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| Olompali |
Rock Hall Voting Scandal: Rock Group Actually Won
According to sources knowledgeable about the mysterious ways of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, British Invasion group The Dave Clark Five and not Grandmaster Flash finished fifth in the final voting of the nominating committee and should have been inducted on Monday night.
According to sources, Rolling Stone publisher Jann Wenner, who recently appointed himself chairman of the Foundation after the death of Ahmet Ertegun, ignored the final voting and chose Grandmaster Flash over the DC5 for this year's ceremony.
"Jann went back to a previous ballot instead of taking the final vote as the last word," my source insisted. "He used a technicality about the day votes were due in. In reality, The Dave Clark Five got six more votes than Grandmaster Flash. But he felt we couldn't go another year without a rap act."
R.E.M., Van Halen, The Ronettes and Patti Smith were the top four vote-getters, with Grandmaster Flash finishing fifth when the votes were counted on the first date ballots were due in to the Rock Hall office.
But when all the ballots were counted a few days later, the DC5 had pulled ahead. Wenner decided to ignore that and stick with the earlier tally.
"We begged Jann to allow all six acts to be inducted. But he insisted that he couldn't because there wouldn't be enough time," my source said. "He wanted to have Aretha Franklin come and perform in memory of Ahmet Ertegun."
The Ertegun tribute, while very nice, was deemed unnecessary by members of the main committee because the Atlantic Records co-founder will be memorialized in New York on April 17.
"But Jann wanted to do his own tribute. It was insane, especially since he took over Ahmet's position on the board before Ahmet even had a memorial. Jann simply sent papers around informing everyone that he was now the chairman," my source said.
The Dave Clark Five ballot tampering, however, stings the most. The group, part of the British Invasion of the '60s, should have been inducted long ago for their hits like "Glad All Over," "Bits & Pieces" and "Catch Me If You Can." Making them wait has turned out to be a huge mistake, as their fortunes have not been great.
In December 2006, sax player Denis Payton succumbed to cancer at age 63. Lead singer Mike Smith has been paralyzed since 2003 after falling off a ladder at his home in Spain.
In August 2005, a terrific fundraising effort for Smith at B.B. King's in New York was supposed to be the prelude to finally recognizing the group that had several memorable hits in the mid-'60s.
Wenner's cruel axing of them from the show and the Hall of Fame should be painful to many who are intimately involved with the Hall, like Paul Shaffer, who runs the Hall of Fame band and produced and emceed the Smith tribute.
So what happened here? My sources also say that Wenner's motivation may have sprung from a controversial speech that was delivered by new administrative head Joel Peresman to the nominating committee last winter.
"He stood up there and told us that we should vote for who we thought would be most commercial, and who be best on the TV show," a source said. "It was outrageous. Some people tried to stop him and asked him to leave, but he wouldn't. He said, 'I'm not leaving.' The director is never supposed to speak to the nominating committee."
Peresman came to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation last year when Wenner arbitrarily ousted the long-time chief of the group, Suzan Evans Hochberg, after two decades of loyalty.
"We couldn't believe Jann stood up there last night and said Suzan was retiring. But when the seating plan went crazy the other day, Jann called and begged her to come in and help. Peresman knows nothing about the business," a source said.
Peresman came to the Foundation from gigs booking shows at Madison Square Garden and with Clear Channel, the radio giant that many feel has strangled the music business with intransigent radio play policies and suggestions — actually, government investigations — of payola.
In the old days, such a hire would have been considered anathema by Wenner.
None of this should come as any surprise to those who have followed the roller-coaster world of the Rock Hall. According to the group's most recent tax filing, for example, they gave only $9,000 to indigent musicians from their $11 million in holdings.
Even worse: Wenner sent a tax-free $10,000 to something called Jazz Casuals in San Francisco. It's really just the archives of Ralph J. Gleason, the late jazz writer who periodically wrote for Rolling Stone in its early days. It was the only donation made by the Foundation to any group last year.
"Again, outrageous," a source said. "With all of Jann's money, he could have just sent a check. He didn't need to use the Foundation's money."
By contrast, the Foundation gave only $53,000 to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum in Cleveland. Attorney Allen Grubman's law firm took another $50,000 for legal services rendered. Evans received her usual $300,000 salary. Peresman is said to be receiving even more.
And then there's the matter of who has left on the nominating committee. I'm told that nearly half the group is gone, leaving 32 members. Many of the remaining members are former or current Wenner employees, like Rolling Stone's Nathan Brackett, David Fricke, Jim Henke, Joe Levy, Brian Keizer and Anthony DeCurtis.
Jon Landau, Bruce Springsteen's manager and a former Rolling Stone writer, is the chairman of the committee and considered the last truly mediating influence on Wenner.
There are only three actual musicians: Paul Shaffer, Steven van Zandt and Robbie Robertson. Three are female. One of them is black. There are only two other black members: journalist Toure and Reginald C. Dennis
Wenner, I'm told, "weeded out everyone he didn't like." He even got rid of the veteran New York Post and Vanity Fair writer Lisa Robinson.
Wenner almost bumped Claudia Perry, a Newark Star Ledger sports writer and former pop music critic. After a scuffle, she managed to hang on, which was good news. As a black woman she fulfilled two minorities on the board (Edna Gundersen and Elyssa Gardner of USA Today are the other females).
"This is the opposite of what Ahmet would have wanted," a source said. "He liked a big committee that reflected lots of different tastes." |
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| Nellcote |
Thanks for the read.
What a farce! |
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| lotsajizz |
RIP Ahmet...we miss you more than ever at times like this....
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| gotdablouse |
Shameful if true and it looks the job.
So after missing out on Exile, lauding Goddess, Wenner confirms he has zero integrity, how such people succeed is amazing. |
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| Highwire Rob |
Let's see how RS Magazine covers this!  |
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| Trey Krimsin |
Why don't we just call it the Corporate Pop Music Hall of Fame. It's not rock n' roll anymore if you're seeking those artists who are more commercial. Kinda surprises me that Patti Smith is now in the Hall. |
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| jb |
When you have groups like the Beach Boys and Smith , how can anyone take this farce seriously... |
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| Steel Wheels |
It would be great if the Stones were not in the Hall...imagine the great night we'd have watching the Stones circa 2008 go into the hall with a blistering performance!
Also, all those early years of the Hall have never been seen on TV. I say put 'em on DVD and sell the shit outta it. |
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| Saint Sway |
quote:
Steel Wheels wrote:
Also, all those early years of the Hall have never been seen on TV. I say put 'em on DVD and sell the shit outta it.
I've seen the early shows on sale in bootleg dvd shops |
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| F505 |
So what? When the Rolling Stones were inducted we all cheered. Don't take it too seriously. Like the Oscars it's only show business and glitter. Nothing more nothing less.
[Edited by F505] |
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| jb |
quote:
F505 wrote:
So what? When the Rolling Stones were inducted we all cheered. Don't take it too seriously. Like the Oscars it's only show business and glitter. Nothing more nothing less.
[Edited by F505]
I didn't cheer...it was another low point in the 80's for the band. |
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| Steel Wheels |
The Rock hall is nothing like the Oscars or Emmys. You perform at the Rock Hall. Every single other award show you just take the award and give a speach, you don't have to work.
It would be great if they never inducted the Stones - I'm sure we'd have a killer performance if they went in this year. |
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| LadyJane |
quote:
jb wrote:
I didn't cheer...it was another low point in the 80's for the band.
Oh please.
It was the induction ceremony that really broke the ice and got the Twins speaking again.
And I don't care howe much you protest, you'll never convince me that YOU haven't enjoyed the shows you've seen since then.
LJ. |
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| jb |
quote:
LadyJane wrote:
Oh please.
It was the induction ceremony that really broke the ice and got the Twins speaking again.
And I don't care howe much you protest, you'll never convince me that YOU haven't enjoyed the shows you've seen since then.
LJ.
The only enjoyable thing that evening was the presence of the great one-Mick Taylor. Mick;s speech was gay and corny...and the only thing that thawed the ice was Cohl promising them untold millions..you know very well Mick and keith have despised each other for over 25 yrs, and have no contact at all outside of the band. Don't think for one minute they are some old, married couple..Mick hangs with his hollywwod pals and makes fun of Keith...and Keith pretends to be the charming old pirate, but is a parody of his onece cool self...accept it LJ !!! |
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| Saint Sway |
quote:
jb wrote:
The only enjoyable thing that evening was the presence of the great one-Mick Taylor.
buffet dining? |
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| LadyJane |
I never claimed they were a happy old married couple.
All I know is I remember them cracking up laughing on that stage and it was a joy to behold.
The concert tour drought ended and,whatever the motivation, I'm glad it did!!!
LJ. |
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| jb |
quote:
LadyJane wrote:
I never claimed they were a happy old married couple.
All I know is I remember them cracking up laughing on that stage and it was a joy to behold.
The concert tour drought ended and,whatever the motivation, I'm glad it did!!!
LJ.
It was very uncomfortable to watch Mick in the Tuxedo combat pants, and see Springsteen and his swarmy wife laughing at the stupid jokes... |
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| LadyJane |
You are such an instigator.
When's the next Summit???
LJ. |
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| Saint Sway |
quote:
jb wrote:
It was very uncomfortable to watch Mick in the Tuxedo combat pants, and see Springsteen and his swarmy wife laughing at the stupid jokes... OMG! I needed a spritzer!
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| Gazza |
quote:
Steel Wheels wrote:
The Rock hall is nothing like the Oscars or Emmys. You perform at the Rock Hall. Every single other award show you just take the award and give a speach, you don't have to work.
It would be great if they never inducted the Stones - I'm sure we'd have a killer performance if they went in this year.
So, a 20 year oversight and humiliation at their exclusion would be made OK by a two or three song performance? Please be serious.
Its the same reason why they should never perform at the Brit Awards in London. Theyve never got a lifetime achievement award there presumably because one of the criteria is that you play that show, Good enough reason to tell them where to stick their statuette.
If they had been ignored by the HOF for that long, it would have been a good enough reason to boycott their phoney corporate love-in
[Edited by Gazza] |
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| Gazza |
quote:
lotsajizz wrote:
RIP Ahmet...we miss you more than ever at times like this....
Yep. yet another example of one of these wannabe 60's "revolutionaries" turning into the sort of people he once would have despised.
Phoney wanker |
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| jb |
quote:
Gazza wrote:
Yep. yet another example of one of these wannabe 60's "revolutionaries" turning into the sort of people he once would have despised.
Phoney wanker
agreed...you are on fire Gazza..... |
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| stonedinaustralia |
it probably goes without saying that Wenner is as reprehensible as Cohl but i want to say it anyway...for the record so to speak
they just make you want to spit |
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| Brainbell Jangler |
quote:
jb wrote:
The only enjoyable thing that evening was the presence of the great one-Mick Taylor.
The "Great One," eh? That title was taken, but I suppose "Little (guffaw) Mick" can lay legitimate claim to it these days.
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| corgi37 |
Really. Lets be honest. Who gives a stuff? Wenner long ago lost it all. |
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| Mahatma Kane Jeeves |
quote:
Brainbell Jangler wrote:
The "Great One," eh? That title was taken, but I suppose "Little (guffaw) Mick" can lay legitimate claim to it these days.
I wonder if Mick T likes Neopolitan Knockwurst too?? |
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| Dan |
The Hall Of Fame was doomed to failure from the start, at least in the eyes of those who actually listen to and appreciate all forms of Rock Music on a regular basis. And the Stones would have kissed and made up soon enough with or without it. There was too much money on the line for it NOT to happen.
The Dave Clark Five had a few good songs but at least Grandmaster Flash sets a precedent. I am looking forward to N.W.A.'s induction. |
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| glencar |
quote:
Brainbell Jangler wrote:
The "Great One," eh? That title was taken, but I suppose "Little (guffaw) Mick" can lay legitimate claim to it these days.
Oh man! You are so wrong on politics but taht is one ON TARGET post right there! |
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| glencar |
quote:
Dan wrote:
The Hall Of Fame was doomed to failure from the start, at least in the eyes of those who actually listen to and appreciate all forms of Rock Music on a regular basis. And the Stones would have kissed and made up soon enough with or without it. There was too much money on the line for it NOT to happen.
The Dave Clark Five had a few good songs but at least Grandmaster Flash sets a precedent. I am looking forward to N.W.A.'s induction.
The DC5 had many good songs & they were up there for a while. I'm not sure if they should be in there but I'd put them in tehre ahead of a one hit wonder & even that "hit" wasn't all that impressive. Jann wenner is a huge wussy & should stick to sham journalism. |
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| Kilroy |
THe Dave Clark Five rocked dude. They should be in. |
