No Go for RRHOF

Of course, this is the big news that has Jovidom all a-twitter.  The "snub".

Yes, I put "snub" in quotes.  Why, may you ask?  Well, because it's not really a surprise.  Seriously, if you search your hearts, are you truly shocked that the band was left off the RRHOF inductee list?  Given all the talk about the critics never really feeling that Bon Jovi was anything more than an aging hair band (though we know differently), we can feel the acute disappointment that a trip to Ohio isn't in our imminent future, but can we really fill ourselves with righteous indignation?

Artists become eligible for induction 25 years after the release of their first record. Criteria include the influence and significance of the artists’ contributions to the development and perpetuation of rock and roll.

This is the criteria that critics and naysayers hone in on.  They say, "What has Bon Jovi done to further rock-and-roll?  Finding Cinderella doesn't count."

Terry Stewart, the President of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, offers this by way of explanation of criteria for HOF induction:

Nomination and induction into the Hall of Fame is not about popularity, records sales, which label the group is on, or anything other than the process below. The love for, the evaluation of, and the impact of any artist are subjective questions to be answered by the nominators and the voters. Unlike baseball, football, basketball or hockey, statistics are not relevant.

They say this, but in the press release announcing the nominations, the numbers are prominently quoted, with the rest as [seemingly] an afterthought:

Beyond the numbers – over 120 million albums sold (more than 34 platinum titles cumulative in the U.S. alone), more than 2,600 concerts performed in over 50 countries for more than 34 million fans, including The Lost Highway World Tour, ranked as 2008’s #1 top-selling tour, and 2010’s 30-country, 135-show The Circle World Tour – there is also Bon Jovi’s enormous influence on innumerable young bands seeking to follow in their footsteps. Bon Jovi steadfastly follows their own instincts, ignoring obvious trends and providing a model for other bands and musicians just starting out on their careers."

This should have triggered the Chinese gong sound in the collective mind of Jovidom.  They did a lot, sold a lot, toured a lot.  Oh yeah, and they ignore trends and do their own thing and don't care if you don't like it.  The way Bon Jovi's accomplishments were phrased should have (in hindsight) been telling.

Mr. Stewart goes on to say:

The entire nomination and induction process is coordinated by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation in New York City. Individuals can be inducted in four categories: Performer, Early Influence, Non-Performer and Side-Men. The only formal criteria for the performance category is that an artist has to have had their first record 25 years ago. That said, candidates are reviewed and discussed relative to their impact on this music that we broadly call rock and roll. The innovation and influence of these artists is also critical. Gold records, number one hits, and million sellers are really not appropriate standards for evaluation.

You can interviews with inductees Alice Cooper, Neil Diamond, Darlene Love, and Dr. John here.

~ Hath

Additional Source: Future Rock Legends