It's been a wild ride for the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame's Class Of 2023. Iron Maiden and Soundgarden came in the Top 5 for the fan vote, yet only their rock colleagues Rage Against The Machine made the actual nomination in the end. Despite their legendary status as one of the biggest metal bands in the world, this is only the second time Iron Maiden has been nominated for the hall – the first time was in 2021, despite being eligible since 2005.
So what does Greg Harris, the CEO of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, have to say about Maiden's absence? In an interview with Audacy's Taryn Daly, Harris pretty much says "better luck next time."
"We love that people care. That they care if they're in or out, and that their fans care. The truth is anybody that's nominated, the odds are good that they're eventually gonna get in. In fact, I think it may be as high as 90% eventually go in," said Harris. "Rage, this was their sixth time, I believe, fifth time on the ballot, or sixth time. And so sometimes it takes a while. But let's see where it lands. Right now, let's celebrate this year's class, and we can start to debate about next year's class once the spotlight is off of this year's class."
Which I guess is fine, except this is the same thing Harris said in 2021. Yes, they're influential and yes, that's why they got nominated and yes, they'll get in eventually. Except this isn't the year, etc.
Here's the quote from 2021: "There’s no doubt that they are an impactful, influential band, and that’s why they were nominated this year, along with 15 other artists and acts, and when the votes came in, these six were the leaders. So we’re not questioning, are they an important band, are they impactful and influential.
"Of those that have been nominated throughout history, over 80 percent of them have been eventually inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. So everybody has their favorites; everybody has different artists that impacted them or impacted other artists. So, if you look at this list, you can make that case for all of these folks, just like people make that case for Iron Maiden."
On the plus side, it seems like Iron Maiden's chances have gone up from 80-percent in 2021 to 90-percent in 2023. That's progress, right?
