Post by Rike on Mar 12, 2010 17:15:37 GMT -6
www.examiner.com/x-36037-Bon-Jovi-Examiner~y2010m3d12-Bon-Jovi-belongs-in-Rock-Hall-of-Fame-1-of-2
and here is an online petition
www.petitiononline.com/jffb/
and about the petition
jovifansfightback.com/
Bon Jovi belongs in Rock Hall of Fame, 1 of 2
Truth be told, I was not all all surprised when the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame failed to induct Bon Jovi in either of their first two years of eligibility.
Frankly, despite the band’s longevity and continued commercial success, despite a sea-change in the music industry from grunge to rap to Lady Goo Goo Ga-Ga, it wasn’t hard to figure that industry aficionados and King makers would make Jon Bon Jovi work harder and longer before getting the recognition the band so richly deserves.
And so, on March 15 in an induction ceremony at New York’s Waldorf Astoria Hotel for this years’ Hall of Fame class, Bon Jovi will once again be conspicuous by their absence, while ABBA----yes, I said ABBA---is enshrined and immortalized in the hall’s self-contained, inter-stellar constellation located on the banks of Lake Erie.
Forgive me for being a purist, but I tend to not do well with ambiguity, so when I read the Rock Hall’s induction criteria, I tend to interpret it straight, like a shot of Patron tequila. For example, according to the Rock Hall web site:
One of the Foundation’s many functions is to recognize the contributions of those who have had a significant impact on the evolution, development and perpetuation of rock and roll by inducting them into the Hall of Fame.
For starters, while ABBA has certainly sold a lot of product---over 300 million worldwide---if they’re ‘rock n roll’, Elvis Presley is horking up peanut butter and 'nanner sammiches in his grave from the indignity of the thought.
Bubblegum? Yes.
Over-produced, over-dubbed, cotton candy with a little more tit and glitter than the ‘Afternoon Delight’ set? Absolutely.
No one disputes their considerable worldwide commercial success; yet, ABBA is anything BUT rock.
Interestingly, one of the raps against Bon Jovi during his quarter-century career (ABBA’s success was accomplished from 1974-1983) is that the band was nothing more than a one-hit wonder, hair band novelty that no one would remember after 1983.
In a word, they were viewed as a product of the commercial hit machine that churned out bands like Poison, Skid Row, Motley Crue, and Cinderella, and nothing more.
In fact, acts that have sold less records than Bon Jovi have been inducted without hesitation; among them: Bob Seger, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Johnny Cash, and Black Sabbath.
The record will show that as of 2009, Bon Jovi had sold over 120 million records, performed over 2600 concerts in 50 countries for over 34 million fans, and have sold more records in less time than current inductee and fellow Jersey-ite, Bruce Springsteen (Bruce has hit the 100-million plus mark since 1972, Bon Jovi did it 11 years sooner).
ABBA didn’t perform a fraction as much as Bon Jovi and represented the Studio 54 let-me-snort-coke-from-your-breasts culture and no one says anything about them representing unabashed commercialism. Where are ABBA’s rock honors?
As of this writing, Bon Jovi had been inducted into the UK Rock Music Hall of Fame in 2006; received an Award of Merit at the American Music Awards in 2004, and Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2009.
The Rock Hall goes on to describe the induction criteria process as:
“The Foundation’s nominating committee, composed of rock and roll historians, selects nominees each year in the Performer category. Ballots are then sent to an international voting body of more than 500 rock experts. Those performers who receive the highest number of votes - and more than 50 percent of the vote - are inducted. The Foundation generally inducts five to seven performers each year.”
Be sure to come back and read Part 2!
Truth be told, I was not all all surprised when the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame failed to induct Bon Jovi in either of their first two years of eligibility.
Frankly, despite the band’s longevity and continued commercial success, despite a sea-change in the music industry from grunge to rap to Lady Goo Goo Ga-Ga, it wasn’t hard to figure that industry aficionados and King makers would make Jon Bon Jovi work harder and longer before getting the recognition the band so richly deserves.
And so, on March 15 in an induction ceremony at New York’s Waldorf Astoria Hotel for this years’ Hall of Fame class, Bon Jovi will once again be conspicuous by their absence, while ABBA----yes, I said ABBA---is enshrined and immortalized in the hall’s self-contained, inter-stellar constellation located on the banks of Lake Erie.
Forgive me for being a purist, but I tend to not do well with ambiguity, so when I read the Rock Hall’s induction criteria, I tend to interpret it straight, like a shot of Patron tequila. For example, according to the Rock Hall web site:
One of the Foundation’s many functions is to recognize the contributions of those who have had a significant impact on the evolution, development and perpetuation of rock and roll by inducting them into the Hall of Fame.
For starters, while ABBA has certainly sold a lot of product---over 300 million worldwide---if they’re ‘rock n roll’, Elvis Presley is horking up peanut butter and 'nanner sammiches in his grave from the indignity of the thought.
Bubblegum? Yes.
Over-produced, over-dubbed, cotton candy with a little more tit and glitter than the ‘Afternoon Delight’ set? Absolutely.
No one disputes their considerable worldwide commercial success; yet, ABBA is anything BUT rock.
Interestingly, one of the raps against Bon Jovi during his quarter-century career (ABBA’s success was accomplished from 1974-1983) is that the band was nothing more than a one-hit wonder, hair band novelty that no one would remember after 1983.
In a word, they were viewed as a product of the commercial hit machine that churned out bands like Poison, Skid Row, Motley Crue, and Cinderella, and nothing more.
In fact, acts that have sold less records than Bon Jovi have been inducted without hesitation; among them: Bob Seger, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Johnny Cash, and Black Sabbath.
The record will show that as of 2009, Bon Jovi had sold over 120 million records, performed over 2600 concerts in 50 countries for over 34 million fans, and have sold more records in less time than current inductee and fellow Jersey-ite, Bruce Springsteen (Bruce has hit the 100-million plus mark since 1972, Bon Jovi did it 11 years sooner).
ABBA didn’t perform a fraction as much as Bon Jovi and represented the Studio 54 let-me-snort-coke-from-your-breasts culture and no one says anything about them representing unabashed commercialism. Where are ABBA’s rock honors?
As of this writing, Bon Jovi had been inducted into the UK Rock Music Hall of Fame in 2006; received an Award of Merit at the American Music Awards in 2004, and Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2009.
The Rock Hall goes on to describe the induction criteria process as:
“The Foundation’s nominating committee, composed of rock and roll historians, selects nominees each year in the Performer category. Ballots are then sent to an international voting body of more than 500 rock experts. Those performers who receive the highest number of votes - and more than 50 percent of the vote - are inducted. The Foundation generally inducts five to seven performers each year.”
Be sure to come back and read Part 2!
and here is an online petition
www.petitiononline.com/jffb/
and about the petition
jovifansfightback.com/
