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| Special Issue | 12 July, 1998 | Online Edition |
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Special Report:
HOW THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME WORKS
AND WHAT WE WILL HAVE TO DO TO GET BRIAN INDUCTED
by Martin Lewis
A lot of people have contacted me in the few months since I have been publicly speaking about getting Brian Epstein inducted in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. A large number of those people have expressed surprise that Brian wasn’t already in the Hall of Fame.
How could such an important pioneer in the rock ‘n’ roll industry be completely overlooked?
The answer is tragically simple.
Brian Epstein has been completely forgotten. Not just by the members of the nominating committee of the Hall Of Fame, they’re just the latest in a long line of people who have forgotten his existence - or overlooked his contribution to rock 'n' roll.
Since I am urging Beatles fan all over the world to unite and wage a campaign to overcome this travesty - people might wish to know how the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame works. And what are the realistic chances of achieving our goal.
So let me do my best to explain it all.
The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame was founded in 1985. It was created by some senior members of the American music industry who felt that it was important that rock’s history be properly honored. In the 15 years since it was formed - it has, by and large, done a magnificent job in saluting rock music’s past.
The Hall has inducted many of the significant artists who are eligible for induction. Artists become eligible for induction 25 years after the release of their first recording. Certainly the vast majority of the musicians credited with starting and developing rock music from 1955 onwards have been inducted. Similarly many of the pioneers who can be counted as early influences on rock music have also been honored.
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The category that Brian Epstein is eligible for is the non-performers’ section. In the 14 years since the Hall Of Fame started - it has inducted a total of 22 individuals and teams (there are a couple of song-writing teams) in this section. The people inducted vary from writers, producers and record company founders to those who pioneered the presentation of rock music on radio and TV. (See the sidebar for a full list of these 22 non-performers.)
And it would be a churlish person who begrudged any of these people their place in the Hall Of Fame. They are all worthy people who made a difference.
And I certainly don’t belittle the contributions made by any of the many people who are up for consideration this year and who will be assessed for inclusion next year in this category. Many people have made a major contribution to rock 'n' roll.
It’s just that the difference made by Brian Epstein was so special, so unique, so irreplaceable - that he truly belongs in this noble institution.
But it will not be easy to get him in.
For a start the Hall of Fame has recently changed its rules. You don’t have to be a mathematics expert to observe that 22 inductees in 14 years means that in certain years they were inducting more than one person or team per year.
Well - apparently no more.
They have decided that they will only induct one person or team per year in this category.
That narrows the chances right away.
And there is a natural tendency to honor those who are still living. It’s like giving a lifetime achievement award in the Oscars or Grammys. Everyone wants to see a winner there to accept the award.
Part of the Hall of Fame’s income is generated by its annual induction ceremony. (Though obviously it is the appearances by the stars - not the people behind-the-scenes - that enables the organization to charge industry attendees so much money to be there.) So the nominating committee naturally thinks about who it can nominate that might turn up - and be of benefit to its important fund-raising work. It's an understandable factor.
Much more relevant to the process is the fact that most of the non-performers under consideration each year for this category - are still active in the industry.
The music industry thrives on power, interaction and business relationships. People naturally curry favor with those who can help them. The people voting for the prospective inductees almost invariably know them personally. Have hung out with them. Have done business with them. Made money with them. May still be doing business with them. May still be making money with them. That kind of relationship buys a certain loyalty. It certainly makes someone more likely to vote for a living, breathing colleague or associate.
Needless to say - these factors do not help Brian Epstein’s cause.
Brian Epstein has been dead for 31 years.
The vast majority of the Hall of Fame voters never met him. Never hung out with him. And they certainly never made money (directly) from him.
And they can never hang out with him. And they can’t get the kudos of sidling up to him and remarking how proud they were to vote for him.
No. Brian Epstein has to gain admittance to this Hall of Fame purely on merit. The people who vote must be educated to his achievements. They must be awakened to recall the mighty scale of his accomplishments.
I know the names of all the members of the nominating committee. And I know the names of all the Board of Directors of the Hall of Fame. I know who they are. I’m actually fairly well-acquainted with a good number of them. One or two have been pals for many years.
Practically all of them had their lives radically changed by the emergence of the Beatles. Most of them entered the music industry after the Beatles’ breakthrough. You’d have to be very strange indeed not to have had your life influenced in some ways by the Beatles - and thus by the man who guided them to success.
But acting alone - I can’t influence these people. I can lobby a few of them. And I will. I’ll telephone them and pitch them on why they should care. I will send them all a copy of the new edition of Brian’s autobiography. Maybe they’ll even read it. And reflect on how their own lives were changed by the Beatles and the man behind the Fab Four.
But it will take more than that.
This is how the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame nominating procedure works.
There is a nominating committee of approximately 25 people. It is drawn from various people in the music industry - including record company executives, managers and journalists.
Every June, this group is invited to submit suggestions of people they feel should be nominated for the Hall. They can nominate anyone who is eligible in the non-performers’ section. That’s pretty much anyone. The lists are then tabulated - and the top names in each category (usually seven in the non-performers’ category) are sent out on a ballot to the members of the nominating committee.
Each committee member then votes for his or her preferred choice.
When those results are tabulated - the names of the finalists are then submitted to the entire Hall of Fame voting constituency - which consists of its Board of Directors and an unidentified voting panel drawn from the music industry - for the final ballot.
The results are announced every September. The induction takes place the following January.
So it’s a hard road that we are going down.
As I have frequently said - the sole reason that Brian Epstein has not yet been nominated - let alone inducted - is that he’s been forgotten. By the whole world.
Now human beings are human beings. Most people aren’t comfortable admitting oversights and mistakes. So I don’t imagine that the members of the nominating committee are straining at the leash to say how they (along with the rest of the world) forgot Brian.
Assuming that we gather a sizable number of signatures - the petition will definitely have some impact. It will be impossible to ignore. But there’s always a school of thought that dismisses petitions as merely a sign of popularity - not evidence itself of a person’s excellence.
So there’s much more that needs to be done.
In essence we have to restore Brian Epstein’s reputation in the broad outside world - and certainly in the music world.
This will happen by a combination of factors.
Features and interviews about Brian in print journals, on radio, on television and on the Internet.
A large viewership of the BBC documentary about Brian - which will be shown in America on the A&E Network later this year.
(Needless to say I’ll be making sure that the members of the Hall Of Fame nominating committee and Board of Directors are aware of that particular TV show!)
I will be soliciting every single living person who has been inducted into the Hall of Fame (especially the 22 non-performers) to join this campaign.
The other key factor will be the steady drumbeat of public awareness.
Those of you who are still reading this (I thank you for your interest, patience and endurance!) can play a part in this wider campaign.
You can write letters or e-mail to the editors of key music and pop culture magazines encouraging them to publish features about Brian Epstein. Magazines such as Rolling Stone, Spin, People, Billboard etc.
Magazines such as The Advocate and Out should be encouraged to profile Brian Epstein - a brave man who was gay at a time when acts of homosexuality were punished by imprisonment.
Names and addresses of those magazines will be posted on this website soon.
You can write to the artists and non-performers who have already been inducted into the Hall of Fame - encouraging them to express their support publicly. Or at least on our petition.
A list of those names - and contact points - will be posted here soon.
You can write to the leading artist managers of today - who owe their position in part to the pioneering work of Brian as the first manager to be supportive of an artist’s desire to grow creatively.
You can write to your favorite rock stars and entertainers - particularly those who you know were either influenced by The Beatles - or who are simply Beatles fans.
The more people who can be made aware of this campaign the better.
I do believe that we will eventually prevail.
But let’s prepare ourselves for a long campaign.
One day - I hope sooner rather than later - Brian Epstein will be inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. And on that day we can take pride that we repaid our debt to Brian Epstein for bringing us the Beatles.
Meanwhile welcome to the struggle!
Copyright © 1998 Springtime!