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By Jeb Wright
The Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame gets their fair share of slack for obvious
omissions amongst their honorees. Deep Purple, Cheap Trick, Blue Oyster Cult,
Judas Priest and Iron Maiden are all bands that should be honored. However, no
one has been slighted by the HOF as much as Canadian rockers Rush.
The band has sold over 35 million records worldwide. They have amassed 24 Gold
or Platinum awards, 14 of which are platinum. They trail only the Beatles and
Rolling Stones for consecutive Gold and Platinum selling albums. Two of their
releases are multi-platinum sellers. Moving Pictures has shifted over four
million copies while 2112 has moved over three million units. They consistently
sell out tours and have even sold gold and platinum on DVD releases of recent
concerts. Rush has also featured the same three-piece trio for over 30 years.
Are there any bands in the HOF that can boast the same longevity with the same
members?
Individually, all three band members have won every award that can be bestowed
upon them. Neal Peart is considered the best drummer in the world, Geddy Lee is
considered the best bass player in the world and Alex Lifeson is in the Guitar
Player Magazine Hall of Fame. In addition to all of the accolades the band is in
the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, has won nine Juno awards and been nominated for
several Grammy's.
With all of these successes why then is Rush not already in the HOF? One quickly
realizes that there are not many bands currently in the Hall that boast the same
type of numbers that Rush does. In thinking this conundrum through I have been
able to only come up with four reasons why Rush has been slighted.
A. The Rock N Roll Hall of Fame Hates Canadians
Okay, so Neil Young was put in back in 1993 and he is Canadian. All this proves
is that they love Neil Young. What about BTO, the Guess Who, April Wine and
Triumph? If you look at the list then it becomes obvious that Rush is the best
of the bunch and they are being left out in the cold.
B. Rush are Nerds
This one is hard to argue. They have nicknames like The Professor and Geddy. I
have seen the band several times in concert and have never seen any bare breasts
flashed at the boys. I would be willing to bet they have signed more slide
rulers than they have boobs. Still, is that any reason to deny them their just
rewards? Have they not, despite being nerds, sold millions of records and gained
tons of respect from those inside and outside the music industry? Nerds or not,
Rush needs in. Grand Master Flash was inducted last year. Does this mean Flavor
Flav will join the HOF before Rush?
C. The HOF Hates Nerds.
Nope, Jaan Werner is involved. Nerdy does not come any larger than that. They
don't hate nerds. Case closed.
D. Rush Won't Be a Big Ticket Act
Ah ha! I think we might have the truth. With the numbers the band has put up
they would have to be the featured act like AC/DC, The Police and Aerosmith have
been in recent years. If Rush is the featured act one has to wonder how big a
deal the press would make of it. They have never been headline grabbers. There
is never any Rush controversy in the tabloids. I would bet that the Paparazzi
don't even know where the band members live. The only thing out of the ordinary
that has happened to the band in over thirty years were the tragic deaths of
Neal Peart's daughter and wife. Rush have, unfortunately for them, been a group
of successful musicians who are friends and make music for music's sake. This is
hardly the type of band to create the media hype necessary to sell tickets to an
induction for several thousands dollars each.
Talent, loyalty, musical virtuosity and dedication are all present in the band.
They also have the almighty sales numbers. What sucks is that this is a band
that has done nothing NOT to deserve the Hall yet they are not allowed to enter.
On the other hand, the HOF has started giving some love to classic rock bands.
Aerosmith, ZZ Top and AC/DC are all now members. The problem is that they seem
to think they have done their part while the rest of the world thinks they are
just getting off to a good start.
Until Rush gets inducted the Hall will have a huge ugly wart on their backside.
The ironic thing is that Geddy, Alex and Neal probably don't even care if they
get in or not. They have enough awards, plaques and keys to the city to fill a
warehouse. The Rush fans, however, feel slighted. They love the band and Rush
not being able to take their place among the hallowed halls pisses them off.
I, for one, don't have anything against the institution and was thrilled last
year when they honored Van Halen. I can actually see the point behind some
omissions as many bands have had many line up changes and have suffered through
times that are not very HOF worthy. This is not to say that I agree with their
logic but I do understand the point made. However, Rush does not fall into the
same category as REO Speedwagon, Kansas or Journey (even though I feel these
three are no brainers to be included). Rush is in the same company as Pink
Floyd, Van Halen and Aerosmith as far as sales, longevity and musical respect
are concerned.
What you may ask is the answer? There really is only one thing we can do as
common music fans. We must annoy the hell out of the HOF. We need to keep the
fan petitions coming and let The Man know that Rush fans will not be kept down!
In the end, I am sure it is only a matter of time before they relent and induct
the band. Time will see justice is done. Let's hope 2008 is the year of Rush so
they can hand off the baton of being the World's Most Neglected Band to the next
worthy adversary.
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