[ Originally posted to What’s Rattlin’? Yahoo! Group on November 2, 2011 ]

Pushing for the Soft Machine to be placed in the rock and Roll Hall of Fame implies something that I can’t really get my head around; namely that they played rock and roll. Does anyone out there really believe that the Softs played rock and roll? Do yourself a favor and Google the list of bands “enshrined” in this pretty ridiculous construct. There will be exactly two names with any relevance to the Softs: Jimi Hendrix (which I get) and Miles Davis ( which I don’t get) everyone else…they are all fine bands etc. etc. but have very little to do with the music we have been discussing here since inception.

The real issue which I have total sympathy for is we would all like to see Soft Machine recognized for their art. The good and bad news wrapped up in an overwhelming cultural dichotomy is that it is never going to happen.

Quick: in your head make a list of ten famous crap bands (I will accept both U2 and REM) that no one should care or even know about and then quickly list ten bands that you can’t believe are not part of the musical vocabulary, bands everyone should both know and adore. Then breathe out slowly. You have now completed your personal enshrinements without invoking additional negative energy about the cultural failings of the masses. Because, maybe other than the Beatles in 1964 where one measly time “best art” intersected with “mass – commercial art” (you can insert Rolling Stones if you need to) that battle is unwinnable which might not be all bad.