Shame, Shame

Sometime in the late 60’s there was a band from England called “The Magic Lanterns” and one of their songs was called “Shame, Shame”.  What I remember of the song was “Shame, shame.  We had a good thing going.”  Now, this isn’t one of those pieces about misheard or misunderstood lyrics.  Rather this is about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and what it has recently done.

I have written about using rock and roll music (or perhaps music from the 60’s) as part of the worship (see “A Rock and Roll Revival” and “The Rock and Roll Revival Continued”) and I grew up during that transition from big bands and jazz through folk to rock and roll.  So perhaps I should be a devotee of the genre.  But after the news of this week, I doubt that I will ever visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum in Cleveland.

You see, the Museum has become like the rest of society.  Last year, when the voting for induction into the 2007 Class was completed, the Dave Clark Five was selected. 

This is not about the Dave Clark Five and its impact on rock and roll or society.  They were a good group and they deserved induction last year.But they were not inducted because there was a desire amongst the “powers that be” to have a hip-hop group inducted.

To correct this, the DC5 will be inducted this year.  But, it will be two weeks late.

You see, the lead singer and keyboardist for the group, Mike Smith, died this week.  While he died knowing that the group was going into the Hall of Fame, he also knew, I think, that it should have been done last year.  He died of complications from pneumonia that was a result of his being paralyzed from the rib cage down.  Had the group been inducted last year, he would have been able to come and enjoy the moment.  But someone wanted the voting outcome to be a little different.

That’s the shame of it all.  Rock and roll was the voice of the youth of our age and it was, at times, a voice crying out for change against the status quo and the rich and privileged. But it seems that other factors weighed into the selection of the voters and now it seems as if this museum has sold out to the establishment, trying to do what it thinks is right rather than what the voters think is right.

We live in a time when many are becoming cynical about society.  The last two Presidential elections and the present campaign have done a lot to increase that cynicism.  The promises that once were the sixties had slowly faded into the mists and the greed and self-centeredness that marked the 80’s seems to be coming back.  The economy is on the verge of shambles and the gap between rich and poor keeps getting bigger and bigger.

Bob Dylan wrote that the times are changing but not now.  The development of rock and roll in the sixties paralleled the changes in society.  I guess I shouldn’t be surprised then when the Rock and Roll Museum sells out.  That seems to be the hallmark of society today.

So I remember a song by a group that is best classified as a “one-hit wonder” and dedicate it to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

“Shame, Shame” by The Magic Lanterns