Posted on 10/07/2022 5:30:49 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame co-founder Jann Wenner said Foreigner and Styx have never even been considered for induction.
Wenner, who founded Rolling Stone magazine, added that bands from the same era, including REO Speedwagon and Boston, have also never been discussed by those tasked with choosing inductees.
In a new episode of the WTF podcast, host Marc Maron asked, “Are there bands – and I know you’ve been accused of this before – are there bands you will not, you know, indulge at all? ... There’s been talk of you maybe stifling some people’s membership into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame that feel like they deserve it.”
Wenner replied, “There is talk of that, but I don’t control that. I’m not on the nominating committee.” Asked specifically about Foreigner, he said, “Nothing against Foreigner – in fact, I was very good friends with Mick Jones … but, you know, Foreigner’s name has never come up in a nominating committee to be nominated.”
Maron also asked about REO Speedwagon, Boston and Styx, but Wenner said none of them had been mentioned either. “No, that whole era, it doesn’t come up,” he noted. “I grew up in that era, I went to high school in that era,” Maron replied. “Well, you’re not gonna get in the Hall of Fame either!” Wenner joked. He went on to cite another example: “Bon Jovi – it took years for him to get in.”
Elsewhere in the episode, Wenner reflected on Almost Famous, the 2000 movie written by Cameron Crowe based on the director and writer's experience of being commissioned to write for Rolling Stone at a young age. “I always think of it as a love letter at Rolling Stone and to those days, and to who we all were,” he said.
"That's what Rolling Stone reporters did, more or less: They’d go out and hang out on the road for a while, hang with the band, get into it because they love the band," Wenner explained. "It was a true story and a true story about Cameron."
My late uncle worked with Tom Scholz at Polaroid.
The one good thing Foreigner did was to introduce Thomas Dolby to the world on “Waiting For a Girl Like You”.
“The Golden Age of Wireless” is one of the best albums of the 80s, and “She Blinded Me With Science” IMHO is one of the lesser tracks on it.
On the other hand, there’s an awful lot of “non-rock” in the Rock hall these days.
You know, Styx does a pretty solid cover of Locomotive Breath. It’s on their album (”Big Bang Theory”) of (mostly) covers of the tunes they listened to or were inspired by.
It would take a Man of Miracles to get Styx into the Hall of Fame.
“Gary Numans new stuff is great. He evolved.”
He teamed up with Fear Factory when they covered his song Cars.
- Styx (Tommy Shaw explains the influence that Kansas' Leftoverture had on him)
Two of my favorite Styx songs - definitely deep tracks, rarely heard on radio.
I think a good portion of the recording industry was surprised by that first album of theirs. Rick Beato's video on "More Than a Feeling" shows the depth of the multi-tracking work that went into that one. Highly recommended.
Reo Speedwagon attains a new level of loathing if you lived near Pittsburgh in the late 70’s.
Keeping Foreigner and Styx out is like keeping Pete Rose out of the baseball HOF.
Popular bands are sometimes like the tulip bulb frenzy. A year later nobody will admit to it.
LOL, like all the people who bought "Frampton Comes Alive", a few years later.
“Jann Wenner.” Oh, so that’s why the RRHF is a failed business. Listening to Steve Miller complain about the RRHF was very interesting: no accountability, no preparation and no follow up. Styx belongs in the Hall of Fame. Foreigner? No way.
I knew Jello Biafra’s mother. That dates me, no?
A man’s gots to know his limitations and a woman’s gots to know her strengths.
Pretty sure you can still rock a leotard and are a superb Dancing Queen.
“Same thing happened with Journey, maybe even the first two albums with Steve Perry were ok, but they totally went Chick Band after that”
I have packed way somewhere Journeys 2nd LP, Look Into the Future. Very much progressive style music. I didn’t buy there first LP “Journey” but I understand it is even more so in the progressive style. Yeah, they changed there sound dramatically after Steve Perry joined in 1977 and took over lead vocals from Gregg Rolie.
Not judging, just a side note.
The gig in Detroit, Mexican Town’s el club
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYWGLo1ixmg
https://elclubdetroit.com/
“Cars” is obligatory. It’s why people like myself in the “I remember that song, where I was and who I was with” crowd go when friends ask, only to discover he’s got great new stuff.
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