Something else I watched, at least for a while, was the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony on VH1.
All in all, not a bad show, although I found it annoying how VH1 mixed performance clips in with the presentation shots. Too much going on at the same time for my aged eyes. Speaking of aged, do we all agree that Bob Seger looks pretty rough, like Kenny Rogers after a weekend of hookers & tequila? And while we're on the subject of tequila, I agree with Sean Collins that it's a g-darned shame that Black Sabbath isn't in the Hall, but I have no quarrel with ZZ Top's inclusion. For the most part, they've been an adventurous, unpretentious blues band with a sense of humor, and that's in short supply in blues (and often rock) music. Well, except for a period there in the 80s and 90s where they let their love of tech get the better of them. I've never had any use for the overrated Seger and Jackson Browne, so it burns me to see them get the nod in spite of all the great bands and musicians that aren't in. I was happy to see Prince get in, though, and really happy to see Traffic get their due. It was kinda odd for me to see all the love thrown out for their early songs like "Dear Mr. Fantasy" and "50,000 Headmen" simply because I came to them via their final 70s album, When The Eagle Flies, and that's the one I get all warm and fuzzy over. That one and John Barleycorn. They actually put on a pretty darn good performance, as well, with Jim Capaldi laying down a solid beat and Steve Winwood showing there's still some life left in his creaky-looking body.
After all is said and done, though, here really is no excuse for not having Sabbath, Alice Cooper, Jethro Tull, Faces, Cat Stevens, King Crimson, Yes, Kate Bush, The Monkees, or the Replacements in there. Really. And if you press me I could name many others.
