Sonic Youth became eligible for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame last year, and despite being one of the most important and influential artists of the last 20 years, they didn't get nominated. Guitarist and singer Thurston Moore was asked by the Washington Post about the Rock Hall:

Do you think Sonic Youth will ever be voted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? Do you care?

I have no problem with awards or awards ceremonies. I don't take issue with them; what it means is that people are celebrating your work in some capacity. But the Hall of Fame - whatever. It's a certain cabal of people who created this institution. It's not like real people are voting. It's like the Grammys. Very rarely does something win that doesn't have to do with sales of the record or the lobbying of the record label or management. It's the same thing with the Hall of Fame. You start lobbying your artist a decade early and the cabal votes. But that was before the Sex Pistols got in, so who knows?

Moore's cynical attitude about the Rock Hall process certainly isn't unfounded, but the "cabal" he refers to isn't what it used to be. As the years go on, it will be harder and harder for the Hall of Fame to ignore Sonic Youth's contributions to experimental and alternative music.

Future Rock Hall predicts that Sonic Youth has a 58% chance at induction, one of the highest ratings of the eligible artists. Here's to hoping they get in sooner rather than later.

Does Rolling Stone's list of "The Immortals" hold the keys to induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? Find out here.

Tonight, VH1 is broadcasting the 2008 version of the Rock Honors series. This is the third edition of the broadcast, and over the first couple of years it was interesting that most of the honorees were notable Rock and Roll Hall of Fame snubs. Some feel that Rock Honors serves as an alternate award to the Hall of Fame, that perhaps better reflects the fans' hard rock heroes.

In 2006, Rock Hall snubs KISS, Def Leppard and Judas Priest were all honored (as well as Hall of Famers Queen). In 2007, three more Hall of Fame outsiders, Heart, Genesis, and Ozzy Osbourne were featured (ZZ Top too). Going in a different direction this year, the show focuses exclusively on The Who (inducted into the Rock Hall in 1990).

It's not hard to imagine that future years of Rock Honors could pay respects to Mötley Crüe, Iron Maiden, Rush, Motörhead and others who probably aren't going to get much attention from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame anytime soon.

Rolling Stone magazine has notoriously ignored Rush over the years, but the band has finally been given a feature article in the current issue. Rush fans have long felt that because of the close link between Rolling Stone and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, that Rush has been blackballed by the Rock Hall Nominating Committee (Supposedly, Jann Wenner has declared they would get inducted over his dead body). So now that Rolling Stone has given the Canadian power trio some attention, will that change their fortunes with the Hall of Fame?

The band was asked about their being snubbed by the Rock Hall in the article:

Self-effacing poise may be rare to arena rockers, but like Green Party candidates and Nascar heroes, the members of Rush have adjusted to both idolatry and disregard.  Just prior to tonight's dinner, they were once again snubbed by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, which instead inducted no greater rock luminaries than the Dave Clark Five. But Rush seem convincingly unfazed.

"I just keep saying we're too young to be in there," says [Geddy] Lee.

"Yeah," says [Neil] Peart.  "Unlike all those other people, we're still working."

"I think it upsets our fans,"  allows [Alex] Lifeson.  "It's a big issue for them."

Guitarist Alex Lifeson also talked to Cincinnati.com recently about the issue:

"It doesn't matter at all," Lifeson says. "If we were inducted it would mean we'd probably have to go up there (to Cleveland) and play there."

Some Rush fans have resigned themselves to the idea that Rush will never get in, so they petitioned for a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, which Rush was given this year.