transcript

Speaker 1:
[00:00] The earthquake was just the beginning. The Pacific Northwest is gone. Infrastructure, safety, border, all of it swallowed by the Cascadia Fault in one catastrophic moment. Fifteen-year-old Cielo is alone, surrounded by floodwaters, surrounded by the dead. And somewhere out there, her mother has been taken by something far more dangerous than any natural disaster. American Afterlife, the official companion audio drama to Pedro Hoffmeister's acclaimed thriller. New chapters, new terror. The world of the novel brought to life in sound. American Afterlife, subscribe now, wherever you get your podcasts so you don't miss a single episode when the story begins again. Presented by Pair of Thieves, available now. Wherever you get your favorite podcasts.

Speaker 2:
[01:01] Welcome to the Behind the Song Podcast, taking you deeper into Classic Rock's most timeless tunes. Here's your host, Janda.

Speaker 3:
[01:16] I'm Janda, and in this bonus episode of the Behind the Song Podcast, I'm talking about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductions with the one and only Christian James Hand, host of Man vs. Radio, host of The Sessions in Los Angeles, producer, DJ, musicologist, and my longtime friend, welcome, Christian James Hand.

Speaker 4:
[01:35] Hello, darling, Janda.

Speaker 3:
[01:37] So you were the first person that I thought of when Phil Collins got the induction nod to be inducted as a solo artist because I literally don't know anyone who is a bigger fan of Phil Collins than you.

Speaker 4:
[01:51] There isn't anybody. I don't even think Phil's as big a fan of Phil as I am of Phil. And it's really wonderful that anytime there's any sort of Phil news, I immediately get a million texts and messages from people. So our two lives are indelibly linked. And I feel like that means I've accomplished something with my life.

Speaker 3:
[02:12] Well, I guess you would agree that this honor is so deserved when it comes to Phil Collins. Now, of course, this puts him in the two-time category, right? So now he's up there with like Stevie Nicks, who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with Fleetwood Mac and then is also inducted as a solo artist. There's just a handful of people like that. Eric Clapton is another one. And now Phil Collins joins those ranks. And you know, I was thinking about this when he was announced as a nominee. He's just a funny character in music history, in rock history, because he's a guy that certainly you wouldn't think, you know, you wouldn't look at him and say, hey, rock star. He is a guy who the drummer of the band, who pushed the band into, you know, the next era, the next level of their career. It was really only after they broke off, did the three piece, then they started having those blockbuster hits as Genesis. And then he, as a solo artist, you know, had so many, just huge chart topping songs. So he's kind of a, he's an anomaly in so many different ways. There's no one who can say, I don't like Phil Collins, you know. If they do say that, they're probably not telling the truth.

Speaker 4:
[03:25] Yeah, if they actually mean it, then there are people that you should probably never talk to again. It's a great litmus test for who you should keep at the table at Thanksgiving. You know what I mean? But the thing with Phil that is extraordinary, and I believe is entirely singular to him, I don't think that there is another artist who has accomplished what he has accomplished. I did a little research because I want to make sure my facts were correct. So Genesis finishes Duke, right? That's the last Genesis record that happens before Phil starts his solo career. Phil's solo career begins in 1981 with the dropping of Face Value, which of course is in the air tonight. In the same year, Genesis drop Abicab. The following year, Phil drops Hello, I Must Be Going. The following year, Genesis drops Genesis. Two years later, Phil drops No Jacket Required. And a year later, Genesis drops Invisible Touch. The thing to understand about that is that run of records, you're like, oh, that's unbelievable. If you try to compile all of the hits off of that, it's just a stupendous accomplishment. But here's the thing that people don't understand. You have to remember that when they recorded those records, they then went out on tour and they didn't tour for a couple of months. They toured the world for probably close to a year. And then Phil also toured for probably close to a year. So at the same point that they're putting out Race, Value, Abicab, Hell Must Be Going, Genesis, No Jack Required, and Invisible Touch, he's also touring both projects and writing a majority of the songs. And they actually spoke to Mike Rutherford about this. Because everyone was like, oh, you sold out when it all just became Phil Collins songs. And he was like, imagine being in a band with a guy that keeps bringing you all of these songs. And you're supposed to go, yeah, we're not interested in Tonight, Tonight, Tonight. We don't want Land of Confusion. If you look at this run, it is, I don't believe, I mean, yes, the Beatles have their run, but that's also you've got, you know, they're doing a bunch of covers. They're also all writing and all of that. And there's no doubt about it. But none of them are doing a solo project concurrently with the Beatles and are at the same point, also having number one hits with both projects.

Speaker 3:
[05:51] That's the crazy thing.

Speaker 4:
[05:52] Around the world.

Speaker 3:
[05:53] Right. It wasn't just nonstop. It was not like a race to be finished. It was an engine that was continually making more music as it rolled down the track, you know, in two separate areas. And to your point, with Phil Collins being the primary songwriter, you know, for both himself and for that era of Genesis. I mean, there hasn't been anyone quite like Phil Collins. It's never been done before.

Speaker 4:
[06:22] It hasn't been done before, that was the same as him playing on both stages of Live Aid. Never done by anybody else, will never be done again, because that sort of thing won't ever exist again in that sort of way. But he's the only person to do that. I mean, dude, you look at the Tarzan soundtrack, right? Let's just talk about the Tarzan soundtrack. So he writes the Tarzan soundtrack, you know, and then Disney has this thing where, you know, they obviously have different territories. So the soundtrack has to be able to operate in all those territories. So what usually happens is they have another singer come in and sing in the language of the country or territory that they're... Phil wasn't having any of that. So Phil went in and sang the soundtrack to the Tarzan in its entirety in English, French, German, Italian, and then two different Spanish dialects, because Spanish has two dialects of the signature dialects of the Spanish language. So he did it in six different languages.

Speaker 3:
[07:18] Is that right?

Speaker 4:
[07:20] I don't make anything up when it comes to Phil Collins, my love. Why would I?

Speaker 3:
[07:22] No, of course not. But that's amazing.

Speaker 4:
[07:24] This is all truth. You know, that's the amazing thing about Philip. Elton John didn't do that.

Speaker 3:
[07:28] Right. Yeah.

Speaker 4:
[07:30] Nobody else has ever done it. That's what I'm saying. Like this, you know, and if you listen to his autobiography or you read his autobiography, there is an explanation for the 80s work, which is cocaine.

Speaker 3:
[07:42] Yeah, of course.

Speaker 4:
[07:43] And when you look back on that, you're now like, oh yeah, dude, at the time we were like, man, this guy's work ethic is unbelievable. And then you realize that it's all powered by some of the greatest Peruvian marching powder that's ever been created in the world. But nonetheless, that output is prodigious, to say the least.

Speaker 3:
[07:59] It is prodigious, to say the least. And about the 80s and about this stuff that made him a global chart-topping solo artist and with Genesis at that time too, the first song I pulled up when I heard the news that Phil was getting in as a solo artist was Take Me Home. I love that song. The production on that and all of the stuff that he was getting into in the 80s with those Linn drums and stuff like that. Yes, please.

Speaker 4:
[08:27] Starts with the drum machine. And it ends with the full drum set playing the same thing as the drum machine. And over the course of the entire song, you don't notice that he slowly but surely creeps in real drums playing the zoom-da-da-dum-da-dum-dum-dum-dum-dum. But he starts with no real drums. And by the end of it, there's no drum machine and it's full real drums. And your brain doesn't absorb it because he sneaks it in over the course of the whole thing. It's a preposterous piece of work. And the music video is gorgeous because, of course, he shot all these different scenes while they were on tour around the world. So every single thing. So he planned that out. He was like, Oh, we should shoot bits for Take Me Home because it's about being on tour and the whole nine yards. So that song is, there's actually a remix of it that I do think might actually be better than the original, which is a very rare thing to say. It was a fully sanctioned 12 inch remix of Take Me Home, which you should find, which is, I think, better than the original, to be honest with you, even though the original is a masterpiece. But yes, so that's the thing with that song is you don't even realize that the drums completely supplement or take over from the drum machine as the song fades and you have no idea because your brain just is like, well, this is incredible, but he's doing little tricks like that the entire time.

Speaker 3:
[09:46] The entire time. Now, I mean, and think about that. This is all still relatively new stuff, drum machine sense, the Lindrum, et cetera, whatever, the big sounds of the 80s. Is he a musical genius? Is Phil Collins, in your opinion, he is one?

Speaker 4:
[10:02] I mean, you can't not be, people are like, oh, Sussudio. I'm like, yeah, well, here's the thing. What song does your favorite band have, where they made up a word that never existed prior, that you can play at any bar in any place around the world, and by the second chorus, everybody in the bar will be singing Sussudio at the top of their lungs.

Speaker 3:
[10:25] Fair point. I just watched his Letterman clip, Phil Collins on Letterman, where Letterman asked him if Sussudio was the name of a girl, and if he had ever met a girl named Sussudio, and Phil Collins, without missing a beat, immediately said, well, give it nine months and we'll see what happens. He just was a clever, quick on the draw, musically and otherwise.

Speaker 4:
[10:49] My benchmark for whether a woman that I was going to be with and marry or not, there were two. The first was she had to learn how to drive stick shift, and the second was if we had a kid, and it was a girl, she would have to be called Cecilia.

Speaker 3:
[11:01] Okay. You know what I mean?

Speaker 4:
[11:04] I haven't done it yet, but if you haven't named your kid Cecilia, you're not really a Phil Collins.

Speaker 3:
[11:09] These days you might have a problem with both of those things that are criteria.

Speaker 4:
[11:13] Very much so, unfortunately.

Speaker 3:
[11:14] Unfortunately, yes. So yeah, the great Phil Collins, yes, he was going in as a solo artist and in some rarefied air for sure. I really wish I had seen him. They came to Chicago on the last Domino Tour a few years back and I missed that. I don't assume that he will be performing by any stretch at the induction ceremony, but hopefully his son Nicholas will be there. Nicholas, who is a drummer and of course played with his father and with Genesis too. Then there were some other ones that were inducted this time around. I guess we got to talk about Iron Maiden. About time, right? One of the biggest snubs every year. Every year when this happens, the Rock Hall, everybody, the gnashing of teeth and the ringing of hands over, well, but Iron Maiden didn't get in once again. Well, it finally happened.

Speaker 4:
[12:13] Yeah, and should have happened years ago, only because, I mean, if only because 130 million records sold worldwide, some of the greatest, longest, most extravagant tours of all time. They're also, you know, they sort of pioneered the live sound thing of like, they were the first band that bought their own PA so that they owned it instead of renting from all these companies. And then they rented it out to other people so that they didn't have to, you know, absorb the cost. Brilliant thinking.

Speaker 3:
[12:46] Yeah, Bruce Dickinson.

Speaker 4:
[12:48] You got a Bruce Dickinson, like he's the pilot for all the planes. I mean, if that was it, soul. I do remember when I had Rob Dickinson from the Catherine Wheel came to Soundbreak and I interviewed him. It was like one of those Christian Hand interviews where it was supposed to be 10 minutes and ended up being two hours.

Speaker 3:
[13:04] Yeah.

Speaker 4:
[13:04] And I just like shot the shite the whole time. I was asking like what it was like to be, you know, related to Bruce. And he was like, one of the worst things about being related to Bruce is like, you'll go to the castle for lunch and he's late. And about, you know, 45 minutes after you get there, the helicopter lands on the front lawn and he gets out. And his apologists are like, I'm so sorry. I was just at a fencing competition in Normandy. And I just couldn't, I couldn't make it back in time for sandwiches. How is everybody doing? You know what I mean? Like that guy needs to be the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Nico McRae needs to be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The fact that Eddie, the fact that Eddie is an indelible graphic representation of an entire band's discography, doesn't matter where you see Eddie from the...

Speaker 3:
[13:46] You know what it is. Unique character, Bruce Dickinson, I mean, you know, Iron Maiden.

Speaker 4:
[13:52] I will say, I saw a solo show of his two years ago, I think, at the Whiskey here in Los Angeles. Oh, wow. And I had the profound pleasure of watching him do a timbales solo.

Speaker 3:
[14:09] No.

Speaker 4:
[14:10] Which was something I had never in my... Yeah, I had like timbales on stage and I was like, what are those for? And then halfway through one of the songs, Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden broke into a Tito Puente-style drum solo on timbales, which I was like, I think I might have had a head injury on the way into the Whiskey. I mean, he eventually died.

Speaker 3:
[14:30] Well, I mean, he's unpredictable.

Speaker 4:
[14:31] This is the afterlife, you know what I mean? Of course, in the afterlife, Bruce Dickinson is doing a timbales solo. That's just mandatory.

Speaker 3:
[14:38] At the Whiskey, which holds, by the way. If you've never been there, maybe what? 300 people standing. We should mention here that you and I know one another. You mentioned Soundbreak. I know Christian Hand because we were both DJs at this thing in Los Angeles called soundbreak.com back in the early 2000s and we were music nerds then and nothing has changed. Nothing has changed. Here we are. What a trip. I do think you got your Phil Collins. So musical genius we've established. Someone completely unique in rock and roll. Same thing with Bruce Dickinson and Iron Maiden. Really, really smart guy. The thing about renting out their PA and their gear to other bands was truly inspired. I mean, that's like on the same level as the Grateful Dead basically starting travel touring for everyone that ever toured after them. That's just really inspired good smart thinking, filling a hole that was not taken care of before.

Speaker 4:
[15:48] Yeah. Why rent when you can own and then when you're not using it, why not make money of it instead of it sitting in storage?

Speaker 3:
[15:54] Exactly. Exactly.

Speaker 4:
[15:55] Done and done.

Speaker 3:
[15:56] I mean, he's got something on the ball up there. And then of course, he had the famous plane flying, I mean, commercial airline pilot, a teacher, right? Like he teaches other pilots how to fly.

Speaker 4:
[16:08] He's a pilot instructor and a world champion fencer.

Speaker 3:
[16:11] So we have a fencer too, that's right.

Speaker 4:
[16:13] He's a fencing champion. He's not like a dude that just farts around with fencing. He's like a champion. And then I met him and it's like one of those things where I met the dude at the show because I knew a couple of people that were, I was with the guy who directed Anvil, who's been friends with Bruce for a really long time. I got to meet Bruce. And the great thing about Bruce Dickinson is he's the nerdiest fucking dude I think I've ever met.

Speaker 3:
[16:34] Really?

Speaker 4:
[16:34] Oh, it's like, you imagine like, you know, it's like Dio, like people met Dio and you thought you were meeting this guy and instead you're meeting this lovely guy who's like, you want some extra meatballs with that and Bruce Dickinson is like the nerdiest dude ever. And it was, I was like, the Timbali solo. He's like, I'm just having fun up there with the Timbali. It's supposed to be the run to the hills guy. Instead, it's like this dude.

Speaker 3:
[16:57] 666, number of the beast, no?

Speaker 4:
[16:59] Number of the beast, no. No, just a fencing champion and a Timbali player. I was looking at the list and I will say that I do think this class, in quotes, is actually one of the best classes that I've ever seen. I got to go the year that Rush was inducted, which was an unbelievable year.

Speaker 3:
[17:16] I remember that.

Speaker 4:
[17:17] Art Randy Newman, Public Enemy, it was Quincy Jones. It was just extraordinary. This is up there with that. Obviously, Joy Division New Order Mandatory, can't believe it took this long. Peter, that's another interesting one that I don't know if there's been another band where the lead singer passes away, then the band becomes bigger than they would have been, but both of them get inducted with the same members.

Speaker 3:
[17:46] Right.

Speaker 4:
[17:47] No new members. Usually, it will be another two.

Speaker 3:
[17:49] I think that's probably an anomaly. Yeah.

Speaker 4:
[17:51] It's the first time that that's ever happened.

Speaker 3:
[17:53] I think so.

Speaker 4:
[17:53] Jillian was in there, but Jillian was helping with Joy Division at the time. Luther Vandross.

Speaker 3:
[17:57] Yes.

Speaker 4:
[17:58] I mean, Luther Vandross. Eleven consecutive platinum awards, a record sold, eleven platinum records consecutive.

Speaker 3:
[18:06] Let's not forget that a big part of Luther Vandross' history is tied in with David Bowie. So, I mean, you know.

Speaker 4:
[18:14] Also being one of the greatest unsung studio musicians of all time, as far as singing on everybody's business.

Speaker 3:
[18:20] Right.

Speaker 4:
[18:21] Sade, hugely important, first Nigerian born artist to win a Grammy in 1986. Now, here's the one where we're going to have a little bit of an issue.

Speaker 3:
[18:30] Okay.

Speaker 4:
[18:31] It's too early for Oasis.

Speaker 3:
[18:34] You know, it's interesting.

Speaker 4:
[18:36] It's too early for Oasis. And I believe me, I am, you know me, I'm a huge Oasis fan. I think that the tour they did last year that I didn't get to see, which I'm really bummed about was one of the most culturally important tours that has ever happened simply because of what it did to establish Rock and Roll again. And the fact that they played, you know, I saw them here playing to 8,000 people at the Universal Amphitheater, which was them at the peak of their powers. Let's not forget it. They take off, what, 25 years. And then when they return, they're playing to 25,000 people. That has never happened in the history of music before. No band has come back after 25 years of virtual silence.

Speaker 3:
[19:19] Breaking up.

Speaker 4:
[19:20] Breaking up, ending the whole charade to come back and be playing venues that are three times the size. They broke America after they broke up.

Speaker 3:
[19:29] I will say-

Speaker 4:
[19:30] Incredible.

Speaker 3:
[19:30] I will say-

Speaker 4:
[19:31] Shouldn't be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Speaker 3:
[19:32] Okay. I'll say this about Oasis. The criteria is you got to have released your first commercial recording, at least 25 years prior to the nomination. They could have waited, perhaps. But as a person who did witness that North American tour, Christian James Hand, let me tell you, they played Soldier Field here, and I knew that it was going to be awesome. Soldier Field holds 60,000 people. I have personally never been to any concert where that level of excitement was so palpable that literally the body's heaving all over the entire venue, the floor, the entirety of Soldier Field was a heaving, wonderful, hopping mess for these boys up on stage. And it was a feeling that I, it's almost like I get a little bit emotional when I think about that concert, because I've never actually felt that before. I've never in a concert setting felt like I am in the pocket of this thing with exactly in step with everybody else around me to that level. That is saying a lot for the songs that they wrote.

Speaker 4:
[20:52] Thousand percent, if I may, the thing that the Merrick, I did this with the morning show team here in Blue Their Minds, where I was like, everyone talks about these songs and how the melodic pattern is pretty simple and Liam stays in a certain range. And I'm like, well, the thing you have to understand is that they're written for the terrace. They're written for the soccer stadium because every football team in England has an anthem that is Liverpool, You'll Never Walk Alone. Like every single one of them has their own anthem that their fans sing at the top of their lungs to show their support to their boys on the field. And what Oasis did, and no American band has ever accomplished that. And no English band that I know of prior to Oasis last year has managed to import the soccer terrorist chant to American stadiums. They accomplished bringing the English soccer stadium, football stadium, ya twats, to America, and then had 60,000 people sing from the beginning of the show to the end of the show.

Speaker 3:
[21:59] Yep.

Speaker 4:
[22:00] And the duende, the spiritual await, that just all of the beauty of the entire thing, none of it can be, should not be, cannot be overstated, and cannot be minimized. However, still too early, should not be in it.

Speaker 3:
[22:15] But I was okay with them getting into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this time, because they did do this very remarkable thing. And part of the criteria for getting inducted into the Rock Hall is that you have to have made cultural impact. Well, if Oasis didn't make cultural impact on a global scale by rejoining together as brothers and in the band, and then touring the world so successfully, it was the same story in every city that they hit, then I don't know how that box could possibly remain unchecked. And they certainly had the album sales behind them too, which is another criteria.

Speaker 4:
[22:57] In Brazil, I think they did six nights in a row at the 120,000 capacity soccer stadium, sold out.

Speaker 3:
[23:08] Every night. Every night. Every show was sold out.

Speaker 4:
[23:11] That's bad shit.

Speaker 3:
[23:13] It's bad shit. It's total bad shit. And honestly, I feel like if Oasis hadn't gotten in and the Black Crows had gotten in instead, I might have been scratching my chin a little bit more. Nothing against the Black Crows. I love the Black Crows personally. But I did feel that Oasis, I was OK with it. I was good with it, no problem from my point of view on Oasis getting in, for sure.

Speaker 4:
[23:43] Did you see the Oasis Black Crows tour when they toured together?

Speaker 3:
[23:47] The Brotherly Love Tour.

Speaker 4:
[23:48] The Brotherly Love Tour, so brilliant. I sort of sat at the Santa Monica Bowl, and it was like the whole time, you're like, is this going to happen? And they actually, it was like right up until them being on stage. And then even them being on stage, you're like, this could end at any point.

Speaker 3:
[23:59] And that's why we're still talking about these guys, because every person that we've mentioned so far, all of the people that we're discussing here that made it into this list, and then for the Black Crows that didn't make it this time, they probably will at some point. They've done something that distinguished them, that gives us reason to continue to talk about these folks decades on, and probably always will. Because when you have an artist like Phil Collins or Bruce Dickinson, these unique characters that explode musically and then remain in our memory or our consciousness because they've touched us, that's the magic of music. That's it. And it doesn't always happen. And that's why I feel like a lot of people talk crap about the Rock Hall and it's just, it's all bullshit and who cares?

Speaker 4:
[24:52] It's all absolute fucking bullshit.

Speaker 3:
[24:54] Of course.

Speaker 4:
[24:55] Music should not be a competition to get into a room like who gives a shit.

Speaker 3:
[24:58] But however, it's all we've got, you know?

Speaker 4:
[25:01] And everyone's stoked when they're in.

Speaker 3:
[25:02] Exactly, exactly. And everyone's stoked when they're in.

Speaker 4:
[25:04] It's like a club you don't want to be in until everyone's like, you want to get in and you're like, ah, fuck it, let's go see what it's like. You know what I mean? Just go once.

Speaker 3:
[25:09] Exactly.

Speaker 4:
[25:10] I mean, you know, like if you haven't seen the Billy Idol documentary, you should actually watch the Billy Idol documentary.

Speaker 3:
[25:15] I actually hosted a screening of the Billy Idol documentary here.

Speaker 4:
[25:18] No need to brag.

Speaker 3:
[25:20] When it came out, yes.

Speaker 4:
[25:21] You could have just said you've seen it.

Speaker 3:
[25:23] Yes, yes.

Speaker 4:
[25:24] Well, I happened to be friends with the director, so I got to text him while I was watching it.

Speaker 3:
[25:28] It's a Jonas. Oh, my goodness.

Speaker 4:
[25:29] It's a Jonas. Jonas Akkerlund.

Speaker 3:
[25:31] Oh, excuse me.

Speaker 4:
[25:31] It's phenomenal. It's such a good documentary.

Speaker 3:
[25:34] It really is.

Speaker 4:
[25:35] One of the things that blew my mind as I was watching the documentary was how many hits he had. You forgot. It was like that thing where every three or four, you were like, holy shit, rock the cradle of love.

Speaker 3:
[25:46] Total.

Speaker 4:
[25:47] Completely forgot about the fact that that was a massive, massive song. They didn't even really go into Mony Mony, which was huge. And you're just like, oh yeah, there was a what, like an eight year period, a six year period where this dude was MTV.

Speaker 3:
[26:02] He was MTV. He absolutely, everything happened for Billy Idol at the right exact perfect time and he was the perfect person to do it. He was beautiful to look at and he moved like Elvis. He had the songs, they smartly pulled those like Tommy James and the Chandel songs and he did that a couple of times with covers that were chosen for him to put his stamp on. And it just really resonated and he was the 80s in so many ways. So I feel I felt really good about Billy Idol getting in because he's another very completely unique character, a little punk rocker, you know, Generation X, nope, going to New York, nope. Okay, now I'm going to hook up with Steve Stevens, you know, who's getting into the Rock Hall too and take over the world for a little bit.

Speaker 4:
[26:47] Steve Stevens is a badass. Dude, that story of them being in the hotel to kick heroin and the way they kicked heroin is to smoke crack. That's the craziest shit.

Speaker 3:
[26:56] Well, that's why it's called Billy Idol Should Be Dead because he-

Speaker 4:
[27:00] No, it's bonkers.

Speaker 3:
[27:01] He lived through it, that's for sure. But again, like all of the people that we've mentioned here, completely unique individuals with a significant contribution musically.

Speaker 4:
[27:13] But even the second tier, like the people that aren't like Celia Cruz, like the Philly sound producer, unbelievable. Fella Cudi, of course, how is that not already happened. Queen Latifah, MC Lyte, of course, Graham Parsons, 100 percent. Linda Creed, massive songwriter. She was diagnosed with cancer in her early 20s, and then unfortunately passes away in her mid 30s. Right after she dies, the greatest love of all goes on to be like a massive song that she had penned. Then of course, you've got Araf Martin, Jimmy Miller, Rick Rubin, and Ed Sullivan. This class is stacked with ballers.

Speaker 3:
[27:50] Uh-huh, it's stacked with ballers. I have to say, I agree, that was my overarching feeling. Usually, I've got some kind of bone to pick, you know, with oh well, you know, this one, that one. But I think they pretty much got it right this time around. To be confirmed at a later date, you know, some of the major snubs, like I don't know if Boston will ever get into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I don't know what it's gonna take at this point, you know?

Speaker 4:
[28:13] The biggest one that is a massive oversight, and I can only imagine that it is a yawn, whammer, or the fuck his name is issue, is how, what does Devo have to do?

Speaker 3:
[28:26] Oh, I don't know. I know. Talking about cultural impact, I mean...

Speaker 4:
[28:30] Everything, indelible cultural impact, album sales, the fact that Jerry goes on to create some of the most iconic music videos of all time, Mark goes on to create some of the most iconic theme songs, and the Rugrats shit, and then all of the things that this band has created that everyone is standing on the shoulders of, and not only that, the social commentary, the origin story, Kent State watching their friends get killed, which is the reason that it's devolution, and the whole thing, the fact that they've been fucking right about everything. It's like, what does it take? What does it take to have Devo in there? But Mark's plan is, I guess you can buy parking spaces in the parking lot, so his plan is to buy a Devo parking space, and just write Devo on it in white letters, and that's going to be their display at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Which is about as Mark Mother's bar plan as you can possibly get. It's a spot on the numbers for Double M. But Devo, that is the biggest slight of all slights. Yes, Boston and the Black Crows and all that, but Devo.

Speaker 3:
[29:34] Devo for sure, Devo, and I have one more to offer. I do not understand why Harry Nilsson isn't in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I mean, I feel like he would be first tier as a performer, but I could see him on the second tier that you mentioned too.

Speaker 4:
[29:49] Yeah, the songwriters.

Speaker 3:
[29:50] The songwriters, you know what I'm saying? So maybe as time goes on, they'll get it right and we'll get some of these folks in there that clearly deserve it.

Speaker 4:
[30:01] This year was like the year where I was like, yeah, man, I think everybody on this list is at, there's not one where I'm like, man, and I will say that the one that I went to is the same way. We were like, every single one of these people is a thumbs up, slam dunk. This year's class is unbelievable, and that ceremony is going to be great. It's going to be really unfortunate that Phil won't be able to perform, unfortunately. But I think that watching, my question is, what is the Joy Division New Order thing going to be? Is that going to be the disk? Because you remember how uncomfortable that blondie one was?

Speaker 3:
[30:35] Oh, yeah.

Speaker 4:
[30:35] Where Jimmy Watts' name was begging to be allowed to walk on stage and play with the band. And Debbie was like, this is my band now, you're not. And it was just like, wow.

Speaker 3:
[30:45] There have been some really uncomfortable moments at these, you know, these ceremonies. I mean, remember when Steve Miller just went up there and basically just told everybody they were the worst?

Speaker 4:
[30:55] Go themselves?

Speaker 3:
[30:57] I mean, you know, but I mean, again.

Speaker 4:
[30:59] That the most punk rock Steve Miller thing, he's the guy that should do it. And then my favorite, and I was in the room for it, was Alex Lightson's blah, blah, blah, which was just extraordinary. And the thing that people don't get, because you weren't there, was like, the way that that works is like, right in front of the stage are all of the rich people. And then there's the floor, which is all the industry people. And then there's these cheap seats at the back. So Yann comes on and announces everybody in order. And then when he said, rush, the sonic assault from the cheap seats, it was all Canadians, dude. And they lost their minds for like 10 minutes. And when Alex came out and he started that thing, we're all sitting there like, there's no way he's going to commit to this, to the whole thing. And the thing that's really beautiful is he does this whole blah, blah, blah, with the phone call telling them that they're in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. And then he does this thing where he goes, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, and he's pointing at all the Rush fans that like, this is bullshit, but if we're here for this bullshit, we're here because you put us here.

Speaker 3:
[32:03] Right.

Speaker 4:
[32:04] And you are the reason that we, and it was, it was a Rush fan. It was, it was so beautiful.

Speaker 3:
[32:10] Love letter to the fans, which is what Rush is all about. And maybe we'll get a Rush moment this year. Our time is about to cut off here on this Zoom, unfortunately, because, you know, I could sit here and talk to you about this stuff for like three, four hours. I mean, we've done it before. So I'm just going to ask you to come back and have another chat with me sometime on Behind the Song, if you would.

Speaker 4:
[32:30] Anytime. Anytime, my love.

Speaker 3:
[32:32] And I really appreciate your, your always colorful insights for this year's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductions. I knew I could count on you, brother.

Speaker 4:
[32:42] Do you have a Phil Collins tattoo from the cover of Take Me Home on your fucking wrist? I don't think you do.

Speaker 3:
[32:48] I got to get a screen grab of that real quick. All right. I love you, Christian James Hand.

Speaker 4:
[32:52] I love you.

Speaker 3:
[32:53] Thank you for joining me on this episode of the Behind the Song podcast. On the way, much more classic rock and roll. Hey Chicago, Chick-fil-A has your new favorite beverage. Stiff on something new and try a strawberry hibiscus and sprite, lemonade, frosted lemonade or sun joy, made with natural strawberry and hibiscus flavors. The new strawberry hibiscus lemonade is a mix of classic Chick-fil-A lemonade combined with delicious strawberry and subtle hibiscus flavors. This refreshing new drink can be mixed with lemonade, sprite or tea to create your perfect flavor. Pair it with the new Jalapeno Ranch Club Sandwich for a perfect combination of sweet and heat. Available only for a limited time, so try it today. Chick-fil-A, eat more chicken.