Who Cares About the Rock Hall?

A podcast about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame hosted by comedians Joe Kwaczala and Kristen Studard. He's a long-time devotee. She's a skeptic. Join them as he attempts to get her (and their guests) to care about this institution. Proud part of Pantheon - the podcast network for music lovers.

Music History
Music Commentary
Music Interviews
76
Harry Belafonte w/ Judith Smith
Author & scholar Judith Smith (Becoming Belafonte: Black Artist, Public Radical) joins Joe & Kristen to talk about the life, music, and politics of 2022 Early Influence inductee Harry Belafonte. This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts.
59 min
77
Elizabeth Cotten w/ Robert Searing
Curator of History at the Onondaga Historical Association, Robert Searing joins Joe & Kristen to talk about the incredible life, work, and influence of folk singer-songwriter-guitarist Elizabeth "Libba" Cotten, 2022 Early Influence Rock Hall inductee. This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts.
64 min
78
Rerun: A History of the Early Influence Categor...
A re-broadcast of our very informative 2021 episode with historian Elijah Wald all about the artists who have been inducted as "early influences." This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts.
87 min
79
Why 1983 Was a Huge Year for the 2022 Inductees...
Chris Molanphy (Slate's Hit Parade) joins Joe & Kristen for a discussion all about the year 1983. There is no point that year when a 2022 inductee isn't strongly represented on the Hot 100. From the breakthroughs of Duran Duran and Eurythmics to the #1 hits from Lionel Richie and Dolly Parton and beyond. Pat Benatar, Jimmy Iovine, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Carly Simon, Judas Priest, even artists from Sylvia Robinson's Sugar Hill Records label all put out music this year. Listen in as we break it all down. This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts.
78 min
80
Remastered: Pat Benatar w/ Karen Kilgariff
Back in July 2018, we talked to comedian/writer Karen Kilgariff (My Favorite Murder) about the eternally-snubbed Pat Benatar. In celebration of her 2022 induction, we revisit this episode with better sound quality, a shortened runtime, and the addition of song clips. Enjoy! This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts.
44 min
81
It's Easy to Predict the Inductees
Joe walks through some recent moments from the podcast that reveal just how on-point the show's predictions have been. If you wanted to know this year's Rock Hall inductees ahead of time, all you had to do was listen to the show! This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts.
16 min
82
2022 Inductee Announcement w/ Joey Devine
Joe reveals the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2022 to Kristen and special guest Joey Devine. It's Christmas morning! This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts.
44 min
83
Calling Voters w/ Lauren Onkey, Arthur Levy, Ch...
This year's voter calling season comes to an end with a big one! A mega-sode, if you will. Joe & Kristen call up eight more Rock Hall voters to see who they're choosing on their ballot this year: Lauren Onkey, Arthur Levy, Chris Molanphy, Lori Majewski, Maura Johnston, Karen Glauber, Jim McGuinn, and Evelyn McDonnell. Plus, we combine our data with the findings of Future Rock Legends' own Neil Walls to do some final analysis! This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts.
120 min
84
Calling Voters w/ Rob Tannenbaum, Laina Dawes, ...
Joe & Kristen are back at it, calling up five more Rock Hall voters to see who they're choosing on their ballot this year: Rob Tannenbaum, Laina Dawes, Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Roy Trakin, and Alec Wightman. This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts.
94 min
85
Calling Voters w/ Bob Merlis, Gregg Geller, Bil...
Joe & Kristen call up five Rock Hall voters to see who they're choosing on their ballot this year: Bob Merlis, Gregg Geller, Bill Adler, Ned Raggett, and Miles Marshall Lewis. This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts.
77 min
86
Eminem w/ Marcia Alesan Dawkins
Author and communications scholar Marcia Alesan Dawkins joins Joe & Kristen to talk about the music and career of hip-hop megastar Eminem aka Slim Shady aka Marshall Mathers. This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts.
94 min
87
RIP Taylor Hawkins
Joe shares some clips from old episodes in fond remembrance of late Foo Fighters drummer and 2021 Rock Hall inductee Taylor Hawkins. This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts.
12 min
88
Lionel Richie w/ Mike Seely
Writer Mike Seely (Better Collective) joins Joe & Kristen to discuss the music and career of massively famous '80s superstar and pop balladeer Lionel Richie. Should he get into the Rock Hall this year on his first ballot appearance? This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts.
87 min
89
Dolly Parton Bows Out??
Neil Walls (FutureRockLegends.com) returns to the show to help Joe & Kristen try and make sense of current nominee Dolly Parton's statement attempting to remove herself from Rock Hall consideration. Can she even do that? Has this happened before? What is going on?! This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts.
63 min
90
Remastered: Devo w/ River Butcher
We dig into the archives and unearth this classic episode from 2018 when Devo made the ballot for the first time. And fittingly, we discuss this Akron band with fellow Akronite, River Butcher! We've put a 2022 polish on this episode: more consistent sound levels, some song clips dropped in, and streamlined to Just the Devo Talk. Do enjoy, won't you? This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts.
38 min
91
Beck w/ Matthew Perpetua
Music writer Matthew Perpetua (Fluxblog) joins Joe & Kristen to talk about the work and career of musical chameleon and industry darling Beck, who's on the Rock Hall ballot for the first time this year. This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts.
87 min
92
Dolly Parton w/ Lindsay Zoladz
Music writer and New York Times contributor Lindsay Zoladz joins us to talk about country music queen and pop culture icon Dolly Parton, who's on the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ballot for the first time this year. This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts.
74 min
93
Carly Simon w/ Allison Rapp
Music writer Allison Rapp joins Joe & Kristen to discuss the music and career of '70s icon and celebrated singer/songwriter Carly Simon, who made the Rock Hall ballot for the first time this year. This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts.
82 min
94
Eurythmics w/ Craig Seymour
Writer Craig Seymour returns to the show to discuss with Joe & Kristen the Rock Hall merits of soulful synth-pop wizards the Eurythmics. This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts.
98 min
95
2022 Nominee Announcement w/ Greg Heller
Friend of the pod Greg Heller returns for the most wonderful time of the year: nominee announcement! We reveal the slate of nominees for the 2022 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ballot. This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts.
80 min
96
2022 Nominee Draft w/ River Butcher, Jimmy Pard...
It's last year's drafters returning for a rematch! Comedians/podcasters River Butcher, Jimmy Pardo, and Joey Devine join Joe & Kristen to draft who will be nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this year. Also, this is Episode 200, but we forget to ever mention that! This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts.
81 min
97
First Year Eligibles of 2022 w/ Cullen Crawford
Comedy writer Cullen Crawford returns to the show for a very special episode! He faces off against Kristen to see who's the fastest at identifying the music from artists who become eligible for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this year. These are artists whose first released recording was in 1996, and Joe plays them in order from least to most likely to be inducted. Play along at home! This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts.
71 min
98
Who Will Be Inducted in 10-15 Years? w/ Sophie ...
Former guests and very thoughtful people Sophie Brookover, Ben Merlis, and Jamison Webb join Joe & Kristen to try and guess the Rock Hall classes of 2032 to 2036. What will the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame potentially look like in ten to fifteen years? Listen as we attempt to answer this question! This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts.
101 min
99
Who Will Be Inducted in 5-10 Years? w/ Annie Za...
Music writer Annie Zaleski and Vulture senior editor Jesse David Fox join Joe & Kristen for the second part in their special prediction series. They put their heads together to try and predict who will be inducted in 5-10 years from now: the Rock Hall classes of 2027-2031. This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts.
78 min
100
2021 Year in Review
As the year comes to a close, Joe & Kristen reflect on this year, a great one for the podcast. In 2021, they dove deep on a historically diverse list of nominees + an uncharacteristically large class of inductees, called Rock Hall voters at their home, went to the first induction ceremony since 2019, and did their the show live for the very first time in Cleveland the night before. This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts.
62 min