Kudos to Foreigner manager Phil Carson for an April Fools’ joke he posted on Saturday.
He wrote, “In an unprecedented move, the entire board of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame met especially to nominate Foreigner.
“The board recognized that Mick Jones’ and Foreigner’s major contribution to music over the years warranted a very special place in the history of the Hall of Fame.
“Said manager Phil Carson, ‘Needless to say, we are all delighted to learn of this unique privilege. I believe that the entire board realized that Foreigner had as many hits as Fleetwood Mac, just one less than the Eagles, and more than Journey and many other Hall of Fame alumni. We are greatly looking forward to the induction ceremony.'”
And on Sunday he followed up with, “Thank you all for your reactions to yesterday’s spoof. While it was posted with a sense of humor, it was not without a touch of irony.
“Foreigner should be in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Mick Jones’ groundbreaking songwriting and production skills coupled with music sales and performances that eclipse most of their contemporaries should be enough to warrant Foreigner’s nomination and induction…
“He created the current version of Foreigner in 2005 and chose the amazing Kelly Hansen as the lead singer to breathe new life into the songs he wrote and co-wrote. That band has performed around 100 shows all over the world each year since then and continues to play to sell out business as they continue the journey on their two-year farewell tour.
“Please try to see them before they are done, but most of all, help us put some pressure on the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame board to do the right thing while there is still time for them to deliver a stellar performance at their well deserved induction.”
And while Caron’s initial post is a pipe dream, it’s gotten the band’s faithful fans talking, and that’s all Carson can hope for.
They’ve been eligible for nomination since 2002, and original singer Lou Gramm was asked about it last summer in an interview with Sleeve Saturday — and he thinks it’s “personal.” here is
Lou Gramm on why he believes Foreigner has never been nominated for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
“I know that at some point when a lot of our compatriots were being nominated and accepted into it, I believe that our manager at that time and Mick [Jones] went to see the head of the Rock Hall of Fame and had a discussion with him, which led to some heated words. And, as that discussion ended — it might have been [Rolling Stone founder] Jann Wenner, who actually was a very good friend of Mick’s — I think he told Mick and our manager that it’ll be a cold day in hell before Foreigner gets in the Rock Hall of Fame. And sure enough, I bet you 20 years has gone by since that.”
Here is Mick Jones on Foreigner still not being nominated for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
“It’s a peculiar system they have up there. I’m not quite sure how it works. We have the credentials, it’s just I don’t know whether they pay much attention to that or what they do. But it’s certainly more about something else than it is about music for me.”
REUTERS PHOTO
