Should the Football Hall of Fame Induct Baseall Players?

In an article on NPR.org, Miles, Beyond Jazz: Rock Hall Honors Davis, Steve Inskeep and Ashley Kahn write,

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame welcomes its new members Monday night - and that list will include Miles Davis. For most of his career, the great jazz trumpeteer played music that had very little to do with rock 'n' roll.

There are few people who know anything about music who would question that ability and influence of Miles Davis. Of course, the real question is does he belong in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

If the intention of the founders of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was to honor musicians who contributed to contemporary music, why didn't they call it the Musician's Hall of Fame? It is not as if there aren't worthy musicians in rock music who haven't been inducted yet. Despite Miles Davis's ability as one of the best jazz musicians ever, I don't think I have ever read anyone in rock music list him as one of their first influences. Therefore, even the flimsy argument that he somehow has benefited rock music seems false.

What is the point of having a hall of fame that broadly honors members of sibling areas of activities (such as rock honoring jazz) while snubbing the members of its area of concern (such as the way many bands in rock have been overlooked)? Would controversy not arise if Jackie Robinson, a professional baseball player was inducted into the Professional Football Hall of Fame simply because he was one of the first major black athletes in American sports? Certainly, his success and ability was an inspiration to many young athletes, but I doubt that anyone would feel his rightful place is in a football hall of fame.

Shouldn't the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame being focusing their efforts towards honoring members of the rock community? Obviously, rock is a very broad genre and there will always be debate about what constitutes rock. I think that broadest definition is important. Rock has evolved dramatically since its original form and the Hall of Fame would not seem relevant to a generation who no longer cares about the 50s. By the same token, however, the Hall of Fame does not seem relevant if it is going to overlook major rock artists, such as Rush, who have a history of successful albums, a recognized level of influence and respect, and an immense fan base that cries out for the artist's induction. Perhaps these are signs that a new rock hall of fame is needed.

Who's in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

This is a list of inductees since Rush was eligible in 1998.

1998	Fleetwood Mac, The Mamas & the Papas, Lloyd Price, Santana, Gene Vincent
1999	Billy Joel, Curtis Mayfield, Paul McCartney, Del Shannon, Dusty Springfield, Bruce Springsteen, The Staple Singers
2000	Eric Clapton, Earth, Wind, & Fire, The Lovin Spoonful, The Moonglows, Bonnie Raitt, James Taylor
2001	Aerosmith, Solomon Burke, The Flamingos, Michael Jackson, Queen, Paul Simon, Steely Dan, Ritchie Valens
2002	Isaac Hayes, Brenda Lee, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Gene Pitney, Ramones, Talking Heads
2003	AC/DC, The Clash, Elvis Costello & the Attractions, The Police, The Righteous Brothers
2004	Jackson Browne, The Dells, George Harrison, Prince, Bob Seger, ZZ Top
2005	Buddy Guy, The O'Jays, The Pretenders, Percy Sledge, U2
2006	Black Sabbath, Blondie, Miles Davis, Lynryd Skynyrd, Sex Pistols
2007	Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, R.E.M., The Ronettes, Patti Smith, Van Halen
2008	The Dave Clark Five, Leonard Cohen, Madonna, John Mellencamp, The Ventures
2009	Jeff Beck, Little Anthony & the Imperials, Metallica, Run-D.M.C., Bobby Womack

Wikipedia Doesn't Like Supporters of Rush Page

I tried to create a Supporters of Rush wikipedia page recently. Much to my disappointment, I discovered in short time that my page was selected for "speedy deletion". Apparently, pages dedicated to groups must explain the significance of their existence before they will be allowed to live on Wikipedia.

I asked for a better explanation about what type of content they were looking for. After all, what exactly do they mean by "significance"? Isn't it true that we are significant by our sheer existence? There are currently 87 members in our organization. That's larger than most meetings that I have attended.

Furthermore, this question of significance is rather subjective. To Rush fans who believe that Rush has been getting screwed by the RnR folks, our existence is highly significant. It demonstrates a grassroots effort to show that the fans count. After all, we are buying the albums that record companies produce. Shouldn't our choices by heard?

But the Wikipedia page may be dead for now, it is an issue that shall be revisited. It is not a priority and was more of an interesting afterthought. If anyone knows how we can make this page work, please create it or let me know what to do.

Keep up your support.

MSNBC talks about Rush not getting inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

I recently ran across an article on MSNBC.com regarding Rush not being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It is definitely worth checking out. Click here to find out why Rush isn't in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

It basically sucks that bands like Run-DMC are managing to get recognized before one of the most successful bands in rock and sadder still that this band is a rap band. Despite the countless number of critics, it doesn't appear as though the Hall of Fame is going to budge any time soon.

Hopefully, fan efforts, such as this one, will end up making up some kind of dent in their resolve.

Is Facebook Another Temple of Syrinx? - Part Four

Well, it seems that my account has been restored on Facebook. After over three weeks of suspension, I received an email requesting information about my activities on Facebook. I had already explained what I did on Facebook when I was first suspended. I very briefly stated that I didn't do anything wrong and that this is a matter that should have been discussed much earlier. Much to my surprise, my account was restored. The interesting part is that my account was suspended because of an auto-refresh tool and had nothing to do with the fan club activity. Shame on you, Facebook, for giving me cause to speculate, but thanks for bringing me back!