PARTON ME, BUT NO THANKS
Dolly joins the Sex Pistols, Axl Rose, Todd Rundgren in declining Rock Hall honors
When country crooner Dolly Parton asked the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame to remove her name for consideration on Monday, she joined an unlikely group that includes punk rock pioneers the Sex Pistols, Guns N’ Roses front man Axl Rose and heavy metal vocalist Ozzy Osbourne.
Parton, along with Lionel Richie, Eminem, Duran Duran and 13 other musical acts, was named as one of the Hall’s 2022 nominees on Feb. 22. It was her first time on the ballot.
While different artists have had their own reasons for asking to be withdrawn for consideration, Parton, true to form, was magnanimous in her request.
“Even though I am extremely flattered and grateful to be nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, I don’t feel that I have earned that right,” she wrote on Instagram.
Parton said that in the name of fairness, until she records “a great rock & roll album at some point in the future,” she didn’t want to steal votes from nominees she felt better fit the bill.
Only then does she hope the RRHOF comes knocking again.
When British punkers the Sex Pistols were inducted into the RRHOF in 2006 — led by cantankerous singer Johnny Rotten — the band didn’t show up to accept the honor. They did, however, send a note that was read aloud at the induction ceremony calling the Hall “a p--s stain” beholden to the music industry.
When Osbourne and his former band Black Sabbath were nominated in 1999, the “Iron Man” singer reportedly fired off a letter to the RRHOF, also complaining music fans don’t get to pick the winner. He then asked, “Just take our name off the list.”
Ultimately, when Black Sabbath was inducted in 2006, Osbourne attended the event with his bandmates and apologized for having taken the liberty of speaking on the group’s behalf.
According to Rolling Stone, a RRHOF source said bands don’t have to show up at the induction ceremony, but no one can take their own name off the list of nominees.
The RRHOF does allow fans to vote for their favorite acts, but that collective ballot carries little weight.
Producer and musician Todd Rundgren called that vote a “scam” in 2019 and added, “It doesn’t matter how many times they nominate me. It’s not gonna make me care.”
Rundgren also opted not to attend his induction into the Hall of Fame in 2021 even though he was in Ohio, where the Hall is located, during the ceremony.
Heavy metal mainstays Iron Maiden became eligible for induction in 2004, but much to the chagrin of hard rock fans, have still not made the cut. Singer Bruce Dickinson called the institution “sanctimonious” and alleged its voters “wouldn’t know rock and roll if it hit them in the face.”
Though members of Guns N’ Roses played at the band’s 2012 induction ceremony, they did so without lead singer Rose, who said in an open letter he appreciated the offer, but was taking a pass.
“I strongly request that I not be inducted in absentia and please know that no one is authorized nor may anyone be permitted to accept any induction for me or speak on my behalf,” he wrote.
Rose said he lacked a clear understanding of what exactly the RRHOF does or how it is operated.
For Parton, there seems to be no hard feelings.
“I wish all of the nominees good luck and thank you again for the compliment,” she wrote Monday.
Parton has also been twice nominated for the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Due to family health issues and pandemic travel concerns, she has not yet accepted that honor, either, the 76-year-old singer said. She joined the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1999.
The RRHOF’s 2022 inductees will be named in May.