Tom Morello is a member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nomination committee and is hell-bent on inducting one band in particular: Iron Maiden.
While the Hall still has gaps in its membership list, British metal pioneers Judas Priest were inducted in 2022, and Morello feels Maiden is just as deserving. He made his argument during a recent interview on The Eddie Trunk Podcast (listen below).
Get tickets to Iron Maiden here
“I'll bite my leg off like a coyote in a trap if I can't get Iron Maiden in,” Morello said. “While there are many other deserving acts, Iron Maiden to me is the most egregious latest oversight in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.”
He continued: “Iron Maiden is like the gold standard of metal bands and they're not in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. And I know Bruce Dickinson said he doesn't really care. Well, I care as a fan. I care very, very much. So I'll do everything I can to get it. [with] “whatever limited influence he has, to get Iron Maiden into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.”
In fact, Dickinson has been outspoken in his opposition to the Rock Hall, previously saying that Maiden, who has been eligible since 2004, deserved to be inducted but that he would reject enshrinement if that happened.
“I'm very happy we're not there and I would never want to be there,” Dickinson told the Jerusalem Post in 2018. “If they ever incorporate us, I will refuse; “They won't have my body there.”
Meanwhile, Morello pondered the possibility of Iron Maiden not performing at their own induction ceremony.
“I'm sure there are some people who are thinking, 'What's the show going to be like if one of the headliners doesn't show up?'” Morello told Eddie Trunk. “But that's not [come up].”
The Rage Against the Machine guitarist joined the nominating committee years ago in an effort to boost the Hall's credibility in the eyes of younger bands and artists, imploring Bruce Springsteen's manager, Jon Landau, and committee chairman, to I would let him join.
Speaking with Eddie Trunk, Morello explained his motivation for joining the committee by unfavorably comparing the Rock Hall to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
“If you are a minor league player, your dream as a young baseball player is to have a career that allows you to end up in the baseball hall of fame. I told him, 'A lot of young rock 'n' roll guitarists don't respect the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.' None of their favorite bands are there.”
He added that the Rock Hall should be “a place that everyone who loves rock 'n' roll aspires to be because their heroes are there. And you don’t have that right now.”
Iron Maiden's oversight hasn't fazed the UK legends in the least, as they continue to tour the world and perform to legions of die-hard fans. The band is currently at the end of their fall North American tour, with a show Tuesday night (Nov. 12) in Baltimore followed by three more dates. Pick up last minute tickets here.
thanks to our partners at consequence.net
