Metallica's Hall of Fame inclusion - “Not entirely unexpected”

By Joe Shooman

The news that Metallica is to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is not entirely unexpected: there's a feeling that if you stick around long enough, your turn will come. To qualify, acts need to have had twenty-five years since the release of their first album (easy enough to measure), and an active part in the progression of Rock 'N' Roll (almost impossible to weigh up). It would be churlish to deny that Lars and the boys have been mighty influences on generation after generation of axeheads, and it would be simply wrong to state that their early work at the outset of what ended up being Thrash was without force and cultural power. None of that's in question and good luck to 'em. Whilst it's a great museum that covers the history of Rock 'N' Roll, the selection and voting process for the inductees has always been fundamentally flawed with a select committee – rather than fans – voting on which names to admit each year. This obviously begs questions of personal bias coming into play rather than an objective overview of actual impact – it's significant that Metallica are now in, but Iron Maiden as yet are not. The influence of NWOBHM (New Wave of British Heavy Metal) on 'tallica is well-documented, not least by the group themselves, and the giants of that era are long-overdue recognition.

None of which, of course, is Metallica's fault. They've come through some pretty dark times over the years, from losing Cliff to gaining Dr. Phil (ah but if only he could have played bass...), but stayed fit and strong and with the recent Death Magnetic found their essence again at last. So kudos to them, and if Jason Newsted performs with them on the night all the better for the fans. I suspect Mustaine likely won't turn up to cheer them on though – expect another Blondie-esque internecine hoo-haa on that score.

What goes around, comes around: there's possibly disingenuous noises being made which say that Metallica's next album will be released through the internet which given the fractious relationship between the band and the digital world is a massive irony. And irony really is what we're talking here.

What it does go to illustrate is that as ever with Rock 'N' Roll, illusion is as much a part of it as the reality. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is at best an unreliable indicator of one particular set of people's bias, and at worst a play thing for an incredibly small set of “influential” Rock people. The currency therefore of inclusion is simply a hollow, glitzy ceremony that does little to unearth true innovation and is constantly in danger of becoming a self-referential and self-aggrandising piece of inconsequential self-indulgence. I'm with the Sex Pistols on this one.