Genius

Blender music mag’s January issue will name the 50 greatest “geniuses” in rock ‘n’ roll history:

Music magazine Blender has put the 61-year-old folk-rock icon [Bob] Dylan atop its list of the 50 rock geniuses of all time.

“He’s the civil rights anthem writer who abandoned the cause, the electric poet turned born-again traditionalist, the free-spirit visionary who found God, the bittersweet love lyricist with a side order of surreal sarcasm, the hermit who can’t quit the stage,” Blender’s editors said in the magazine’s January/February issue, which hits newsstands on Dec. 24.

Former Beatle John Lennon was No. 2 on the list, followed by rock ‘n’ roll pioneer Chuck Berry, rapper Eminem and late reggae icon Bob Marley. [Reuters]

Eminem #4 genius in rock history?? I know these lists are mostly to stir up some controversy and sell some copies of the mag, but does ANYONE on earth, including Eminem himself, really think he belongs in the top 50, let alone at #4? I doubt it.

I haven’t seen the rest of the list, which doesn’t hit the stands until next week, but I have no problem with the other four in their top 5. While I can name about 500, or maybe 5000 who should come in front of Eminem, let’s name a few, in no particular order:

Elvis Presley
Little Richard
Buddy Holly
Paul McCartney
Jagger/Richards (can’t separate them without fucking things up)
Phil Spector
Jimi Hendrix
Pete Townshend
David Bowie
Ray Charles
Sam Cooke
Fats Domino
Jerry Lee Lewis
Everly Brothers
James Brown
Aretha Franklin
Marvin Gaye
Holland/Dozier/Holland
Stevie Wonder
Roy Orbison
Smokey Robinson
Brian Wilson
Berry Gordy
Otis Redding
Paul Simon
Roger McGuinn
Eric Clapton
Jeff Beck
Jimmy Page
John Fogerty
Sly Stone
Jim Morrison
Jerry Garcia
Robbie Robertson
Janis Joplin
Neil Young
Frank Zappa
Duane Allman
Lou Reed
Joni Mitchell
Carlos Santana
B.B. King
Muddy Waters
Howlin’ Wolf
Burt Bacharach
John Lee Hooker
Herb Alpert

And that’s just the first 15 years of rock ‘n’ roll history. The thought of Eminem in this crowd is laughable.