem album isn't that tough for me.  I'm on record, and one of the few critics out there to say I can't stand his music. Outside of "Stan" or parts of "Lose Yourself", not much else he's done is memorable to me.

But listen to a new album by him?  Before streaming I would have had to buy the damn thing or steal it off the internet.  Not anymore.

But let me get back to my original point.  Many people try to avoid the hype that a Miley Cyrus or Katy Perry or Lady Gaga will bring down on them.  But I've never shied away from it.  A lot of it stems from growing up with AM radio where big name artists were topping the charts but not topping any critics polls.

Keeping up is always a problem, but at least it remains a good one.

Playlist for 11/16

Paul Butterfield Blues Band - s/t
Sonny & Cher - Look At Us
Katy Perry - Prism
Linda Thompson - Won't Be Long Now
Sarah Jarosz- Build Me Up From Bones

Burning Out On Music

Burned Out

The woman who wrote this, Rachael Maddux writes a good post about how one can get burned out in any profession, especially music critics.  She's not tired of listening, just tired of writing about music, every day.  There is a grind to every job.  As far as music I have the same moments she does all year.  There are many days I just don't want to hear or read about music.  Give my mind a break.  But I always come back to it because it's what I've loved doing since I was a kid.

But writing about music on a daily basis is another story.  And what she's talking about everyone who runs a music website, blogs, writes reviews for online or print or gets emails from music sites on a daily basis feels.

End of Blockbuster

All of our Blockbuster stores closed over a year ago.  We've become a streaming nation.  And while Netflix still ships out DVD's, they really don't want to.  You can go to VOD for the latest release if you want to watch something.  And for other movies, just wait around, because they will show up on HBO or Showtime or one of those other channels.

Buying DVD's might still be around.  But for how long?  Maybe as long as CD's are still in your local Target or Best Buy.

Now that I think of it, I'm not sure that there's even a small video store left in my whole County.  I used to love the small ones.  They hung on until Blockbuster or Hollywood Video moved in, and then they folded.  But now everyone is gone.  You can try those little Redbox rentals, but I've never been tempted.

It's a new era for everything.  We  better adapt.

Rock Hall & Social Media

The great thing about the Rock Hall nominee announcement is how it gets Social networks, Facebook/Twitter, riled up.  More than the actual inductee announcement does.  This is not something we had pre-internet.  We found out the nominees through newspapers and that was it. We also knew very little of how the process of nominating/electing really worked.  The Hall would put out a press release stating how people get picked/inducted and we moved on.

Not anymore.  But while you think the NomCom and the Hall brass would be bothered by so much skepticism, intrigue of how their little system operates, I say it's not so.  They love the talk.  I've often thought  their were little Hall trolls checking out Twitter/Facebook and Hall specialized sites (Future Rock Legends) just to see what's being said about this year's class.

And without social networks rising to the occassion, we may never have had Rush, Yes, Neil Diamond, Deep Purple nominated.  Letter writing was fine back in the day, but tack that on to today's wireless media and things get done a lot faster.

There's always a downside to all the social media talking.  Many people, including long time music journalists, know or care little about the Hall but give their opinions anyway.  Even though most info is just a click away.  I'm still learning things about it myself.  The mystery of the whole process sometimes makes me chuckle.  The vow of silence that NomCom members supposedly have to take.  And the continued mystery of the 600 or so voters.  I'm glad to say more of these voters are coming forward on Facebook/Twitter to tell us who they voted for.  It's a tough debate for many to handle.  And I myself have gone back and forth trying to persuade some of them to vote for someone.  Yep, we still take this stuff seriously.  Okay, not life and death, but once or twice a year in the Fall, we sure do.

My Picks for 2014 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Again, these are my personal picks, not a prediction.  This is a tough ballot.  The Hall tells its voters to pick 5 names.  But lately they've been inducting 6 acts.  So, consider the Top 6 the ones I would choose.

1.  Chic - I've suppported them from the moment they first appeared on the ballot.

2.  Hall & Oates - Perfect Pop moments for an entire generation.

3.  Linda Ronstadt - A most disgusting  NomCom snub for someone who influenced so many female vocalists.

4. Yes - They were better than Rush.

5. Nirvana - Life cut short, meant  Kurt Cobain never made a bad album.  But his impact would have remained 25 years later, even if he had lived.

6.  Meters - I think the records they made aren't underrated but overlooked.  Some of the funkiest ones in the early 70's.

7.  Kiss -  Seems like more critics despise them now than ever.  But they were fun in the 70's. That's how I remember them.

8.  LL Cool J - People are underestimating his impact on Rap.  Being thought of as an actor has hurt him with Hall voters.

9.  Deep Purple - Hooks and bombast and riffs galore.

10. Cat Stevens - Early stuff was indeed the best.

11.  Paul Butterfield Blues Band - White guys who could play the Blues. But they were really, really good at it.

12.  Link Wray- One of the first guitar heroes. But he did make other records besides "Rumble".

13.  Peter Gabriel - A little too soon after the 2010 Genesis induction.  But I liked most of his solo records.

14.  Replacements - Good, sometimes great until they faded in the late 80's.  But wish other 80's bands were in their nominated slot this year.

15.  NWA -  Liked them better solo.

16.  Zombies - Fine Brit invasion hits and one classic album.