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Didn't we go over this last year? (And probably several years before that... I don't know. I'm a relative newb)
Sonic Youth DOES NOT belong in the Rest & Relaxation hall of fame. It's absurd to even suggest that they be measured, qualitatively, in the same manner as John Mellencamp and the fucking Eagles.
Now I'm glad Nirvana is getting a nod. That absolutely had to happen, because Nirvana was a pop culture phenomenon, and the time has come to acknowledge them as the closest thing the 1990's had to the Beatles. They belong because their story is part of American history, not only from an underground, or pop perspective, but from ANY perspective.
In a hundred years, Nirvana will be in university history books, right alongside OJ Simpson, Monica Lewinski, and Rodney King. As the Beatles are today.
Sonic Youth is entirely different. I'm sure someday, when Justin Bieber becomes eligible and the association grunts and starts looking for some names to fill the list, Sy will make it, but hopefully we'll all be dead by then.
There needs to be a counterculture "hall of fame." For Allen Ginsberg, Klaus Kinski, GG Allin, etc. Then there will be no reason not to include Sonic Youth in the first draft of the inaugural year. But do you really want Sonic Youth to be sitting between Red Hot Chili Peppers and Steely Dan in ducking Cleveland? Inducted by Eddie Vedder, (the guy who inducted U2) in his one public appearance of the year?
Pish posh.
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