MOTOR. CITY. FIVE.

Nice to see the MC5 get a lotta love at tonight's Rock n Rock Hall of Fame Awards. Of course, they're all DEAD, haha. But Tom Morella (wearing a t-shirt that said "Jail Guitar Doors") gave a fine speech. No sign of Patti Smith for some reason - she is not only a Hall inductee, but was actually married to a MC5 member. Nice, fairly lengthy video with plenty of archival footage. Quick testimonies from Henry Rollins, Iggy (who one would think would have figured a lot more prominently), and Slash. Perhaps the most mainstream media attention they've ever had? Hoping they'll get a few more fans from the normals tuning in to see Cher and Foreigner.

Big chunk of time dedicated to Peter Frampton reminded us that he did a lot more than "Frampton Comes Alive." (But ...no mention of the "Sgt Pepper" movie?!)

Dionne Warwick still has a firm (if old-sounding) voice. Nice to see the Alexis Korner, Norman Whitfield, and Big Mama Thornton tributes. Sorry Elvis, but I still say Big Mama owns "Hound Dog."



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/19/2024 09:36PM by MrFab.

It's definitely making me appreciate the job the editors did when HBO used to broadcast the induction ceremony. Good God, some of these people think they're William Henry Harrison on inauguration day. (A historical deep cut there!)

Has anyone heard the new Wayne Kramer/MC5 album HEAVY LIFTING, which came out yesterday?

Yes. But have only spun it once so far, and I haven't listened to the second disk (which is concert recordings from the MC50 tour, the Austin stop of which was fantastic) yet. My first pass says it's a solid hard rock album, but nothing exceptional, but I feel like I should give it more spins before passing judgement.

I imagine Patti couldn't make it, but their children were at the ceremony and Jesse posted quite a few photos on her Instagram page. (Patti also commented on those posts and is clearly happy and proud of Fred's induction.)

Did anyone play any MC5 songs at the ceremony? The article I read indicated that Tom Morello made a speech, they showed some video, and that's it.

Nope, no performance. Just the video and Morello's speech. Which is a shame, but holy crap, the damned ceremony was five and a half hours long even with some of the inductees getting the bare bones treatment. I bailed at slightly before the four and a half hour mark when Jack Black was trotted out to induct Ozzy. After the slog of reaching that point, the prospect of Jack Black - who I am generally okay with - broke me and I had to tap out. The fact that the ceremony went on for another hour after that, covering two whole inductees (Ozzy and Dave Matthews) shows how excessive the whole thing is. If/when Joy Division/New Order get inducted I'll watch the ceremony live, but otherwise never again. I hope that thing was not available for broadcast in prisons, as the inmates would have good grounds to sue for cruel and unusual punishment.

Under John Sykes, they've made it a Top 40 TV show, packing in contemporary "talent" like any other award show. This year, they seemed to have emptied the pantry of artists who've never gotten in (what excuse did they use for the MC5, who failed to win enough votes for many years?) with no regard to the illogic of a show like that. I've voted every year, attended a bunch, watched the others and contributed to the program books, but the Hall ceremony no longer holds the faintest interest for me.

One of my best friends curses the RRHoF because The Guess Who never even have been nominated for induction. Probably not a band name that wins a lot of love here, but hey, we each have our favorites that have long been ignored. I don't know whether they're all in suitable shape to perform, but all the members of the "classic" (read: commercially successful) lineup are still breathing. It almost makes me think that someone on the nominating committee might be holding back till it's "too late."

I want to see the NY Dolls get inducted while Johansen is still around. Also the original Modern Lovers (all four alive and well) in hopes that they'll reunite just one more time, if only for 2 or 3 numbers.