After Hole frontwoman Courtney Love called for more representation within the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, another one of rock’s leading ladies joined in the criticism of the prestigious Hall.
Videos by American Songwriter
The Pretenders’ lead vocalist, Chrissie Hynde, took to social media, writing in a Facebook post that she’d rather not be associated with the institution that inducted her and her band in 2005.
“If anyone wants my position in the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame they are welcome to it,” she wrote. “I don’t even wanna be associated with it. It’s just more establishment backslapping. I got in a band so I didn’t have to be part of all that.”
She went on to explain she was living happily in Brazil’s capital, Rio de Janeiro when she received the call about the induction. “My heart sank,” she continued, “because I knew I’d have to go back for it as it would be too much of a kick in the teeth to my parents if I didn’t. I’d upset them enough by then, so it was one of those things that would bail me out from years of disappointing them. ( like moving out of the USA and being arrested at PETA protests and my general personality ).”
She explained other than Neil Young’s participation, “the whole thing was, and is total bollocks … It’s absolutely nothing to do with rock ‘n’ roll and anyone who thinks it is is a fool.”
Love sparked the age-old conversation earlier this month when she took to social media to speak out about inclusion in the long thought of “boys club.” Calling for more female acts to be inducted into the Hall, the singer retweeted the words of journalist Jessica Hopper.
In response to the article “Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame celebrates women who rock,” Hopper tweeted, “Do they tho? 719 inductees to the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame, only 61 are women. That’s 8.48 per cent. C’mon @rockhall, it’s FUCKING GRIM BRO when yr doing worse than women-artists-on-country radio numbers (10 per cent) and women headliners at major music festivals (13 per cent).”
“@jesshopp DOES THE MATH!” Love wrote in response. “37 years in existence & women make up 8.48 per cent of inductees out of 719.”
Love then shared a screenshot of a text to Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl regarding his own induction into the club, telling him he should “hold the seats of Tina Turner and Carole King, both who have been eligible for over 30! years each.”
Photo by Nicky J Sims/Getty Images
