Axl Rose booed at Rock Hall of Fame

Frontman of 1990s band Guns N’ Roses refused to be honoured by the Cleveland-based Rock Hall.


Reuters April 16, 2012

CLEVELAND:


A range of musicians from rockers Guns N’ Roses to R&B legends Smokey Robinson and the Miracles were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Saturday.


Axl Rose, frontman of 1990s band Guns N’ Roses, earlier this week refused to be honoured by the Cleveland-based Rock Hall after years of bitter feuding with his former Appetite for Destruction bandmates and his name earned catcalls from the crowd when it was mentioned.

Boos rang out from some of the 6,000 in attendance early in the evening when Billie Joe Armstrong, lead singer of Green Day, asked the crowd “who was missing” as members of Guns N’ Roses were up on stage accepting their award. “Most singers are crazy. I can vouch for that,” Armstrong told the audience. He praised Rose: “He is one of the best frontmen to ever touch a microphone.” Then added: “Sometimes you have to look back at chapters of your life to move forward.”

Rose was the first artist to publicly snub the honour since surviving members of punk rockers the Sex Pistols, inducted in 2006, refused to attend the ceremony.

Two other notable absences were Rod Stewart, inducted Saturday with other band members from the Faces/Small Faces and the Beastie Boys’ member Adam Yauch, who was diagnosed with cancer in 2009 and couldn’t accept his award with band members. Stewart, previously inducted as a solo performer, couldn’t attend because he was ill with the flu and had to stay away under doctor orders.

The Rock Hall, which has been criticised in the past for inducting lead performers over the iconic groups they led, appointed a committee to choose six additional overlooked groups this year. Those groups included The Miracles led by Smokey Robinson, The Crickets, backing band to Buddy Holly, Bill Haley’s The Midnighters, Gene Vincent’s the Blue Caps and the back-up band for James Brown, the Famous Flames.

The artists and bands inducted at the ceremony were chosen by 600 music industry professionals. Inductees are represented in a permanent exhibit at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 17th, 2012.

COMMENTS (1)

Amasch Qadri | 11 years ago | Reply

You should also mention the fact that fans have highly appreciated Rose's decision of not attending the function. A legendary lead singer like Axl needs no honor to engrave his name in history. He already has done it all, and probably it is too late for them induct him.

Besides, that's the attitude of a rockstar. No awards, no honor - just some guitar smashing, rhythm bashing, and head scratching is what makes them go. Proud of Axl for doing something like this!

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