In a recent interview with Billboard Brasil, Kerry King was asked when fans will see SLAYER get inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. The SLAYER guitarist responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “Pfft. Why don’t we see them there yet? [Laughs] I don’t know. We’ve never even been on the nomination list, so I don’t know what they’re waiting for. How many more decades do we have to play? Forty years isn’t enough, I guess. I don’t know. We’ll see.”
He continued: “I went to [the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame museum in Cleveland, Ohio] thinking I’d be there for, like, a half hour, and I didn’t go there until like 10, 15 years ago. It took me a while. And I’m, like, ‘Eh, I’ll go check it out for maybe like a half hour.’ I was in there for four hours, and there’s a lot of cool stuff in there.”
Circling back to the possibility of SLAYER one day being inducted into the Rock Hall, Kerry said: “Is it something that’s gonna make my career complete? Absolutely not. If my parents were alive, I would be stoked if we got in there so I can say, ‘Hey, mom, I’m in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.’ That would be cool.
“To me, if it happens, it happens, ’cause, obviously, the voting process and the election process is a little faulty. So we’ll see. And me here badmouthing it probably isn’t helping my situation. [Laughs]
“If we ever got nominated and the fans elected us to be in, it would be honorable, for sure, just to say these kids from Los Angeles got together and ripped the world a new fucking asshole,” he added.
When the interviewer noted that SLAYER “changed heavy metal music forever”, Kerry said: “Yeah, we were part of it, for sure. There was a movement of a lot of bands, ironically at the same time, that came out and then put thrash on the map.”
King previously addressed the likelihood of SLAYER being inducted into the Rock Hall during a 2015 interview with VH1.com. He stated at the time: “I went there [Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame And Museum] last year, and I was surprisingly amazed. It was awesome… I thought I’d be there for, like, 40 minutes. I spent three and a half hours. The stuff in there is amazing. It’s way cooler than I ever imagined it would have been. It is really cool.”
He continued: “I’m not making a ploy to get in, but it makes me think, ‘Man, I hope they call my name one of these days.’ I think it took them a long time to get METALLICA in there. But METALLICA basically opens door for us, because when you think of metal who do you think of next from that generation? Of course there’s [BLACK] SABBATH, [JUDAS] PRIEST and [IRON] MAIDEN, without question. But for the ‘Big Four,’ you think METALLICA… We’ve always been number two on the ‘Big Four’ shows. So come on, Rock Hall, give us that call! We’re ready! I’ll donate some change or something. [Laughs]”
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 and MOTÖRHEAD have yet to be recognized by the institution, which inducted GUNS N’ ROSES in that group’s first year of eligibility.
The Rock Hall didn’t induct BLACK SABBATH until 2006, and METALLICA followed three years later.
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.
Having been eligible for induction since 1999, JUDAS PRIEST was finally inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2022. PRIEST received the Musical Excellence Award — originally titled the “Sidemen” category when it debuted — which is given to artists, musicians, songwriters and producers whose originality and influence creating music have had a dramatic impact on music.
Asked about the fact that MOTÖRHEAD‘s Lemmy (born Ian Fraser Kilmister) and Ronnie James Dio had not yet been inducted into the Rock Hall, King told Loudwire in a 2017 interview: “It’s kind of like Ken Stabler not going to the NFL Hall Of Fame. They waited till he died, when he can’t enjoy it, and that’s a super bummer. Dio is one of my top two singers of all time, and he was a good friend and a good dude. Lemmy, the career speaks for itself.
“The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, it’s weird. It’s private. It’s privately owned, so people from the music industry don’t vote. I don’t actually know how it works. I’ve been there and it’s very cool, I’ve gotta tell you that. I went there, like two, three years ago, and I expected to hang out for, like, an hour, and I was there for, like, three hours. It was very cool. If you ever get around Cleveland, check it out. But that being said, I still don’t understand the process. But yes, [Lemmy and Ronnie James Dio] motherfucking should be in the Hall Of Fame.”
Source: blabbermouth.net
