Rock and Roll Loves Joan Jett Backâ??and GNR, Too

JETT.

Joan Jett has often railed against the establishment during her long and fruitful career, and now it turns out the establishment is showing its due respect. The singer is one of fifteen nominees for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012, a class that also includes The Cure, hip-hop trailblazers Eric B. & Rakim, and previous nominees the Beastie Boys and Red Hot Chili Peppers. When Interview caught up with Jett last year, the former Runaway told us about the struggles of being a female rock performer:

I walked in and said, “Teach me how to play rock ‘n’ roll.” And the guy brought out sheet music and tried to teach me “On Top of Old Smoky.” That was the last lesson I ever took. Being told that girls can’t play rock ‘n’ roll—I mean, even as a kid, it was so illogical to me—it’s like, what do you mean?

While Jett’s successes in cracking the notoriously male-dominated genre have been well documented, it’s worth noting that a total of five female acts (including first-timers Heart and Rufus with Chaka Khan) are included in this year’s nominees—a notable improvement over past years.

Also knock, knock, knockin’ on the hall’s door are Guns N’ Roses, whose nomination is unsurprising but has long been anticipated for its potential induction-night implications. The rockers, 24 years removed from their seminal debut, Appetite for Destruction, have not appeared in public together in nearly two decades and could be due for a reunion on the Hall of Fame stage. The speculation will have to wait, however, as new members won’t be announced until late November.

TO SEE A COMPLETE LIST OF THE NOMINEES, VISIT THE ROCK & ROLL HALL OF FAME WEBSITE.