Both Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders and Courtney Love have taken time out to slam the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Love, who posted a sprawling op-ed in London’s The Observer, lambasted the institution for its lack of diversity regarding women and minorities — with Hynde just reminding fans how lame she thought the Rock Hall was and remains.
Love, who has been eligible for induction with Hole since 2016, posted, in part:
If so few women are being inducted into the Rock Hall, then the nominating committee is broken. If so few Black artists, so few women of color, are being inducted, then the voting process needs to be overhauled. Music is a lifeforce that is constantly evolving – and they can’t keep up. Shame on HBO for propping up this farce.
If the Rock Hall is not willing to look at the ways it is replicating the violence of structural racism and sexism that artists face in the music industry, if it cannot properly honor what visionary women artists have created, innovated, revolutionized and contributed to popular music — well, then let it go to hell in a handbag.
Chrissie Hynde, who was inducted into the Rock Hall as part of the Pretenders back in 2005 posted on Facebook:
If anyone wants my position in the rock ‘n’ roll Hall of Fame they are welcome to it. I don’t even wanna be associated with it. It’s just more establishment backslapping. I got in a band so I didn’t have to be part of all that.
I was living a happy life in Rio when I got the call I was being inducted. My heart sank because I knew I’d have to go back for it as it would be too much of a kick in the teeth to my parents if I didn’t. I’d upset them enough by then, so it was one of those things that would bail me out from years of disappointing them (like moving out of the USA and being arrested at PETA protests and my general personality).
Other than Neil Young‘s participation in the induction process, the whole thing was, and is, total bollocks.
It’s absolutely nothing to do with rock ‘n’ roll and anyone who thinks it is is a fool.
At the time of the Pretenders’ Rock Hall induction Chrissie Hynde admitted that she was somewhat ambivalent about the honor: “Well y’know for me, I felt I was recognized because I got to be in a rock n’ roll band. I didn’t really want any more. I didn’t want the fame particularly, I don’t really like to be very big, I feel like we represent the losers in the world, y’know, I like to stay in the dark, I don’t like too much exposure.”