The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame….the big induction for this years latest inductees was Monday night. I could blog for hours pondering the question of just why the Hall of Fame is in Cleveland and not Memphis…but don’t get me started!! :)
Instead, I looked at this year’s list and selected my favorite. For me, it is The Stooges. No, no the 3 Stooges….Iggy and the Stooges. Yes, the band predates me but when I was in college a fellow by the name of Blake (we were bartenders together) made a mix tape (yeah, a mix TAPE) of classics, then currents and lots of alternative music. It was on that tape I had my first experience with the Stooges and the song I Wanna Be Your Dog. That song rocked!!! And it still does. Later I head other Stooges songs like 1969 and No Fun. Again, both rocked!
I have always loved music. As a kid here in Memphis, my parents took me to see Elvis as my first concert. Later, I wanted to be a Pat Benatar….the Police and Blondie were staples of my music collection. I always watched as much MTV as I could. Seeing Missing Persons at Auditorium South (or North?) Hall was a musical highlight for me. When I went to college at the University of Alabama I found Alternative music and that led me to a career radio. In fact, I started out an Advertising major. I didn’t really gel with my advisor…but I did like the music the college radio station played so I switched my major to broadcasting. When I heard bands like Lone Justice, The Replacements, Husker Du, the HooDoo Gurus and so many others….I knew I found my music. Then I began to learn about the bands that inspired them. One has to imagine that all that that punk/new wave music I liked in the 80’s was probably, in some way, influenced by Iggy. And it is interesting that while the Stooges made their first mark on music in the 60’s, over 20 years later I would be playing some solo Iggy Pop music at the college station. Today we even still hear much of that music in movies and commercials. .
So congratulations to all the deserving Inductees…I read Iggy never thought he and the Stooges would get voted in……proving once again to never say never. :)
