THE HALL “PASS” Don’t Worry, They Tried.
It would be too easy, way too easy to roast the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for their decades of misfires, snubs, and the ongoing Tom‑Fuckery of Darth Wenner. Everyone online already did their little rage‑dance. Not only is it predictable, it’s boring. It’s the equivalent of yelling “airline food sucks” in 2026. And I know boring and plane food people!
Meh
Whatever. It is what it is…until you quit passing out participation trophies.
I’m not here for the cheap shots. I’m here for the actual inductees this year; the “decent” ones and the ones who didn’t make it, because that’s where the real comedy, tragedy, and bureaucratic clownery lives.
I’m breaking down the good, the bad, and the snobby of this year’s list, plus my own “reset the damn clock” take. And honestly? There weren’t any catastrophic misses from the nominee list. That alone should make you suspicious. So let’s start with the “snub/not really a snub” rundown, from the one I’d induct first to the one I’d wave at from across the parking lot.
Before we go any further, let’s get something straight…this is only about the nominees we were given. We all know the Hall has a backlog of historically essential, era‑defining artists who haven’t even sniffed a ballot. That’s on the Hall’s so‑called “historians,” and on the Chairman of the Bored himself, John Sykes; a man who treats the definition of rock and roll like it’s a dry‑erase board at a failing startup.
And yet — I can’t say I disagree with the voters one hundred percent. Would transparency kill them? Probably. But it would be nice.
INXS
Time has been kind to INXS. Life hasn’t. The truth is simple: INXS ended when Michael Hutchence died. Plenty of bands have replaced singers; some better, some worse. But none of them tried to find their new frontman on a reality show. The Aussies swung for the fences and hit a sprinkler head.
Their discography holds up. Ten studio albums, a slow burn into superstardom, MTV darlings, and Hutchence who eventually ditched the glam, cut the hair, and let the music speak. The fans didn’t follow him on that evolution, but the art did.
Oasis, meanwhile, imploded like a Gallagher family Thanksgiving. But they had one advantage INXS never did; they were still alive. They could reunite. They could walk onstage and still sound like themselves. INXS couldn’t. Without Hutchence, it didn’t matter how good Andrew Farriss was at writing songs. Eddie and the Cruisers said it best, “Words and music, Wordman”; without one, the other doesn’t hit the same.
INXS deserved induction more than Oasis. Full stop. No footnotes.
The Black Crowes
This one irritated me. The Crowes check every box except the Hall’s favorite little blue pill; “influence.” And honestly, who exactly did Oasis influence besides a generation of dudes who think sunglasses are a personality?
The Crowes were Rolling Stone darlings. Critics slobbered over every release. They were one of the last great American rock bands before the Hall decided the 90s were too recent to acknowledge.
Given the hand we were dealt, this was a miss. A real rock band, deserving, overlooked. Again.
New Edition
The nomination wasn’t as far outside the original “rock and roll” definition as people pretend. The issue is that the members individually had far more impact than the group did collectively. Under the Hall’s new “all‑inclusive” umbrella, their solo careers eclipse the mothership.
Jeff Buckley
I still don’t get this one. One studio album and a tragic death do not equal a Hall of Fame induction. Influence? Sure. Impact? Some. But if he’s honored at all, it should be under Musical Excellence. If he’d been inducted as a Performer this year, I would’ve blown a gasket so hard it would’ve registered on seismographs.
P!NK
If P!NK were a guy playing the exact same pop‑rock hybrid, she’d already be in. She blends rock, punk, rap, pop, ballads, all of it and she does it all live, no tracks, no safety net. Influence? Yes. Impact? Yes. Sales? Absolutely. Talent? Zero debate.
I’m not mad about Sade getting in, but if I had to swap one nomination, P!NK would’ve replaced her faster than you can say “acrobatic stadium tour.”
Melissa Etheridge
Etheridge checks every metric the Hall claims to use. But the Hall still has Odetta and Lesley Gore sitting on the sidelines. Two artists who shaped entire eras and still get ignored. If the Hall wants to fix its historical blind spots, that’s where they should start.
Mariah Carey
I don’t care how many billions of metaphorical burgers she sold, it’s pop music. Yes, she writes, how much is anyone’s guess…having the Sony man as you husband does carry some weight (no pun intended). Yes, she sings like a monster. But nothing in her catalog is groundbreaking or trailblazing in the way the Hall pretends to value. If album sales were the metric, half the 80s would already be in.
Lauryn Hill
One solo album. Read that again. One. I don’t care how many it sold. The Fugees? Again, one massive album. Under the Hall’s own rules, longevity, body of work, sustained impact. So no, she doesn’t qualify as a Performer. Musical Excellence? Sure. Performer? Get the fuck out of here.
Shakira
In Europe and Latin America, she’s a titan. In the U.S., she’s nowhere near the level of others still waiting. This one feels premature, and that’s being generous.
So here’s the truth; this year wasn’t a trainwreck, but it wasn’t a triumph either. It was the Hall doing what the Hall always does, getting just enough right to avoid a riot while still reminding everyone they don’t actually understand their own job description.
The real issue isn’t this year’s list. The issue is it’s the decades of artists who never even get a seat at the table. Until the Hall fixes that, every “win” is temporary, every induction is conditional, and every year feels like we’re grading on a curve designed by people who think “rock and roll” is a vibe you can buy at Target.
Reset the clock. Fix the foundation and maybe, just maybe, the Hall can stop being the world’s most prestigious participation trophy ceremony and start acting like the institution it pretends to be.
