Eddie and Roger, Eddie and Roger

My compatriot in overthinking popular culture, Mr. Dan Baxter, recently posed to me a question: Who can induct Eddie Vedder, of Pearl Jam, into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame?

I would first like to discuss my feelings on the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: It is an unfortunate by-product of exactly the kind of thing I'm into, which is rock history. This organization cannonizes certain acts while leaving others to be forgotten like Meddle. This is harmful to our understanding of rock history the same way that releasing Dark Side of the Moon right after Meddle was harmful to Pink Floyd. Meddle represented a dramatic breakthrough for the band experimentally, whereas the follow up, Dark Side, was their most hook-laden commercial effort. A movement becomes defined by a single work, rather than a progression of influences. REM was just inducted, representing an introspective movement in 80's rock which stood apart from the excesses of the arena. But what about The Replacements and The Smiths? They are eligible. And in another year will Dinosaur Jr. (arguably more influential, while less commercial, than REM) be nominated? I am concerned that more things will be forgotten than remembered because we are narrowing our focus.

But anyway, Eddie Vedder inducted REM into the hall of fame. This got Dan thinking of who will induct ol' Pearl Jam when their time comes. Who indeed... Who indeed!

The Who of course! Eddie Vedder is a well known obsessive over the music Pete Townsend composed and the lyrics Roger Daltry penned. Eddie once spent hours before a concert drinking red wine with Pete while going mad. He was found in his dressing room writing "I hope I die before I get old" in his own blood on the wall. Pearl Jam frequently covers Baba O'Reilly in concert. Furthermore, the bands are thematically linked, as they both represent a slightly harder version of their pop rock contemporaries. The Who rocked harder than The Beatles and The Stones and The Yardbirds and The Airplane (no one rocked harder than Zeppelin, however) while still maintaining a firm melodic center. Pearl Jam are their heirs.

Based on Keith Moon and John Entwhistle however, The Who do not have an especially good track record for longevity. Unlike say, Johnny Cash, who outlived his organs. I also suspect that bands are inducted not by elder statemen but by their younger peers. Which is why Kid Rock rather than Johnny Cash inducted Bob Seegar. Kid Rock, peer to Bob Seegar indeed. (As a side note here, I saw Kid Rock in concert my freshman year of high school and loved it.)

So, with all likelyhood, The Who will not be part of the induction of Pearl Jam. It'll probably be the drummer from The Killers or Justin Timberlake. But on that day in 2016, it oughta be The Who.