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But sometimes you wind up with strange ballots and this is one of the stranger ballots.
Another member is more blunt: I was very disappointed that there werent more women nominated.
I really have no idea whos going to get in, the voter adds with a sigh.
So lets talk it out.
(I was invited to join the voting committee this year, which I accepted.)
Voter 1 has been involved for about ten years, while Voter 2 has reached the five-year mark.
Bad Company
Voter 1:Are they a major rock act?
Are they an ever-present classic-rock act heard on the radio to this day?
I like them more than I want to admit, largely because Paul Rodgers has a fantastic rock-and-roll voice.
Feel Like Makin Love may be a meathead anthem, but its catchy.
Its a quintessential rock supergroup.
Theyre sort of the connective tissue between all the British bands of the 60s and everyone who came after.
They have a good chance of getting in without my vote.
But do I think they deserve to be on this ballot?
No, not over other people.
Its possible to love an act and think they dont need to be in the Rock Hall.
This comes up with the Monkees argument every year.
I love the Monkees, but I dont feel its a great outrage that theyre not inducted.
The Black Crowes are fairly derivative.
Thats no shade on them because I find them to be fantastic.
I just dont think theyre Rock Hallworthy.
Theyre part of the great southern-rock tradition and fit in that lineage, but who have they influenced?
Shes also a songwriter, lest we forget.
I just dont love the material.
Bluntly, it felt good to let her go by for at least one ballot.
She hit the ground running with a promotional battle plan that was like the D-Day landing.
This gal has rarely waited very long for anything.
Voter 2:Im a huge fan.
Shes in the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Chubby Checker
Voter 1:This one bugs me.
His career is overshadowed by one big and important hit.
About a decade ago, the Rock Hall very briefly tried doing a thing where they inducted songs.
The song is greater than the man.
Voter 2:I was befuddled.
Im not sure why he was nominated in this main Performer category.
Im surprised he wouldnt get in as an Early Influence.
It feels like with a lot of those artists of his caliber, thats where theyre placed.
I dont understand this at all.
Im still deciding if Im going to vote for him.
Hes a very distinctive vocalist, but the recorded output is spotty.
Up Where We Belong and You Are So Beautiful arent priority songs in the history of rock and roll.
Youre basically voting for him as a song stylist.
As a vocalist, hes peerless.
What his impact is, I dont know.
I didnt end up voting for him, but I could see him getting in.
Billy Idol
Voter 1:Do I need to vote for this guitar-wielding white man?
This nomination is basically about Billy playing ball with the Rock Hall.
Good for you, buddy.
The main thing I love about him ishes a tough genre categorization.
Hes pop, hes punk, hes New Wave.
He even qualified as hair metal.
If anything gets me to vote for Billy, its his shape-shifter nature.
Voter 2:I would never have anticipated Billy Idol getting inducted.
It makes a lot of sense, though.
When you think of 80s solo acts, he was huge.
Butthis year, there were other people I felt needed my vote more.
Joy Division/New Order
Voter 1:However many times they appear, Ill check that box.
If ever there were a cause celebre for my generation, it should be them.
The combination of the two bands is sensible.
Voter 2:They werent exactly a no-brainer, but Im like,Yeah, its about time.
When youre just looking at influence, they both continue to reverberate.
Cyndi Lauper
Voter 1:I think the world of her.
First of all, there arent enough women on this ballot.
Cyndi is a titanic vocalist.
Time After Time has become a standard.
The fact that shesone award shy of an EGOTtells you the quality of her talent.
Voter 2:Cyndi was No.
1 for me on this ballot.
I was upset a few years ago when she didnt get in.
Everyone associates her with the 80s and her first record, but shes so much more than that.
She writes her own songs and has written so many beautiful ones about important topics like abortion.
Shes a vocalist with a singular voice.
You cant look at the 80s without her.
I could talk for hours about Cyndi.
Its a capital, big check-mark yes.
I have a feeling Mana will be one of those.
Voter 2:Im not very familiar with them.
Still, Im happy the Rock Hall nominated Mana.
When we talk about popular music, sometimes we get stuck in certain countries.
I applaud them for saying, No, this is a rock band whos influential around the world.
Oasis
Voter 1:Oasis has a brand to protect.
They are the turds in the punch bowl of rock and roll.
I wont vote for them.
I have a hard time seeing the influence.
Voter 2:Theyre so influential, almost in spite of themselves.
The fact theyre coming around to do a victory lap, to say, Hey, remember us?
We did it right first, were the best I love that.
Theyre massively popular in America.
People forget about that.
I voted for them because the spectacle of them showing up would be hilarious.
OutKast
Voter 1:OutKast should come pre-checked on the ballot.
What took so long?
These guys have been eligible for five years.
There was a period in America when they were the consensus stars of their era.
They were an act that hip-hop heads and boring white people liked equally.
Voter 2:I absolutely voted for OutKast.
But when youre talking about Atlanta hip-hop and southern hip-hop, the influence is incalculable.
Weve had a lot of hip-hop inducted from the East and West Coasts.
Making sure southern hip-hop is represented is important because its such a dominant force.
A big fat no.
I was finally like, What is this shit music?
It was in minute 18 of a 20-minute track from the Phish albumA Live One.
All the cliches apply.
I do appreciate that Trey Anastasio is a genuine fan of rock history.
I just cant stand the music.
Voter 2:I didnt appreciate Phish until I saw them live.
That unlocked something in my head.
Its polarizing to call them a jam band, so I hesitate to do that.
They were in the Seattle scene long before Nirvana even released an album.
Im the problem because Ive never voted for them.
Im trying to find room for Soundgarden this year because they deserve it.
This is morbid, but after Chris Cornell died, why didnt they get in the following year?
Soundgarden is heavy, but theyre extremely influential.
Chris Cornells voice was unreal.
They were a classic band, so I voted for them.
I thought,They dont need it because theyre a slam dunk.
Wont make that mistake again.
Jack White is a walking history of rock and roll.
Meg White is an underrated drummer.
Shes not flashy, but she was the right drummer for that band.
I hope if they get in, she can overcome her stage fright and appear with Jack.
That would be a gasp.
Voter 2:I voted for them.
They were the linchpin for a lot of that.
People are finally saying, No, they were equals.
