Posted on 03/31/2009 11:13:32 AM PDT by My Favorite Headache
Edited on 03/31/2009 11:14:50 AM PDT by Admin Moderator. [history]
Rock Hall Voting Scandal: Rock Group Actually Won
According to sources knowledgeable about the mysterious ways of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, British Invasion group The Dave Clark Five and not Grandmaster Flash finished fifth in the final voting of the nominating committee and should have been inducted on Monday night.
According to sources, Rolling Stone publisher Jann Wenner, who recently appointed himself chairman of the Foundation after the death of Ahmet Ertegun, ignored the final voting and chose Grandmaster Flash over the DC5 for this year’s ceremony.
“Jann went back to a previous ballot instead of taking the final vote as the last word,” my source insisted. “He used a technicality about the day votes were due in. In reality, The Dave Clark Five got six more votes than Grandmaster Flash. But he felt we couldn’t go another year without a rap act.”
R.E.M., Van Halen, The Ronettes and Patti Smith were the top four vote-getters, with Grandmaster Flash finishing fifth when the votes were counted on the first date ballots were due in to the Rock Hall office.
But when all the ballots were counted a few days later, the DC5 had pulled ahead. Wenner decided to ignore that and stick with the earlier tally.
“We begged Jann to allow all six acts to be inducted. But he insisted that he couldn’t because there wouldn’t be enough time,” my source said. “He wanted to have Aretha Franklin come and perform in memory of Ahmet Ertegun.”
The Ertegun tribute, while very nice, was deemed unnecessary by members of the main committee because the Atlantic Records co-founder will be memorialized in New York on April 17.
“But Jann wanted to do his own tribute. It was insane, especially since he took over Ahmet’s position on the board before Ahmet even had a memorial. Jann simply sent papers around informing everyone that he was now the chairman,” my source said.
The Dave Clark Five ballot tampering, however, stings the most. The group, part of the British Invasion of the ‘60s, should have been inducted long ago for their hits like “Glad All Over,” “Bits & Pieces” and “Catch Me If You Can.” Making them wait has turned out to be a huge mistake, as their fortunes have not been great.
In December 2006, sax player Denis Payton succumbed to cancer at age 63. Lead singer Mike Smith has been paralyzed since 2003 after falling off a ladder at his home in Spain.
In August 2005, a terrific fundraising effort for Smith at B.B. King’s in New York was supposed to be the prelude to finally recognizing the group that had several memorable hits in the mid-’60s.
Wenner’s cruel axing of them from the show and the Hall of Fame should be painful to many who are intimately involved with the Hall, like Paul Shaffer, who runs the Hall of Fame band and produced and emceed the Smith tribute.
So what happened here? My sources also say that Wenner’s motivation may have sprung from a controversial speech that was delivered by new administrative head Joel Peresman to the nominating committee last winter.
“He stood up there and told us that we should vote for who we thought would be most commercial, and who be best on the TV show,” a source said. “It was outrageous. Some people tried to stop him and asked him to leave, but he wouldn’t. He said, ‘I’m not leaving.’ The director is never supposed to speak to the nominating committee.”
Peresman came to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation last year when Wenner arbitrarily ousted the long-time chief of the group, Suzan Evans Hochberg, after two decades of loyalty.
“We couldn’t believe Jann stood up there last night and said Suzan was retiring. But when the seating plan went crazy the other day, Jann called and begged her to come in and help. Peresman knows nothing about the business,” a source said.
Peresman came to the Foundation from gigs booking shows at Madison Square Garden and with Clear Channel, the radio giant that many feel has strangled the music business with intransigent radio play policies and suggestions — actually, government investigations — of payola.
In the old days, such a hire would have been considered anathema by Wenner.
None of this should come as any surprise to those who have followed the roller-coaster world of the Rock Hall. According to the group’s most recent tax filing, for example, they gave only $9,000 to indigent musicians from their $11 million in holdings.
Even worse: Wenner sent a tax-free $10,000 to something called Jazz Casuals in San Francisco. It’s really just the archives of Ralph J. Gleason, the late jazz writer who periodically wrote for Rolling Stone in its early days. It was the only donation made by the Foundation to any group last year.
“Again, outrageous,” a source said. “With all of Jann’s money, he could have just sent a check. He didn’t need to use the Foundation’s money.”
By contrast, the Foundation gave only $53,000 to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum in Cleveland. Attorney Allen Grubman’s law firm took another $50,000 for legal services rendered. Evans received her usual $300,000 salary. Peresman is said to be receiving even more.
And then there’s the matter of who has left on the nominating committee. I’m told that nearly half the group is gone, leaving 32 members. Many of the remaining members are former or current Wenner employees, like Rolling Stone’s Nathan Brackett, David Fricke, Jim Henke, Joe Levy, Brian Keizer and Anthony DeCurtis.
Jon Landau, Bruce Springsteen’s manager and a former Rolling Stone writer, is the chairman of the committee and considered the last truly mediating influence on Wenner.
There are only three actual musicians: Paul Shaffer, Steven van Zandt and Robbie Robertson. Three are female. One of them is black. There are only two other black members: journalist Toure and Reginald C. Dennis
Wenner, I’m told, “weeded out everyone he didn’t like.” He even got rid of the veteran New York Post and Vanity Fair writer Lisa Robinson.
Wenner almost bumped Claudia Perry, a Newark Star Ledger sports writer and former pop music critic. After a scuffle, she managed to hang on, which was good news. As a black woman she fulfilled two minorities on the board (Edna Gundersen and Elyssa Gardner of USA Today are the other females).
“This is the opposite of what Ahmet would have wanted,” a source said. “He liked a big committee that reflected lots of different tastes.”
That article is from 2 yrs ago by the way
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ln6b_nBM-V8
Vinnie is a stud musician as well. Another favorite drummer is Omar Hakim, played for Madonna and Sting among others.
Drummer myself...when you pointed out Omar and Madonna I instantly was reminded of one of my all time favorites...the late great Tony Thompson..he was in Chic, Power Station, Diana Ross, Sister Sledge, Bowie’s Let’s Dance record, Madonna’s Like A Virgin, Robert Palmer etc..
His sound...perfection.
Rush don’t need no steenkin hall of fame.
They have never been mainstream anything, have not sold out to get more air-play, don’t care if the masses don’t like them. Heck, I don’t even think they care if their hard-core fans like ‘em!
Each new album/CD from the boys is an adventure. You buy it, read the liners, check out the artwork, read the lyrics, and then carefully place it in the stereo - after making sure everyone else in the house is gone, the phone is unplugged, shades are pulled down and the dog has been tranquilized.
Then with quivering ears and stomach, you hold your breath as the first notes burst forth and you sit and listen til the last song is over.
You have an impression, but must hold judgement until you play it again, and again...sometimes it’s good, most times it’s good, and once in a while (Snakes and Arrows), you just don’t get it. Every other album by Rush is my favorite. :) Yeah, I’m a bit of a fan....
Point is, I used to feel bad they were never voted in, “How dare they not recognize the brilliance that is Rush!”...now, I’m glad of it. Alex, Neil and Geddy were never about being popular, they just march to the beat of their own drummer and are glad if other people appreciate it and march with them.
Well, She never mentioned anything to me about it!
Let’s Dance, China Girl, Modern Love both Omar and Tony played on Let’s Dance(the album). Sting has always had good drummers too, Omar and Vinnie come to mind. Dream of the Blue Turtles, good album.
Just to make you happy:
Xanadu, from Farewell...
Man. That takes me back to January 1979. Driving to work in my 1974 Mustang II, listening to Farewell on my 8-track, my girlfriend and I had just broken up, eating 7-11 microwave pancakes.
Somehow balancing the cardboard plate on my knee, pouring syrup, eating, and operating the gear shift, hungover and heading to my greasemonkey job at Firestone at 7:00 am. Xanadoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.
Maybe the liberals hall of fame is just jealous that Rush still sells out stadiums all over the world?
Geddy Lee is amazing, notice he’s playing bass, singing and manages to play the keyboard with his feet as well. About 2:30 into the video.
That is perhaps my favorite song of theirs as well. I think it would make a great made for TV movie..
And that song is now playing on my iPod
Keith Moon is the best drummer of all time.
I have never heard anyone come close to Buddy Rich though. Not close.
I’ve liked Vinnie ever since I heard him for the first time long ago on Frank Zappa’s Joe’s Garage. One of the best albums ever.
That song has always made me think about freedom.
You know what Rush song I hadn’t listed to for ages, that now is on my mp3 player, The Camera Eye. I was reading that they haven’t played that song live since the Signals tour in 1983, which kinda sucks cause I’d love to see it live, and I couldn’t in 1983 since I was only 10 at the time. It’s also the last song Rush played that was longer than 10 minutes long.
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