Saying you’re against Willie Nelson is like saying you’re against Santa Claus.

And I’m against Willie Nelson.

Oh, not against the gentle-souled, 89-year-old country-music legend as a dude.

Willie’s cool. His music’s cool, too.

I’m just against Willie Nelson going into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.

Nelson’s among 14 Rock Hall nominees for 2023. The nominees, announced Feb. 1, also include: Rock and metal bands Iron Maiden, Soundgarden, Rage Against the Machine and White Stripes; rappers Missy Elliott and A Tribe Called Quest; singer/songwriters Kate Bush and Warren Zevon; pop artists George Michael, Cyndi Lauper and Sheryl Crow; underground-rockers-turned-synth-band Joy Division/New Order; and R&B vocal group The Spinners.

When considered with fellow country-deity Dolly Parton’s Rock Hall nomination and eventual induction last year, Nelson’s nomination (and now, sure-thing induction), feels like boardroom strategy. Increase the Rock Hall’s Cleveland pyramid-shaped museum’s attendance by targeting country music fans. As a business move, it’s not unsound. There are many country music fans, and they’re loyal.

And like Parton, Nelson is virtually universally liked and respected, both in general and among rock and roll musicians. But that’s different than being highly influential on rock.

The Country Music Hall of Fame maintains a well-curated multi-story museum in Nashville. Nelson has been enshrined there since 1993, and rightfully so.

When it comes to being a country music singer, songwriter and star, Nelson (like Parton, who was inducted into the Country Hall in ‘99) is a legend-among-legends. Within country, his catalog is towering. Many of his songs, for example “On The Road Again,” “Crazy,” “Funny How Time Slips Away” and “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain” are beyond hits. They’re standards on the level of “Somewhere Over The Rainbow.”

There’s room in the Rock Hall for more diversity. But instead of inducting country legends long honored in the Country Music Hall of Fame and whose music wasn’t critical to rock (neither Dolly or Willie shaped rock music like country-pioneer Hank Williams or seminal bluesmen Muddy Waters did), that diversity should focus on rock musicians, as I wrote about last year after Parton made the Rock Hall.

Honor musicians who dedicated their lives to rock — and while they’re still alive. Many classic-rockers have reached or exceeded life expectancy and are dying at a terrifying rate in recent years. And unfortunately, that’s only going to increase.

Unlike country musicians, rock musicians don’t really have another major hall of fame to honor them.

Texas native Nelson was at the 1995 Rock And Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony at New York’s Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. He was there to induct Southern rock/jam-band icons the Allman Brothers Band.

He gave a down-to-earth, eloquent induction speech for the Allmans. Other inductees that night included Led Zeppelin, the greatest hard-rock band to ever exist, and Janis Joplin, the greatest female rock singer to ever exist.

Nelson, who shares enlightened rogue simpatico with many rockers, was fine to induct the Allmans. But like Parton — who initially declined nomination (“I don’t feel I’ve earned the right,” she said in a statement) before changing her mind and subsequently being inducted — he’s never made a rock album. Ever.

In early 2023, following outcry from many rock fans after Parton’s induction, the Rock Hall issued a new mission statement (first reported by website Ultimate Classic Rock) ahead of this year’s nominees: “From its inception, rock ‘n’ roll has had deep roots in rhythm & blues and country music,” the Rock Hall said at the time. “It is not defined by any one genre, rather a sound that moves youth culture.” Translation: We’re covering our ass before completely devaluing rock music in the coming years to hedge bets on increasing attendance.

As great as Willie Nelson is, I’m not sure how much his music has impacted “youth culture.” Especially when compared to the below five rock artists who weren’t nominated this year, but deserve to be inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.

Ozzy Osbourne

Arguably the greatest heavy-metal frontman of all-time (which is different than being metal’s best singer), Ozzy was previously inducted into the Rock Hall as part of his proto-metal British band Black Sabbath in 2006.

[The Rock Hall’s notoriously biased against metal. Sabbath, one of rock’s most influential bands ever, regardless of genre, was eligible at least 10 years before finally being inducted. The Rock Hall even made the mighty Van Halen wait around five years to be inducted. Eddie Van Halen wasn’t good enough for the Rock Hall for half a decade, but Eminem was a first-ballot inductee? Really? Note: Artists are eligible for the Rock Hall 25 years after their first commercial release.]

In addition to his accomplishments with Sabbath, Ozzy’s a legitimately great solo artist. Osbourne’s early solo albums, 1980′s “Blizzard of Ozz” and 1981′s “Diary of a Madman,” are two of metal’s most revered. Yes, much of that has to do with Osbourne’s guitarist on those records, the late great Randy Rhoads, who injected classical curlicues into metal. But Osbourne’s haunting vocals, parent-scaring mystique and every-dude appeal were magnetic, too — and essential to his solo success.

Classic Ozzy songs like “Crazy Train,” “Flying High Again,” “Mr. Crowley,” “Over the Mountain,” “Diary of a Madman” and “Bark at the Moon” sound as vibrant now as they did in the early ‘80s. In the early ‘90s, Osbourne returned to form with MTV smashes like “No More Tears” and “Mama, I’m Coming Home.” Osbourne’s most recent album, 2022′s “Patient Number 9,” was strong, too.

Motley Crue

Motley Crue wouldn’t qualify for a Woke And Roll Hall Of Fame. But they’re more than worthy of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. Motley’s first five studio albums, including must-have’s “Too Fast For Love” (1981), “Shout at the Devil” (’83) and “Dr. Feelgood” (’89), went platinum or multi-platinum. They have three gold-selling albums on top of that.

Blending glam, punk, metal, pop and rock, Motley forged the Sunset Strip sound many later successful acts drew from. During their ‘80s prime, Motley Crue — bassist/lyricist Nikki Sixx, singer Vince Neil, guitarist Mick Mars and drummer Tommy Lee – was a hot live act, too. Their wild rep and wow-production made them must-see for youth gone wild.

Motley’s music still resonates today in a big way. In 2022, they teamed with fellow ‘80s greats (and 2019 Rock Hall inductees) Def Leppard for a tour that filled stadiums across the U.S. Motley is one of those lucky bands with a setlist full of hits they have to play or fans will leave disappointed. “Live Wire,” “Shout at the Devil,” “Looks That Kill,” “Too Young to Fall in Love,” “Smokin’ in the Boys Room,” “Home Sweet Home,” “Girls, Girls, Girls,” “Dr. Feelgood,” “Kickstart My Heart,” “Don’t Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)” and more.

Self-righteous Rock Hall voters blackballing Motley because of the band’s hedonistic past are themselves suspect. There are plenty previous inductees, including rock-critic sacred cows, who indulged in similar vices. They just didn’t write a best-selling memoir about it, like Motley did with “The Dirt,” later adopted into a buzzy Netflix biopic. And while we’re at it, yes, John Corabi, the raspy singer who replaced Neil on the Motley Crue’s gold-selling 1994 self-titled album, should be inducted, too.

Jane’s Addiction

In the late ‘80s, Jane’s Addiction created the alternative-rock countless inferior bands took to the bank during the ‘90s. The common assessment is reluctant grunge-kings Nirvana started the alt-rock revolution. Nope. The vastly poppier Nirvana stepped through the door Jane’s Addiction opened. Kurt Cobain was a troubled artiste, but he was also a cute blond. Jane’s frontman Perry Ferrell on the other hand was a stone-cold freak-a-zoid.

The narcotic art-metal on Jane’s Addiction’s 1988 debut LP “Nothing’s Shocking” appealed to heshers and alterna-babes equally. Songs like the thrashy “Mountain Song,” trippy “Summertime Rolls” and junkie anthem “Jane’s Says” made the decade’s earlier college-rock (these days called “indie”) sound like a child’s play. Emerging from the anything goes Los Angeles underground, Jane’s first built buzz with their ‘87 debut release. That hot live self-titled disc showcased now classic stomp “Pigs in Zen” and street-people paean “Whores.”

With their supersonic second studio LP, 1990′s heroin-laced “Ritual de lo Habitual,” Jane’s blew up. Tracks like “Stop,” “Classic Girl” and especially “Been Caught Stealing” brought the bleeding edge into middle-America via MTV. “Ritual” track “Three Days” proved Jane’s could weave an epic spell.

Musically, the band’s classic lineup was driven by bassist Eric Avery’s hypnotic lines, guitarist Dave Navarro’s sexy shredding and drummer Stephen Perkins’ intricate bashing. But it was Ferrell’s shaman instincts that made Jane’s Addiction magical.

Ferrell founded a little thing called Lollapalooza, a traveling freak-rock cornucopia and vehicle for Jane’s last tour before breaking up (the first time). Lolla brought alternative culture into mainstream like never before. And set the stage for the many U.S. mega music festivals to come.

Bad Company | Free

Paul Rodgers not being inducted remains one of the Rock Hall’s biggest gaffes. The Bad Company/Free frontman’s one of the most gifted rock vocalists to ever pick up a microphone. Rodgers was a classic-rock contemporary of Rock Hall Of Famers like Rod Stewart and Queen’s Freddie Mercury, yet they revered him for his soul-smooth vocals.

With U.K. blues-rockers Free, Rodgers was a mic-stand swinging teenager belting out “All Right Now,” a definitive classic-rock track. Free dissolved before realizing their full potential, due to clashes between Rodgers and bassist/composer Andy Fraser, and also wunderkind guitarist Paul Kossoff’s drug problems. But Rodgers work on albums like “Fire and Water” is so well regarded if he’d died instead of Jeff Beck recently, there would’ve been a similar overflow of famous singer tributes like Beck received from guitar heroes.

Rodgers found greater fame with his next project, Bad Company. A supergroup comprised of Rodgers, Free drummer drummer Simon Kirke, King Crimson bassist Boz Burrell and Mott the Hoople guitarist Mick Ralphs, Bad Company was signed to Swan Song Records, the label owned by Led Zeppelin.

Bad Company was basically the Foo Fighters of the ‘70s. They weren’t really cool or edgy. They just made well-crafted rock hit after hit. “Can’t Get Enough,” “Feel like Makin’ Love,” “Shooting Star,” the song “Bad Company,” “Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy,” “Run with the Pack,” “Ready for Love” and more. If classic-rock radio hadn’t overplayed Bad Company hits decades later, casual music fans today would better appreciation how great the band and Rodgers are.

Upon the release of Stone Temple Pilots’ 1992 debut album “Core,” critics panned them as lame Pearl Jam rip-offs. Rock fans however had a different say about this Los Angeles via San Diego band’s fate. “Core” sold more than eight million copies and generated hits like “Plush,” “Wicked Garden,” “Sex Type Thing” and “Wicked Garden” that still jolt today.

Fronted by a chameleonic Scott Weiland, Stone Temple Pilots upped their game on ‘94 sophomore LP “Purple.” That album launched two quintessential ‘90s rock tracks,“Vasoline” and “Interstate Love Song.” STP certainly had some grunge-y musical moments. But with drummer Eric Kretz’s arena grooves, the DeLeo brothers’ (guitarist Dean, bassist Robert) paisley musicality, and Weiland slithering, STP more often sounded timeless.

By Stone Temple Pilots’ third album, “Tiny Music… Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop,” they’d won over any haters left with a brain. “Tiny Music” found the band indulging glam, prog and art-rock urges, on tracks like “Big Bang Baby,” “Lady Picture Show” and “Trippin’ on a Hole in a Paper Heart.” STP’s fourth LP, “No. 4,” was the band’s fourth consecutive million-plus selling album.

Weiland and STP would break up and reunite multiple times, including a period where Weiland formed supergroup Velvet Revolver with Guns N’ Roses expats Slash, Duff McKagan and Matt Sorum. Unfortunately, on Dec. 3, 2015, while on the road with his solo band, Weiland was found dead on his tour bus after an accidental overdose at age 48. Scott Weiland deserves to be in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame way more than Willie Nelson does.

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