I recently came across Axl Rose’s open letter in which he explained his reasons for not attending the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony and not wanting his name and that of the band to accept the induction, which really made me wonder why a star of such magnitude would come to such a decision. And it turns out he is not the only one.
1. Axl Rose – Guns N’ Roses
– Back in 2012, Axl Rose explained in a public letter the reasons for which he would rather pass on the whole Hall of Fame business and I have to admit that his stand made a lot of sense. First, he explained that, although he was honored and excited about the nomination, he quickly realized that reuniting the original band on stage would be a rather awkward situation. He went on to say that they have spoken to fans, former members of the band and members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame board before reaching this decision. Here is a short quote from the letter, cited by ultimateclassicrock.com:
‘This decision is personal. This letter is to help clarify things from my and my camp’s perspective. Neither is meant to offend, attack or condemn. Though unfortunately I’m sure there will be those who take offense (God knows how long I’ll have to contend with the fallout), I certainly don’t intend to disappoint anyone, especially the fans, with this decision. Since the announcement of the nomination we’ve actively sought out a solution to what, with all things considered, appears to be a no win, at least for me, “damned if I do, damned if I don’t” scenario all the way around.’
2. Johnny Rotten and the Sex Pistols
– Perhaps the bluntest, most famous rejection was that of Johnny Rotten and the Sex Pistols. Not only did they not attend the ceremony back in 2006, but the vocalist went on to post this on their website: ‘Next to the Sex Pistols, rock and roll and that hall of fame is a piss stain. We’re not your monkeys, we’re not coming. You’re not paying attention’, said the quote on ultimateclassicrock.com. The artist made it clear that he disapproves of the financial motives of the nominations, as nominees would have to pay $15,000 to attend.
3. Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath
– Another “almost” refusal took place in 2006, when Ozzy Osbourne addressed the Hall’s board with a not-so-friendly letter that would make Axl’s look like a love letter. Ozzy simply asked to be left alone and suggested that the board should save their ink’, as the nominations are what he calls meaningless, as they do not come from the fans. However, Ozzy later had a change of heart for the sake of the band and ended up attending the ceremony with his band mates.