Congratulations to the New Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Inductees

Congratulations to three very different 2009 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Inductees: Run DMC, Jeff Beck, and Metallica.

One question never settled of course is what are the criteria for (Heidi Klum impersonation beginning now) who is in the Rock Hall, and who is out. Harrogate would appreciate thoughts from the floor, on this issue. Meanwhile, From the Rolling Stone Link.

For the Rap-o-Philes Amongst us, this will be of interest:

Run-DMC are the second rap group to be enshrined in the Hall of Fame, two years after pioneers Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five were selected for induction. "I can't even comprehend this is happening," Daryl "DMC" McDaniels tells Rolling Stone. "I want to let the world know that there are others receiving this honor with us. I'm talking about our heroes Afrika Bambaataa, Treacherous Three, the Cold Crush Brothers and DJ Kool Herc." The group's performance at the April 4th induction ceremony in Cleveland will be their since founding member Jam Master Jay was murdered seven years ago in Queens, New York.

Hopefully Harrogate and Oxymoron will not be the only ones, meanwhile, who will say "about time!" with respect to Jeff Beck finally getting in as a solo artist. In the process his elite status is exemplified:

Jeff Beck is joining an exclusive club of artists that have entered the Hall of Fame twice: The guitarist was first inducted in 1992 as a member of the Yardbirds, and now 17 years later he'll be honored for his solo career. (Coincidentally, Beck's Yardbirds predecessor Eric Clapton is the only musician to be inducted three times: With the Yardbirds, Cream and as a solo artist.)

Hmmmm. As for Metallica. The never-at-a-loss for words drummer, Lars Ulrich, spoke the way, well, that he tends to speak:

Metallica, who inducted Black Sabbath into the Hall three years ago, are one of the few metal bands to get the RRHOF nod. "I'm not going to give a whole schpeel about 'come back in 20 years or something,' " says drummer Lars Ulrich. "I'll fucking take it right now. I'm fucking psyched that anybody still gives a shit about this band."

Metallica, Harrogate enjoyed ye very, very much back in the day, and as a result of this induction, he may well celebrate by breaking out the old CDs. Metallica fans as a general rule seem largely comprised of two diametrically opposed contingents: the adherents to the old stuff ("hard core, man!") and everything from the Black Album forward ("it's just so much more complex, you see. they really grew musically"). Harrogate is one of the ones who celebrates it all.

And in that vein, here is a song that both honored the old and signalled the new, one of Harrogate's very favorites. It speaks to him, you see.

Enjoy, and as always, Harrogate will leave the light on for ye.

Happy Saturday Musical Tribute; or, as Seal once put it: "It's Loneliness That's The Killer"

Lazlo Bane.




Some Readers may not be aware of Harrogate's recently emergent obsession with Scrubs. But, as the show plunges into its final season Harrogate has been Nexflixing seasons in order, taking in each episode as though he never knew about the show until this summer.

But, the song is really great, regardless of what ye think of Braff and company. Who has never experienced the mood at stake in this song. The loneliness of it verging on despair, and yet somehow, the song manages to retain a fundamental faith that things will work out.

Yea, one might even say that thematically, the song hits the same chord as the Beatles' Masterpiece, "With a Little Help From My Friends," appropriately situated in their appropriately titled stroke of effervescent genius, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

Enjoy.