Robert Hilburn, the former pop music critic of the L.A. Times and current Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Nominating Committee member, is working on his "deeply personal and highly opinionated memoir."

Hilburn... will recount his personal ties with John Lennon, Bob Dylan, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, U2, Bruce Springsteen, Michael Jackson, John Fogerty, Prince, Kurt Cobain, Stevie Wonder, Ice Cube, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Jack White, and Eminem.

Hopefully Hilburn will squeeze in some juicy tales from the Nominating Committee meetings, but given the secrecy surrounding the Rock Hall, that's seems unlikely. Look for the book in 2009.

Portfolio.com has an article which takes a look at the declining attendance figures at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum in Cleveland. As their chart shows, there was a steep drop in attendance after the first few years the Museum was open, but over the last ten years ticket sales have basically leveled out at around $4.2 million per year. Rock Hall Museum C.E.O. Terry Stewart has plans to bring more people to the museum, which include "a new exhibit featuring Janis Joplin’s Porsche (now on loan from her estate) to bringing the induction show to Cleveland in 2009 and every three years after that."

While bringing the Induction Ceremony back to Cleveland will undoubtedly help raise the profile of the Museum, it won't cure the image problem that the Rock Hall has in the eyes of many people. This website alone contains thousands of pleas to the Hall to induct long ignored fan favorites such as KISS, Rush, Alice Cooper, The Moody Blues, The Monkees, Neil Diamond, Yes, Steve Miller Band, Jethro Tull, and many others. You can't help but wonder if Terry Stewart wishes the New York-based Rock Hall Foundation (who determines the nominees each year) would put some popular names on the ballot to help boost ticket sales at the museum. What's going to bring more people to Cleveland, Janis Joplin's car or a KISS induction with a full blown exhibit to honor them? A Leonard Cohen exhibit or a Monkees induction?

We're not advocating the induction of artists purely to sell Museum tickets, but you have to wonder if every year Terry Stewart shows up at the Nominating Committee meeting hoping that another stadium act like U2 or Aerosmith will get the votes to appear on the ballot (maybe Bon Jovi for 2009?).

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In other Rock Hall financial news, Fox News' Roger Friedman breaks down the finances of the New York-based non-profit Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation.

If you missed last night's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, you can now watch various clips or the whole thing over at BestBuy.com (although YouTube might be easier).

The New York Times has their usual rundown of the ceremony, with an excellent slideshow too.

We're still pretty sure this is really Norm MacDonald and not Dave Clark (check out Rolling Stone's gallery).

Much of the Rock Hall coverage today focuses on Madonna's revelation that she used ecstasy with the A&R guy that discovered her, and that she smoked some weed with her publicist. Artists use drugs? Really?

The 2008 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be streaming live at BestBuy.com beginning at 8:30 ET (or VH1 Classic on TV). Keep checking back to Future Rock Hall for updates during the show.

8:15 PM ET - Settling in for what will likely be a 3 hour plus ceremony. If you're streaming the ceremony, you should see the Rock Hall graphic at this point.


8:18 - Never noticed this about the logo before, but the 'N' in 'AND' is subtly emphasized. Nice touch. The graphic logo not only represents the I.M. Pei-designed museum, but is a clever abstraction of a view down a guitar neck.

8:30 - Jann Wenner introduced as the Chairman of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Welcomes everyone to the 23rd annual induction ceremony. Possible induction order: Cohen, The Ventures, the DC5, Madonna, and Mellencamp.


8:35 - Kicking off the inductions with Gamble & Huff in the renamed Non-Performer category. Patti LaBelle performing "If You Don't Know Me By Now" with the resplendent Paul Shaffer and company.

8:39 - Wenner mentioned earlier that the new museum archives and library will be open in 2010.

8:40 - Standing O for Patti. Nicely done. On to the video tribute...

8:41 - "Every time we wrote a song, it was a hit." At least they're humble.

8:44 - Jerry Butler on to present the Ahmet Ertegun Award to Gamble & Huff. Whoa! Possibly the shortest speech ever. Was that even 50 words?

8:45 - Butler's the first to comment on the weight of the statue. Over/under is 3 1/2 mentions for the night. We're on our way.


8:46 - It's still unknown who selects the award winners in the Non-Performer and Sideman categories. Not the Nominating Committee and definitely not the Voting Committee.

8:49 - Celebrity sightings so far: Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, Bryant Gumbel, and Chevy Chase.

8:50 - Gamble & Huff wrap it up after a couple of nice speeches. Back to Jerry Butler for a performance.


8:53 - Video tribute to master of the blues harmonica, tonight's Sideman inductee, Little Walter.

8:56 - Ben Harper gets to induct Little Walter posthumously. Harper seems nervous, not looking up from his notes, fumbling some words.

8:58 - Wait, another short speech? Where's Eddie Vedder to stretch things out? James Cotton on for the performance with Ben Harper sitting in (literally).


9:03 - Backstage with original MTV VJ Mark Goodman! Reporting from the kitchen?


9:04 - Introduces a classic Rock Hall performance of "Satisfaction" from 1989. Not sure why they show these fantastic old clips -- just going to make tonight look pale by comparison.

9:10 - Goodman interviews Shaffer about the '89 clip. We mentioned this last year, but how long until Paul Shaffer gets inducted?

9:11 - The Ventures video tribute is next. John Fogerty will be inducting them.

9:13 - Fogerty: "[The Ceremony] was a lot looser when it wasn't televised."

9:15 - The Ventures have recorded over 250 albums?

9:17 - The Ventures are clearly thrilled to be there, but I think Don Wilson just thanked the Lieutenant Governor of Washington? Nokie Edwards thanks Les Paul and Chet Atkins for their inspiration.

9:23 - Lots of short speeches this evening. Maybe people haven't had enough to drink yet. It's still early.

9:24 - Performance time -- "Walk Don't Run"


9:27 - Now the Hawaii Five-O theme song . Anyone know who wrote the theme to CHiPs? They might get in next year.

9:30 - Leonard Cohen is next. Lou Reed will induct him, and Damien Rice will perform in his place. Still no reason given why Cohen and Madonna will be not be performing tonight.

9:33 - Reed in a sweet leather suit with pink shirt. Lots of "Looooouuu-ing" when he's introduced.


9:36 - The crowd seems puzzled by Lou Reed's speech. Probably not the first time.

9:37 - "We're so lucky to be alive the same time Leonard Cohen is."

9:40 - The crowd is getting restless as Reed delivers passages from Cohen's latest book.

9:41 - Cohen is introduced to a standing ovation.


9:44 - Cohen's speech is well done and given in verse. The crowd is eating it up.

9:46 - Rice starts out with an acoustic guitar performance of "Hallelujah" -- so much for having it end the night.


9:50 - Just one Cohen song? Must be, since the annual "In Memoriam" video begins.

9:54 - The video ends with Denis Payton and Mike Smith from the DC5. Very sad.

9:54 - Madonna is next. Justin Timberlake inducting her and Iggy & The Stooges will be performing the tribute.

9:58 - Timberlake turns on the charm and injects some sexual innuendo into the evening.


10:02 - Hey, it's a Britney Spears reference! Timberlake is turning this into a roast.

10:07 - Madonna gave Justin a B-12 shot in the ass? He's not joking.

10:08 - "The world has long been full of Madonna wannabes -- I may have even dated a couple of them."

10:10 - Madonna is ripped as usual. I think she needs to get under the umbrella of steroid suspicion with all that B-12 talk.


10:18 - Hospitals, synagogues, ecstasy...

10:22 - Madonna making the most of her time. Thanking all the people who helped her get to that stage including all of her collaborators.

10:25 - Madonna herself introduces "another ass-kicker from Michigan." Iggy & The Stooges kick it off with "Burning Up." This sounds nothing like Madonna. Fantastic.


10:29 - Right into "Ray of Light." Pretty sure Madonna picked Iggy because they share a physique.

10:30 - Based on this performance, how can the Rock Hall continue to keep The Stooges out? They are killing.

10:33 - A shirtless Iggy exits through the kitchen on the way to the press room. Don't call the health department just yet.

10:35 - Another classic performance clip. Led Zep with Steven Tyler and Joe Perry.

10:38 - Mellencamp's video starts. We'll be ending the evening with the emotional induction of the DC5.

10:41 - Unbelievable. They're playing "Our Country" in the tribute montage.

10:42 - Billy Joel introduced to induct John Mellencamp.

10:45 - The selection of Joel makes sense now. He's a natural at this, even though he's barely mentioning Mellencamp.


10:48 - Joel congratulates Mellencamp on outliving the music industry. The Joel takes some shots at VH1. Will that make the edited broadcast?

10:51 - Mellencamp takes the stage to accept his "shiny tsotske" (as Joel puts it).


10:55 - Mellencamp talks about having spina bifida as a baby. Touching story.

10:58 - Mellencamp has his speech on the teleprompter? Very professional until he tells someone to "scroll up."

11:05 - "The sword is a mighty weapon, but it ain't nothing compared to the songs that we sing."

11:06 - "Pink Houses" gets it started.


11:12 - A solo version of "Small Town" is next. Somehow works into the lyrics that his wife was 13 when he wrote this song.

11:16 - "Authority Song" with Mellencamp's son on guitar.


11:20 - This is the uncomfortable part of the evening where you encourage old white guys in tuxes to get up and dance.

11:22 - The Dave Clark Five are next.

11:29 - The crowd loves Tom Hanks -- putting a lot of effort into the speech is definitely appreciated.


11:36 - Hanks is on fire.

11:38 - Wow. Dave Clark looks exactly like Norm MacDonald in Burt Reynolds makeup.


11:50 - Nice speech by Dave Clark in tough circumstances. Tom Hanks introduces Joan Jett, who starts with "Bits and Pieces."


11:54 - Jam time! Jett, Mellencamp, Fogerty, Cotton, and Joel take the stage and start with the DC5's "Glad All Over."

11:58 - And just like that it really is All Over. A bit of an anti-climactic ending to a show in desperate need of a climax.

With the 2008 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony less than 24 hours away, YouTube offers the chance to take look at some of the highlights from past ceremonies:

From 1995 -- Led Zeppelin (with Steven Tyler and Joe Perry):


Also from 1995 -- Neil Young & Crazy Horse (with Pearl Jam):


From 1994 -- Bruce Springsteen and Axl Rose perform "Come Together":


From 2004 -- Tom Petty and Prince pay tribute to George Harrison:

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Nominating Committtee member Dave Marsh isn't happy with the 2008 inductions of The Ventures and Leonard Cohen.

"I realized a long time ago part of the deal with this process is that there are some people who need to be in who I'd rather have my fingernails pulled out than listen to," Marsh said. "Like the Grateful Dead (who were inducted in 1994). But at some level, it's about fame, too. And none of that justifies the Ventures and Leonard Cohen. None of it. The problem is, you've got a bunch of people who know a lot about music on the (nominating) committee, but then you have a lot of people doing the voting who don't."

Why shouldn't the Ventures, who hit with "Walk, Don't Run" in 1966, be in? "Great guys, but an instrumental group built around guitars, not a rock group," Marsh said.

Oddly, Marsh blames the 600+ member voting committee as the root of the problem, when in fact the Nominating Committee continues to increase its power over the process by limiting the number of names on the ballot, then dictating a set amount of inductees from the limited choices. Much more on Marsh over at Tom Lane's Music Blog.

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In a long article about Madonna's career at Cleveland.com, Rock Hall Foundation president emeritus, Seymour Stein gushes over Madonna.

Madonna has "a true rock 'n' roll spirit," Stein says.

"She takes chances. She doesn't care about the odds. She cares about whether she believes in something or not.

"Believe it or not, Madonna is one of the easiest artists I ever worked with, because she knew what she wanted. And she was almost always right, too."

Reuters has an interview with Stein too.

In one of the most predictable columns ever written, Fox News entertainment reporter Roger Friedman continues his objection to all things Jann Wenner and Madonna.

Madonna is either too busy or too famous to perform at Monday night’s New York dinner for Jann Wenner’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Wenner must have lost his touch. In the old days, he could make inductees do anything.

Because Madonna can’t or won’t perform, and the other inductees are not exactly rock stars, the evening is shaping up to be a true disaster commercially for the money-hungry Hall of Fame Foundation.

...the Rock Hall show sounds like the grind it’s been designed to become. And isn’t this what years and years of hubris gets you? By ignoring a generation of potential inductees — almost all of the '70s — they’ve cut off most of their audience.

Alan Light, former Spin editor in chief, and member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Nominating Committee, thinks Madonna is worthy of her 2008 induction:

"She has loomed for a long time as a really significant, really influential figure," said Alan Light. "She is as famous a woman -- if not in the world, certainly in the Western world -- as anybody that's alive."

...

As for any gripes the pop singer doesn't belong in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, save it, says Light.

"If you define rock and roll in any way other than it has to be played with electric guitars and be based on blues changes or whatever, any definition that is more expansive than that -- anything that talks about the rebellious side of it, the counterculture side of it, the creative, ambitious side of it -- she clearly should be there," Light said. "She changed the playing field."

The article also quotes one of the many artists Madonna influenced, Alanis Morissette:

"To me, she's this woman that's deeply feminine, combined with this masculine drive," said Canadian pop singer Alanis Morissette, who was signed to Madonna's record label, Maverick Records, in 1995. "For a long time as a kid, I felt very self-conscious about what a tomboy I was, but she was someone that I could always look up to."

Steve Morse, a former Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Nominating Committee member for seven years, isn't happy with Madonna getting inducted this year.

"[I]f you think of rock 'n' roll, Madonna is not the first name that comes to mind," said Steve Morse...

He considers her selection, particularly in her first year of eligibility, an embarrassment.

Her music was never played on rock 'n' roll radio, he said. Some veteran rock artists like Deep Purple, the J. Geils Band, Steve Miller and Alice Cooper are still waiting for induction. Morse long and unsuccessfully argued on behalf of the late Gram Parsons.

"It seems like this is driven by commercial achievement and sales, rather than having anything to do with the rock 'n' roll genre," Morse said. "It's really a commercial move. They'll be able to sell more tickets to the museum and more people will watch the broadcast."

Morse may have been part of the Nominating Committee restructuring that went on a couple years ago, so he may have been an unwanted voice of resistance to opening the doors to hip-hop and pop.

Boston Herald music writer Jed Gottlieb wants to take a broom to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to clean out the "pretenders." Here's his new criteria:

1. You have to rock. If Janis Joplin, Bon Scott or Joe Strummer wouldn’t have toasted your tunes with a pint, you’re out.

2. You have to blow minds. The Beatles and Hendrix switched the world from black and white to color. Well, you gotta do that. Or at least come close.

3. You have to have done at least one thing that categorically qualifies as rock ’n’ roll: lighting your guitar on fire, getting busy with your 14-year-old cousin or writing a letter to the Hall of Fame calling it a, um, urine stain after being inducted (as the Sex Pistols did) all qualify.

Gottlieb wants no part of Madonna, Leonard Cohen, The Lovin' Spoonful, The Eagles, The Bee Gees, Miles Davis, James Taylor, Jackson Browne, or John Mellencamp. In their place he wants to honor many of the popular snubbed artists: Beastie Boys, Lou Reed, The Cars, The Stooges, KISS, and The Cure. Check out the full column here.

Hidden Track also comes up with a list of 10 bands they want to see inducted: Tom Waits, The Cure, Genesis, Rush, Willie Nelson, The Stooges, KISS, Metallica, Sonic Youth, and Alice Cooper. Videos, career highlights and ten more names at Glide Magazine.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Nominating Committee could do a lot worse than start with the names from these two lists when they're putting the ballot together for 2009.

USA Today talked to Dave Clark about his band's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

[Dave] Clark's only regret about the delayed induction is that two bandmates, Denis Payton and Mike Smith, didn't live to bask in the glory. Sax player Payton died of cancer in late 2006. Singer Smith, who was left paralyzed from the chest down by a spinal cord injury in 2003, died of pneumonia Feb. 28. Clark had spent the previous Sunday at Smith's home to watch their beloved Tottenham Hotspur soccer team beat Chelsea.

"It would have been wonderful to be inducted a couple years ago and have everyone there," says Clark, whose Hall appearance will include his tributes to the late bandmates. "Denis knew he was dying when he found out we were on the (2006) short list, and he was over the moon. He said, 'What a way to finish my career. It's icing on the cake.' At least Mike knew we were being inducted, and he was thrilled."

Joan Jett has been chosen to perform a tribute to the DC5 at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Monday.

Anytime an artist that can't be categorized strictly as "rock" gets attention from the Rock Hall, there's an outcry from certain vocal fans.

Jim Henke, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Nominating Committee member, gives his justification for induction a pop star such as Madonna:

"To me, it's the same issue as last year with Grandmaster Flash and `does hip-hop belong in?'" says Jim Henke, vice president of exhibitions and curatorial affairs at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland. "I think here at the museum and among other inductees, we've always defined rock and roll pretty broadly.

"It's not just about four guys with guitars or something like that. Madonna certainly had a huge impact on popular music and rock `n' roll throughout the `80s and `90s and she's certainly deserving of being honored."

Henke points to Madonna's music, her incorporation of dance elements and her mixing of styles that influenced lots of performers that came after her.

In 2009, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be held in Cleveland for only the second time, and it will be the first to be open to the public (as we learned in December). The ceremony will likely be held at the Quicken Loans Arena downtown (aka "The Q," home of the Cleveland Cavaliers), less than a mile from the Rock Hall Museum. Tickets to the ceremony are estimated to be about the cost of a rock concert ($80?), but no details have been set.

The one song that stands the best chance to be played during the final jam at the end of the 2008 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony is "Hallelujah," written by inductee Leonard Cohen.

The song has become ingrained in our culture over the past 20+ years thanks to scores of cover versions (even showing up on American Idol this week). Michael Barthel over at clapclap.org broke down the history of the song in a hugely comprehensive fashion. Check out the number of cover versions by year:

(via kottke)

Yes founder and singer Jon Anderson speaks out on his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame snub:

Have to ask you this: How do you feel about not being recognized by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?

I'm am so annoyed! So [angry]! You can quote me on that. [Dramatic pause.] No, I don't care. [Laughs.] When it happens, it will happen. It never bothered me until 10 years ago. The manager who was managing Yes said 'I'm going to put you in the Hall of Fame next year' and we said 'cool.' And then it didn't happen. We said, 'What happened?' He said, 'They don't want you.' It went on for five, six years, with him making this pitch. ... When it happens it will happen.

Although they have never been nominated for induction, the Nominating Committee has seriously considered them. In any case, Future Rock Hall currently gives them a 41% chance at eventual induction.

On the face of it, having Iggy & the Stooges perform a tribute to Madonna at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony might seem like an odd choice. But the two have some old connections. As Rolling Stone (and others) pointed out, "both the band and Madonna are Detroit natives, and Iggy Pop opened for Madonna at the Dublin date for her Reinvention Tour in 2004."

Idolator takes the connection a step further: "the Stooges' bassist in its current incarnation is punk legend Mike Watt, whose obsession with Madonna once spurred friends Sonic Youth to record an entire album in tribute to her in 1988."

Both also (obviously) have a history of shock performances and don't mind shedding their clothes.

There's no question that the Iggy & The Stooges tribute will be the most exciting and unpredictable part of the ceremony.

The 2008 Rock and Roll Induction Ceremony takes place at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City on Monday, March 10th at 8:30 PM EDT. Here's how you can watch it:

• Live on TV: VH1 Classic or MHD (for high definition)
• Live on the web: BestBuy.com. The site says you will need Windows Media Player to be able to stream the Ceremony. Let's hope they have support for the Mac.
• Edited version on TV: VH1 will air an edited 2 1/2 hour "highlight edition" on Saturday, March 22nd at 11:00 PM. Could the lack of star power at the ceremony this year have pushed the ceremony out of primetime?

Rolling Stone reports today that since Madonna won't be performing at the 2008 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, Iggy & The Stooges have been enlisted to pay tribute to the Material Girl. Perhaps their performance will serve as a showcase for the 600+ members of the Rock Hall Voting Committee who have refused to vote in The Stooges so far. The Nominating Committee has put The Stooges on the final ballot a whopping six times, more than any other artist not in the Hall.

It also appears that Leonard Cohen won't be performing either; he's having Damien Rice play for him. Additionally, James Cotton will pay tribute to Little Walter, and Patti LaBelle will do the same for Gamble and Huff.

The only two inductees who are confirmed to perform at the ceremony are John Mellencamp and The Ventures.

Update: Joan Jett will be performing a tribute to the Dave Clark Five at Monday's ceremony.