Posted December 19, 2007
By mwake

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Well, she sure isn’t Janis Joplin, is she? That was my initial reaction to Madonna’s election last week into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Hell, the former Ms. Ciccone isn’t even Debbie Harry, Sheryl Crow or Karen O. This is a dubious line in the sand for the shrine. Read anyone’s reprisal of what earned Madonna passage into rock immortality and they discuss everything except her music. Cone-shaped bras. Church-angering imagery. When music writers laud Madonna’s constant evolution they’re not talking about her songs, they’re talking about her wardrobe. Or what color she spray paints her boobs for a video. This is not to say non-guitar based music doesn’t belong in the Hall. It does. Bring on the Beastie Boys. Ditto Bjork. Michael Jackson, God bless him, is rightfully immortalized in Cleveland. All those artists have made significant contributions to the landscape of popular music. Their music was fantastic (at least at one time). Make no mistake; there is a difference between being a musician and being a cultural icon. Some acts fall into both categories (The Rolling Stones or Nirvana, for example). Madonna, however, only falls into the latter description. At least the Hall finally has an honoree who has been photographed getting it on with Vanilla Ice. (That montage was included in “Sex,” Madonna’s 1992 coffee table book/publicity stunt.)