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Mellencamp spills beans on rock hall?
Posted: Nov 30, 2007 in Music
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John Mellencamp has taken unconventional routes throughout his career, and he appears to be entering the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame the same way.
"I got a phone call today," he told a concert audience Thursday night in Erie, Pa. "I found out I'm in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame."
The off-the-cuff announcement arrives a few weeks before official word is expected regarding Mellencamp and eight other finalists being considered for induction.
A class of five inductees -- selected by musicians, industry professionals and journalists -- will be formally announced in mid-December.
This year's nominees are Mellencamp, Madonna, the Beastie Boys, Chic, the Dave Clark Five, Donna Summer, Leonard Cohen, the Ventures and Afrika Bambaataa.
The induction ceremony is scheduled March 10 in New York City.
Erie (Pa.) Times-News writer Dave Richards reported Mellencamp's apparent leak of the news.
Mellencamp, who grew up in the small southern Indiana town of Seymour, once went by the nickname "Little Bastard," and he waged a lengthy battle to convert his stage name from Johnny Cougar to his given name.
After releasing four albums to little commercial success, he enjoyed superstar status during the 1980s, thanks to hits such as "Jack & Diane," "Authority Song" and "Paper in Fire."
Among many endeavors of social activism, the 56-year-old singer is best known for co-founding Farm Aid with Willie Nelson and Neil Young.
Congratulations to John Mellencamp! However, I think that it is a shame that John had to drop his populist image and make a sharp turn to the left to gain access to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. I don't blame John for this; he did what he had to do. I blame Jann Wenner of Rolling Stone magazine who determines who gets in the R & R Hall. Jann is a member of the far left, and to get in one must speak in kind. It isn't right that politics is a factor in admission to the R & R Hall. Still the headline should be changed from 'Mellencamp: I made Hall of Fame' to 'Scarecrow sells farm, moves to Cleveland'.
I'd love to hear what evidence you have to support this conclusion. So far you've only provided a correlation. Wenner--a staunch liberal/progressive no doubt--has more control over who is nominated and not the actual selection, which is voted on by hundreds of "experts."
I am entertained by the fact that Red-staters have abandoned John even though his values have never changed.
The current right-wing leaders seem to favor tax-cut-and-spend, corporate welfare and religious hypocrisy. I guess if continuing to speak up for the shrinking middle class and speaking out against failed policies, corruption and hypocrisy makes you a member of the "far left" and loses you fans then so be it.