Ted Nugent has made his thoughts on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame clear, explaining that it’s “sacrilege” that he’s not already inducted.
For over 35 years, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has been a rather arbitrary measure of success for musicians. Recently saw a number of high-profile musicians nominated for induction in the class of 2019. From Radiohead to Rage Against The Machine, we’ve also seen Stevie Nicks and Kraftwerk nominated, meaning next year is set to be a pretty big one.
Of course, despite its reputation as one of music’s highest honours, many musicians and fans have hit back at the Rock Hall. Sure, many would feel flattered or lucky to be included, but the fact that the voting process is controlled by folks who aren’t musicians themselves has garnered quite a lot of criticism.
In fact, over the weekend, we saw Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor blast the Rock Hall, saying that he “honestly couldn’t give less of a shit” about being inducted.
“I’m not gonna sleep any better. Included or not,” Reznor explained to Stereogum. “With that being said, it’s always nice to feel you’ve been appreciated to some degree but it’s not on my list of things I have to achieve before I die.”
However, Ted Nugent is one of those rare musicians who does care about being inducted, and has made it clear he’s not happy about being ignored.
Speaking to Myglobalmind recently, the divisive musician shared his thoughts on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
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“I have some really clear thoughts,” Ted Nugent began. “Its sacrilege, it’s ultimately disrespectful and cruel to Chuck [Berry], Bo [Diddley], and Little Richard and all the founding fathers in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.”
“Because the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame means something and I don’t have to explain to you because you know, and you don’t have to explain it to me. Abandon egos, bragging, and Ted Nugent speaking on behalf of Ted Nugent; is it or is it not vulgar, dishonest, and obscene that Grand Master Flash, Patti Smith, and ABBA are in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame but Ted ‘Fucking’ Nugent isn’t? Is that the most outrageous and disgusting lie you have ever seen?”
“Joe Walsh nailed it; he said, ‘It’s not music-lover driven’,” he continued. “He used the word fan, and it’s not fan driven. Its ultra leftist liberal CEO driven gang who couldn’t give a rat’s ass about the music. I’m not taking away from the 90% of the people in it. I genuflect at the altar of all those great musicians like my friends in Cheap Trick, Journey, ZZ Top, and Kiss. They all deserve to be in there.”
“I would like you to find a human being and walk up to, look at them eye to eye and believe them when they say Ted Nugent should not be in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. I would love to witness that exchange, you would see a person almost melt with guilt because you know they are lying.”
“At the end of the day it’s not about me it’s about the music. James Hetfield said it best when Metallica was inducted, ‘Ted Nugent not being in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is a joke; Ted Nugent is Rock & Roll!'”
While Ted Nugent has been eligible for induction since 2000, it’s not clear why the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame have looked him over. It may be in part due to his rather controversial views and outspoken political statements, but that usually isn’t something that the Rock Hall tends to hold against musicians.
At this stage, it remains to be seen when and if Ted Nugent will receive a nomination to be inducted, but you can be certain that whenever he does, he’ll think it’s way overdue.
Check out Ted Nugent’s ‘Cat Scratch Fever’:
