Why is Hall of Fame waiting?
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced its 2024 class of inductees. While I am thrilled to read in The Jersey Journal that Jersey City’s own Kool and the Gang are among the 2024 inductees, I believe that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame remains truly lame! Notable performers, who have made a lasting imprint on the music of the day, have yet to be inducted and enshrined in the Hall.
For example, the band King Crimson, inventive pioneers of the progressive rock genre, has yet to be welcomed within the hallowed halls of the Rock and Roll museum in Cleveland. Another band that dabbled in folk, blues and progressive rock, Jethro Tull, with its flautist Ian Anderson, has been snubbed by the Hall. Emerson, Lake and Palmer, surely they’re in the Hall? Nope! Joe Cocker, the man with the powerful voice and master interpreter of songs, he has to be in the Hall. Don’t bet on it. The B-52s? Afraid not!
American bands such as Grand Funk Railroad, the Turtles and the Monkees have yet to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Most fans remember the Turtles for their smash hit “Happy Together” and, as such, mistake them for “one-hit wonders.” In reality, the Turtles were an accomplished band that incorporated the best from folk, pop and rock to create their own unique, distinctive sound.
The Monkees were one of the most successful bands in the 1960s. Granted, they were assembled to create a television show. However, after gaining creative control of their material, the Monkees proved to be a very credible and creative band. One can make the argument that the Monkees were the first band to use music videos, way before MTV.
Female performers not among those privileged few to be cherished, treasured, and hallowed in the hall include Lesley Gore with hits like “It’s My Party” and “You Don’t Own Me”; Judy Collins, a gifted folk singer who defined her generation; the Shangri-Las, the “toughest” of the ‘60s girl groups with hits like “Leader of the Pack” that captured the angst of being a teenager and female in their era; Tracy Chapman; and Marianne Faithfull.
Suffice it to say, there are many other well-known entertainers who have been omitted from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. And that truly is a shame.
John Di Genio, Jersey City
8th District deserves homegrown rep
The United States of America is now at a crossroads.
The failed policies of the Biden administration have led to unprecedented inflation. We have seen rising costs for food, rent, mortgages, fuel, utilities and all the essentials we need in daily life. At the same time, we are now embroiled in conflicts in the Middle East and Eastern Europe, while our southern border remains wide open and completely unsecured.
We have seen millions upon millions of undocumented (and unvaccinated) migrants cross our border illegally and sent all over the country to different major cities, creating chaos and negatively affecting their schools as well as EMS, police, and fire department response. We currently have more and more migrants entering illegally not necessarily from Central and South American countries, but from countries who hate the United States.
Our congressional representatives in Washington treat our daily lives and struggles as an academic exercise in politics. Instead of recognizing that their decisions affect all of us regular American citizens, they fail to realize it especially affects those of us like myself in the working class who are not connected insider politicians, sponsored by big corporations.
It is easy to preach a progressive ideology when you have never had to struggle a single day in your life. We need a congressional representative for our 8th District that knows its people and has lived their same experiences.
I have lived all my life in West New York and have worked in West New York and Newark for years as a public servant connecting with the residents of Hudson and Essex counties — not only on the streets, but also in their homes. I know what it is like to grow up poor and truly struggle. I am your average Hispanic American citizen struggling with inflation and everything else, just like most Americans.
New Jersey is over one-fifth Hispanic, and District 8 is the only Majority Hispanic District in New Jersey. As a Hispanic American myself, I am a firm believer that genuine representation matters and that the best way to represent your constituents is through shared lived experiences.
Too long have resume padders tried to advance their own careers on broken promises and misleading claims of progressivism. Hudson, Essex, and Union counties deserve a representative who grew up here, works here and understands the people of the entire district. We all deserve equal representation.
Anthony Valdes, West New York, Republican Candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives 8th District
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