Lou Gramm doesn’t sound at all happy that his former band, Foreigner, which he fronted until 2003, is not in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. He believes the omission is personal.
“It’s not anything to do with our music or the amount of hits or notoriety or anything like that,” Gramm shares in an interview with The Rock Shop With Ralph. “It’s a personal thing that we’re not in there. It’s a personal vendetta between the gentleman who owns Rolling Stone and Mick,” referring to Foreigner guitarist Mick Jones.
The Rolling Stone owner he’s likely referring to is Jann Wenner, who cofounded the mag and is also the cofounder of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. In reality, Wenner no longer owns Rolling Stone, having sold his remaining interest in the mag in 2017.
Regarding the band’s snub, Gramm notes, “It’s very juvenile, the whole thing, and I don’t think it’s gonna get any better. I think it’s gonna stay that way. I think we’re being made an example of.”
Foreigner has been eligible for the Hall of Fame since 2002, but to this day have never been nominated, and Gramm thinks it’s a travesty.
Asked whether he thinks they deserves to be in the Hall, Gramm declares, “Of course I do,” although he notes it should be “the original Foreigner” as opposed to later lineups. He adds, “I put an exclamation point at the end of that.”
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