Twitter Reacts to This Year’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Nominees
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominees for the class of 2022 have all been revealed and Twitter has reacted to the often controversial announcement with support for those elected, alongside criticism of notable exclusions and shots taken at the integrity of the establishment overall.
While the name of the institution bears the words 'Rock and Roll,' there has been a longstanding misperception among fans of heavy music that entry into the Hall of Fame is strictly reserved for artists who are categorized under a narrow definition of rock music. Many have not welcomed the idea of pop, rap, hip-hop, country and electronic artists being worthy of induction, but the scope of nominees each year strongly rebukes this notion and, instead, seemingly embraces the idea that rock music is a spirit and attitude and can not strictly be limited to just a sonic representation.
Still, it admittedly does feel odd that rapper Eminem could be inducted in his first year of eligibility, while Judas Priest, who pioneered the style of heavy metal that was popularized throughout the early and mid-'80s, could remain on the outs once again. A more than fair critique of the Rock Hall is that it has been overwhelmingly reluctant to acknowledge the importance and influence of heavy metal with only Black Sabbath and Metallica representing the genre as inductees.
"The fact that Judas Priest isn't in the RNRHOF already, is a disgrace. Hopefully they do the right thing this time and vote them in," wrote one Twitter user.
Meanwhile, the 'Brad and Bone Morning Show' was downright tickled by the idea of a Judas Priest and Dolly Parton jam session taking place at the eventual ceremony, as the metal legends and country singer-songwriter have both been nominated in 2022.
The exclusion of Pat Benatar has also irked fans for years and they're hoping that this year will be the one where the "Hit Me With Your Best Shot," "Heartbreaker" and "Love Is a Battlefield" hit-maker will get the final nod.
"Need to correct the egregious issue of Pat Benatar not being in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame," commented one Twitter user, who participated in the fan vote option. "If they don't let my girl Pat Benatar in this year, I'm going to be heated... it's overdue," voiced another.
Meanwhile, one fan expressed support for Beck among the potential inductees and suggested Weezer deliver the induction speech with a proposition for the alt-rock icons to gain entry themselves the following year.
This year would have also been a prime moment to nominate The Monkees, especially after the recent death of singer, guitarist and keyboardist Michael Nesmith.
And, as usual, there were plenty of comments that outright bashed the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and its motives.
The Hall teased a coming announcement with a photo of U2 frontman Bono leaning in to tell Guns N' Roses singer Axl Rose something and one Twitter user fired back, "Don't promote your shit with rock legends if you're just going to induct minimally talented hacks from other genres or pop whores."
Making a mockery of some of the 17 nominees, one person attributed a fake quote to Star Wars villain Darth Vader regarding what is constituted as rock music.
Carly Simon, a soft rock artist, was also put in the crosshairs of one music fan, who ridiculed her nomination by stating, "Carly Simon, rock-and-roll legend and guitar-shredder extraordinaire, has been nominated to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame."
Someone else wasn't too thrilled about Eminem's nomination either.
Others expressed dismay that artists such as Living Colour, Soundgarden, Smashing Pumpkins, The Replacements, Wings and Melissa Etheridge were not among this year's nominees either.