20th Annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

by Hugh Ochoa
photographs by Hugh Ochoa and Sean North

The Waldorf Astoria, a glamorous and extravagant hotel in Manhattan's ritzy Park Avenue district, is the host to the ceremony that bestows one of highest honors that can be paid to any rock 'n' roll artist: induction into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame. All the stops are pulled out for the event. A red carpet reception greets the numerous inductees, inductors, and music and film celebrities. Among some observed entering were B.B. King, Jon Bon Jovi, and Richard Gere, setting the mood for the black tie gala event that was about to unfold.

Guests, celebrities, and press were ushered through the giant revolving doors into a corridor made of velvet rope that held back audience, fans, and hotel guests that eagerly waited to catch a glimpse of a famous face in the crowd.

The royal treatment never wavered. The hotel staff brought out tray after tray and platter after platter of food that quickly filled a 40 foot long buffet spread in a huge room with 30 foot ceilings adorned with ornate plaster sculptures covered in gold leaf and enormous intricately crafted glass chandeliers.

Mick Fleetwood and Stevie Nicks

The press room was behind the stage of the ceremony ballroom, and it was to this room the inductees and inductors were brought after an induction for photos and interviews. It was a pleasant surprise when Stevie Nicks and Mick Fleetwood arrived and agreed to a Q&A session and photo op in the press room.

When Nicks was asked about her up-coming "Vegas Tour" she replied, "Well, it's not really a tour, it's just four days. I am looking forward to it, because it's a chance to play and do something where you don't really have to travel. So for me, as an almost 57-year-old woman, this looks very good, because it means you can put all of your energy into the show as opposed to traveling all over the United States. So it would be a nice thing for me to be able to do till I'm a very old little old lady."

"Where are you doing the shows?" Nicks was asked.

"I think Caesar's. I'm not a gambler so I'm not really familiar with all that."

When queried about her participation in the movie "School Of Rock" she replied, "Well I have to tell you, I actually watched that with a 15-year-old who didn't know I was in it and I didn't mention that. And it was so trippy and so much fun because though I'd seen it once it was wonderful to see it with someone that young. I felt very honored to have been the only woman actually mentioned in that movie. So for me, I have to say, you know, it was the neatest thing ever to happen to me."

Mick Fleetwood stated in regards to the band, "The future of Fleetwood Mac...uhh..."

"We're resting." Nicks helps out.

"We're resting." Fleetwood concurs. "We had a long recording period and then went out and did the better part of 2 years work all over the world. So having a hiatus..."

"135 shows" Nicks interjects.

"...but there's always a Fleetwood Mac story somewhere," continues Fleetwood. "But I'm enjoying being at home to tell you the truth." [laughs]

Nicks adds, "I think, you know, what happened is that we started "Say You Will", in uh...I started with everybody on February 2, 2002 ,and then it took over a year to record and then 3 months of rehearsal and then 135 shows in a year-and-a-half of touring so we're just resting right now because we feel that, as all wonderful things go, you come out, and you know, you make a big show of it, and then you go away for a little bit, and rest, so that when you come back, it's all wonderful again".

When asked if there was any chance of Christie ever coming back to perform with FM again, Mick replied in a very slow and solemn tone, "I think very, very slim next to nothing, so I will say, 'No'. Ah, but we miss her."

Nicks added when asked if they were going to perform or be on stage or if they are just fans, "We're just here to watch, because we both feel that being in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame is our greatest honor and if we can possibly be here for whoever is being inducted, then we will be here. Cause it's important and it's our club and it's very very special."

Mick adds, "I'm overjoyed Mr. Buddy Guy is being inducted tonight. It's just great to see a gentle man being inducted and I think Eric is gonna play with him, so I'm thrilled. A blues man at heart I am. So there you go."

Finally, when asked about the most gratifying part of the band, Nicks concludes, "Well, the most gratifying part is to be a member of a band, especially a band that is as good, I think, as my band is probably the best thing that I've ever done in my whole life. Fleetwood Mac is the thing that I am most proud of, and I think that this man would agree that it's something that we love really deeply and it's wonderful that everybody loves it too, but for us, it's like the most...it's like our life, you know. It's been our life since 1975 and for Mick even way before, when Fleetwod Mac was first formed. So it's a long, incredible special, yellow brick road."

Shortly after, the chairman and vice chairman of the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame are introduced: Ahmet M. Ertegun and Jann S. Wenner.

Ertegun: "It's been 22 years since Suzan Evans walked into my office with a group of people asking me to form the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. I chased them out of my office." The audience laughs. "But I eventually relented and tonight, is our 20th induction ceremony." The audience applauds..

After a long, detailed speech in which he explains the history of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, he hands the podium over to Mr. Wenner who also wanted to express his gratitude to those who've helped make the Hall of Fame such a remarkable success.

Frank Barsalona

"Little Stevie" Van Zandt soon followed dressed as his "Silvio Dante" character from the TV show The Sopranos, flanked by James Gandolfini and Steve Schirripa, in character as Tony Soprano and Bobby Bacala Baccalieri. Van Zandt is here to induct legendary band promoter Frank Barsalona.

He starts out with a friendly roast. "Who else is here? What are they calling you now "Jon" [pronounced with a soft "J" - referring to Jon Landau]. Back in San Francisco, Barsalona's name was 'Johnny Policy' alright? He worked the midnight shift at the Fisherman's Wharf breaking kneecaps." He goes on, "Let me just tell you one thing 'Jon', without Frank Barsalona, you know who you'd have on the cover of the Rolling Stone? You'd have Brittney Spears on the cover of that magazine."

He is quickly corrected by his "associates" via a subtle whisper in the ear, "She was on the cover? Three times? Alright, alright, let's get down to business. Marona mi."

"Back in the early '60s there was no rock 'n' roll business," Van Zandt begins. He goes on to paint a portrait of Frank as a mobster or crime boss. A boss that cleaned up the organization or rock 'n' roll and stabilized it. "Against the family's recommendation, he opens the first rock 'n' roll agency called Premier Talent. He divides the country up into territories. Sounds familiar doesn't it...and divides it up to these hungry new guys: Larry Maggot in Philly, Jack Boller in Washington, Don Law up in Boston, you know Bill Graham over there in Frisco, the Belkers in Cleveland, and Ronnie Desner here in New York. In other words, he threw out all the old thieves and replaced them with a bunch of new young thieves. But all seriousness aside...."

Van Zandt goes on to mention bands like The Beatles, The Who, The Jeff Beck Group, Led Zeppelin, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, The Ramones, the Clash, The Pretenders, U2, Van Halen as bands that fell under Barsalona's vision of bands that "...gotta be great live first."

In his speech, Frank Barsalona states, "I am here representing Premier Talent, and that means honoring every act that we've ever represented throughout all the years." He concludes with the usual thanks to his friends, family and associates.

In the press room, Van Zandt adds, "I remember Frank saying, very clearly, when MTV started, 'It's the beginning of the end.' And he was so right. Even though it was a quicker way to sell records, it burned people out quicker, and all the sudden, rock 'n' roll was not under your own control any more. It was in the hands of directors and producers. You know, it's not as important these days but that's why there are very few people playing live and being successful. When our generation goes, there's nobody coming up behind us, unfortunately, you know. I mean we used to stand in line to play the Garden in the '80s. Now there aren't 5 bands that can play an arena."

After fielding a few more questions, an overwhelmed and emotional Frank Barsalona whispers to Van Zandt, "Let me just go and sit down now."

Seymour Stein

Ahmet Ertegun announces "The next person we are inducting is Seymour Stein." and jokes about how Stein "...earned a reputation by being able to fix the Billboard charts."

To induct Sire Records founder Seymour Stein, Ice T takes the podium while "There Goes the Neighborhood" plays through the loud speakers.

"When they called me up and they said they would like me to come and do this for Seymour, there is actually nothing I wouldn't do for Seymour," Ice T begins.

"You gotta start off like this. When you're a musician and you've never had a record deal, basically, you're on the street. You just have a hope and a dream. I was introduced to Seymour Stein. My friend said, 'Seymour Stein likes your record'. I'm like, 'Who is Seymour Stein?' They're like, 'He signed Madonna.' I'm like, 'Oh that's who Seymour Stein is.' Right?"

"So we went up into his office." he continues, "Me and my partner Afrika Islam, we're straight hood. We walked in there, Seymour started playing up calypso music and dancing around. Then he looked at me and said 'Ice T., you have the most incredible eyes.' "

"I said, 'Oh, shit!' "

"Now, I'm "hood", I'm like, 'Alright, what is...this is the music business... maybe I'm...I mean, I was...What's happening?'" Ice stutters.

"But then he said 'Do you understand the calypso music?' I'm like, 'Not really.' "

"He said, 'They're singing about the issues and the problems going on in Trinidad and places like that.'"

"And I said, 'Mmm, hmmm.' "

"Then he said, 'Just because you don't understand it, doesn't mean it doesn't have any validity. It just means you don't understand it! In the same way that I may not understand every word that comes out of your mouth. It doesn't make it invalid, it just means that I don't understand it.' He Says, 'I know you're saying something Ice, you sound to me like Bob Dylan.' "

"I knew who Bob Dylan was, and I was like 'Well this is a great honor, you compare me to Bob Dylan'. I start to relax a little more in the chair."

"When we went to make the record he just said 'Ice, make the record.' Right then I was like 'Well that's one of the true traits of intelligence, it's knowing what you don't know.' "

"We went on to make a lot of records and a lot of trouble. I never had a phone call from Seymour. Nobody ever called me. I could turn in a record that just was, I don't know, 'burn down the city'. Seymour's like, 'Great, go for it Ice.'"

"Because see, right now, we're in a world where artists are taught and trained to say nothing! Get on TV and say nothing! Absolutely nothing."

The audience concurs with a round of applause.

"Seymour was looking for somebody that had something to say. When you take The Mighty Lemon Drops, the Ramones, Madonna, you take the Talking Heads, Depeche Mode, Ministry, Ice T. and you put them together, it doesn't seem like they go together but they do, they all had an edge."

"That's what Seymour was into. From my understanding, you know, this is not the 'Pop' Hall Of Fame, this is the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. And for me, what I heard is 'Somebody's got to get rocked and somebody's got to roll'. So making trouble is part of rock 'n' roll. I mean, am I wrong? I mean, ya'll in your suits tonight, but if you're all real rock 'n' roll people, it ain't rock 'n' roll unless you throw the TV out the motel room window. I mean, what is really going on here?"

"Seymour Stein is a real rock 'n' roll cat," Ice continues. "And he gave us the freedom to create, really help start a genre. I was the first West Coast rapper ever signed to a major label. The first 'gangsta' rapper and it was not soft. When we turned that record in, everybody died on that record."

"Seymour, he did say 'Ice. I don't...I don't know, Ice.' "

"I said, 'Maybe that tension you feel is money.' He hung the phone up and we've been friends ever since."

"The reason I'm here for Seymour is back to the beginning. When you start off as an artist, you are on the street. And Seymour, with help from Howie Klein and Shirley Divers, rest in peace, from Sire, took a cat out of the street. And I was a no good cat. I mean, basically, not only changed my life, but for all practical purposes saved my life. Cause if this music hadn't opened up for me, I damn sure wouldn't be playing a cop on Law and mother-fucking Order right now, I'll tell you that."

"I am very proud and honored to induct, my mother-fucking nigger, Seymour Stein!"

A ruddy-faced Stein takes the stage singing a Jewish bar mitzvah song..."Why not sing my Haftorah? Why not?"

Stein goes on and informs the audience about his upbringing and musical background and how he got into the music. The highlight of his speech was "I want to thank my daughters Samantha and Mandy for giving up their father for so long but never giving up on their father."

He concludes "Rock 'n' roll keeps me young in spirit, and my passion for music is the same as it was when I was 13."

The O'Jays

The O'Jays take the stage and do a medley of the some of their most popular hits, including "For The Love Of Money" and "Love Train".

To induct them, Justin Timberlake walks on stage to some kind of disco music and says "Turn that racket off! It's terrible."

He follows with: "I was gonna come out and say a speech, I mean, what do you say after that? Right? But I'll uh, I'll make an attempt."

" 'They smile in your face, all the time they wanna take your place, the back stabbers. For the love of money, people will steal from their mother. For the love of money, people will rob their own brother. People all over the world, join hands and start a love train.' "

"I'm here tonight because anyone who has ever written, produced, or performed anything soulful, stands in the shadows of true giants like these monuments of the Philadelphia International Sound. I'm talking about, that's right, I'm talking about some remarkable men who took the whole world on that love train and are still obviously working with all the right moves. I'm talking about the one, the only, the O'Jays."

Timberlake then goes on to elaborate on the O'Jays' long and hard working career. He pleads to the crowd, "Ladies and gentlemen, as we induct this legendary group into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, we are honored to smile on their face, and and we all know damn well nobody will ever take their place. Get your butts out of your seats one more time for the O'Jays. Also, accepting for the late great William Powell, Miss Kacey and Tracey Powell, his daughters."

Walter Williams speaks for the band, "After 44 years in this extremely mean business, finally, we're here. And it's in order to thank God. It's been a terrific journey and I wouldn't take anything for it."

Another band member steps up and remarks "Well, How's everybody? This is the shit ya'll, you know this right? Listen. I'd like to thank all the people who have been put in here before we got to even be in the same breath with people like B.B. King, with people like, you know, people like U2, the Beatles. This is a great honor. Hey look, you're with the best. Hey now I'm one of them. Thank you very much."

In the press room, the O'Jays fielded a few questions from reporters.

One reporter asks about how the multitude of Gamble and Huff songs were divided by the groups that were working with them, like Harold and the Blue Notes and the Intruders for example, and if there was ever any fighting for the best songs, to which they replied, "Yeah, because as soon as we started demanding more money, then Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes started getting all the best songs. [Laughs] I wouldn't lie to you. It got to the place where we became more album sellers than we were people who sell singles. We would sell albums right out the box. They'd probably do gold. The more they played them, they'd become platinum. And consequently, what they had to do, they start giving the better songs to people like Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes because we didn't really require them because we had such a fan base that we were selling records automatically. Once me and Walter put our voices on it, it was like it became something special."

The O'Jays are compared to inductor Justin Timberlake in regards to how they both reached a peak but at different stages of their career and asked how they felt about the current state of the music business, to which they replied, "We still love it. We just think that radio is really the big problem now. If radio would play our records that we're doing now, we would still be on the charts. You understand, I think it's what they call "age-ism". [Laughs]. I think it's a way to say that hip hop and R&B radio have become very racist as far as playing people of age."

Another reporter asks about when Chuck Barksdale of The Dells mentioned a group of people that need to be inducted and that the O'Jays were on that list, so in a way they could have influenced the induction. And if they would want to give a recommendation of who should be inducted next.

"Well see, it would be a very long list, man. Here we gotta talk about people like The Manhattans, people like The Whispers, people like Little Anthony and the Imperials, I think that they deserve to be in here. People like the Delfonics. You have to remember, these people have affected generations of people. They say 'Well your peers are the ones who vote you in here.' Look, for three years we were trying to get into this Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, and for three years we never got in. And I used to sit back and wonder, 'Well what the hell did I do to my peers?' I only try to be good, that's all I try to be, you know what I'm saying? So I think that, whatever criteria they're using to get these people in there, they need to take a good look at all the people that are in this business that need a break."

Another band member interjects "And although we appreciate what Chuck Clarksdale did, I think it had very little to do with us being inducted. I'd also like to say that a lot of other people such as the Dells that were inducted, even Buddy Guy, and people like that, there was no Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame when we started out in the '50s. It was unheard of. There are a lot of people that deserve to be in the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame because they were the pioneers and the pathfinders for the music that people copied years later that are in the Hall Of Fame.

Percy Sledge

After a film montage about Percy Sledge featuring his hit, "When A Man Loves Woman", Rod Stewart takes the stage to induct "The Golden Voice of Soul".

"Well I'll be," Stewart begins. "I can't imagine what I could say to tell you anything more about the great Percy Sledge other than what you've just seen. 'When A Man Loves A Woman' is one of the best performances I've ever heard and I'm sure you've ever heard. And he sings that song with great gusto."

Stewart continues, "Is anything possible when that man sings? It certainly is. I'm humbled and honored to have the great pleasure to induct the amazing Percy Sledge into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Flame."

"Flame? What the fuck am I talking about?", he slurs. "Percy come up here mate. He's wearing a great suit, Percy Sledge."

And as the music in the background starts, an emotional and still in disbelief Percy Sledge, walks up saying, "Unbelievable, unbelievable. You know, a little guy... born in a little town... called Layton, Alabama...way back in the year 1940. Ten years old singing my songs in the fields, picking and chopping cotton. And my boss man tells me one day, he says 'Perc'...that voice that you're using now, coming out of your throat, the whole world is gonna hear it one day.'" The audience feels his emotion and responds with applause as he gathers his composure a bit with a slight chuckle.

"I never in my life," he resumes, "thought that I could go so far from that one sentence coming from Mr. Bill McConnelly from Layton, Alabama. But I thank God, and I thank all of you and all of the fans of the world for being so wonderful and loving me and loving my songs and my work. God knows that I sung my songs so deeply from my heart from the love that I could give to you and now, look at me today." His voice quivers a bit.

"With some of the most greatest people, I hang my picture next to them. Like the OJs, Rod Stewart, and so many, many great singers. All, all because of you, and the love that I had to put out and to show how I felt about you and you paid me with one of the most greatest awards that any entertainer in the world could ever receive."

"I'd like to thank all of Muscle Shoals, Alabama for taking a little country boy with a voice and sending him on his way," he mentions along with a number of other thanks yous.

"And the most important person in my life", he continues. "I'll never forget the first time I met her, she grabbed me by the ear. 'Now you belongs to me'. For this my lovely wife, Mrs. Rosa Sledge. Sitting somewhere out here. And I wanna say thanks to the Hall of Fame for thinking about ole Perc' and not forgetting about me."

The audience applauds as Paul Shaffer announces "The great Percy Sledge" to the performance stage as the few few notes of "When A Man Loves A Woman".
Percy Sledge delivers a heart-felt rendition and modifies the words to add his wife's name, "Yes I love you my Rosa..." as the band breaks down to a soft intimate lull.

In the press room, Percy is asked,"Percy, 'When a Man Loves a Woman' is such a standard. Everybody does it. Have you ever heard any really bad version of it?"

He bursts into laughter. "No I haven't. Just about everybody from Africa to Europe to America has done great work on the song. Whenever anybody sings Percy Sledge's songs, any song, not only 'When a Man Loves a Woman', and they sing it from their heart, from the way they feel themselves, then they should have a good time with it. Because my stories are so, so nice."

When asked if Lewis and Wright wrote most or any of 'When a Man Loves a Woman', he replied "No, it really came from me. But Lewis and Wright helped me get the melody as far as the bass and keyboards. But the song came from me. It was called 'Why Did You Leave Me Baby'. I just made it up on stage. I changed the lyrics to 'When A Man Loves A Woman.' but it still has the same meaning."

When someone inquired about the royalty distribution as far as the writing credit, he replied, "Well I get a little change, you know, but I mostly gave it all to Lewis and Wright."

Buddy Guy

B.B. King. One would think that with age, ongoing health issues, and just the fact that he has been doing it for the past 60 or so years, he might consider retiring, but the opposite is the fact of the matter. The thrill is not gone for him. With no reduction in actual number of performance dates, which averages about 250 a year, a chair is all he needs.

Considering his preeminent position as the "king" of blues of performers, one might anticipate a royal demeanor from B.B. King, but such is not the case as he begins his Buddy Guy induction remarks: Good evening ladies and gentleman. They usually reserve the place for the oldest and the ugliest to speak first."

Fellow Rock And Roll Hall Fame member Eric Clapton jokingly concurs, "Go ahead" as the crowd laughs.

"I don't have a prepared statement about George Guy, oh yeah, "Buddy" Guy, excuse me. Buddy Guy has been a friend for a long, long time. He's been an inspiration to many many people including myself. I never was as handsome as he is. And I think Lucille liked him better." [More laughter from the crowd].

"Anyway, I'd like to say, to have known him as many years as I have, I should say, I don't want to say how long because I hope to get married again one day...ladies shouldn't know old I really am - then I won't make it. But I've known him a long time.

"When I first met Buddy Guy, I met him with who I call the Godfather of the blues. And you blues lovers should remember the great Muddy Waters. But I'll say this and move over for the handsome one [referring to Eric Clapton]. Um...when it comes to being a great person, Buddy Guy's that. When it comes to being a great guitarist, Buddy Guy's that. He's a good friend. And he's been a friend to most of us.

"I didn't have a prepared statement, as I said, to read. But I think my friend here [referring to Eric Clapton], and I'd like to say this where you can hear me, the number one rock 'n' roll guitarist today is my friend right behind me, the handsome one. And he play blues better than me and most of the others. But I think that Buddy Guy is very close second to him. ...my friend... [introducing Eric Clapton]"

"B.B. King." Eric Clapton acknowledges B. B. King then continues...

"It's a great honor and a privilege to be able to induct this distinguished gentleman [referring to Buddy Guy] into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. A man that means so much to me personally and who as a musician has given so much to us all. It also provides me with the perfect opportunity to say thank you for all the inspiration he's given me over the years. His style of playing and singing and his love and concern for the welfare of the blues has been a great example for me and countless others who have had the good fortune to share this road."

Clapton elaborates on how, as a young musician, he discovered the music of Buddy Guy and and how Guy inspired him to follow his dreams as a blues musician and how he related to Guy because of the fact that Guy was a young player in a field dominated by the old masters.

He talks about the first time Guy played in England in 1965 at the Marquee club, "In the flesh he was earth shattering. His style, on every level, was fantastic, doing all the things we would later come to associate with Jimi Hendrix - playing with his teeth, his feet, and behind his head, he brought the house crashing down."

"But beyond all that," Clapton continues. "it was his actual playing that got through to me. With only a drummer and a bass player behind him, he gave a thundering performance, delivering the blues with finesse and passion in a way that I'd never heard before. And incidentally, he got me thinking that a trio was a pretty good line-up for a band." A slight laugh stirs in the audience for those who get the joke.

"All in all, everything about that night was deeply profound for me, the blues was clearly alive and well. And it looked good, too. For as well as being the real thing, musically, Buddy was a star. His suit, his hair, his moves, his sunburst Strat, everything was sharp and perfect. He was for me, what Elvis was for most other people. My course was set and he was my pilot."

Clapton concludes with, "For that I thank you Buddy Guy, and I welcome you to the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame."

Buddy walks on stage with an old, lo-fi sounding blues song playing in the background that gives the impression that one is listening to an old Chess recording through a Victorola.

"Ah, that's Muddy Waters' song, saying 'I got a black cat bone. I got a......It's black, I got it.'" Buddy Guy muses.

Guy keeps his speech short and sweet and concludes by saying, "And to be in company like this tonight, I'm just out of words. I just wanna play for you. Look at this...to be standing here and get to pick up a guitar and stand between these two guys and play, man.....You gotta be me to know how I feel tonight, man. This is no small task." He refers to Clapton and King standing behind him.

Briefly, he thanks his record company and producers for "Putting up with my shit. I haven't made a lot of records that make a lot of money, but I make a lot of records that uh, if you ever listen to it, it's something that I might say that might fit you, like 'You're Damn Right I Got The Blues.' "

He then turns to Clapton and says. "I remember Eric, when we came out of Australia, and you had a rock awards ceremony here in New York and we had Bo Diddley. And someone asked you 'What is the Blues?' and you said, 'Mr. Donald Trump got the blues.' And I said to myself 'Wait a minute, you gotta explain this.' You said, 'Yeah he got the blues cause he got to keep it and I got the blues cause I got to get it.'

"And that's been sticking with me ever since." Guy continues, "If you don't think you got the blues, just keep living. And if you don't think you get drunk, just keep drinking what you're drinking and thinking what you're thinking."

He finishes with, "Ladies and gentleman, I'm gonna play a little blues for you, alright?."

He puts his award down and picks up his guitar - a white Fender Stratocaster with black polka dots randomly placed. "Damn right I got the blues!" he screams as the first line of his famous song. After the first verse, the band breaks down to almost an inaudible crawl.. "Shhh...damn right I got the blues." He coaxes the band and then they explode into a fiery crescendo.

"You gotta be me to know this. You know, we rehearsed it, but we didn't rehearse it like this. I'm not happy." he admits. "I want my friends to come out. Mr. Eric Clapton, ladies and gentlemen, and Mr. B.B. King. Yeah! Now we're talking about the blues. "

"I might have been a little too loud, but I'm kinda happy tonight. If I'm a little loud, you have to put up with me. I'm gonna come down. When I do play, I like to...between these two guys, man, I gotta sit back and listen a little bit, so don't look for me too much. I'm gonna cut them loose. And if we play too long just go like this," he says in the back ground as he waves his hands back and forth in front of him and the universal signal to 'wrap it up'. "I'll know what that means. It means stop."

They tear into a hopping blues tune called "Let Me Love You Baby" with the three of them trading guitar leads and vocals, bringing it down only to say a few words.

"I wanna play a little something." Buddy says. "I've got to, talk a little bit now, ladies an gentleman, but between these two guys, I might play this all night. I don't feel like I should stop."

"I say, B.B. King, play that thing for me." Guy sings. To which King replies with his signature riffs with his signature tone on his guitar, Lucille.

"I say, Eric Clapton, man." Guy sings again. "Won't ya hit a sweet note for me." Clapton replies the way only he could with his famous "woman tone" on his Stratocaster.

"I could play it all night and I'll stand right here all night and be so happy," Buddy sings and laughs.

"Congratulations for Buddy Guy" is announced in the press room as he enters.
Someone asks, "Buddy, you said that there were people who you thought deserve this award before you got it."

"Yes," he replied. "because they played a clip just before I came out with me playing with the late great Son House who taught Muddy Waters how to play. And I had the pleasure of playing with him, Fred McDowell, and Johnny Shine. And I wasn't as wild tonight as I'd normally be, but I learned how to be wild by listening to a guy that made a famous record called "Things I Used To Do". And it was made by Ray Charles and a back up band. Ray Charles didn't even have a band in New Orleans, just Guitar Slim. And I learned everything I know from them and I'm like saying I'm just a student and I'm just carrying on what I learned from them. And all this stuff should have been presented to them before it got to me. But at least I can tell you one thing, wherever they are. This is not mine tonight, it's ours."

When asked about comparing himself to the high profile career of B.B. King and the major label support King's received, he replied, "Die hard blues just need a little more exposure. I don't envy anybody. You know, I copied so much from B.B. King. Without him, you probably wouldn't be talking to me right now because B.B. King was there before me and before Eric Clapton and the British invasion as you call it. Him and Lightning Hopkins and T-Bone Walker, man, were playing this stuff.

"That glass of wine, which I just got, they'd put a hat down on the floor, and you'd play the guitar and the people that were throwing you the nickels and dimes, they'd look in the hat and they'd say 'You got enough to get one?' and he'd say 'Yeah' and he'd go out. And I even started that with Muddy when I went to Chicago, cause I thought they was living the life of luxury, but it was just like an everyday job, you know. So I don't envy anybody you know. I envy the guys that be successful overnight cause you don't know what to do with it. But if you ever had to split a hot dog with 5 people like I did with me and Jr. Wells and the rest of those guys in Chicago, when you do get a place to stay and a hot dog to eat by yourself, you appreciate it."

"Jimi Hendrix claimed you as a major influence, did you have any interaction with him and where do you think he took the music?" Guy was asked.

"He took the music...he was so creative, man, he took the music to places....as a matter of fact, he was here [Guy demonstrates by raising his hand up above his head]. And it's before your time. They ran him away from here cause they kept telling him, like the Chess records was telling me in Chicago, that the 'with the wild wild thing and the special effects, man, get away from here.' Then some guy took him to London and the British people, they'd say 'Play. That's you.'

"And even when I went there, they told me, 'That's you - just play'. But here everybody had...I would go in the studio at Chess and they would say 'Oh man, you sound too much like Tom, Dick and Harry. You can't play that shit in here.' And just before Leonard Chess of Chess Records died, he came back and put on a Cream and a Jimi Hendrix record and he said 'You know what I want you to do, I want you to come in here and have your way because you've been trying to teach us this shit all the time and we've been too dumb to listen.'

"And I just talked to my record company about that a couple minutes ago, I want a little freedom on my next...I did a CD in New York the last three or four weeks and I'm in the process of doing another one. I wanna go in the studio and I'm not gonna get high....hehe. It's good to be high sometimes when you're playing music. I just wanna go in there and be free. You know, Hendrix even made a tune 'bout Stone Free or something like that, right? And I think he meant just what he was playing and singing about.

"I think that's why he was so successful at the things he did. And he was more successful when he was dead than when he was living. Most black blues guys get that anyway. My mother told me just before she died, 'Son if you have any flowers, give them to me now so I can smell them cause I'm not gonna smell them when I'm gone.' "

He finishes with, "So, ya'll give me this tonight. I smelled this man. You hear me."

Bo Didley, Robbie Robertson and Jerry Lee Lewis entertain

While Buddy Guy is still in the press room, Bo Didley takes the stage and performs a song apparently called "Bo Didley Land" with Robbie Robertson helping out on guitar. Very recognizable is that famous Bo Didley beat.

Paul Shaffer then introduces Jerry Lee Lewis and his music. "It was called 'rebel music'. A lot of it was about breaking the rules and nobody broke them harder faster and more often then the Killer himself. He shocked the world, he rocked the world, and is the last surviving member of the Sun Records gang, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, Carl Perkins, Elvis Presley. Ladies and gentleman, a one man revolution, Jerry Lee Lewis."

Of course Jerry Lee Lewis has no choice but to play "Whole Lot of Shaking Going On".

"Ladies and Gentlemen, it is a great honor to be here," Lewis says while the band 'breaks it down'. He continues, "Twenty years ago, I received my rock 'n' roll award right here in this same hall. And God has blessed me to be around again. And I am as happy as a jay bird. Whoo. Well, I have nothing else to say, we might was well go ahead and get on with it. Let's rock 'n' roll one more time!"

The Pretenders

After a short speech from Paul Shaffer, the ceremony video screens display images of Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductees, inductors and performers from years gone by, followed by a video montage about the Pretenders - the history of the band and its individual members, about how Jimmy died and Pete's drug problems which ultimately ended in his expulsion from the band and how two days later, he too was dead.

Neil Young walks on stage to induct The Pretenders.

"Thank You, it's a great honor to be here, " Young begins. "I enjoy your company every time I come here. See you people all the time. It's great! I'm running for office," he jokes.

"No, really, I'm very happy and very honored to be here to talk a little about The Pretenders, who had a great influence on myself and my band, Crazy Horse. Yeah, well, when we couldn't figure out what to do, we'd just put on those records and listen to them, and go 'Ok, they got a....what's she look like? This was 1980 or something, anyway they had a huge impression on me. I obviously didn't look at my...I don't have any notes."

"I don't know what to say," he goes on "This is one of the greatest Rock and Roll bands that ever lived. They went through all the heartache that rock 'n' roll was built on. They lost two key members, and they never gave up, they kept going, nothing would stop them. Chrissie, she's a rock 'n' roll woman. She's got it in her heart. She's gonna be rocking till she drops, and I love her. I'm very proud just to know her." Young gushes. "And it's my pleasure and distinct honor to induct The Pretenders into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame."

"The things I'll do for a handsome man." Chrissie Hynde expresses. "I know that The Pretenders have looked like a tribute band for the last 20 years. And actually they are a tribute band. And we're paying tribute to James Honeyman-Scott and Pete Farndon, without whom we wouldn't be here. And on the other hand, without us, they might have been here, but that's the way it works in rock 'n' roll."

"All I have to say is just two notes, boom-boom-boom-boom, never change, never change it. Just keep moving, but never change."

Martin Chambers steps up to the podium to give his speech. Thanking the usual friends and family and associates. A little tension arises when he gives thanks to all the drummers that have sat in his seat while he was out and "...kept it warm, thank you very much."

"Well, I have to say that Martin was playing crap for awhile," Hynde interjects half jokingly. "Martin could be excused for being part of the Sonny and Cher show."

Another tense moment is when they take the stage to perform and Martin is obviously encountering technical difficulties out of his control. Chrissie introduces the song and when she sees that Martin is not ready she yells "Oh, what are you fucking doing?"

"This could take awhile," he replies.

"I don't believe it," she says. "A guy walks into the house with a duck under his arm, walks up to his wife and says 'I just wanted to you to see the pig I've been fucking.' She says 'That's not a pig, that's a duck.' He says. 'I wasn't talking to you, I was talking to the duck.' "

"Has anyone ever killed you before?" Hynde asks.

Seconds later, the thundering drums of "Message Of Love" starts, after which Neil Young comes on to play "My City Was Gone."

Chrissie alone comes out to the press room.

"What does this honor mean to you?" she is quickly asked.

"What does this honor mean to me?" she echoes."Well for me, I felt I was recognized cause I got to be in a rock 'n' roll band. I really didn't want any more. I didn't want the fame particularly and I don't really like to be really big. I feel like we represent the loser in the world. You know, I like to stay in the dark. I don't like too much exposure."

When asked what she was working on, she replies, "I'm just gonna, you know, fuck off, hang out, be a vagabond. Not, nothing. Just be a dropout as much as possible."

"How do you feel about the onslaught of female singers...the Brittney Spears and..."

"I don't care about girls." Hynde interrupts. "I like men!"

"Why do you continue to credit James and Pete so much?" the room asks.

"Well, it was so freaky when they both died in the same year. And we were all fucked up and traumatized. And I thought well if I can you know....." Chrissie falters. "Maybe if we had split up like a normal band would have after eight years and been arguing and go through what bands do...but because they both died like that, it was more like, I don't know, I kept it alive...the tribute of keeping the music alive. Maybe I overdid it. I don't know."

One young girl asks for advice from a fellow Ohio native that is in college.

"You're going to college? Well, drop out for a start," Chrissie snaps.

One last question: "What was it like playing with Neil?"

"Fucking great!"

U2

"Uno, dos, tres, quatorze," the Boss starts out, "That translates into 1, 2, 3, 14. That is the correct math for a rock 'n' roll band."

Bruce Springsteen continues with a well-prepared and emotional speech.

He talks about when he went to a club in London with Pete Townsend. "To get the first whiff of those about to unseat us. It was the early '80s. There they were. A young Bono, single handedly pioneering the Irish mullet. 'The Edge' - what kinda name was that?" Springsteen jokes.

"They had an exciting show and a big beautiful sound - and they were Irish. While the English occasionally have their refined sensibilities to overcome, we Irish and Italians have no such problem. We come through the door, fists and hearts first."

He goes on to talk about how the band operates within itself. "They actually practice some form of democracy - toxic poison in a band setting. In Iraq maybe. In rock, no!"

"But they seem to have innately understood the primary rule of rock band-job security. 'Hey asshole, the other guy is more important than you think he is!' "

Springsteen continues, "We are both a step forward and direct descendants of the great bands that believed rock music could shake things up in the world, who dared to have faith in their audience, and who believed that if they played their best, it would bring out the best in you. They believed in pop stardom and the big time. Now this requires foolishness and a calculating mind. It also requires a deeply held faith in the work you're doing and its power to transform."

"Uno, dos, tres, quatorze. The correct math for a rock 'n' roll band. Please welcome U2 to the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame."

"Born in the USA, my arse," Bono begins. "That man [referring to Springsteen] was born on the northside of Ireland. He's Irish. His mother was Irish, the poetry, the gift of the gab, isn't it obvious? In fact, I think he's tall for an Irish man.

"It's an Irish occasion this evening. Paddy Sledge, you know, the 'O'Jays', they're a tribe from the west of Ireland, Chrissie Hyndes, we'd like her to be Irish. And this is a bit of an Irish wedding, I mean it is. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is a bit of an Irish wedding. Beautiful girls in beautiful frocks, fights in the bathroom, managers and clients again, lawyers with bloody noses. It's an Irish wedding. It's a great occasion. And uh....I even like it when it gets dirty. And I've seen it get really dirty over the years here. But rock 'n' roll is about the sound of revenge. So make your enemies interesting I would say, ladies and gentlemen, but not tonight. When I...when we look out into the audience we don't see any enemies, we just see friends."

The Edge walks up and Bono points out, "He's got a Blackberry."

"Yes, I am, in the end, the technology one of the band," The Edge explains. "Which all that means is that I can fix the printer."

The Edge goes on to talk about how the band manages to keep itself going, fresh and alive, and avoids "not being completely crap."

"It's so hard to keep things fresh and not to become a parody of yourself. And if you've ever seen that movie 'Spinal Tap', you will know how easy it is to parody what we all do. The first time I saw that movie, I didn't laugh, I wept. I wept because I recognized so much and so many of those scenes. I don't think I'm alone amongst all of us here in that. You know we're all guilty of taking ourselves and our work way too seriously."

He points out the Spinal Tap scene where the fictitious band is hanging out in the lobby. "We've hung out in the lobby a lot waiting for something to happen."

Larry Mullen Jr. and Adam Clayton each take their turn at the podium, then Bruce Springsteen introduces U2's performance.

Bono begins the music section of their time on stage by saying, "The next one up is a little pop ditty, it's a conversation between Jesus and Judas. I'm not kidding."

The band plays a handful of tunes.

Most noticeable, the Edge continues to show examples of how he keeps reinventing himself, choosing the different weapons he has used along the years to wield his craft. The different guitars that he has use at different times. Yet he seems to come back to his favored Strats.

In the middle of a chorus of "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For." Bono calls out "I'm looking for The Boss."

After the song, Bono exclaims, "And for Bruce, a Spanish lesson. Uno, dos, tres, quatorze," as the drum beat to "Vertigo" is playing....

After a long long wait well into the beginning hours of the next day, Bono and the band finally enter the press room.

"First of all," Bono begins. "Just really really sorry for keeping everybody up late, it's been a long night, but we had to get back into the jacuzzi. Et cetera."

"We got to go hang out in the lobby." The Edge adds.

"We got to go hang out in the lobby." Bono reinforces. "When something about a Nobel Peace Prize", Bono continues, "I'm not your rock star who's already, you know, having the cream on the cake. Whatever, have a Nobel Peace Prize. I'm just having the best life anyone could ever be given just as it is being in a Rock and Roll band. Thank you."

"You're asking me 'Do I want to be president?' " Bono repeats a question from the room.

"Don't be putting ideas in his head." the band jokingly reprimands as Bono laughs.

"I wouldn't move to a smaller house." Bono brags and laughs.

"I love Justin Timberlake. I think he's fantastic. He's a cool cat." when asked about him.

Another asks about a statement he made before about him thinking that they were too young to be inducted.

Bono replies, "As far as the induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, you know, we've been defying gravity and...for a long time. This is a big occasion. and you just have to be careful that you don't upset people. But to be absolutely honest, I would really have liked this, you know, maybe ten years down the line. It's a great institution, the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame. And to quote Carl Marx, oh, no, no, Groucho Marx, 'I'm just not sure that I'm quite ready to accept institutionalization'. But it's a great thing, you know and I'm happy to have it. I would have preferred it later on."

Earlier in his acceptance speech, Bono had said that the way music is being run today, U2 probably wouldn't make it. When asked about that statement, he elaborates.

"Look, what's great about the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame is, it's very humbling and for very arrogant Irish rock stars that might be important. Because you come and you see Bo Didley, you see Percy Sledge, you see the OJs, you see Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen and it kinda puts you back in your box.

"But the point I was trying to make earlier on was that, there's very little chance for there to be another U2 the way that the music business is constructed right now. You just have to have the single immediately. If you don't, you don't get a second chance. And I don't think that's where the great artists, or the great European, for that matter, artists have come out of. Bruce Springsteen didn't have a single for 10 years. Neil Young, I'm not sure he ever had a single. Every song from Neil Young sounds like a single to me."

"Our audience...?." Bono hands this question off to The Edge.

"I like them a lot." The Edge jokes. "I know most of them personally and they're very nice people. What else did you want to know about them?" he continues to humor the press. "Our relationship with our fans, absolutely. I think we started out as fans and we've never forgotten what it's like to be a fan. And that's probably why we have a good relationship with ours."

"I think that's actually a very important question." Bono adds. "We're not great at the 'Thank Yous' because as you saw, they do go on when you start. And so, we find it hard to actually sometimes say 'Thanks to the fans'.

"The reason we don't do that is because U2 fans don't want to be patronized. They know how important they are to us. They know that they have given us an extraordinary life. And we've let them down, here and there. Not a lot. Recently, this year, we had some difficulties, you may know. The tour nearly didn't happen. We had some problems. And as a result of scrambling to keep the tour together, we may not have looked out after our fans getting tickets the way we wanted to. Larry has apologized on behalf of the band. I would like to do it again. And just to repeat, we have a great relationship with our audience, and I want to thank them for the great life they have given us. Thank you very much for tonight!"

---