Chrissie Hynde of Pretenders wants to disassociate from Rock Hall: “If anyone wants my position in the rock ‘n’ roll Hall of Fame they are welcome to it”
Hynde accepted a nomination nearly two decades ago, and has explained why she went through with it at the time.
Image: Joseph Okpako / Getty
Pretenders vocalist and guitarist Chrissie Hynde has said she does not want to associate with the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall Of Fame, stating that if anyone wants her position “they are welcome to it”.
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Hynde’s statement follows on from an influx of women in the rock industry criticising the Hall Of Fame for its lack of female representation. In a post on her social media, Hynde stated, “If anyone wants my position in the rock ‘n’ roll Hall of Fame they are welcome to it. I don’t even wanna be associated with it. It’s just more establishment backslapping. I got in a band so I didn’t have to be part of all that.”
She went on to explain why she accepted her nomination back in 2005, adding: “I was living a happy life in Rio when I got the call I was being inducted. My heart sank because I knew I’d have to go back for it as it would be too much of a kick in the teeth to my parents if I didn’t. I’d upset them enough by then, so it was one of those things that would bail me out from years of disappointing them.”
She concluded, “Other than Neil Young’s participation in the induction process, the whole thing was, and is, total bollocks. It’s absolutely nothing to do with rock ‘n’ roll and anyone who thinks it is is a fool.”
Prior to Hynde’s post, Alanis Morisette and Courtney Love had also criticised the lack of women in its inductees, of which 8.48 per cent are women.
@jesshopp DOES THE MATH!🙏❤️🙇🏼♀️37 years in existence & women make up 8.48% of inductees out of 719. See txt to Grohl. @rockhall ELIGIBILITY is 25 years after 1st release @foofighters were nominated 4 secs later @NinaSimoneMusic & Carole King 30 years #fixtherockandrollhalloffame https://t.co/mOSHPDbKdk pic.twitter.com/1paF6QgAcr
— Courtney Love Cobain (@Courtney) March 10, 2023
You can watch Neil Young induct the Pretenders into Rock Hall in 2005 in the video below:
