Stooges and ABBA in, KISS out
by celesteh
Michigan’s very own, The Stooges, have finally been inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame – after being snubbed seven times. “It started to feel like Charlie Brown and the football,” Iggy Pop said to Rolling Stone. Eight times must be the charm, but it’s a shame guitarist Ron Asheton did not live to accept the honor. Interestingly, the induction of The Stooges follows previous inductions of bands such as The Clash, The Ramones and the Sex Pistols – all bands surely influenced by the sometimes called “godfather of punk” Iggy Pop. (Side note: after being inducted in 2006, the Sex Pistols did not even appear to accept their award, instead opting to send a letter denouncing the Hall of Fame.)
KISS was not chosen this year but everyone’s favorite Swedish pop group, ABBA made the cut. Still, my question is, if ABBA can be inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame – shouldn’t it be called The Pop Music Hall of Fame?
You can learn more about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and their nomination process here.
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Comments
It's hard to imagine
It's hard to imagine something like The Stooges' guttural [b:1092002|Fun House] coming out in 1970, with a dark, raw sound so distant from late '60s pop-psychedelia. But then again, this is the year of the My Lai massacre, the Apollo 13 crisis, The Weathermen bomb blowback, the Kent State shootings, The Beatles' break up, and Janis Joplin's overdose. The summer of love was clearly dead, and The Stooges were standing on its grave.
They were really a blues rock
They were really a blues rock band. Iggy had played with the Erlewine's here in Ann Arbor, and Ron had joined in for a short period. They viewed themselves as Michigan's Doors. In fact, the Doors considered Iggy as a replacement for Morrison after Morrison's death. Ron and Ray Manzarek got to know each other in the early 70's and were friends for years. Of course both bands were signed to Elektra Records and both had a close business relationship with Danny Fields. Add some distortion to the Doors and you have The Stooges. Danny Fields set the Stooges up with John Cale, as producer of the first LP, in turn adding to the mystique of their image by establishing the New York Velvet Underground/Andy Warhol connection - an image which Morrison and the Doors never had.