Judas Priest and Soundgarden Make It Onto the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Fan Ballot Shortlist
I am happy pleased moderately satisfied indifferent to report that my prediction about Judas Priest having no shot at making it onto this year’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame fan ballot shortlist was 100% wrong: the NWOBHM icons did indeed make the cut, along with Soundgarden. They beat out other metal or metal-friendly acts such as Motörhead, Nine Inch Nails, Thin Lizzy, and T.Rex.
The shortlist is as follows, with the runners-up who didn’t make it listed after:
1. Dave Matthews Band: 1,005,657 votes
2. Pat Benatar: 882,207 votes
3. The Doobie Brothers: 784,729 votes
4. Soundgarden: 722,931 votes
5. Judas Priest: 675,434 votes
6. Whitney Houston: 593,374 votes
7. Depeche Mode: 563612 votes
8. Thin Lizzy: 556,476 votes
9. Motörhead: 512,918 votes
10. Todd Rundgren: 440,898 votes
11. Nine Inch Nails: 380,869 votes
12. T.Rex: 365,290 votes
13. The Notorious B.I.G.: 275,892 votes
14. Rufus Featuring Chaka Khan: 166,596 votes
15. Kraftwerk: 163,667 votes
16. MC5: 160,685 votes
Judas Priest, who were infamously/ hilariously/ insultingly invited to visit the museum after failing to be inducted in 2017, have released the following statement thanking fans for all the support:
“A huge metal thank you to our Priest family for voting diligently and defending Judas Priest in the fan vote for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2020 – we made and stayed in the top five fan votes through your love and support.
“Whatever the outcome we are blessed having the best metal fans in the world of heavy metal!”
Unfortunately, this doesn’t mean Priest are a lock to be inducted this year — each of the top five fan-vote-getters listed above only get ONE additional vote to go along with the “regular” ballots cast by whatever industry people get to weigh in. In other words, if 500 voters vote for Judas Priest, they’ll have 501 votes. Which seems fucking bonkers to me, but hey, I guess we can’t have the fans deciding who does or does not deserve a spot in this completely meaningless institution. What do the fans know, anyway? What have FANS ever done for rock n’ roll, right?
So while five artists will ultimately be inducted in 2020, neither Judas Priest nor Soundgarden are a lock.
The final inductees will be announced this Wednesday, January 15. Those artists will then be punished by being made to go to fucking Cleveland for the induction ceremony on May 2.
In conclusion, I’d just like add: fuck Dave Matthews. Fuck him in his goddamn Birkenstocks. Not only has he been a total hemorrhoid who perpetrates negative stereotypes about metal fans, but he’s making UN-FUCKING-BEARABLE fans for decades now. Like, if there was a Most Annoying Fans Hall of Fame, his followers would be worth inducting in the inaugural class, along with fans of The Grateful Dead, Phish, and basically any nu-metal band. I hope Dave Matthews DOES get inducted on May 2, and then on May 3 his flight is cancelled, forcing him to spend extra time in Ohio. Also while he’s there he has to have a long, meandering conversation with a member of Mushroomhead. That would serve him right.
[via Classic Rock]
