Pretenders’ Chrissie Hynde Lambasts Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: ‘Just More Establishment Backslapping’

Add Pretenders leader Chrissie Hynde to the list of artists who aren’t interested in Rock & Roll Hall of Fame enshrinement. On the heels of a scathing op-ed from Hole leader Courtney Love on Friday (March 17) lambasting the Rock Hall for its lack of female representation, Hynde posted a similarly dismissive Facebook note offering up her pointed opinion on the Hall.

“I don’t even wanna be associated with it. It’s just more establishment backslapping,” Hynde wrote. “I got in a band so I didn’t have to be part of all that.”

The legendary singer said she was living a happy life in Rio De Janeiro when she was informed that the long-running band was being inducted into the class of 2005. Hynde attended the event and performed two songs after being inducted by Neil Young.

She has since, however, thrown dirt on the idea of what she calls the Hall of Fame’s music-as-sport posture, and in the FB post said that when she got the news that her band had been tapped, her “heart sank because I knew I’d have to go back for it as it would be too much of a kick in the teeth to my parents if I didn’t. I’d upset them enough by then, so it was one of those things that would bail me out from years of disappointing them. ( like moving out of the USA and being arrested at PETA protests and my general personality).”

In fact, other than Young’s generous induction speech, she said the whole thing was, and is, “totally bollocks. It’s absolutely nothing to do with rock ‘n’ roll and anyone who thinks it is is a fool.”

Love’s Guardian op-ed was a continuation of a thread from earlier in the week in which she criticized the Hall for its lack of female representation, repeating the stat that just 8.48% of inductees are women and that there are only nine women on the organization’s nomination board. She also noted the length of time it’s taken for some legendary women to be nominated, or inducted, as well as some glaring omissions that she says call into question what she dubbed the “ol’ boys club.”

A spokesperson for the RRHOF had not returned Billboard‘s request for comment at press time.

Check out Hynde’s post below.