Run-D.M.C doesn’t perform! Why? Hmm, the absence of Jay? At the red carpet Joe Perry said he was going to play on “Walk This Way” – maybe it’ll be in the jam session.
Gary Tallent and Max Weinberg induct drummer D.J. Fontana and the late bassist Bill Black, Elvis’ original rhythm section (the throne the King sat upon), who played and recorded the original hits. When they came together in 1954, Bill was already seasoned pro. Bill encouraged Elvis’ showmanship. We see pics of Elvis and the boys: what a bunch of crackers.
Max is, frankly, droning on. Gary and Max are tag teaming, which is stretching it out even more. Max thanks D.J., Garry thanks Bill, who is deceased. Bill was only 39 when he died – his three children reminisce.
I could move back to the press room and get the freaking Internet connection, but that could take years and cost thousands of lives.
I'm back in the press room, by way of the connecting stage between the main ballroom and the smaller press venue. I am clearly not supposed to be here. The press woman keeps asking me how I get to the various places I get to where I am not supposed to be. She gives me side eye. I tell I just ask people for directions and do what they tell me.
Despite my desire to remain in the main ballroom and see the rest of the show in person, I had to head back to the press room because my laptop battery was getting dangerously low, and I still couldn't get an Internet connection in the main room. If this is to be any kind of "live blogging" event, I kind of need to do something actually live - so here I am.
We are speaking with Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck. Jeff is happy to be inducted on his own rather than just as a "member of a successful pop band" (Yardbirds). They are coy about a recording project together.
Back in the main room, Flea is inducting Metallica: "A magical, holy fucking thing," he says speaking of the degree to which Metallica rocks. It's weird to be watching the show on TV now as in years past (when the ceremony was in NYC and I was live blogging from the Rock Hall in Cleveland via closed circuit screens). I feel the sense of removal creeping back in. It's okay, I have electricity and an Internet connection, and sometimes that's the most important thing.
Metallica is now on the stage thanking everyone and their mothers, literally. It's very cool that Metallica is being inducted while they are still a "current," best-selling band. That's relatively rare (Springsteen, Aerosmith, Madonna). Metallica is only second metal band in the Rock Hall (after Black Sabbath), third if you count Led Zeppelin. Metal, and even more so, prog rock, are wildly underrepresented.
Article comments
1 - Glen Boyd
That Jeff Beck set was just SICK! Becks Bolero with Immigrant Song in the middle -- Page doing the power chords, while Beck did Plant's vocal parts on guitar -- just SICK! Jeff Beck is the best guitarist on earth, period.
-Glen
2 - Brian Garrepy
Great "Live" Blogging...
Metallica is only [the]second metal band in the Rock Hall
I totally agree with you ,Eric, about YES,Rush,etc.. BUT, after Black Sabbath it should have been Iron Maiden.
These people [Rock Hall & Voters] have no idea what Maiden did for Heavy Metal especially the amount of albums sold without the help of Radio & TV! Hell, Maiden didn't just perpetuate a genre they re-invented it! They need to get their fucking act together...
3 - Pamela
That wasn't Bill Black's 3 kids...one of those guys was DJ FONTANA...which you so kindly COMPLETELY skipped over. Unbelieveable that so much attention is focused on Run DMC and the pioneers of rock and roll go virtually unnoticed. Maybe you were too busy trying to go "places you weren't supposed to be" to notice who was really on stage. Talk about the ultimate disrespect to Mr. Fontana!!!
4 - Jordan Richardson
Wow, Pamela. Take it easy.
5 - Pamela
Take it easy? After what DJ contributed to music, and he was actually refered to in this blog as one of Bill Black's kids? Nothing about his speech was mentioned and when Max was introducing him, this blog stated that he was droning? No I won't take it easy. That's just terrible reporting and extremely disrespectful to the man that paved the way for music today. He couldn't even be given the decency of this "reporter" acknowleding his presence on stage. Lame. Maybe we should talk about how Run DMC brought their whole freaking family on stage and we had to listen to that drone on and on and on, which, if hadn't been allowed to happen, maybe the broadcast wouldn't have been cut off so early.
6 - Donald Gibson
U2 was another band that was inducted while still a "current" best-selling act. And Prince, come to think of it.
On the Bobby Womack/Ronnie Wood collaboration, (the one you've got as "Used To Love Her"), was it "It's All Over Now" -- which Bobby wrote and the Stones made a huge hit out of in the '60s?
7 - Jordan Richardson
Pamela, we all have our opinions in terms of what should be covered, who "drones" on and on, and so forth. It's a blog posting, one I found to be entertaining.
To be honest about it, if I was at the Ceremony the last thing I'd be thinking about doing was blogging to allow readers a bit of insight into what was going on inside.
Save your moral indignation for something worthwhile or, better still, write about the importance of DJ Fontana yourself.
8 - Jordan Richardson
he was actually refered to in this blog as one of Bill Black's kids?
By the way, I didn't see this specifically in the entry. I'm not sure, the author might need to clarify, but isn't it possible that when Eric said "his three children chat" he actually meant Bill's three kids and didn't mean to infer that DJ was one of them?
Again, just spitballing here because I couldn't find any actual specific, clear reference to what you were so angry about. In your first post, you act like Eric didn't even mention DJ Fontana when even the briefest reading reveals otherwise.
9 - Eric Olsen
Now that I've fixed typos (with Glen Boyd's help, thanks!) and weird constructions, it should read a little better.
Very sorry to neglect DJ Fontana, Pamela, totally not my intent. The Elvis trio was absolutely integral to making Elvis what he was. Remember, I was just trying to cover what was going on, my impressions, in between talking to people, answering questions about what the hell I was doing, and the like.
10 - Glen Boyd
Yer quite welcome boss-man.
-Glen
11 - Eric Olsen
I am certain there was a fair amount of inelegant structure and ambiguity in my meaning in the original version - that's live blogging. Thanks all!
12 - tink
Thanks for the bird's eye view...am pea-green with envy!!!
Yea, EO!!!
13 - Eric Olsen
thanks tink - was hectic but a lot of fun! Why does anyone ever try to thwart me?
14 - Al
Eric as one of your “table mates” at the ceremony I’ll confirm (for Pam) that you were trying your best to capture the essence of the night. You had your hurdles to vault with the Wi-Fi issues and glasses but having just read your post (a week later) I think you captured the program well. The biggest problem with the induction speech for DJ wasn’t the “droning on” but rather the board operator for the PA must have fallen asleep during the speech and I had trouble (at the back table with you) hearing Max and Gary. I was there to hear the music AND the speeches after all hearing about these careers is what it’s all about. Right? It was great meeting you.