The Class Of 2024

Expanded Thoughts On The New Class

It says a lot about the way the Hall prioritizes categories by the fact that the announcement banner lists all of this year’s honorees in alphabetical order. There is no differentiation based on which category an act is entering under. The Hall looks at each new inductee as being equally worthy, regardless of which route it took to get there.

Before I dive too heavily into the results, here are a few tidbits of varying interest.

• Ozzy Osbourne becomes the latest member of what was once colloquially known as the Clyde McPhatter Club, with his second induction.

• There are already several members of the Oscar winner/HOF member club - too many to list, but a few examples are The Beatles, Prince, Elton John, Isaac Hayes, and Trent Reznor among others. What they all have in common is that their Oscars are for composing. No Hall of Famer has an acting Oscar until now. If she chooses to actually accept her new trophy, Cher will have a set of decorative bookends like no other.

• Two of the new inductees - Mick Jones and James Taylor - share names with previous inductees. I’m not sure what yet, but This Surely Means Something.

People love to criticize the Hall, and much of the criticism is legit, but take a look at some of the reactions on social media from the new members. Cher is still in radio silence, but most of the others have sent out touching statements of gratitude. History shows that not every honored artist cares all that much, but there are clearly many more that care deeply. That’s why, for all of the nonsense surrounding the institution, it’s still a worthy one. If nothing else, it produces an entertaining induction ceremony filled with emotional moments. That’s worth something.

Now to the nitty-gritty:

• I want to expand a bit on my displeasure surrounding Foreigner and Peter Frampton. I harp on this point, but it remains true. There are more than enough 1970’s era rockers already enshrined. Ideally, the list of artists in the Hall should tell a narrative about the development of the music. What this does is implies that rock “ended” in this particular era. Trust me, I’ve done the research. Worthy guitar based bands continued to emerge in the late 80’s and beyond. If the Hall would consider forming some type of Veterans Committee, that’s fine with me. But to place someone such as Foreigner on the ballot takes away a space that could just as deservedly go to someone such as the White Stripes. It’s time to turn that page.

• More on Peter Frampton. I’ll grant that he’s an outstanding guitarist. He would have been a better choice in the Musical Excellence category. It could be justified by acknowledging his session work. Frampton Comes Alive may have been a major cultural sign point, but so was Cracked Rear View. Does anyone consider Hootie & the Blowfish as a Hall worthy act? And when was the last time you listened to Frampton’s work outside of the Comes Alive era? There are some strong random songs, but overall it’s not very good. His voice has a whiny and somewhat abrasive tone, and the music sounds like the sort of generic background rock music that would be found in a movie or TV show with a budget too low to license a recognizable piece of work.

• The fan vote is barely a drop in the bucket, but I still like to submit my choices and fool myself into thinking it makes a difference. (Do the math; the Hall claims there are more than 1200 voters. The fan vote congregates the choices into one ballot. The fan vote is fun, but it’s statistically insignificant.) 4 artists that I voted for - Mary J. Blige, Dave Matthews, Kool & the Gang & A Tribe Called Quest - made it in this year.

• I didn’t vote for either, but I understand the reasoning for Cher & Ozzy. They are both such forces that they are as inevitable as Thanos.

• More than 20 years ago, some major musicians released an open letter calling for the induction of Johnnie Johnson, the pianist in Chuck Berry’s band & co-architect of the Berry sound. The problem was that at the time there was no category in which he fit. The Hall eventually introduced the Sideman category, but Johnson was NOT one of the first set of inductees in that category. It’s almost as if the decision makers acted stubborn about that - you can’t tell us what to do. Johnson was inducted in that category’s second year and thankfully he was still alive at the time. I bring this up because once again Wrecking Crew bassist Carol Kaye was passed over, despite public clamor for her induction and despite the fact that she is 89 years old. In one sense it’s understandable, The Wrecking Crew contained approximately 456 members (might be a slight exaggeration) and the Hall can only induct so many members from that collective. Still, she played on an unimaginable number of classic songs, including songs from the catalogues of Hall members. The Hall needs to do the right thing before it’s too late.

• On the other hand, they have finally gotten around to including Big Mama Thornton. In conjunction with the additions of Alexis Korner & John Mayall the ceremony figures to have a strong blues presence. The cynic in me can’t help but believe there is an ulterior motive behind the latter two. A significant number of players in the British blues scene came up through either of their two bands. I can’t help but think that the thought of some major names appearing as presenters or performers could jazz up the ceremony.

• The Musical Excellence category has morphed into a catch all way of inducting people whom the Hall wishes to get in and can’t think of another way. I don’t have an issue with that as long as they choose wisely. To me, Dionne Warwick straddles my personal “that’s not rock & roll” demarcation line. She made her name performing orchestral pop, and extended her career in the adult contemporary realm. IMHO she’s too much on the rock periphery to warrant induction as a performer, but this way is perfectly fine. Same goes for Jimmy Buffett. His music does absolutely nothing for me, but taking his good time vibes and his business acumen into account and I can’t be too upset with his getting in via a side category. The MC5 were true pioneers but were never really able to expand their footprint much beyond real music dorks like me. They serve as in important link in the story of rock, so their spot is well deserved.

• There are few, if any, record companies more significant in pop culture than Motown, so it’s good to see two Motown figures earn a spot. Norman Whitfield wrote and/or produced many of the classic tunes, most notably for The Temptations in their psychedelic phase. And Suzanne de Passé held several important positions. Despite the apocryphal back story at the time that Diana Ross had discovered the Jackson 5, de Passé can make the stronger argument for that find. And her TV a production work helped keep the Motown legend alive.

I’m running long, so I’ll save for a later time my looks forward. What could the induction ceremony look like? And it’s never too early to look ahead to next year’s class, including the likely fates of the nominees that were passed over this year.

Classic SNL Recap - Season 3 Episode 10

As a happy accident, the midseason episode of season 3 was one of the very best from the show’s first golden era. This one was hosted by Robert Klein, one of the true comedy legends. Comics of the generation just following his generally point to 3 major inspirations: Klein, along with Richard Pryor and George Carlin, and it’s fitting that each of them helped give SNL credibility in its infancy by hosting some of the earliest episodes.

A constant criticism of SNL has been its over reliance on repeating bits, which is valid. Even so, one of the reasons that this episode stands out is that almost every sketch in this episode is a recurring one. They are all strong ones, however. This week included the initial appearances of two of the most beloved bits, as well as arguably the greatest of another. And it’s punctuated with a surreal set piece.

The cold open featured Paul Shaffer’s Don Kirshner introducing a performance by the Mr. Mike & Tina Revue. Garrett Morris as Tina performs Proud Mary, complete with signature twirls, as Michael O’Donoghue intermittently adds one of his least loved bedtime stories into the proceedings. Klein’s monologue focused on the antisemitism that he faced as a college student, including his attempt to defuse the hostilities by taking on the role of Shylock in a campus production of The Merchant Of Venice. It didn’t end as well as he had hoped.

Then, it was time for the first post-monologue sketch with a camera closeup of a hamburger grill. Yes, this was the first Olympia Diner sketch. It was a one joke premise, but it always delivered. Based on a real Chicago diner that John Belushi and Don Novello frequented, it had a great lived in feel about it. Simply put, the actors did a great job of making it look like these are real characters. To this day every time I’m eating at a place where I hear the waiters yell out orders to the cook, in my brain I immediately hear “Cheeseburger! Cheeseburger!”

Next came Dan Aykroyd and Bill Murray as the X-Police. They were two officers kicked off the force who would barge into their neighbor’s apartments to break up perceived crimes. In this one they went after Klein & Laraine Newman as an unmarried cohabiting couple (which was still a crime in certain states in 1978.) After knocking Klein unconscious they went on to beat Newman’s head against the wall until she fell dead. (It’s not as uncomfortable a watch as I’m making it sound. It’s more cartoonish in the violence.) Upon seeing what they have done they tamper with the scene to make it appear that Klein had killed her and after he wakes up the thoughts of what he had done caused him to leap out the apartment window. I’m not sure how well jokes about police brutality fly today, but I loved the sheer absurdity of this premise the few times that it had run.

Not much to say about this week’s Update, even though it included an early appearance from Roseanne Roseannadanna. In this showing she was Update’s science editor, not the consumer reporter that she later appear as. So, there was no letter from a Mr. Richard Fader from Fort Lee, NJ. There was a seemingly throwaway joke about a Russian plane filled with nuclear material that crashed off the coast of Nova Scotia which irradiated the native lobsters. Put a pin in that joke, it will come back later.

But save that, because after Update would come Nick the lounge singer. This wasn’t his first appearance, but it was probably his best. This is the one in which he crooned the lines “Star Wars, nothing but Star Wars!” I can’t say for sure that Nick was the greatest Bill Murray character, but it was the best showcase for his wiseguy persona.

As Klein was getting ready to introduce the second song by musical guest Bonnie Raitt - in which he joined her on harmonica - Jane Curtin interrupted to inform him that the radioactive lobsters were making their way down the eastern seaboard. The show continued, but a news ticker ran throughout the song, which mentioned that the rampaging lobsters had already killed millions.

No need to worry, there was more comedy to get to. Aykroyd portrayed an FM radio DJ interviewing a band promoting their new album - The Nerds! This was the first sighting of the popular characters, who were not yet fully formed. Gilda’s unnamed character was called Four Eyes, and although Murray was introduced as Todd, he was usually referred to as Pizza Face. He gave her noogies, but there were not yet any references to egg salad sandwiches or Tang. Klein’s character had the last name Loopner, and Jane Curtin came aboard at the very end as Mrs. Loopner, but she also made a reference to Mr. Loopner, who at this point was still very much alive.

This is where things got strange. A sketch began with Radner’s Rhonda Weiss character, but eventually loud screeches could be heard in the background. It turned out to be a full fledged atomic lobster attack on New York, with outdoor shots of giant lobsters descending on 30 Rock. Audience members were in on the gag, as they seemed in terror, and there was plenty of carnage on stage. (A headless doll in a bee costume was hurled on stage, the implication being that this was the grisly remains of John Belushi.) Klein took over the scene to serve as a news reporter, pledging to preserve the moment for posterity. Not only does he say “oh, the humanity” at one point, but in a nice touch the band begins to play Nearer My God To Thee. The episode ends with the dead bodies of cast, crew, and extras splattered about the stage as humanity stages its final battle against the lobsters. (History buffs may know that the lobsters did not triumph, and mankind ultimately survived the onslaught. This time.)

Next week I’ll look at the season 3 finale. That means it will be Buck Henry time again.

Someone Was Yelling At Me. I Know It Was You, Aaron

By now I’m sure most of you have seen Aaron Boone’s ejection in the first inning of Monday afternoon’s Yankees/A’s game. Home plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt tossed Boone for yapping at him from the bench, even though the offending comments actually came from a fan sitting behind the dugout. The pure comedy comes from the fact that Boone was casually looking at his fingernails at the fateful moment.

First thing, Boone has a well earned reputation for being a hothead. Second, being that it was a weekday afternoon game against Oakland it was a much smaller crowd than is normal at Yankee Stadium. That means that rather than the usual cacophony that is found, it’s easier to isolate individual voices. The fan’s comment towards the umpire was very clearly audible. That said, oh boy was this a short fuse on Wendelstedt’s part. His postgame comments didn’t help either.

This shows an appalling lack of accountability, which is par for the course when it comes to umpiring. Just look at how difficult it is to do anything about Angel Hernandez, even though he is blatantly incompetent. In this case everyone knows that Wendelstedt supremely f***ed it up; it speaks volumes that as of this writing Boone has not been fined for the incident, which is what usually follows an ejection.

Closing Laughs

And we have reached the bottom of today’s page. Enjoy your day, everyone. We’ll do this again on Friday?