Hell freezes over - Rush nominated to RRHOF

[Divemistress of the Dark]

I'm on the way to Cleveland & can't link right now, but just read the good word. Apparently fans get to vote this year!

[zilboy]

I've got your back:

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/rush-publ ... 25z;_ylv=3

[secretjourneyranch]

Cold indeed.Its about time

Here's RUSH's chilly response from facebook:

"We are honored to be among the nominees for this year's Rock 'N Roll Hall of Fame. We are especially thrilled for the many, many dedicated RUSH fans to whom this nomination is so very important." - Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, Neil Peart

[63falcon]

About freakin' time. I mean really.....

[sockii]

Cold indeed.Its about time

Here's RUSH's chilly response from facebook:

"We are honored to be among the nominees for this year's Rock 'N Roll Hall of Fame. We are especially thrilled for the many, many dedicated RUSH fans to whom this nomination is so very important." - Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, Neil Peart

Beautiful subtle BURN.

[luddite lady]

Yup, this Rush nomination is pretty big news up here in Canada. I just saw that even Bob Rae (an important political leader on the federal scene) tweeted the RRHOF link so people could vote for Rush's induction. With the absence of NHL hockey, loving Rush has now moved up to the #1 spot in the list of Canadian passions. (Close behind in #2 is loathing Nickleback.)

[Kim]

Let's not get too excited yet. All it means is they are on the list of acts who are eligible. After the vote we will find out who the inductees will be. So everyone get out and vote! Joan Jett and Deep Purple are also on the ballot.

By the way, why does everyone hate Nickelback? I don't love them but I don't understand the hate.

[Divemistress of the Dark]

They were way ahead in the polling when I voted last night, FWIW.

[samburusunset]

Having just gone to the RnRHoF and seen who has already been inducted I must say, "It's about fucking time!"

I had to scratch my head at some of the artists that were already in and those that aren't. ie Blondie but not Heart? SERIOUSLY?! Or Laura Nyro? Who is she? Heart's been around since the mid-70's and have a slew of hits. I know people have their favorites and maybe they're trying to reach a cross-section but come on.



BTW, a guard there was a total twat-face to Susan. Left a sour taste in our mouths. Won't be going back any time soon.

[Lynne]

I also went to the RRHOF while we were in Cleveland, and it was about what I expected -- heavily curated, and very, very commercial. I enjoyed seeing the Who gear and the punk display, and it was nice to have the history laid out so well. But I think I'm just not particularly fannish, so I am not the target audience.

Two striking things for me were (1) a green ticket to (long-gone) Turq's at 957 W. Belmont in Chicago (in my 'hood, FWIW) to see Joy Division on March 27, 1980 ... days after Ian Curtis had killed himself; needless to say, the show was cancelled, and (2) when I bought my ticket the guy remarked on my Rhythmatist t-shirt, and I said "Stewart Copelandmusic, he's the man!", and he knew about the show and asked if I was going.

But otherwise ...yeah.

[luna_virgo]

[quote="samburusunset"]I had to scratch my head at some of the artists that were already in and those that aren't. quote]

I was surprised that they didn't have anything on display from Led Zeppelin (if they did, I missed it). And the punk and metal sections were too small, IMO.

[Divemistress of the Dark]

Just piling on.... I understand from Susan that there was a big Springsteen exhibit out of town recently, but IMO they should have explained why there were zero items from The Boss on show. Also, no AC/DC?!

I thought it wasn't particularly well-curated. They just slung things in a cheap-looking display case with no context. I admit to a ginormous amount of bias but I prefer the approach of our local Country Music Hall - tons of background, recordings and video, bla bla bla.

Wasn't a big fan of the made-in-China utterly unexceptional gift shop, either... All that said, I don't regret having gone and would likely return. It's OK for what it is, plus - John Lennon's pianos. Wow.

[TheEqualizer]

Extra cold in Hell today. Rush is IN the RRHOF

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/ ... n-20121211

[TheEqualizer]

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has been a source of tremendous frustration for years in the Rush fan community. The group didn't appear on a ballot until this year, even though they've been eligible since 1998. It's caused some fans (most notably VH1 Classic's Eddie Trunk) to sour on the whole institution, but Rush themselves always claimed that this didn't bother them, and the patience paid off. Singer-bassist Geddy Lee chatted with Rolling Stone a few days after he heard that Rush had finally been inducted.

Where are you calling from?
I'm on vacation. Right now I'm happily staring at the ocean.

So, congratulations. How did you hear the news?
My manager called. Nothing remarkable. No great anecdote or anything. He called and said we were inducted and I said, "That's very nice."

Did it surprise you at all?
A little bit, yeah. I was surprised we got in first time out there. It took us so long to even get on the ballot, and there were other groups like Deep Purple and Procol Harum, who I respect greatly and I assumed would be voted in as well.

Does any part of you have mixed emotions since it took so long?
No. My emotions are very simple and always have been about the Hall of Fame. It's something that I had absolutely nothing to do with and had no control over, so I never thought much about it, to be frank. But I appreciated how much it meant to our fan base. It really did mean a lot to them. It was kind of a cause they championed and I appreciated their feelings but beyond that, I really did not concern myself with it.

You're definitely going to the ceremony, right?
Oh yeah, we're gonna be there. I'm not saying I'm not proud to be inducted, because that would be wrong. I think it's a terrific honor and we'll show up smiling.

I imagine you're going to perform, too.
I don't know what the deal is. I assume we will. I think it's a tradition, but I haven't heard any details, to be frank. I assume it's a tradition that the artists play a song or two, so I assume that's what we'll do.

This also means people can finally stop asking you about it in every interview.
That's right. [Laughs] It also made my mom very happy, so that's worth it.

I'm sure some small percentage of your fan base will say, "They should protest the whole thing by staying home."
I never got too hot and bothered about the subject, and I don't think that's a very gracious way to respond to an honor.

Axl Rose stayed home last year, and the Sex Pistols refused to come, too.
We're nice Canadian boys. We wouldn't do that.

It's a pretty eclectic lineup this year. Are you fans of the other inductees?
I certainly have worked with Heart and I know them well. I'm very happy for them. I have great respect for Albert King and for Randy Newman. I don't know the music of Public Enemy very well, but I know they have a very strong fan base. They've certainly played a role in the development of that style of music for sure, so it's a nice group.

To be frank, I am disappointed that Deep Purple is not included in that group. Certainly Heart and Rush would not sound the way we sound without Deep Purple.

I'm sure they'll get in soon.
Yeah, I hope so.

I keep saying this to everyone, but I can't picture the jam at the end of the ceremony.
Yeah, that's for sure. What do you jam to? "YYZ?" I don't know. [Laughs] That'd be pretty fun.

I guess Chuck D could do the rap on "Roll the Bones."
I guess! Maybe we can learn one of their songs.

This is capping off a pretty good run for you guys these past few years.
Something happens when you become an elder rock & roller and you're still functioning. People start to give you awards and recognize achievements. It's the life achievement period of your career. You spend most of your life working and trying to hone your craft, working on your chops, working on your writing and you don't really think about accolades. Then you get a bit older and they start coming your way. It's a nice pat on the back. It's been cool.

You guys have been touring like fiends. Right when one tour ends, it seems like you start another. It's almost like back in the 1970s, when the tour never stopped.
We're kind of in a groove right now. We feel really good about the way we're playing. We feel like we've raised our game in terms of musicianship and our level of chops. We're also very excited about the way Clockwork Angels turned out. The fan acceptance of it has been very cool. We're happy to go out and bring it around the globe.

Are you thinking about doing anything to honor the 40th anniversary of the band that's coming up?
Well, certainly any time an important anniversary pops up, the schedule-makers and managers are all over it. But right now, our concern is to continue touring Clockwork Angels and then get a holiday after that. Then we'll see what's left and how much gas we have in the tank before I would even think about an anniversary tour.

I love that you're playing so many mid-1980s deep cuts in the first part of this show.
For the first set, we've become our own opening act, playing all these obscure deep cuts. Then the second set, we bring out everything but the kitchen sink.

Then you wrap it all up with "2112."
Yeah, it's been fun to do it. And the fact is, it's a good release for us because as the show wears on, we get more and more three-piece, which is kind of a nice way to end it.

And you couldn't not play "2112" in 2012.
It's very true. [Laughs] Very true.

[63falcon]

To re-quote my NEWS post: "RRRRRR-UUUUUUU-SSSSSSSHHHHHHHH!"
Very sweet-for the fans, that is. And maybe for the Guys too.