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What was previously reported to be the UK Rock and Roll Hall of Fame now appears to have become the British Music Experience, and will open to the public in March of this year. The museum will be on the top floor of the O2 arena, aka the Millennium Dome.

Th BME's website states they will be "dedicated to the history of popular music in Britain," and it appears that non-British artists will be left out, so it's not exactly duplicating what the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame does.

Harvey Goldsmith, the chairman of the museum had this to say:

"When I first started this I saw the Rock and Roll hall of fame in America to reflect genres and we really needed something like this in the UK, a home for all of the history of UK talent and artists that make their name in the UK.

"We have such a wealth of talent from the Beatles to Led Zeppelin to the Rolling Stones to The Who, its just endless how many great acts we've produced. It's important for us to reflect, look back and entertain something about music has developed."

Fortunately, the article also mentions there will be holographs prominently involved (such as our mockup of the Beatles above), so that's something to be excited about.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame watcher Charles Crossley, Jr. maintains a list of members of what he calls "The Clyde McPhatter Club" which consists of artists who have been inducted multiple times. The 2009 inductions will add two members to the group, Jeff Beck (previously with the Yardbirds) and Sam Strain of the Imperials (previously with O'Jays). Here is the entire list:

• Clyde McPhatter (inducted solo in 1987 and with the Drifters in 1988)
• Eric Clapton (with the Yardbirds in 1992, with Cream in 1993, solo in 2000, the only artist inducted three times)
• John Lennon (with the Beatles in 1988, solo in 1994)
• Jimmy Page (with the Yardbirds in 1992, with Led Zeppelin in 1995)
• Neil Young (solo in 1995, with Buffalo Springfield in 1997)
• David Crosby (with the Byrds in 1991, Crosby, Stills & Nash in 1997)
• Stephen Stills (with Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills and Nash, both in 1997, the only artist to be inducted twice in the same year)
• Curtis Mayfield (with the Impressions in 1991, solo in 1999)
• Paul McCartney (with the Beatles in 1988, solo in 1999)
• Michael Jackson (with the Jackson 5 in 1997, solo in 2001)
• Paul Simon (with Simon & Garfunkel in 1990, solo in 2001)
• Johnny Carter (with the Flamingos in 2001, with the Dells in 2004)
• George Harrison (with the Beatles in 1988, solo in 2004)
• Jeff Beck (with the Yardbirds in 1992, solo in 2009)
• Sam Strain (with the O'Jays in 2005, with Little Anthony & the Imperials in 2009)

Who are some future potential members of this group? Ozzy Osbourne? Ringo Starr? Sting? Lou Reed? Peter Gabriel? Or, thinking much further ahead -- Jack White? Dave Grohl? Eddie Vedder? Thom Yorke?

Be sure to also check out Crossley's list of 250 top eligible artists for the Rock Hall.

Even though the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame probably won't reveal the names of the presenters of the 2009 inductees for a of couple months, it's not too early to start the speculation (hey, it's what we do). Here are some preliminary ideas:

• Metallica :: Dave Grohl - for reasons we've already discussed.
• Jeff Beck :: John Mayer - a "new guitar god" to induct an old one.
• Run-DMC :: 50 Cent - he's executive producing a documentary about his mentor, Jam Master Jay. Another great choice would be Chuck D.
• Little Anthony & the Imperials :: Billy Joel - one of Little Anthony's advocates who is no stranger to the induction ceremony.
• Bobby Womack :: Tracy Chapman - from one Cleveland native to another.
• Wanda Jackson :: Elvis Costello - the man who may be most responsible for her induction.

What do you think? Leave your predictions in the comments.

The 2009 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be broadcast this year by the Fuse network. To help promote the new partnership with the Hall of Fame, Fuse hosted a press conference in New York to announce the 2009 inductees, with Metallica as the guests of honor.

Metallica were asked which artists they would like to see inducted -- James Hetfield wants Motörhead; Lars Ulrich wants Deep Purple; Kirk Hammett would like to see Rush; and Robert Trujillo made the case for UFO.

The question about who is getting inducted has also been answered. The current lineup will be inducted along with former bassists the late Cliff Burton and Jason Newsted. Dave Mustaine will not be included with Metallica.

It was announced yesterday that Wanda Jackson will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the "Early Influence" category. The induction is unusual for two reasons. First, she was nominated this year, and in a previous year, as a "Performer." And secondly, can should she be considered an "early influence" on rock and roll?

Regarding the voting issue, the Cleveland Plain Dealer has the story:

In another curious subplot, Jackson is being inducted as an early influence, although she was nominated as a performer on the ballot.

When Jackson didn't receive enough votes to get in as a performer, she was singled out for induction by a committee that handpicks early-influence honorees, said Joel Peresman, president and CEO of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation.

Sidemen inductees are selected by a separate committee.

So, presumably if Jackson had received the votes to be inducted as a "Performer," she would have been gone in under that tag. Then they would have either appointed some other early influential artist or simply not use that category this year (which isn't uncommon). As commenter Philip pointed out in the comments, other artists have been nominated as performers and later inducted in other categories (Carole King as a "Non-Performer"; King Curtis as a "Sideman"), but never has it happened in the same year. If Wanda Jackson was going to be inducted whether she won or lost the vote, then why bother taking up that valuable spot on the ballot with her name?

As to whether or not Wanda Jackson belongs in the "Early Influence" category at all, let's look at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's description of that award.

Artists whose music predated rock and roll but had an impact on the evolution of rock and roll and inspired rock’s leading artists.

Rock and roll's origins can be traced to the years just prior to the time when Jackson's career began in 1954. Wanda Jackson got her start nearly the same time Elvis Presley did, so it is strange that she is considered an "early influence" under the Rock Hall's own definition.

Let's break down the 2009 inductees one by one:

Metallica -- It should come as no surprise that Metallica was voted in the first time they appeared on the ballot. Future Rock Hall has given Metallica the highest induction chances of any artist ever since its inception even though there are very few heavy metal bands in the Hall of Fame.

Jeff Beck -- Voters clearly responded to a true guitar hero on the ballot even though most probably couldn't name a single song from his solo career. Beck is now a two time inductee since he was already in the Hall of Fame as a member of the Yardbirds.

Run-DMC -- Run-DMC are hip-hop artists who have truly transcended their genre, as evidenced by their appearance on Rolling Stone's list of 100 Immortals of Rock and Roll. Their induction shows that the Voting Committee is still willing to induct hip-hop artists even after they rejected Afrika Bambaataa and the Beastie Boys last year (who were perhaps nominated a little too soon).

Little Anthony & the Imperials -- As an artist that had been passed over by the Nominating Committee for too long, the voters took the opportunity to induct them as soon as they had the chance.

Bobby Womack -- Womack's induction was certainly the least predictable of the five, but as a Cleveland native, the Rock Hall will enjoy having a local story to promote for the hometown induction ceremony on April 4th.

Wanda Jackson -- It seems clear now that Jackson was not one of the top five vote getters from the nine nominees, but the Hall of Fame took the opportunity to induct her anyway by placing her in the Early Influence category. If her induction was going to be guaranteed this year, why did the Rock Hall bother to nominate her as a performer anyway, taking up a valuable slot on the ballot?

Here are the nominated artists who didn't get inducted this year:

The Stooges -- Seven times nominated, seven times on the outside looking in. Hopes were high this year after their show-stealing performance at the 2008 Rock Hall induction ceremony.

Chic -- Similar to The Stooges, Chic have been on the ballot multiple times without getting over the top (in their case five nominations). Chic will find its way into the Hall eventually. No artist has ever been nominated this many times and not gotten in at some point down the road (Update: except Chuck Willis).

War -- This was the first time the funk group ever made the final ballot even though they had been on the radar of the Nominating Committee for some time. Their future chances will be clearer if they can make it back on to the final ballot within the next couple of years.

Run-DMC haven't performed live since the death of Jam Master Jay seven years ago. With the announcement today that Run-DMC had been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, differing reports surfaced about whether or not the group will perform at the ceremony.

From Rolling Stone:

Run-DMC are the second rap group to be enshrined in the Hall of Fame, two years after pioneers Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five were selected for induction. "I can't even comprehend this is happening," Daryl "DMC" McDaniels tells Rolling Stone. "I want to let the world know that there are others receiving this honor with us. I'm talking about our heroes Afrika Bambaataa, Treacherous Three, the Cold Crush Brothers and DJ Kool Herc." The group's performance at the April 4th induction ceremony in Cleveland will be their since founding member Jam Master Jay was murdered seven years ago in Queens, New York.

The AP has a different story about the possibility of a performance:

Jam Master Jay — whose real name was Jason Mizell — was shot to death in his recording studio in 2002. McDaniels doesn't consider the induction bittersweet — "because Jay isn't here to celebrate doesn't mean he's not partaking in this event" — but said he couldn't see the duo performing during the April 4 induction ceremony in Cleveland without him.

"We can't do it without Jay," he said. "I want people to remember the last time they saw us together, the three of us."

Perhaps Rolling Stone's reporting was just wishful thinking, but right now it seems like Run-DMC will be content to let someone else perform their music at the Induction Ceremony.

01/17/09 Update: Reverend Run addressed the performance issue in a chat with MTV:

Reverend Run, one-third of the group, said he was honored by the recognition but still unsure if he and DMC will take to the stage despite the nod.

"I don't know, I'm leaving that in D's hands," Run told MTV News by phone Thursday. "The best comment was that working without Jam Master Jay wouldn't feel the same — I [actually] think D wrote that. So I'm just following his lead."

The reality-TV dad also said he wouldn't be interested in a younger group performing the Queens trio's hits as an homage — but he again deferred to DMC as to what exactly will take place.

A request made by MTV News to DMC for comment has not been returned as of press time.

You would hope that there will be at least some kind of performance of Run-DMC's music at the Induction Ceremony, but we'll see.

The 2009 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees were announced today. Congratulations to Metallica, Run-DMC, Jeff Beck, Little Anthony & the Imperials and Bobby Womack. They will all be honored at the induction ceremony in Cleveland on April 4, 2009. Much more on the 2009 winners here.

Future Rock Hall has learned that Metallica will be one of the five artists announced as members of the 2009 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame class when the inductees are officially revealed tomorrow, January 14th.

Wanda Jackson confirmed today to tulsaworld.com that she will be one of the five artists honored at the 2009 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. [01/14/09 Update: The article never actually said she was voted into the Hall. We just assumed she was because, uh, she was on the ballot. Turns out she will be inducted in the "early influence" category, which is not voted upon by the 600+ member voting committee.]

“This is the big one,” [Jackson] told the Tulsa World on Friday in a telephone interview from her Oklahoma City home. “It’s turning out to be more exciting than I thought it would be.

“The main reason I wanted this is because the people I love have worked so hard to make this happen. I may get the award, but my husband and fans and people who have done so much for me all these years deserve all the credit.”

Jackson's husband and manager also mentioned that the official announcement will come "early next week" (we're hearing Tuesday will be the day).

Thanks, Philip.

Ron Asheton, the guitarist of The Stooges was found dead at his home last night.

Alongside Iggy Pop, David Alexander and his brother Scott, Ron co-wrote such classics "I Wanna Be Your Dog," "No Fun" and "1969."

At the height of the flower-power and psychedelic period of the late 1960s, Asheton pioneered an aggressive, rudimentary and stunningly loud style of playing that was the antithesis of everything popular at the time. The Stooges never achieved commercial success (their 1969 debut peaked at Number 106), but the punk acts that followed — from the New York Dolls to the Sex Pistols and the Ramones — cite them as their single biggest influence.

The Stooges are one of the nine nominees for the 2009 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductions, with the winners set to be officially announced later this month. This death on the eve of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony is all too reminiscent of the DC5's Mike Smith passing away last year, a month before he was to be inducted.

Update: Here's a quote from Asheton from this past summer about his chances of getting into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame:

So is covering Madonna the closest you'll get to being in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame or do you think you'll get the nod soon?

Well, to tell you the truth, it would be cool to be in there with all our heroes and people that got us into music. The Beatles were the ones who changed my life, the Beatles and the Stones, to make this life choice ... I know this, though. If we don't get it next year, we don't go in, we're not going in. I mean, what is it, five-time losers? I mean, if we don't make it this time ... And you know what? It won't break my heart. As everyone else says, it's not going to better your career. It'd be nice, but I'm not going to be heartbroken. And we kind of wear it as a badge of honor that we've been turned down.

It's almost a foregone conclusion now that Metallica will be one of the five 2009 inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The band has not been shy about talking about the honor as if it is a done deal. Here, James Hetfield talks about who would be an appropriate person to introduce the band at the induction ceremony.

The Pulse of Radio asked frontman James Hetfield if the band has given any thought to who should induct them at the ceremony if they make the cut. "It's tough," he said. "We haven't really, you know, hit the ultimate person who we'd like to have do it. It's like you want someone who actually you've inspired, and you want someone who's charismatic, who can tell their story, but also you kind of want someone that people actually know who they are. You know, I was thinking, 'Well, why don't we just get, like, the uber-fan, you know, go up there and induct us, you know. How cool would that be?' So we're still going back and forth with all of that."

So, who would be an appropriate artist to induct Metallica (you can forget about an uber-fan doing it)? Dave Grohl seems like an obvious choice -- he's famous enough, he loves metal and he loves to talk about it. Who would be your pick?

Charles A. Hohman takes a look at the 2009 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominees and attempts to find the worthiest candidates. For example:

Chic

Worthy of induction? Disco has been as if not more influential on the last thirty years of pop music than the more critically-beloved punk rock. And yet only one disco act is in the Hall of Fame: The Bee Gees. However awesome “Tragedy” and “Night Fever” are, the Brothers Gibb are white heterosexuals representing (and appropriating) a subculture rooted in blackness and gayness. And probably more than any disco act, Chic’s grooves were instrumental to hip-hop’s formative years.

But will they be? In the Wennerist mindset, “disco sucks” is still a credible theory. Credible enough to shut Chic out yet again, in favor of less deserving contenders.

Hohman personally favors Metallica, Run-DMC, Chic, The Stooges and War, but thinks that the actual inductees will be the five that we have predicted. Read the whole post here.

Toto and Rolling Stone magazine don't get along. Steve Lukather, the guitarist from Toto, spoke about their relationship with the magazine, Jann Wenner and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to Nightwatcher's House of Rock Interviews:

NHOR : I don't see [MTV] as being that interested in music anyway anymore for the most part...

SL : No, but it's just ironic because we were the 4th video ever played on MTV when they first started. We were there from the beginning. And they just shit on us. We also were the only band in history to turn down being on the cover of Rolling Stone. We told Jann Wenner to stick it up his ass.

NHOR : I guess that answers the question on whether or not Toto will ever be in The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame...

SL : We were never getting in anyway. It's amazing some of the people they're letting in now, and the people who have been left out. They put Patti Smith in there but not Deep Purple? What's the first song every kid learns how to play?

NHOR : "Smoke On The Water"...

SL : And they're not in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame? The glaring omissions...Yes, Genesis...they don't like prog rock. They don't like anybody who has any chops, basically. All of the people who SHOULD have been in there were in the first couple years. It's not like the baseball hall of fame, where it's based on stats. If you have the stats, they don't have to like you. You deserve to be in there based on what you brought to the table. But I'm not going to get too much into it, because ultimately it's a boring conversation. You know what? I've got awards. I've got two houses full of gold records. I've got to start taking them down because it starts becoming ridiculous, like my own personal mausoleum. I'm not saying it wouldn't be cool to be in there, but at the same time, the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame has lost its cool because of the glaring omissions. Alice Cooper's not in there? They were the first theatrical band out there. When I was in junior high school, I went from 8th grade until 9th grade listening to 'School's Out.'

I could make up my own hall of fame that would have more credibility. It's also like Rolling Stone's 'Top 100 Guitar Players', where they leave anybody out who has any chops. Somebody even wrote a letter to them, "How come Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Lukather etc. aren't on there, and Kurt Cobain is?" Kurt Cobain was a great songwriter, but a great guitar player? I don't think so. Eddie Van Halen at #78? Gimme a break. (Laughs)

I'm just happy to have a job. I'm a musician, not a rock star. Anybody can be a rock star, apparently. It's manufactured, hyped, and that's how you become a rock star. But if you can really play, then people are actually threatened by you.

Founding member of Grand Funk Railroad, Mark Farner, had some strong words to say about his band's exclusion from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in a recent chat with Nightwatcher's House of Rock Interviews:

NHOR : What do you feel at this point are the chances of Grand Funk Railroad ever getting into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame? Why do you think the band isn't in there already?

MF : I think it's political. I think it's because we haven't obtained the brown ring around the mouth from kissing somebody's hind end. That's not who I am. I'm not going to bow to that god. It's only important to me at all for the fans, for the sake of the fans. From that viewpoint, yes. Because it is something which is supposed to be representative, but it's the same thing as where the Congress of the United States is supposed to be representative of us by coining and controlling the money. But that ain't happening either.

Future Rock Hall currently gives Grand Funk Railroad just a 12% chance at future induction.