MK ULTRA

JUDAS PRIEST, MC5, MOTÖRHEAD, NINE INCH NAILS, SOUNDGARDEN, T.REX and THIN LIZZY are among the nominees for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame’s class of 2020. Also nominated are Notorious B.I.G., Whitney Houston, Pat Benatar, DAVE MATTHEWS BAND, DEPECHE MODE, THE DOOBIE BROTHERS, KRAFTWERK, RUFUS FEATURING CHAKA KHAN and Todd Rundgren. The top vote-getters will be announced in January and inducted May 2, 2020 at a ceremony at Cleveland’s Public Hall.

To be eligible for this year’s ballot, each nominee’s first single or album had to be released in 1994 or earlier.

A voter pool of more than 1,000 artists, historians, journalists and members of the music industry will select the new class. Fans will also have a chance to take part in the process by voting at RockHall.com or an interactive kiosk at the museum in Cleveland.

According to Rolling Stone, the Hall Of Fame has also announced the individual members of each band that will be inducted. Les Binks, K.K. Downing, Rob Halford, Ian Hill, Dave Holland, Glenn Tipton and Scott Travis are on the ballot for JUDAS PRIEST. Trent Reznor will accept the honor alone should NINE INCH NAILS get in. MOTÖRHEAD are represented by Ian “Lemmy” Kilmister, “Fast” Eddie Clarke and Phil “Philthy Animal” Taylor, while T.REX members Marc Bolan, Mickey Finn, Steve Currie, Bill Legend were selected and THIN LIZZY will be represented by Phil Lynott, Brian Downey, Eric Bell, Scott Gorham and Brian Robertson.

 
Even though artists are eligible for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame 25 years after the release of their first album or single, iconic hard rock and metal bands like IRON MAIDEN, JUDAS PRIEST and MOTÖRHEAD have yet to be recognized by the institution, which inducted GUNS N’ ROSES in that group’s first year of eligibility.

Having been eligible for induction since 1999, JUDAS PRIEST was on the ballot for last year’s class of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, but ultimately didn’t clinch the nomination.

Rock Hall rules state that artists become eligible a quarter century after their first records were released, but the Hall also claims that other “criteria include the influence and significance of the artists’ contributions to the development and perpetuation of rock ‘n’ roll,” which is, of course, open to interpretation.

Eligible for induction since 1999, KISS didn’t get its first nomination until 2009, and was finally inducted in 2014.

DEEP PURPLE was eligible for the Rock Hall since 1993 but didn’t get inducted until 2016.

Last year, PRIEST singer Rob Halford said that he believed his band will eventually be inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. He said: “Everybody has different opinions on this Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. It’s kind of a controversial issue for some musicians. And I think everybody in the band has a slightly different observation on it. But I think on the whole, it’s no different to the other institutions of the same experience in America, like the Basketball Hall Of Fame and the Football Hall Of Fame. If you are included in that kind of place, it’s something of an honor, because you’re surrounded by your peers, you’re surrounded by the people who enjoyed the same life and experience in that kind of endeavor. So if that does happen for JUDAS PRIEST, I think it will be a wonderful moment, because we’re a British heavy metal band and the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame is an American institution, but it still carries weight around the world. So we’ll wait and see. I think we will get in there eventually, hopefully.”

Former JUDAS PRIEST guitarist K.K. Downing, who left the band acrimoniously eight years ago, told BlastEcho in a 2016 interview that he “would be fine” with performing with his former bandmates at the Rock Hall induction ceremony if they were to ever receive the honor. Halford was also open to the idea of reuniting with Downing on the night, telling Billboard in 2017: “Everything’s on the table for anyone that’s been associated with PRIEST in and out of the band.”

With PEARL JAM and fellow Seattle icons NIRVANA both having been inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, it would only make sense that SOUNDGARDEN — who have been eligible since 2013 and were on that vaunted scene before either of those other bands — get recognized as well. But just a few weeks before his May 2017 death, SOUNDGARDEN singer Chris Cornell said it was not something he thought about all that much.

“To be honest, it doesn’t really make any difference to me,” he told Den Of Geek, although he himself inducted HEART and admitted he was “really proud” of bandmate Matt Cameron, who was inducted as a member of PEARL JAM. “I’m not trying to be negative about it. The one thing about inducting HEART was that I was actually really moved by their fans, and the fans were the people in the cheap seats that were screaming, and they were outside saying hi every time you’d come and go over the course of the two days. That was when it made sense to me, that it matters to the fans, and if it matters to the fans, then I think it matters. But they deserve ownership of it.”

Longtime MOTÖRHEAD drummer Mikkey Dee says it’s “pure wrong” that he and guitarist Phil Campbell are not listed on the ballot for the band’s nomination for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.

Campbell joined MOTÖRHEAD in 1984 and has appeared on 16 of the band’s studio albums, beginning with 1986’s “Orgasmatron” and ending with MOTÖRHEAD’s final release, “Bad Magic”. Dee joined MOTÖRHEAD in 1992 as the replacement for original drummer Phil “Philthy Animal” Taylor. He made his MOTÖRHEAD full-album recording debut on 1993’s “Bastards” and stayed in the group until mainman Lemmy’s untimely death in 2015.

Only Lemmy, Taylor and guitarist “Fast” Eddie Clarke are on the ballot for MOTÖRHEAD’s Rock Hall nomination.

“That is pure wrong, I would say, and I know Phil will be very disappointed, too,” Dee told Billboard about the duo’s exclusion. “We’ve been carrying the flag for 25 years together, and actually brought MOTÖRHEAD to what it was. We did 25 years out of the 40. The original band lasted just a few years. They started it off, but as Lemmy said himself they wouldn’t have lasted another six months doing that lineup. I don’t think we would’ve been where we are today without the 25 years we spent touring.”

 
Campbell hasn’t commented on his Hall Of Fame snub, but he recently told the “Scars And Guitars” podcast that many fans are unaware of his contributions to MOTÖRHEAD. “Some people, they don’t even bother to read the writing credits of the MOTÖRHEAD stuff,” he said. “They just think it’s Lemmy’s thing. That kind of pisses me off. A lot of people seem to think that way. A few times I’ve said to people, ‘Read the writing credits.’ … It was a proper band effort, we all worked hard with that band.”

Despite the Rock Hall omission, Dee told Billboard that he and Campbell will attend the induction ceremony to represent if MOTÖRHEAD makes it through. “Absolutely,” he declared. “I think that’s a must. Phil and me have to attend — and play there, of course. It would be a real honor.”

The top Rock Hall vote-getters will be announced in January and inducted May 2, 2020 at a ceremony at Cleveland’s Public Hall.

To be eligible for this year’s ballot, each nominee’s first single or album had to be released in 1994 or earlier.

A voter pool of more than 1,000 artists, historians, journalists and members of the music industry will select the new class. Fans will also have a chance to take part in the process by voting at RockHall.com or an interactive kiosk at the museum in Cleveland.

The former HANOI ROCKS frontman was asked to comment on the film in light of the fact that CRÜE frontman Vince Neil caused the tragic car accident in 1984 that killed his passenger, HANOI ROCKS drummer Nicholas “Razzle” Dingley.

Asked by “The Classic Metal Show” if he has seen “The Dirt”, Michael replied: “I haven’t seen the movie. I’m not interested at all. I haven’t read the book [that the movie is based on]. In general, I’ve never been interested in that band, musically or in any way. It’s really not my thing. I haven’t seen the movie and I have no intention of seeing it. I’m not interested.”

Monroe went on to say that the accident “certainly destroyed a lot of people’s lives. I’ve never blamed anybody — you can’t blame anybody for an accident — but a lot of people’s lives were shattered, “he said. “As well as the two teenagers who got paralyzed in the accident; I’ve heard that there was no mention of them either [in the film].

 
“It’s a depressing subject and it’s always like opening a can of worms,” Michael continued. “And I just don’t wanna get into all that. It’s just useless.

“But, yeah, my comment is no comment, really. [Laughs]”

Back in 2004, Monroe slammed MÖTLEY CRÜE for the band’s decision to title a box set “Music To Crash Your Car To”, calling the move beyond disrespectful and referring to the group’s bassist Nikki Sixx as “shallow,” “ignorant” and “stupid”. “The ‘Mostly Crude’ gotta be as dumb as they are to have done that,” he told Metal Sludge. “I’m not only talking about Razzle, but also for the other families involved in the accident… As we’ve previously stated: The most tasteless and murderous gimmick to cash in on the past we’ve ever heard of. There’s nothing ‘cool’ or ‘funny’ about death or winding up a paraplegic for life. How low can you go? I’d say this gave bad taste a bad name.”

Three years later, Monroe publicly apologized to Sixx, saying that his “unflattering comments” about the bassist were “really childish and stupid.” He explained: “I just took it a bit personally when they called their album at the time ‘Music to Crash Your Car To’. I thought it was inappropriate since it came across as if they were making fun of the accident, which I’m sure was not their intention.”

Neil’s drunk-driving death car crash happened back in December 1984 when he smashed his car into another vehicle in Redondo Beach, California, killing Razzle and seriously injuring two other occupants.

Vince was charged with vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence of alcohol. His blood alcohol level was 0.17, which was over the legal limit.

Neil served half of a 30-day jail sentence, received five years probation and had to pay $2.6 million in restitution, as well as perform 200 hours of community service.

In 2011, Monroe gave Sleaze Roxx his take on what happened that night: “There was an accident, and unfortunately our drummer was killed. As far as Vince Neil, I have nothing to say. It was an accident. What happened happened, and it can’t be changed. Everybody suffered from the whole thing.”

Tobias Forge has confirmed that the band’s next album will be more guitar-driven that last year’s “Prequelle”.

The 38-year-old Swedish musician spoke about GHOST’s upcoming disc in a brand new interview with 1428 Elm. He said: “I always say that each new album is like a reaction to each of the previous so since ‘Prequelle’ is not a hard rock or heavy, heavy metal album, the natural reaction to that will be to write something that isn’t — I don’t want to use the word ‘soft.’ It will be different from ‘Prequelle’, the same way ‘Prequelle’ was different from [2015’s] ‘Meliora’, etc. I’ll write a record that we don’t have yet, because otherwise what’s the point? But I definitely have an album in mind with slightly more riffage. [chuckles]”

Earlier in the year, Forge told Revolver that “Prequelle” was “a little ballad heavy” and its follow-up will lean more in the direction of “Meliora” without repeating the same ideas.

“I want it to feel different,” he said. “If I dare to say heavier, people think that it’s going to be MERCYFUL FATE all the way… but I definitely have a darker, heavier record in mind.”
Back in February, Forge told Billboard that he had already been working on music and lyrics for GHOST’s next album for “months.” But he recently revealed that he has only demoed one track in full so far. He told the “Talking Metal” podcast: “That song was based out of three ideas that I had. That’s usually what it takes for me to go into a studio and start hammering it out. I have maybe 50 to 60 ideas lying around, which means, that if I just invest two or three days on piling together three ideas a time. It’s almost mathematical.”

Forge said that he plans on entering the studio in his hometown of Stockholm in January and spending five months fine-tuning the material before beginning the recording process in June. “It’s actually back to quite normal working hours, Monday through Friday, 9 o’clock to 5 o’clock,” he said. He explained that he will use a studio close to home, because he wants to spend time with his wife and two kids.

As for the musicians that will be featured on the new GHOST disc, Forge said that none of the members of his live band will make an appearance.

“If I’m not going to ask everyone to do their part, then what’s the point?” he said. “I don’t want to segregate people. I don’t want to favor people. If I’m not asking everyone, then I don’t want to ask anyone.”

He explained that basically the band members have their own solo careers and are doing other things and he “wants to give them time away from GHOST.” He also said that he has musicians he wants to record with, including a favorite drummer that’s never toured with the band.

Forge founded GHOST more than a decade ago and has written almost all of the group’s music, while also performing for years in costume as first Papa Emeritus and now Cardinal Copia. His real name was a mystery for much of that time and still does not appear on GHOST LPs.

“Prequelle” debuted in June 2018 at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart.

Last month, GHOST kicked off a North American tour in support of the disc. The trek will wrap up on October 26 in Glens Falls, New York.