Ed Brayton is a journalist, commentator and speaker. He is the co-founder and president of 
I somehow missed this when it aired - Rush on the Steven Colbert show. No, not Rush Limbaugh, the band Rush. I loved the question about how they're not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, so is there next album going to be called "That's Bullshit." And frankly, it is bullshit. Even if you're not a Rush fan (and I know a lot of people aren't), you still have to recognize that this is one of the most influential and long-lasting bands in the history of rock. You certainly have to recognize their brilliance as musicians and the fact that they've put out 24 consecutive gold albums. This band clearly should be in the hall of fame. For crying out loud, Madonna is in the Rock Hall of Fame.
Some of the other bands inexplicably not in the hall of fame - Deep Purple, Yes, and Genesis. It makes no sense at all. For god's sake, Run-DMC is going into the hall of fame in 2009 but those bands aren't in.
Comments
The Hall of Fame has for over a decade been a "pop" thing, and there has been no attempt at giving the early 70s prog rock scene any respect at all, even to the point of no hint that they even respond to the deluge of classic rock fan emails and submissions for these bands. Yes, Rush, King Crimson, ELP, Jethro Tull, and Genesis all have been skipped repeatedly, in spite of multiple gold, platinum, and #1 selling albums and sold our tours, and impressive longevity.
Posted by: Joe Shelby | November 22, 2008 9:43 AM
I seriously had no idea how dumb these guys were; no ELP but Madonna and Run-DMC? It seems pretty clear why the Sex Pistols weren't too impressed with this organization.
Posted by: Spook | November 22, 2008 10:11 AM
There are certainly plenty of Genesis-haters out there, and ELP and King Crimson only ever really did one song.
But Yes and Jethro Tull? Not in the Hall of Fame? Calling Henry Waxman! It's time for an investigation!!!
Posted by: xebecs | November 22, 2008 10:22 AM
I am not into prog rock, however Rush has made some brilliant music which I thoroughly enjoy.
While I thought 2112 was a pretentious piece of crap (common argument by guys like me that like sloppy blues-type rock like the Rolling Stones), Moving Pictures holds an honored place in my library along with several other songs. This sort or rejection/acceptance argues in support of the Louis Armstrong theorem which I paraphrase, "there are only two kinds of music, good and bad."
I am stunned they haven't been inducted either. BTW, a new Charter HD music cable channel has been running classic rock concerts and I heard Rush playing a few weeks ago - absolutely brilliant musicians with lots of great songs in the library.
Posted by: Michael Heath | November 22, 2008 11:31 AM
The most glaring omission from the R&RHF is Nicky Hopkins, period, end of story.
Posted by: Pieter B | November 22, 2008 11:33 AM
Pieter - Good point. Have other top session players made it? Danny Kortchmar hasn't and that annoys me, along with Ry Cooder still being on the outs. Seems like they need their own category.
I don't know much about the Rock and Roll of Fame since it seems focused on what the New York club scene liked more than what the rest of the world kept coming back to. A lot of one or two hit wonders who played CBGB's are in while influential musicians who still garner lots of plays remain on the outs.
Posted by: Michael Heath | November 22, 2008 12:07 PM
after awhile, Nominations become meaningles they have far too many acts inthe hall of fame for them to mean anything any more .
any act nominated should have had a large influence on rock n roll . i can understand Run Dmc nomination for the begining of the rock rap era. and Yes Rush should have already been in the hall of Fame.
Posted by: VicVanity | November 22, 2008 12:32 PM
We can only pray that Flock of Seagulls will get their rightful place in the R&RHF.
Posted by: Cheddar | November 22, 2008 12:43 PM
Geddy Lee is Canadian; maybe there's a mandatory waiting period for artists from the Great White North.
(And if there isn't, there ought to be.)
Posted by: Jim Anderson | November 22, 2008 1:57 PM
And yet there's already a home for Elton John...
And The Beatles didn't make it in till the second year so the whole thing obviously has zero credibility.
Posted by: David Durant | November 22, 2008 2:22 PM
If Rush is to get into the R&R HoF, then the men who hold high places must be the ones who start, to mold a new reality, closer to the heart.
Posted by: EyeNoU | November 22, 2008 3:44 PM
It is only fitting that the Madonna made it in before her son from Deep Purple. Though I'm sure somewhere Jon the Lord and Ian Gillan are screaming like a child in time.
Posted by: silverspoon | November 22, 2008 3:50 PM
Ed,
If you grew up in Toronto, you'd likely feel differntly. Jesus, I went to the same high school that Geddy and Alex did. If it wasn't bad enough hearing about Rush in high school, it's worse when meet people from other cities and hear, "Oh, isn't Rush from there?" The friggin' "Subdivisions" video was filmed not far away from my childhood neighbourhood, which doesn't help, either.
Why i can't I have a cool hometown band, like the Rolling Stones, Ed? In Michigan, you've got the Stooges and Alice Cooper. I'm stuck with Rush.
Life is a nightmare.
Posted by: skippystalin | November 22, 2008 4:15 PM
That Hall of Fame has no credibility at all.
Posted by: Danny | November 22, 2008 5:27 PM
You know what's funny? When I saw the title of the post, it never crossed my mind that you might mean Limbaugh. I just saw "Rush on Colbert" and flipped out. I was like "Holy shit! When was that?" It never occurred to me that anyone could ever mean anything different.
I finally got to see my first Rush show this past June. They never played an arena that I could get to before that. They came through Manchester and played the Verizon center, which is less than two miles from my apartment. Suffice to say, I got my tickets the nanosecond they went on sale in February.
Thanks for the clip. I had no idea this had happened.
Posted by: Chris Berez | November 22, 2008 5:52 PM
No Yes, No Jethro Tull, no King Crimson, no Dr. John...no credibility.
Posted by: Rob Ryan | November 22, 2008 6:04 PM
Wow! I had no idea that huge bands like that are not in the Hall of Fame! No fucking TULL!?!?!?!?
Posted by: Comrade PhysioProf | November 22, 2008 6:21 PM
Here's the total list: http://www.rockhall.com/inductees/inductee-list/
They do have a category for musicians like Kortchmar and Hopkins, "sidemen". It's a shame they are not in.
My own nomination for greatest Canadian band not inducted is The Guess Who. Rush would be a close second.
Posted by: Michael Heath | November 22, 2008 7:18 PM
Pink Floyd and Frank Zappa are both inductees. I'd call that an "attempt" of sorts. However, this raises an interesting question: Wouldn't being inducted would kill your prog cred?
At 20 mins long each, that counts as six songs.
You think you've got problems? The biggest bands from my home town are the Little River Band and Air Supply.
I think Nick Cave counts as cool, though.
Posted by: Pseudonym | November 22, 2008 7:30 PM
For god's sake, Run-DMC is going into the hall of fame in 2009 but those bands aren't in.
If they put all the people in there in 2009, they won't have any more people left for 2010. They can't put all the people in there at the same time! They have to have some people left over for other years.
For example, the year 2112. Think about it people...
Posted by: 386sx | November 22, 2008 8:21 PM
I initially misread that as "Bush on the Colbert Show"
Now, THAT would be something to see!
Posted by: Paper Hand | November 22, 2008 9:29 PM
I lived near Cleveland and went to the "Rock Hall" one time. It was LAME. You know, you go, you think, right on, rock and roll hall of fame...and the you find yourself staring at the outfit Britney Spears or New Kids on the Block wore on some special occasion--they're in there!
And then you vomit into your hands. I can understand, OK, put some pre-rock in their like *some* blues and some Les Paul, but just keep Britney out of it entirely. So they lost all credibility.
I like that Tull, ELP, Rush, Yes, Deep Purple are not in there, and I wish I could pull Zappa out, and keep them all in the real hall of fame, which is a deep under Lake Erie about a half mile out from the fake Rock Hall.
Posted by: cm | November 23, 2008 12:40 AM
Posted by: steve s | November 23, 2008 1:37 AM
Anybody who wants to hear Rush in midi format, go here:
http://www.erikandanna.com/Rush/history_of_rush.htm
Posted by: 386sx | November 23, 2008 4:27 AM
Off the top of your head, name three songs by Johann Sebastian Bach.
That's how.
Posted by: Pseudonym | November 23, 2008 5:33 PM
"Off the top of your head, name three songs by Johann Sebastian Bach."
Yeah but Bach could sing. The lead singer for Rush,--- not so much.
Posted by: silverspoon | November 23, 2008 7:25 PM
Just my .02 cents worth, but the fact that Little Feat isn't in there in a tragedy and probably some kind of crime.
Posted by: Mojo_haiku | November 23, 2008 8:57 PM
Whoops...meant to say, "isn't in there is a tragedy"....
Proofreading is useful, aint't it?
Posted by: Mojo_haiku | November 23, 2008 9:00 PM
Never could stand the vocals.
That said, the music is well written, the drumming is incredible, and they make a hell of a lot of sound for a 3-man band.
Yes, their spot in the Hall of Fame is well-deserved.
Posted by: Jason Failes | November 24, 2008 10:36 AM
Oh you tease. I was soooo hoping it was a Colbert-Limbaugh smack-down.
Posted by: JewishAtheist | November 24, 2008 2:01 PM
Oh, Ed...I heart you anyway but thank you for namechecking Deep Purple. Truly warms my heart.
Skippy: I understand. I lived in Anaheim when No Doubt got huge. I preferred (and still do) Social Distortion and they were from my hometown of Fullerton.
Posted by: MightyLambchop | November 24, 2008 2:42 PM
You're all going to laugh at this, but Weird Al Yankovic ought to be in too. He's actually a spectacularly talented musician and has outlasted a remarkably large number of his targets (including Michael Jackson). And his biggest hit, "White and Nerdy", came over a quarter century into his career.
Posted by: Brian X | November 25, 2008 1:55 AM