Music Unheard by the Masses: A Case for X’s Rock Hall Induction
Not Discussed Ad Nauseam: Two Rock Hall Podcasts Talk About X
The Rock Hall watcher community has come a long way in the last few years. Besides a devoted group of bloggers having a constant presence on social media, there’s now two weekly podcasts devoted to all things Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Joe Kwaczala and Kristen Studard, hosts of Who Cares About the Rock Hall?, offer a comedic perspective on Rock Hall politics. Although mistaken for a married couple (despite what some iTunes reviewers might think), they’re both comedians based out of Los Angeles. Starting last year, they began an annual tradition to devote an entire episode to predict which artists they feel will get a nomination. Usually featuring frequent guest and fellow comedian Joey Devine and another returning guest (this year it happened to be Jimmy Pardo), each person picks an artist they believe will appear on the official ballot. Getting a total of six draft picks with no artists repeated, the winner gets bragging rights. These episodes are always a blast to listen to each year. Towards the end of the episode, each person started making “wild” predictions, artists on nobody’s radar and their nomination would be considered a surprise. Of the four, Devine made the most left-field picks when he predicted the likes of Alanis Morissette and Willie Nelson. Going with the logic that the Rock Hall likes to choose a “random punk band” each year, Devine settled on X as his final prediction--a “fun and wild choice.” He also mentions Dave Grohl possibly pushing for an X nomination, which would be a stretch considering he got punk rockers Bad Brains, Devo and Motörhead nominated in recent years. Kwaczala seemed to agree with Devine’s reasoning for choosing X while Studard admitted she knew very little about them. This blog could serve as Kristen’s introduction to arguably the greatest punk rock band to ever come out of L.A. And, to paraphrase Devine, X simply rules.
Eric and Mary Layton, hosts of the podcast Hall Watchers, often take a problem-solving approach to make the Rock Hall a better, more productive institution. Some of Hall Watchers’ earliest episodes focused on artists from underrepresented genres (e.g., Country, Metal) and why they belong in the Rock Hall. One episode focused on Punk, a genre not often celebrated at Rock Hall ceremonies in recent years. With the exception of Green Day, the Rock Hall has inadequately represented punk rock outside the New York and London scenes from the mid-to-late 1970s. Towards the end of the episode, Eric drafted X as one of his selections and discussed their impact on punk: “They really stand apart. They [John Doe and Exene] have sharp songwriting...one of the greatest duos in rock and roll history.” I couldn’t agree more with Eric’s assessment of X and made me want to further explore their discography. He even mentioned how he met John Doe at a book signing a few years ago. How cool is that?
After X was name-dropped by both podcasts earlier this year, I was inspired to further explore their catalog and the likeliness of a possible Rock Hall nomination. Admittedly, I didn’t know a whole lot about them until I started research for this blog. But X’s brilliant first four albums are among the strongest in rock history and gave me a new perspective on the power of punk rock. Although The Go-Go’s and Black Flag popped up on quite a few prediction lists in recent years, X rarely gets mentioned in the Rock Hall watcher community. This is very surprising given they appear on the nomination committee's “previously considered” list years ago. Given X’s status as one of the most critically-acclaimed bands of the 1980s, a nomination wouldn’t be that shocking. They influenced countless Alternative and Punk artists such as Pearl Jam, Green Day and Nirvana (all of whom are Rock Hall inductees). And yet their music is largely unknown by the general public, which accounts for their status as cult icons in the City of Angels, which is a shame because X is one of the greatest bands to ever come out of the U.S.
This blog explores X’s contributions to the emerging punk and alternative music genres and presents a case for their entrance into the Rock Hall. While they didn’t sell a lot of records, X’s defiant punk sensibility allowed them to stand-out from their contemporaries thanks to brilliant and highly poetic lyrics, exceptional musicianship, and exhilarating live performances.
In the Time It Takes to Tell Their Story: An Overview of X’s Career
The members of X all grew up in different parts of the U.S. before eventually meeting in Los Angeles in the mid-to-late 1970s. John Doe was born in Decatur, Illinois in February 1953. His family moved to Baltimore, where he would spend his adolescent years, and he developed an interest in music at an early age. He played in several bar bands in and around Baltimore while attending college. Struggling in his studies (he dropped out of college twice) and working as a roofer, he pursued a career as a musician and wanted to flee far away from the east coast.With so many musical trends and genres emerging throughout the 1970s, Doe found solace in punk music after listening to Patti Smith’s Horses (1975) and attending a Talking Heads show at the famed CBGB’s nightclub in 1976. Around this time, Punk emerged from the underground and quickly rose to prosperity, thanks in large part to their coverage in mainstream publications. Realizing how much coverage the New York and English punk scenes received in mainstream music publications, Doe decided to look elsewhere and ultimately settled in Los Angeles the following year. He always wanted to move to California in part because “It’s the place of dreams.” Along with his fondness for L.A.-based writers such as Charles Bukowski and Raymond Chandler, the city intrigued Doe and would serve as an inspiration for songwriting for the remainder of his career.
Shortly after moving to Los Angeles, Doe placed an ad in a local newspaper looking to form a new punk rock band. Billy Zoom, an L.A.-based session musician who toured with rockabilly icon Gene Vincent on his final tour earlier that decade, also wrote an ad looking for the same thing. Zoom would answer Doe’s ad which led them firsting for the first time in 1977. Combining Zoom’s experience as a seasoned guitarist and Doe’s songwriting aspirations, the two decided to form a band. Around this time, Doe started attending various poetry performances and workshops. He met Exene Cervenka, a budding poet and Florida transplant who had recently moved to the west coast, at a poetry workshop and her poems completely flabbergasted Doe.
He was initially nervous to talk to her, but eventually asked if she wanted to grab a drink and talk and she agreed. He talked about the emerging punk rock scenes in New York and England, something she had very little knowledge, and how he had just formed a new band. He then asked if he could turn her poems into songs and if he could sing them. She refused and insisted she would sing the poems she wrote and would ultimately join their band. Understandably, Zoom was skeptical of Exene joining the band. She had no prior musical experience and, to boot, she was also Doe’s girlfriend at the time. This was a recipe for disaster, but Zoom was also in awe of Cervenka’s poems and welcomed her with open arms. Her raw vocals added to the depth of her poetic lyrics and became a natural live performer.
With most of the players in place, they needed a band name. In the documentary X: The Unheard Music (1986), Doe tells a story about an Ex-lax building getting demolished in downtown Los Angeles and asked one of the construction workers if he could take home the giant ‘X’ sign sitting at the top. Even though they thought it was an odd request, they gave it to him anyway. Doe brought the sign to his apartment. When the band had to give themselves a name, they settled on ‘X’ because of its ambiguity.
X started playing gigs at various nightclubs and bars and quickly became mainstays on the L.A. music scene. They gained a reputation as a great live act. But they had a difficult time finding a full-time drummer for nearly two years. One night, they attended a show featuring The Eyes, another L.A. punk rock band, at The Masque, and were impressed by their drummer DJ Bonebrake. After the show, they asked if he wanted to join X and he said yes. Ironically, Bonebrake is the only California-born member of the band. With the classic lineup all set, X continued to play live shows in hopes of landing a recording contract with one of the major music labels. They quickly recorded a demo “Adult Books/We’re Desperate” (1978) on the local label Dangerhouse Records and sent it out to all of the nearby record companies. Despite selling over 50,000 copies in L.A., they were rejected by every record label in town.
While playing at the famed nightclub Whiskey a Go Go one night in 1978, X performed a cover of The Doors’ “Soul Kitchen.” Nothing out of the ordinary since that song was part of their normal setlist. But unbeknownst to them, The Doors’ keyboardist Ray Manzarek and his wife Doretha were in attendance. Manzarek frequented the Whiskey a Go Go, a venue that established The Doors as a major band in the late 1960s, to check out new bands. Before that night, he had never heard of X. When “Soul Kitchen” was played, Manzarek didn’t even realize X was covering The Doors’ song until his wife informed him. He was astonished by this revelation that he had to meet them backstage after the show. He complimented their incredible and unique sound and felt they had a good shot to land a contract at a record label. He would eventually become their producer and helped get them meetings with industry bigwigs. He tried to get them signed to Elektra Records, the home of The Doors’ legendary studio albums, but they passed. X ultimately signed a two-album deal with the local independent label Slash Records. To give the album an extra boost, Marzark played keyboards on a few tracks and even started regularly performing on stage with X. Given a shoestring budget of $10,000 for their debut album, Manzarek and the members of X did not get paid for their work on the album. Instead, they put the money towards the engineers and studio equipment to ensure they got the best result possible. They recorded both albums in 3 weeks to save money recording in the studio.
When their debut album Los Angeles was released in the spring of 1980, music critics quickly praised the album and established X as one of the most exciting new decades at the start of the decade. X got an extra boost when local radio DJ Rodney Bingenheimer regularly played their records on the now-famous KROQ station. Bingenheimer had free reign to play any record he wanted on the air, very rare in commercial radio, and often spotlighted up-and-coming artists. He frequently had X as guests on his radio show and giving them more exposure. Like their demo from a few years earlier, Los Angeles sold very well in the regional market and, in turn, helped Slash Records become a major independent record label.
One particular event, however, forever changed X. A few weeks before their debut album was released, X played a set at the Whiskey a Go Go. Exene’s sister Mirielle, a jewelry designer, was walking to the venue and was fatally struck by a drunk driver who ran a red light. The news devastated Exene and couldn’t have come at a worse time for the band. After playing a show in San Diego a few weeks after Mirielle’s tragic death, John and Exene eloped in a small Tijuana wedding. Mirelle’s death also significantly impacted Exene’s songwriting in the proceeding years.
Wild Gift (1981), their sophomore album recorded the same time as Los Angeles, was also critically-acclaimed. Most notably, Village Voice writer Robert Christgau and the newspaper’s Pazz & Jop Critics poll ranked it the 2nd best album that year (only behind The Clash’s Sandinista! (1980)). Despite becoming critical darlings in a short timespan, X still did not obtain much commercial success. They did, however, become the first independent band to sell out the Greek Theatre. And they started gaining more media exposure thanks to their appearance in Penelope Spheeris’ The Decline of Western Civilization (1981), which documents the bubbling L.A. punk rock scene at the turn of the 1980s. Of the bands featured in the film (e.g., Black Flag, Circle Jerks), X is given the most screen time and even perform during the opening credits. The film gave X and other L.A. punk rockers a bigger audience that probably wouldn’t have gotten elsewhere at the time. Thanks to the overwhelming critical acclaim of the first two albums, constantly selling out venues and appearing in The Decline of Western Civilization, X became a hot commodity from the same record labels who rejected them years earlier. They finally got signed to Elektra Records in 1982.
Their next two albums Under the Big Black Sun (1982) and More Fun in the New World (1983) represented a major stylistic change when they began incorporating elements of country and roots music to their already distinctive punk sound. Around this time, the other members of X, sans Billy Zoom, started a side project The Knitters in 1984. An early alt-country band, The Knitters gave the other members of X an outlet to showcase their musical talents outside a punk aesthetic. Dave Alvin of The Blasters and Johnny Ray Bartel of The Red Devils would round out the Knitters. They would release their debut album Poor Little Critter on the Road, featuring covers of traditional country songs, in 1985 and periodically toured until their breakup in 1991. They would release one more album The Modern Sounds of the Knitters in 2005 and continued to periodically play benefit shows. The Knitters, in many ways, shaped the direction of X in the forthcoming years.
Despite their best efforts, X just could not crossover to the mainstream. They even appeared on Dick Clark’s American Bandstand three times in the first-half of the 1980s and appeared in the music venue documentary Urgh: A Music War (1982). In 1984, X released their cover of The Troggs’ garage rock classic “Wild Thing” and became their first collaboration with German producer Michael Wagener (who previously worked with bands such as Motley Crue). An over-produced non-album single, “Wild Thing” is a stadium anthem-driven recording that sounds like something Joan Jett would record. Not meant as a knock against Jett, but “Wild Thing” sounds nothing like an X record. In 1989, the song would be the opening track on the Major League film soundtrack.
By 1985, however, X was falling apart. Michael Wagener replaced Ray Marazek as their producer, which effectively and radically altered their style. Under Wagener’s direction, X now embraced their fondness for Americana and Roots with polished production techniques. They had all but abandoned their signature punk sound in their plea for fame and fortune. But such a radical alteration to their distinct sound was a major risk for X who carved a reputation as a cult and regional band. Around this time, John Doe and Exene separated and later divorced. Surprisingly, the divorce did not cause X to break up as it would in most rock bands because the two separated their professional and personal relationships. They, in a sense, had no choice but to soldier through the heartache when there’s business contracts and public appearances involved. There was too much invested to throw it all away. Although they finally had a hit on both the Billboard Mainstream Rock charts and on MTV with “Burning House of Love” from Ain’t Love Grand (1985), the album received a lukewarm reception from fans and critics alike. Zoom left shortly after Ain’t Love Grand. Dave Alvin, of The Blasters, replaced Zoom as lead guitarist, but his tenure was short-lived as he only appeared on See How We Are (1987). Tony Gilkyson replaced Alvin and played on Live at the Whiskey a Go Go (1988), which ultimately became X’s final record of the decade before disbanding in 1988.
After the breakup, John Doe launched a solo career with the release of his self-titled debut album in 1990. Even while he was a member of X, Doe regularly appeared as an actor in film and television shows such as Salvador (1986), Road House (1989), Great Balls of Fire! (1989), Wyatt Earp (1994), and Boogie Nights (1997). He even appeared in the first season of the sci-fi cult favorite Roswell (1999-2002). Exene also embarked on a solo career starting with Old Wives’ Tales (1989) and published several volumes of her poetry. Billy Zoom left the music business, attended college, and started a guitar repair shop. D.J. Bonebrake became a touring musician who played in various jazz and rock bands throughout the 1990s and 2000s.
At the height of grunge’s popularity, Doe, Exene, Bonebrake and Gilkyson reunited to record their seventh studio album Hey Zeus! (1993). Although two songs from the album charted on Billboard’s Modern Rock Tracks chart (“Country at War” and “New Life”), the album received mixed reviews and was not the comeback they had hoped. Hey Zeus! is X’s last studio album (at least so far) of original material. They released the live album Unclogged (1995) before breaking up again in 1995.
But X seemingly rose from the dead just two years later. Elektra Records issued the anthology set Beyond and Back (1997) featuring demos, live tracks, and studio versions of X’s greatest songs. Elektra made the decision to release this album and not something the band actively sought after or even wanted. The record label hoped to reunite the four original members and have them promote the retrospective set, which is wild given the band had broken up a few years prior. The set focuses heavily on the band’s first 5 albums which featured Zoom on lead guitar. Zoom, who left X in 1985, had little-to-no contact with the other members for more than a decade. There was no bad blood between the other members, but rather they lost communication with one another. Elektra felt the set was a way to ease tensions and, more importantly, bring him back to the fold. Zoom would join the other members on the promotional tour and led to rumours of a reunion tour.
Although X was on friendly terms once again, they did not have plans to make new music. Ironically, the music producers of the sci-fi television series-turned-film The X Files (1998) were huge fans of X and asked if the band wanted to record a song for the film’s soundtrack. They recorded a cover of The Doors’ “Crystal Ship,” which marked the first time in more than a decade the original lineup played together and recorded new music. They also reunited with their former producer Ray Manzarek, which marked their final collaboration with him. The band officially reunited in 1998 and embarked on a “farewell” tour, which ultimately became the catalyst for more live shows in the preceding years. Although the band did not record new material, they toured regularly starting in 2004. X still plays several shows on the west coast, still their most devoted fan base, as a headlining act. They have toured, both nationally and internationally, with the likes of Pearl Jam, Blondie, The Damned, Violent Femmes, and Squeeze.Earlier this year, X announced the original lineup would record new material for the first time in nearly 35 years. They recorded five songs with producer Rob Schapf (who worked with several artists including Beck) for an EP released last October.
X remains one of the few activate rock bands to have all their original members still touring and playing new music. Four decades later, they still sound great and put on one hell of a show. Even if they lacked commercial success and never became household names, X is still one of the greatest American bands of all time.
They’re Not Desperate to Get Inducted Anytime Soon…But X Deserves a Rock Hall Induction
X is arguably the definitive punk rock band to come out of Los Angeles. They were certainly not the first punk band to emerge out of L.A., but they--perhaps more than any other L.A. punk rock at the time--established that city as a preeminent punk destination in the late 20th century. At a time when Hardcore Punk became too masculine, intense, and violent, X rejuventated a punk scene desperately seeking substance. Exene Cervenka and John Doe, aspiring poets before forming X, are one of the greatest songwriting duos in the history of rock music. Although they often invoke the iconography of California in their lyrics, there’s no romanticism or idealism of the flower power generation. Rather, they offer a bleak dystopian perspective of a city in turmoil. Their characters are seedy people getting into horrific situations with little hope things will get better. Their version of Los Angeles is not a place to be admired or even celebrated, but a site of conflict, desperation, and destitution. To paraphrase one of their literary heroes, X’s Los Angeles is not the stuff dreams are made of, but rather a cautionary tale where Social Darwinism reigns supreme.
X also displayed exceptional musicianship, something that was sorely missing on the L.A. punk rock scene at the time. Don’t believe me, watch some of the bands in The Decline of Western Civilization and you’ll know what I mean. X not only influenced by the punk rockers in New York and England at the time but also drew elements from rockabilly, country, Americana, hard rock, and the blues. They are the melting pot of American music popular music who also created one of the most instantly-recognizable sounds in rock music. Instead of relying on simple chord progressions and guitar riffs, X elevated the sound of L.A. punk rock to showcase complicated song structures with masterful instrument-playing. With the exception of Cervenka, the other members perfected their crafts in various bands and side projects before forming X. Bonebrake and Zoom were classically-trained musicians who played several instruments in different forms and styles (e.g., big band, jazz). In the documentary X: The Unheard Music, drummer DJ Bonebrake demonstrates his inspiration from everyday objects by playing complex polyrhythms to the tune of his coffee pot boiling on the stove. Later in the film, he plays a complex musical composition on a xylophone in college classroom to further demonstrate his proficiency. The raw talent and musical instinctions from each member is simply remarkable.
Beyond their musical talents, X was something of an anomaly on the L.A. punk rock scene. They didn’t quite fit the hardcore punk image as shown in The Decline of Western Civilization, a documentary on focusing on the bubbling hardcore punk scene at the turn of the 1980s. Filmed in late 1979 and early 1980, the film features backstage interviews and performances from the likes of Black Flag, Circle Jerks, and Germs. Of the many bands featured in the film, X is given the most screen time (both onstage and offstage). The mainstream press focused so heavily on the New York and English punk scenes that most people probably didn’t realize punk was gaining traction in L.A. The film is a great time capsule of punk’s rapid ascendance in L.A. and gave these bands some much-needed exposure beyond California. In 2016, the film was chosen for preservation by the Library of Congress’ National Film Registry.
The following year, X appeared in Urgh! A Music War (1982), a film featuring performances from the likes of The Police, Devo, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, Gang of Four, and The Go-Go’s. They played “Beyond and Back,” ironically one of the songs also used in The Decline of Western Civilization. And finally, X was the central subject in X: The Unheard Music, a documentary focusing on the band’s inception and their struggles to gain mainstream popularity in the age of MTV.
And let’s be honest—X hardly ever achieved mainstream success. They have a grand total of zero hits on the pop charts. X only appeared on the Mainstream and Modern Rock Singles charts three times in their four-decade career—“Burning House of Love” (1985, #27), Country at War” (1993, #15) and “New Life” (1993, #26). And their highest charting album Under the Big Black Sun (1982) peaked at #76. These stats significantly hurts X’s candidacy as the Rock Hall has pushed more populist acts in recent years. But commercial success is not the determining factor for an artist to get inducted into the Rock Hall. And that hasn’t stopped the Nominating Committee to put forth the likes of Los Lobos and Bad Brains on ballots in recent years. In a weird way, X almost built an entire career out of their reputation for their lack of commercial success and stayed true to their punk ethos. In X: The Unheard Music, an unnamed music executive recalled “'I didn't hear anything that I thought was Top 40,” when he first heard X’s debut record. And to make matters worse, X was hardly ever played on the radio and never scored any big hits.Even “Los Angeles,” probably their most famous song, is not instantly recognizable to a general audience of music listeners (unlike say The Runaways or Black Flag). But X’s brand of intellectualism was never meant for top-40 radio.
While X lacked mainstream success, they were one of the most critically-acclaimed bands to the point that I would label them critical darlings. The notoriously finicky Robert Christgau gave X glowing reviews for their first 4 albums and their sophomore album Wild Gift got a rare A+ rating.When Christgau compiled his list of the best albums at the end of the 1980s, he ranked Wild Gift at #3--the highest ranked rock album on that list. Not too bad coming the self-proclaimed “Dean of American rock critics.” In X: The Unheard Music (1986), Los Angeles Times writer and former Rock Hall nominating committee member Robert Hilburn appeared in the film and discussed hearing X’s Los Angeles for the first time: “critics in rock and roll are too amp to use the word ‘masterpiece,’ but when I heard that record, by the time it was over, I was on the phone calling X, because I wanted to get them for a picture so they could run story in the following Tuesday’s paper.” A montage of newspaper and magazine headlines mention the words “Album of the Year” and “Masterpiece.” Another esteemed music critic singing the praises of X in their heyday really bodes well for their Rock Hall prospects. Current Rock Hall nominating committee member David Fricke wrote a Rolling Stone piece on X back in 2014, so perhaps their name could show up in any given year.
Speaking of critical acclaim, X has appeared on multiple Rolling Stone best-of lists over the years. Los Angeles was ranked #24 on their list of the “100 Best Albums of the 1980s” back in 1989 and wrote the following: “No album has succeeded better as a snapshot of a city and its punk subculture than X's debut album, boldly titled Los Angeles.” X’s first 2 albums Los Angeles and Wild Gift both appeared on Rolling Stone’s “500 Greatest Albums of All Time list (#287 and #333 respectively). Most bands, including Hall of Famers, are lucky to have any representation on that list and X has two albums. That’s very impressive, especially considering many Hall of Famers do not have any albums on that list. Los Angeles also appears at #50 on the “100 Best Debut Albums of All Time” and #9 on the “40 Greatest Punk Albums of All Time” list too. “Los Angeles” also appears on The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s list of the “Songs That Shaped Rock” list, often a good indicator to predict which artists might be on the Nominating Committee's radar in any given year.
Although X has not received a Rock Hall nomination, their name has been mentioned several times at the Rock Hall this past decade. At the 2010 ceremony, Pearl Jam attended to see proto-punk pioneers The Stooges finally inducted after 8 nominations. Eddie Vedder, Pearl Jam’s lead vocalist, gave an interview to Rolling Stone at the ceremony and provided some interesting insight on importance of their induction: “The Stooges are exactly what the Hall of Fame needs more of... [They are] the true embodiment of rock & roll... One can only hope that the voting committee starts boning up on their Black Flag, X, Sonic Youth and Fugazi to keep it going in the right direction.” None of the bands Vedder mentions sold a ton of records or win any industry awards in their heyday, thus lacking the “Fame” component for Rock Hall contention. That hurts their chances of appearing on a ballot, let alone getting inducted someday. But commercial success is just one aspect to measure an artist’s Rock Hall credentials. If that was the case, the Rock Hall wouldn’t have inducted the likes of The Velvet Underground, Leonard Cohen and Patti Smith and those artists are foundational to the progression of rock and roll. And Vedder’s a “friend of the Hall,” so I imagine he could him whisper in the ears of the nominating committee an act he really wants inducted.
Speaking of Pearl Jam, when they were inducted in 2017, bassist Jeff Ament wore a t-shirt listing over 100 artists that deserve induction. Not only did X appear on Ament’s shirt, but they were one of the few bands name-dropped in his acceptance speech. X, along with the likes of Roxy Music, Devo and Black Flag, were one of the “many important bands that made us want to pick up our guitars and write songs.” Although I have my own critiques and problems with Ament’s shirt (too guitar-driven, too male-eccentric, etc.), Ament’s shirt was trending on social media for a while after the 2017 ceremony and still widely discussed in the Rock Hall watcher community. Maybe his played a factor to get the likes of Roxy Music (inducted in 2019), Devo, and Todd Rundgren on the ballot. Honestly who knows, but at least he gave some of the lesser-known and underappreciated artists on the shirt some much needed exposure. Besides Ament, Joan Jett also mentioned X as an influence in her 2015 acceptance speech which is fitting since she got her start in L.A. as well.
If X does get inducted someday, I fully expect Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong to induct them. Armstrong even wrote the forward to John Doe and Tom DeSavia’s book Under the Big Black Sun (2016) and gave a personal account of the L.A. punk rock scene’s impact on Green Day’s formative years. Speaking of songs like “Los Angeles,” Armstrong believes these songs “don’t have expiration dates…I’m not much a kid anymore, but I still got these songs stuck in my head.” The best Rock Hall presenters are those who connect personal stories to convey how an artist shaped someone’s life and career in a positive manner. Although Armstrong has appeared at multiple ceremonies over the years, it would only make sense to have someone like Armstrong give some notoriety to the underappreciated X. It’s also worth noting Doe published a sequel, of sorts, More Fun in the Modern World (2019) this past summer.
Although X had never been involved in any past induction ceremony, they were asked to perform at the the 2016 Annual Music Masters concert honoring Johnny Cash. Considering their fondness for Country and Americana, they were an ideal choice to honor the “Man in Black” and they accepted the Rock Hall’s invitation. Taking place at Cleveland’s Playhouse Square State Theatre in October 2016, X performed a rendition of “If I Were a Carpenter.” Maybe this was a one-time thing, but the pieces are slowly placing into the place for a potential X nomination in the near future.
Beyond and Back: An X Resurrangance in Recent Years
To celebrate X’s 40th anniversary in 2017, the band received several honors and accodoles in the City of Los Angeles. After embarking on an anniversary summer tour, the band’s four original members attended a Los Angeles Dodgers baseball game in August 2017. Sporting a blue tuxedo, John Doe sang “The Star Spangled Banner” while the other members of the band, wearing Dodgers jerseys, stood on the field. Exene Cervenka would also throw the game’s first pitch. While walking to the mound, the organist played a rendition of “Blue Spark,” one of X’s most well-known songs, which seems so bizarre on so many levels. On October 11, 2017, the city of Los Angeles declared “X Day” to commemorate the band’s 40th anniversary and celebrate their contributions to the city’s musical culture.
That same year, the local Grammy museum announced X would be the subject of a new exhibit: “X: 40 Years of Punk, focusing the band’s career and legacy. In a press statement, the band stated: “It’s a very long way from a basement on Hollywood Blvd (The Masque) to the GRAMMY Museum, but we feel that we bring with us all the punks from then and now. We are just the representatives for what has gone before and what is still to come in the City of Angels.” And notice the person who oversaw the creation of this exhibit: Nwaka Onwusa, the former Grammy Museum curator who the Rock Hall recently hired as its new Director of Curatorial Affairs. Although she does not sit on the Rock Hall’s nominating committee (yet), it’s telling that one of the Rock Hall’s latest hires---in a prominent role at the museum---created an exhibit centering on X.
With X recording new music and constantly touring, X could easily secure a nomination very soon. They contributed to the development and continuing popularity of punk rock in Los Angeles and beyond. Even if they didn’t sell a lot of records, impact and influence far outweigh any other category to determine an artist’s worthiness to enter the Rock Hall. While punk is known for its simplicity, X challenged genre conventions to incorporate complex musical structures, poetic songwriting, and different genres and styles as influences. Along with other punk rockers such as The Clash, X forced critics to take punk seriously and, in return, made them one of the most critically-acclaimed bands in their heyday. To paraphrase one of their great songs, I must not think bad thoughts when it comes to the likeliness of X getting inducted someday. I mean, this is the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame after all: an institution known for their questionable decisions and shady practices for almost its entire existence. But I hope these punk rocker innovators get the respect they so rightfully deserve.
