Pitchfork

After bending under the thumb of old fogey sensibilities for years, going to bed early, and welcoming acts like the Eagles, Steely Dan, and U2 into its ivory tower, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is finally loosening up. Maybe it's the fact that the institution turns 19 next year and is entering that dreaded rebellious phase. Hormones are raging, life is complicated, and the Lovin' Spoonful just doesn't feel the Hall's pain anymore. That's why, in 2006, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is all about sticking it to The Man, inducting punk icons the Sex Pistols, metal godfathers Black Sabbath, new wave heartthrobs Blondie, and jazz trailblazer Miles Davis. And, 'cause at heart they still love mom and dad, good ol' boys Lynyrd Skynyrd.

Artists become worthy of the Hall's consideration 25 years after the release of their debut album, at which point they may be nominated for induction by a panel of "rock and roll historians", according the Hall of Fame website. The Hall then turns things over to "an international voting body of about 1,000 rock experts" who pick the inductees;typically five to seven each year. In 2005, the hallowed Hall welcomed the Pretenders, U2, Buddy Guy, the O'Jays, and Percy Sledge.

Even at the tender age of 19, the Hall recognizes that rock and roll's legacy involves more than pretty faces and nifty riffs. To that end they also honor behind-the-scenes movers and shakers. The 2006 Non-Performer Lifetime Achievement Award will go to A&M; Records co-founders Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss. And rightly so: Alpert deserves a closet full of trophies for the Whipped Cream & Other Delights album cover alone.

The induction ceremony will take place March 13 at New York's Waldorf Astoria Hotel, and will be broadcast on VH1 on a later date. For the first time ever, the Hall plans to raffle off a couple golden ceremony tickets, allowing a few lucky bastards from the hoi polloi into its inner sanctum. For the hook-up, Veruca Salt, you should scope the hall's official webpage.

"