the kennedy center honors in the USA are honoring led zeppelin this year. mccartney, roger daltry & pete townshend, and bruce springsteen and bob dylan have been honored in the past. why not the stones? is it b/c of their "bad boy images" and the drugs and their reputation? that it would not seem right to have the bad boys of rock sit in washington DC with the president (who is a huge stones fan)? seems like a big insult that they are overlooked. the kennedy center honors artists who have had a big influence on american culture. how could they overlook the stones' influence?

I agree it is odd now that you bring it up. I can only think its similar to the whole "knighting" thing. Mick probably wouldn't mind, but Keith doesn't like to be honored. And they probably weren't asked until after the knighting thing (as most of the guys you listed have been inducted within the last 5 years), and that caused so much friction either Keith said no and they felt weird just giving it to Mick, or they both shot the Honors down to avoid another argument.

Basically, yes I would say its because of their bad boy image, but also because Keith has very strong feelings about not caring about those sort of honors and if it weren't for him holding onto the "bad boy image" they'd be in there. Thats my best guess at least. I'm sure they've been asked as it would be criminal and an unimaginable oversight if they haven't been.

but considering the who, beatles, and zep are in there, you would think keith wouldn't want to be left out

I agree. But again, I assume they've been asked and the only logical explanation is that one or both of them are saying no.

I don't think Keith objects to all honours - it's just that Mick's knighthood had overtones of becoming a willing part of the British Establishment that the Stones were at odds with for so long.

The honours thing is just a circus.

It's there to cement the idea that the establishment has power to give you something because they are greater than you and you are less than them.

Knighthoods, OBEs, CBEs... just nonsense.

Keith is right to keep out of it.

The Rock N Roll Hall of fame is a sham.

If you're famous and loved you're famous and loved.

You don't need a certificate.

I worked as an usher in the Opera House at the Kennedy Center from 1986 to 2001.
The Honors Gala was one of the highlights of the year, and they were thrilling to attend.
One of the caveats for being given the KC Lifetime Achievement Award is that the honoree must be able to participate in all of the events in DC surrounding the accolade.
My guess is that the Stones were passed over because they were not able to commit to it.
I would not rule out the band being chosen for next years' award.
Especially if they had a stellar 2013 with a triumphant 50th Anniversary world tour.

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GravityBoy
The honours thing is just a circus.

It's there to cement the idea that the establishment has power to give you something because they are greater than you and you are less than them.

Knighthoods, OBEs, CBEs... just nonsense.

Keith is right to keep out of it.

The Rock N Roll Hall of fame is a sham.

If you're famous and loved you're famous and loved.

You don't need a certificate.

I used to think this, until I saw Johnnie Johnson's speech upon induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (after being inducted by Keith), and saw how much it meant to him. It may not matter much to the likes of the Rolling Stones, but for great musicians like Johnnie Johnson, it's the proudest moment of their lives, and they deserve that moment.







Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2012-12-06 15:55 by drbryant.

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jjsteve
why not the stones? is it b/c of their "bad boy images" and the drugs and their reputation? that it would not seem right to have the bad boys of rock sit in washington DC with the president

Zeppelin were "bad boys" and they're being honoured. Obama even alluded humourously to their notorious past in his speech.