Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Boss Says Inductions For Weird Al, Pixies, And More Have 'Been Discussed'

Discussions about the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame’s inductions each and every year have proven that you certainly can’t please everyone, but a new interview with Chairman John Sykes has shed some light on the behind-the-scenes discussions that go on regarding potential inductees and even the Rock Hall’s name.

Sykes spoke to Vulture late last year, just ahead of the Rock Hall’s 2024 induction ceremony heading being released to streaming services on January 1st, which saw names such as Cher, Foreigner, Mary J. Blige, Ozzy Osbourne, A Tribe Called Quest, Peter Frampton, Kool & The Gang, and Dave Matthews Band all inducted.

One of the topics Sykes touched upon was the way that the Rock Hall has shifted its genre boundaries since first opening in 1983. As the years have gone on, more hip hop and pop names have been included, with the likes of Jay-Z, Eminem, and Missy Eliott arriving over the past three years.

According to Sykes though, even as more genres find themselves in the Rock Hall, there won’t be a name change on the way.

“I think it’s because some people don’t understand the meaning of rock and roll,” Sykes opined. “If you go back to the original sound in the ’50s, it was everything. As Missy Elliot calls it, it was a gumbo. It just became known as rock and roll. So when I hear people say, ‘You should just change it to the Music Hall of Fame,’ rock and roll has pretty much covered all of that territory.

“Rather than throwing the name out, it’s doing a better job of communicating to people where rock and roll came from and what it’s truly about,” he added. “Once they hear it that way, they understand.”

Sykes offered up a story about a conversation he had with Jay-Z upon his 2021 induction where they debated the very point he was trying to make.

“He told me, ‘Rock is dead. It should be called the Hip-Hop Hall of Fame’,” Sykes explained. “And I said, ‘Well, hip-hop is rock and roll.’ He goes, ‘No, it isn’t.’ And I said, “We’ve got to do a better job explaining it. Little Richard, Otis Redding, Chuck Berry — these artists were the cornerstones of rock and roll. If you look at the sounds over the years, those artists ended up influencing hip-hop.’

“Jay-Z hemmed and hawed, but he showed up to the ceremony,” he added. “That made me feel like we had done our job to communicate that rock and roll is open to all.”

Elsewhere in the discussion, Sykes also touched on plans for the future of the Rock Hall (including potentially inducting the agents, record company moguls, and legal representatives behind the artists) and discussed a number of the artists whose names had been the subject of date about potential inclusion at some point.

Touching on The B-52s, Sykes said he’s confident “they will one day” be inducted, much like Phil Collins as a solo artist, despite already being inducted as a member of Genesis in 2010.

Other surprising admissions include the likes of “Weird Al” Yankovic, who has apparently “come up in conversations” but never made the shortlist despite his “genius”.

“He has made brilliant versions of the songs, but I’ll be honest: He’s never made it close to the ballot,” Sykes admitted.

The Pixies, meanwhile “have been discussed”, with Sykes noting there’s “a group of nominees who’ve been passionate about the Pixies”. He liked their support to that of Warren Zevon, who was nominated in 2023 but is yet to make it.

“I’m passionate about Warren, and he’ll get in, too,” Sykes added. “But the Pixies have had a lot of support.”

Finally, Sykes also added Joe Cocker as the one artist he’s surprised is yet to make it in. “He hasn’t been able to get through, and I think he’s a deserving name,” Sykes noted.

Notably, 1999 inductee Billy Joel went so far as to hand-deliver a letter to the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame advocating for Cocker’s inclusion in 2014, just months before the British singer’s death at the age of 70. To date, Cocker is yet to receive a single nomination.