RATT singer Stephen Pearcy has called out the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, claiming the institution has a bias against bands from the ‘80s.
“They don’t give a shit about us, the ’80s groups, at all,” the rocker declared during an interview with Detroit radio station WRIF (as transcribed by Blabbermouth). “The Hollywood scene; they don’t give a shit. You’re not gonna see Motley [Crue] up there anytime soon, or RATT. We were lucky enough to see Van Halen get it.”
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has routinely been criticized for who has – and has not – been inducted. Among the loudest complaints, that the institution ignores metal acts. To that end, Pearcy expressed his approval that Judas Priest finally got inducted in 2022.
“That was a milestone, having Judas Priest in it,” the RATT rocker explained. “[The election committee] had to break; they didn’t have a choice… They had to. I mean, it’s overwhelming. It’s, like, you’ve given everybody else this award.”
As for ‘80s groups, Pearcy predicts that the Hall will eventually have to honor more of the decade’s biggest bands – whether they like it or not.
“Inevitably, they have to throw us a bone,” the singer opined. “Our genre of music in the ’80s made billions of dollars for the music industry — billions. And what do we get for it? ‘Oh, it ain’t cool.’ ‘You’re not cheesy enough or cheeky enough’ or whatever the fuck. It’s, like fuck you! I have awards in my office that mean more to me than having a Grammy or something, because it’s from the hardcore fans, it’s from the heart.”
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame recently announced their 2023 inductees, with Rage Against the Machine, Kate Bush, Willie Nelson, Sheryl Crow and Missy Elliott leading the group. The 38th annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place on Nov. 3 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Top 100 ’80s Rock Albums
UCR takes a chronological look at the 100 best rock albums of the ’80s.
