KISS Denied Hall of Fame

What a freakin' joke!! These guys have been rocking this planet for 35 years, yet once again they're denied their rightful place in rock'n'roll immortality. We're talking about a band that has garnered more gold records than any other American band.

Look, I don't hold anything against this year's inductees (Across 110th Street by Bobby Womack-is a cool tune) and you really can't argue the success of Genesis or Iggy Pop or even Abba (although an argument can be made that they were disco and not rock'n'roll) but I most certainly hold the judges responsible. These would include Bob Ezrin, Yusuf (Cat Stevens), Oscar nominee Thavi Phrasavath, Anastasia Brown and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame President Terry Stewart. I doubt if Ezrin cast a "nay" vote against KISS, since he did produce three of their albums. Those being 1976's Destroyer, 1981's (albeit confusing and crappy) Music from The Elder and 1992's Revenge. You would figure them being inducted would also make him look good; perhaps even a bit proud of his own accomplishments.

Seriously, this is an outrage. How many contemporary artists have these guys influenced, from Garth Brooks to how many people are they still playing to? Recently they sold out a Quebec City concert that 90, 000 people attended. In Brazil, they recently played to another 60, 000. And the beauty of them is they don't discriminate. They'll play to huge crowds in open-air stadiums or to an intimate crowd of 5,000 as they did last summer in Windsor, Ontario. Another distinguishing characteristic of the band (besides their longevity and success) is their sincere appreciation of their fans. For over 30 years, they have made no secret that their success is entirely due to the support of their KISS Army world-wide. At every concert they have, Paul Stanley ensures that he lets the crowd know they're the reason for the band's success and how much they're appreciated. He once said when asked what he would say to bands that are striving for elusive success, "They can make it. Why not? We did. The only people that say you can't make it are the people that are unwilling to try, or that have tried once and failed. You have to want it."

It undoubtedly didn't do them any good by pretty much insulting the institution that is the Hall a few years back, but really, should that matter? Their accomplishments and fan-base world-wide should be painfully obvious to anyone with half a brain that they deserve the recognition.

What a travesty of justice.

Tiger Woods

WHO CARES??? That is all.