The 2021 Rock and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominees have been announced, with the 36th Annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony to take place later this year. The shortlist for this year's inductees are Foo Fighters, Tina Turner, Todd Rundgren, Devo, the Go-Go's, Iron Maiden, Dionne Warwick, New York Dolls, Carole King, Chaka Khan, Mary J. Blige, Kate Bush, JAY-Z, Fela Kuti, LL Cool J, New York Dolls, and Rage Against The Machine.
Inductees will be announced in May 2021. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 2021 Induction Ceremony will take place in Cleveland, Ohio this fall. Details and ticket on-sale information will be announced later.
To be eligible for nomination, an individual artist or band must have released its first commercial recording at least 25 years prior to the year of nomination. Seven out of 16 of the Nominees are on the ballot for the first time, including Foo Fighters, The Go-Go’s, Iron Maiden, JAY-Z, Carole King (as a performer), Fela Kuti, and Dionne Warwick.
Chaka Khan was previously nominated both solo and with the band Rufus. If elected, Carole King and Tina Turner will become the second and third female artists inducted twice, following Stevie Nicks‘ 2019 election. If Foo Fighters are inducted, Dave Grohl will also become a twice-inducted performer.
Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins told us not long ago that Dave Grohl remains approachable and down to earth despite his success: “He's definitely not a rock star in any way, shape or form, you know. He doesn't have that. . . so much sense of entitlement with so many guys out there that I see. Just, like, playing festivals and stuff, you see some of these people and you're like, 'Dude, you're just a f***ing musician.' And most of the time people who act like that aren't even good ones.”
Tina Turner told us that even during her lowest moments — both personally and professionally — she never lost the joy in her heart: “I'm a happy person, normally. I don't dwell, I don't suffer and moan, and I'm not a complainer. I'm basically an 'up' person. Even in my. . . . my worse moments there, I still found time to laugh loud. It's my nature, because, what can you do once it's done? You just must go forward and that, that's how I've lived my life.”
Guitarist Jane Wiedlin told us that over the years, the Go-Go's tended to operate in far more sensitive words due to having five female members in the group: “Y'know, I think men and woman relate really different from each other, and let's face it, most bands are men — I'm sure I'll get hate mail for that, but it's true. So, I just think that maybe men are just better at just stuffing their feelings down and just getting on with it and not really caring. And I think women are way more about having to discuss every little feeling that we have and having to be honest. And it's like, uh. . . womany stuff.”
When last caught up with Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson, we suggested that most people have a misconception of him as just a crazy heavy metal singer, to which he replied: “Oh, I hope so. If that’s a misconception that’ll do. (Laughs) That’s a good start, y’know?. Uh, I don’t know. It doesn’t really concern me what misconceptions they have about me. Just that they understand the kind of music that I make, that it rocks. If they buy a record with my name on it, it should rock.”
A while back, Todd Rundgren told us that summing up his career isn't something he's comfortable with and is really a job best-suited for others: “It's kind of difficult, having played for 42 years now, professionally, it's a little bit difficult to see yourself — particularly having gone thorough all the changes I have — of being able to be summed up in that sense. I can get perspective on part of what I'm doing, but I can never get perspective on all of what I'm doing. And part of what I'm doing is trying to avoid repeating myself.”
Rage Against The Machine guitarist Tom Morello told us a while back that Rage's message has been in plain sight all along: “I would say that the message is not very well-hidden. In the lyrics of every song and on every T-shirt it’s pretty clear what we’re about. I think that it’s insulting to, y'know, members of the audience to say that, ‘Oh they don’t get it,’ or, ‘They don’t pay attention.’ Because I know when I was in the Clash’s audience, I got it. When I was in Public Enemy’s audience, I got it. When I’m in Fugazi’s audience, I get it.”
Devo’s Mark Mothersbaugh told us about how the band got to play its 1978 cover of “(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction” for Mick Jagger before they released it: “Before we released it we came here because we were playing at CBGB’s and Max’s so we called up Peter Rudge and he said he wanted to meet us so we went up to his office to play him the song and Mick Jagger just showed up. And so we played it for Mick and he was dancing around the room. And we were like, 'Wow — not only are we meeting Mick Jagger and he’s like listening to our version of his song and saying, 'Hey, you guys are pretty good.'”
Recently Jay-Z shared his thoughts on being a role model: “As far as being a role model to kids, I mean I'm a human being. I'm gonna do wrong as well as I'mma do good. I just hope people can see to weed out what's perfect for their life. Some things I might do, you might emulate and it might work great for you but it won't work for her.”
