Radiohead
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has revealed its Class of 2019: Radiohead, Janet Jackson, Stevie Nicks, The Cure, Def Leppard, Roxy Music and The Zombies.
In a statement, Jackson said, “Thank you Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I am truly honored and I am happy to be in there with my brothers.”
Nicks makes history as the first woman to be inducted into the Hall twice, as she is already a Hall of Famer as a member of Fleetwood Mac, who were inducted in 1998. “I have a lot to say about this,” she said in a statement, “but I will save those words for later. For now I will just say, I have been in a band since 1968. To be recognized for my solo work makes me take a deep breath and smile. It’s a glorious feeling.”
In a statement, Joe Elliott of Def Leppard said, “First of all, a massive thanks to all our fans & past inductees who voted for us. Congratulations to all our fellow inductees, we stand alongside some amazing artists, past & present. What an absolute honour.” The band’s Phil Collen added, “We started 2018 off at the Royal Albert Hall and to now cap it all off with a nod into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is brilliant.”
The Zombies have been on the ballot three previous times and eligible since 1989. Colin Blunstone of the band said to Rolling Stone, “You do start to doubt that it could happen. I’ve tried to be fairly philosophical about it and tell myself that if we don’t get inducted, it’s just a bit of fun. Don’t take it too seriously. But of course when you’re actually inducted, everything changes. You think, ‘This is a career-defining [and] life-defining moment.'”
Radiohead released a statement saying, “The members of Radiohead have been surprised to learn of the band’s induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2019. The band thanks the Hall of Fame voting body and extends congratulations to this year’s fellow inductees.”
Last year, the members of Radiohead were dismissive of their potential entry to the Hall, with guitarist Ed O’Brien telling Rolling Stone, “I don’t want to be rude about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame because for a lot of people it means something, but culturally I don’t understand it. I think it might be a quintessential American thing. Brits are not very good at slapping ourselves on the back. It seems very show-biz and I’m not very show-biz. We haven’t even been asked. I don’t want to be rude. But if you ask me what I’d rather be doing that night, I’d rather be sitting at home in front of the fire or going to a gig. I realized years ago that I didn’t like award ceremonies. You walk in there and you feel self-conscious. It’s just really uncomfortable.”
The induction ceremony is set for March 29 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. It will later be broadcast on HBO and SiriusXM.
