As somebody who records for Kill Rock Stars, do you suppose that in
 the middle of this all-star jam, Ronnie Spector pulled out a knife and
 attempted to kill Sammy Hagar?
 
 I just find it bizarre that they will put a marginal figure like Patti
 Smith, and even more marginal figures like the Ronettes in the Rock
 and Roll hall of fame, but year after year they snub Yes. Love them or
 hate them, they were an extremely important band, and they moved a
 hell of a lot of product for the industry.  As somebody who loves
 them, I think they recorded several masterpieces.
 
 I love the Ronettes songs, too (both of them) but the Ronettes without
 Phil Spector are like Milli Vinilli without hair extensions.
 
 *****
 
 R.E.M. Inducted into Hall of Fame: If you missed it (and that's
 understandable due to the ceremony's length), R.E.M. was inducted into
 the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Monday, March 12. The band was
 inducted by Eddie Vedder with a touching and humorous - if somewhat
 lengthy - speech. The band then thanked tons of the people who helped
 them, gave a shoutout to those of us watching in Athens at the Melting
 Point and proceeded to play "Begin the Begin," "Gardening at Night,"
 (dedicated to Michael's father) and "Man on the Moon," before a
 rendition of The Stooges' "I Wanna Be Your Dog" and fellow inductee
 Patti Smith's "People Have the Power." The former was a bit of a kick
 to the Hall's voters, who didn't vote in The Stooges, who were up for
 this year's class. The latter was an all-star jam that included the
 odd combination of the likes of R.E.M., Patti Smith, Sammy Hagar,
 Stephen Stills, Keith Richards, the Ronnettes, and Eddie Vedder.