The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame—Stars Who Were Snubbed, and Stars Who Snubbed Back

It has been said that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame committee is anti-prog rock. The fact that the band Yes has not been inducted is exhibit A. Yes has been doing their thing in a big way for more than 40 years and show no signs of slowing down. Like the Moody Blues, Yes was making symphonic rock long before other bands thought it was a good idea. Is their lack of induction to the Hall due to the fact that so many of their songs are written in time signatures that resemble hat sizes—5⅞, 9¾—as Mark Hudson has jokingly remarked? We have no idea. But to paraphrase the Yes tune "I've Seen All Good People," it's time.

This one might take a little explaining, but give us a chance. Weird Al is a national treasure. Although he writes hilarious original tunes, he is primarily known for his brilliant song parodies. Whether he's poking fun at the song or artist ("Smells Like Nirvana"), or not ("Like a Surgeon"), Al holds his funhouse mirror up to pop music's dopey nature, keeping fans honest by pointing out how silly it all is. Most of the artists get it—Michael Jackson lent Yankovic the set from the "Bad" video so Al could use it for his parody version, "Fat"—so perhaps one day the folks at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will too. Yankovic is also a tremendously talented musician; playing the accordion ain't easy, folks. Bonus video—watch Weird Al perform "Come Together" with Steven Tyler and Alice Cooper in Hawaii. Yes, really.

How do you induct Van Halen into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame without the two guys the band is named for? Well, you just do. In 2007, original VH bassist Michael Anthony got the boot because guitar god Eddie wanted his son Wolfgang to take over, and David Lee Roth was about to come back as lead singer, replacing his replacement, Sammy Hagar. Oh, and Eddie was in rehab. As a Rolling Stone magazine article put it, "There was simply too much drama, and no member of the current Van Halen lineup showed up." Mr. Hagar and Mr. Anthony did, both of them thanking Eddie and showing a tremendous amount of class, especially when you consider the circumstances. Watch the whole video, it's worth it.

The Sex Pistols may have started out as part of a great rock 'n' roll swindle, but they proved their punk rock bona fides with a filthy letter they sent to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame when the judges had the nerve to vote them in. The hand-written missive from John Lydon, a.k.a. lead singer Johnny Rotten, is filled with bad grammar and bile. "Were [sic] not coming. Your [sic] not paying attention." Rock and Roll Hall of Fame cofounder Jann Wenner read Lydon's letter at the 2006 induction ceremony; the video is funny and not safe for work. Trust us.

When the Beatles were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988, Beatlemaniacs everywhere were hoping for a reunion of the three surviving members. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. Why? Because Paul McCartney was, in his words, still having "business differences" with the band, and he "would feel like a complete hypocrite waving and smiling with [Harrison and Starr] at a fake reunion," according to a statement issued by the Beatles bassist before the ceremony. While we would have preferred to see the surviving Beatles onstage, McCartney's absence did lead to entertainment of a different sort—a truly bizarre speech from the Beach Boys' Mike Love, where he took shots at Sir Paul and Diana Ross (also a no-show) and refers to himself in the third person, which is always a sure sign that the speaker is not the least bit weird.

For this one, we must give credit to radio personality and America's Got Talent judge Howard Stern. Howard has said more than once that the Moody Blues deserve to be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, a sentiment shared by commenters on the Hall's own website. They were one of the first rock bands to incorporate classical music into their sound, along with Frank Zappa and the Beatles. But guess what? The Moody Blues' breakthrough album, Days of Future Passed, which featured the hits "Nights in White Satin" and "Tuesday Afternoon," was released in 1967, the same year as the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. The latter record got a wee bit more attention, but the Moodys still deserve a spot in the Hall of Fame.

This one is proof that somebody at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has an agenda. No Kiss? Why not? Are they too commercial? Too much makeup? Not a big enough contribution to rock 'n' roll? None of those reasons make any sense. Maybe Ace Frehley refused to sign an autograph for somebody in the '70s. That's not a good reason either, but at least it would explain this inexplicable exclusion.

Joni Mitchell didn't show up for her 1997 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for a very unique reason—she was making up for lost time with her daughter, whom Mitchell gave up for adoption in 1965. You could call that a snub—if you don't have a sentimental bone in your body.

When the Grateful Dead were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994, most of the band showed up for the ceremony. Jerry Garcia demurred, because he "didn't care for the idea of rock & roll institutions," according to the Hall's official website. Well all righty then. The Dead performed anyway, appearing onstage with a cardboard cutout of Jerry.

Iron Maiden is kind of like Spinal Tap, except that they're a real band and never opened for a puppet show (as far as we know). Arguably one of the most important heavy metal acts in history, their influence can be heard on numerous rock records. If you want big, loud arena rock, Iron Maiden is an easy choice. For the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, not so much.

Like Chicago, there are probably people out there who only know Heart from their '80s ballads—"What About Love," "These Dreams." But the band, led by sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson, rocks as hard as anyone, if not harder. Check out "Barracuda," written in response to a disgusting ad placed by their record company that implied the sisters were a little closer than one might think. And how about Nancy Wilson's amazing guitar playing on "Crazy on You"? The Wilson sisters were the original female rock stars, unself-conscious about being women in a male-dominated industry, and making it to the top through pure talent. We're not saying the Hall of Fame is a boy's club... because Evelyn McDonnell at Salon said it for us.

When David Bowie was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996, he didn't show up—because he was on tour. So while it wasn't exactly a snub, he definitely wasn't there to be honored, which is a pretty cool rock star-type move. Madonna accepted on his behalf, saying that Bowie was the first rocker she saw live, and the super-talented artist "truly changed" her life.

Chicago is a tricky band to pin down. They've been around since 1967, had the nerve to release a double album as their first record (Chicago Transit Authority, the group's original name), and are still touring today. Some may know them only for their later ballads like "You're the Inspiration," but Chicago rocks. They made having a horn section in a rock 'n' roll band seem like a good idea. Check out "25 or 6 to 4," especially the late Terry Kath's guitar solo. Is that not Hall of Fame worthy?

Nirvana's breakthrough hit "Smells Like Teen Spirit" has been compared to Boston's classic "More Than a Feeling"; Nirvana shows that they agree in this clip. Beyond Boston's influence on Kurt Cobain's songwriting, they are a big-time '70s rock 'n' roll band that has remained a radio staple since their self-titled debut album was released in 1976. How popular is that record? Certified 17 times multiplatinum. And they're not in the Hall of Fame why?

This photo of Henry Rollins performing with Black Flag in 1984 doesn't adequately express the unbridled rage that the band poured into their albums and live shows. Check out this video of "My War." That's not marketable teenage angst, that's real anger, and no band has ever been so musically pissed off. As for the group's place in rock 'n' roll history, the BBC documentary The Seven Ages of Rock says that an early-'80s Black Flag performance inspired Kurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic, two guys who went on to form a little trio called Nirvana. That should be enough, don't you think? Here's a handy YouTube playlist featuring more Black Flag videos.