Committee Chairman

KISS will not play the RRHOF Ceremony

Feb 24, 2014

The drama with KISS and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame refuses to go away. Yesterday, the band released a statement on their website in regards to the Hall of Fame Ceremony:

“To All Our Fans in Regards To The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame:

Out of respect, Ace and Peter’s recent statements demand a quick response to you, our fans.

Our intention was to celebrate the entire history of KISS and give credit to all members including long tie present members Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer, and additionally Bruce Kulick and Eric Carr all who have made this band what it is, regardless of the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame’s point of view.

Although KISS has moved forward far longer without them, Ace and Peter are at the very foundation of what we have built and this would all be impossible had they not been a part of it in the beginning”

It has been over 13 years since the original lineup has played together in make-up and we believe the memory of those times would not be enhanced. Contrary to claims made through the media we have never refused to play with Ace and Peter.

We have spent 40 years dedicated to building KISS without quitting or wavering as the band has moved forward with huge tours and platinum albums through different important lineups for forty years, to this day.

KISS has always been a band unlike any other. That is why we started KISS. That is why we continue KISS. Being unlike other bands also means making choices and decisions unlike other bands.

This is understandably an emotional situation where there is no way to please everyone.

To bring this to a quick end, we have decided not to play in any lineup and we will focus our attention on celebrating our induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

We are excited and are looking forward to seeing you all on the KISS 40^th Anniversary worldwide tour.”

So there you have it. Our first thoughts are that it (and pardon the lack of a better word) sucks that the original four won’t be performing together again. Initially, there is a selfish feel to it, where the fans are denied what (and sorry to say this Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer) what they really want to see.

However, this is the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame we are talking about: an institution that has snubbed KISS for years and whose creator (Jann Wenner) openly dislikes and this induction was (as Paul Stanley suggested) a reaction to the harsh criticism of not just KISS fans but of Rock and Roll fans in general.

There is also something to admire about Gene and Paul’s desire to have the same accolade bestowed on the current members, who although had little to do with the glory years, actually have a longer tenure with the band (though what about Vinne Vincent? Ha!). Basically, they are looking out for their friends, which is a nice gesture, but one that hurts the very people who made them what they are today, both in terms of fans and former bandmates.

Ace Frehley says he won't play the RRHOF ceremony

Feb 23, 2014

Published in Not in Hall of Fame News

If KISS fans were hoping to see a reunion of the original four members on stage at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, it looks like they will be disappointed. In a previous article, we mentioned how Paul Stanley disclosed that his apathy towards the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has not changed. We focused on that portion of his words, but perhaps we should have taken more note of his comments about how the Hall has been inconsistent by not always inducting what he felt were key members of bands.

He cited how when the Canadian Progressive Rock band Rush was inducted that John Rutsey, who performed on the first album was not included and how Rob Trujillo who “did not play on the classic Metallica” albums was not included when the Heavy Metal act entered the Hall of Fame.

We didn’t think much of it at the time, but according to Ace Frehley, one of the band’s original members, Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley have elected to perform with current members Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer, both of which are not to be inducted (only the original four of Simmons, Stanley, Frehley and Peter Criss will be.)

Clearly Stanley was insinuating that Thayer and Singer should also be inducted. Tommy Thayer officially replaced Ace Frehley in 2002, but was associated with the band for years before. The same can be said of Eric Singer, who replaced Criss in 2004, but was in the band from 1992 to 1996. Stanley would state that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame would not even entertain the idea of inducting anyone other than the original band.

Initially all four members of the original lineup expressed an interest of performing together, but based on what Frehley has said, this does not appear to be happening. The news came from an interview that Ace did with New York City’s 104.3 radio station. Frehley wanted the news to get out as he did not want the fans of the popular band to think they would see a reunion on stage.

As for Frehley performing with the current band, he stated that there was no point if Thayer was up there doing the same thing. In fact, we are not sure that he will be there based on this statement:

“If I’m not gonna put on the makeup and do a three song reunion for the fans, then what am I gonna do? And right now I’m not even sure if I’m gonna show up for that, you know?”

Ace Frehley continued by saying that the fans are the ones who really losing, insinuating that they are being cheated out of what they really want to see as when asked why Simmons and Stanley wanted to go in that direction, he had this to say:

“I don’t know, and at this point, I don’t really give a shit. I don’t really care. It’s like, enough already. You don’t wanna do something for the fans after forty years of them supporting you?”

Whether Gene Simmons or Paul Stanley wants to admit it, the fans do want to see the original four in this capacity. This is no disrespect meant to Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer, but they were not part of the band’s zenith, and this partly is a slap in the face to the fans of KISS who lobbied so hard for the band to get inducted in the first place. As always even when bands are inducted, controversy and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will forever be married.

RIP: Nelson Frazier

Feb 19, 2014

Published in Not in Hall of Fame News

It was sad news that we learned of the passing of former WWE superstar, Nelson Frazier who passed away at the age of 43 due to a massive heart attack. Frazier had multiple personas in World Wrestling Entertainment, most recently as “Big Daddy V” in the ECW brand.

Frazier was known for his large size (his billed weight was over 500 pounds) and as such could always be used as a large man who could constantly be reinvented to keep him relevant in the world of wrestling. He would have many stints in the WWE and has a tenure in the largest professional wrestling organization in the United States that few can match.

Frazier debuted in the WWE in 1993 as Mabel, one half of Men on a Mission, a pair of positive African-Americans looking to make a difference from the ghetto. They would hold the WWF World Tag Team Championship for a week, winning and losing them back to the Quebecers (Jacques Rougeau and Pierre Oullette), but it was a heel turn that launched Mabel to his highest profile run.

Mabel would win the 1995 King of the Ring and compete in the main event at that year’s Summer Slam, in a World Wrestling Federation Heavyweight Title Shot against Diesel (Kevin Nash). He would spend the rest of the year feuding with the Undertaker, before leaving in early 1996.

He would return a few years later, with coloured contacts and a vinyl body suit as “Viscera”, a member of the Undertaker’s “Ministry”. Once that petered out, he would leave and return, though enjoy a rare face turn as Viscera; “The World’s Largest Love Machine”. It was entertaining watching the big man in his Hugh Hefner like pyjamas, but he would be repacked as “Big Daddy V” with his large frame and extensive tattoos exposed. He would stay with the WWE until 2010, but the big man would find success with All-Japan, and with the Asian Tag Team Titles there a couple of years ago.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to extend our condolences to the friends and family of Nelson Frazier at this time.

RIP: Bob Casale

Feb 19, 2014

Published in Not in Hall of Fame News

Today it was announced that Bob Casale, a founder of the influential band, Devo passed away today of heart failure at the age of 61. The Ohio based band was best known for their biggest hit, “Whip It”, which was a heavy staple on the early days of MTV. They did not have any other song that even approached that popularity, but their music charted new ground.

Devo, and the New Wave movement was in direct contrast to the traditional Blues Rock, and was a reaction to Punk Rock. The band’s name was short for De-Evolution, which was a commentary on the band’s view that the world was devolving as opposed to evolving. Devo embraced the visual medium in their work in their videos and embraced the concept of putting video to music long before MTV was ever conceived.

They received a warm response at their appearance at the Coachella Festival in 2010 and released their first album in nearly twenty years, and toured extensively after. The death of Casale marks the second passing of a Devo member in the past twelve months. Last June, drummer Alan Myers died of stomach cancer.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com offer our condolences to the friends and family of Bob Casale at this time.