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
101
Remastered: LL Cool J w/ Renee Gauthier
Joe and Kristen look back at a remastered version of their 2019 episode about hip-hop pioneer LL Cool J with comedian and writer Renee Gauthier. Better sound! Shorter running time! Some new conversation. Only the best for the final week of Mu-septem Berxcellence. This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts.
66 min
102
Randy Rhoads w/ Sean Kelly
Guitarist Sean Kelly joins Joe & Kristen to talk about the life and career of heavy metal guitar wizard and Ozzy Osbourne sideman Randy Rhoads. Also discussed in this episode is the Hall's history with metal and metal-adjacent bands. Mu-septem Berxcellence rolls on! This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts.
81 min
103
Billy Preston w/ Lauren Onkey
Former NPR Music senior director Lauren Onkey joins Joe & Kristen to talk about soul-funk-gospel organist and singer Billy Preston. Also discussed are Lauren's stint on the Rock Hall nominating committee, as well as the meaning and possibilities of the Musical Excellence Award. It's Mu-septem Berxcellence, baby! This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts.
81 min
104
A History of Musical Excellence Inductees w/ An...
Writer Andy Schwartz joins Joe & Kristen to talk about the artists who have been inducted in the Musical Excellence (formerly Sideman) category. This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts.
83 min
105
Fade to Black w/ Joey Devine
Old pal Joey Devine (Roundball Rock) joins Joe & Kristen to talk about Fade to Black, the part-documentary, part-concert film that shows Jay-Z's (alleged) farewell show at Madison Square Garden, interspersed with footage of the making of The Black Album. It's the final month of Doc-gust! This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts.
76 min
106
Tina w/ Carter Gunn
Editor Carter Gunn joins Joe & Kristen to talk about working on the recent HBO Tina Turner documentary, Tina. Could this be the best episode of DOC-GUST yet?? This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts.
88 min
107
The Go-Go's Documentary w/ Alison Ellwood & Bre...
Director Alison Ellwood and editor Brett Banks join Joe & Kristen to talk about their work on The Go-Go's documentary. It's the second week of Doc-gust, baby!!! This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts.
70 min
108
The Black Godfather w/ Will Znidaric
Editor Will Znidaric joins Joe & Kristen to talk about working on the documentary The Black Godfather, which focuses on 2021 Rock Hall non-performer inductee Clarence Avant. This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts.
76 min
109
Sonic Highways w/ Brian Stack
Writer and comedian Brian Stack (Conan, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert) joins Joe & Kristen, as they discuss the Chicago-centric first episode of the Foo Fighters' 2014 HBO docuseries Sonic Highways. It's the final episode of Foo-ly! Don't cry because it's over. Be happy that it happened. This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts.
68 min
110
A History of the Rock Hall Honoring Itself w/ T...
Music and pop culture critic Troy Smith (Cleveland Plain Dealer) returns to the show to talk with Joe & Kristen about the Rock Hall's history of honoring itself. How many people on the board of directors were subsequently inducted? What about people on the Nominating Committee? This is of course part of our Foo-ly celebration, as 2021 inductee Mr. Dave Grohl himself has been a NomCom member since 2017. This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts.
81 min
111
The Worst Inductee Names w/ Tom Scharpling
Writer and personality Tom Scharpling (Best Show, It Never Ends) joins Joe & Kristen, as they go through every name in the Rock Hall and point out the bad ones. This is, of course, in honor of 2021 inductees the Foo Fighters. For it is Foo-ly!!! This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts.
53 min
112
A History of the Foo Fighters w/ Conor Sullivan
Writer and friend of the show Conor Sullivan returns to the podcast to go deep on (and maybe even defend) the Foo Fighters with Joe & Kristen. The gang really dives into the history of the group, discussing their origins, discography, and many lineup changes. It's FOO-LY, baby! This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts.
78 min
113
Remastered: Foo Fighters w/ Allie Goertz
Writer/musician/podcaster Allie Goertz returns to help Joe & Kristen introduce a remastered version of her first appearance on the show! Originally released on May 25, 2018, this Foo Fighters episode with Allie was only the seventh show overall. Enjoy the newly-added song clips and updated sound quality! This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts.
77 min
114
Gil Scott-Heron w/ Marcus Baram
Journalist and author Marcus Baram joins Joe & Kristen to talk about bluesologist, grandfather of hip-hop, "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" artist, and 2021 Rock Hall Early Influence inductee Gil Scott-Heron. Marcus wrote a biography on Gil Scott-Heron, so you know he's got a lot to say. The FINAL week of Early Inf-June-lence! :( This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts.
83 min
115
Remastered: Kraftwerk w/ DeMorge Brown
With Kraftwerk's long-awaited induction happening in the Early Influence category this year, Joe and Kristen look back on their 2018 episode about the German electronic music pioneers with comedian/actor DeMorge Brown. This "classic" episode has been remastered for brevity and to enhance audio quality. It's Week 3 of Early Inf-June-lence!!! This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts.
65 min
116
Charley Patton w/ Rev. Peyton
Musician Rev. Peyton (Rev. Peyton's Big Damn Band) joins Joe & Kristen to gush about his hero and 2021 Early Influence Rock Hall inductee, "Father of the Delta Blues" Charley Patton. It's Week 2 of Early Inf-JUNE-lence! This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts.
76 min
117
A History of Early Influence Inductees w/ Elija...
Musician, historian, and writer Elijah Wald joins Joe & Kristen to talk about every artist who's been inducted into the Rock Hall's "Early Influence" category. Lots of discussion of artists from the pre-rock era and some who aren't really. This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts.
86 min
118
A History of Female Inductees w/ Ann Powers
Music critic Ann Powers joins Joe & Kristen for a special episode dedicated to the history of every woman who's ever been inducted into the Rock Hall. If you want to know exactly why people get so upset about this issue, consider this your history lesson. This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts.
115 min
119
Where Does Bill Wyman Rank the New Inductees?
Music writer and editor Bill Wyman joins Joe & Kristen to talk about where he might put the new Rock Hall class into his massive (and controversial!) ranking of every inductee on Vulture. This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts.
79 min
120
2021 Inductee Announcement w/ Jimmy Pardo, Joey...
Joe announces the 2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees to Kristen and their special guests: Jimmy Pardo, Joey Devine, and Greg Heller. This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts.
72 min
121
The Voter Calling Party Continues!
Joe and Kristen call up some official Rock & Roll Hall of Fame voters to see who they chose on this year's ballot. In some cases, they even fill it out live on the air! Featuring Mike Norman, Laina Dawes, Arthur Levy, Lauren Onkey, Miles Marshall Lewis, Gregg Geller, Rob Tannenbaum, Amy Linden, and Chris Molanphy. This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts.
120 min
122
Voter Calling Party 2021
Joe and Kristen bust out the rolodex and call friends old and new to see who they chose on this year's Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ballot. Some even fill it out on the air! Featuring Karen Glauber, Bob Merlis, Jim Bessman, Jim McGuinn, and Ned Raggett. This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts.
93 min
123
Jay-Z w/ John Kennedy
Writer and senior editor of LEVEL mag John Kennedy joins Joe & Kristen to talk about hip-hop icon and possible first-year-eligible Rock Hall inductee Jay-Z. This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts.
80 min
124
Fela Kuti w/ Michael Veal
Author and musician Michael Veal joins Joe & Kristen to talk about the life and work of Nigerian Afrobeat legend Fela Kuti. This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts.
71 min
125
Rage Against the Machine w/ Sean Fennessey
Writer and podcaster Sean Fennessey (The Ringer) joins Joe and Kristen to discuss the Rock Hall merits of the radically political rap-rock group Rage Against the Machine. Also in this episode, Sean is quizzed on his former Rock Hall ballots. This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts.
80 min