John Mellencamp At The Rock Hall: ‘F— Antisemitism’
Last night at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Los Angeles, John Mellencamp took a vocal stand against antisemitism. Mellencamp was on hand to honor legendary music industry lawyer Allen Grubman. Grubman was being honored with the Ahmet Ertegun award. He has been Mellencamp’s lawyer for 40 years. Grubman is also one of the founders of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Per Billboard, Mellencamp said, “Allen is Jewish, and I bring that up for one reason: I’m a gentile, and my life has been enriched by countless Jewish people.” In his speech, Mellencamp said, per Variety, “Guys, I cannot tell you how f—ing important it is to speak out if you’re an artist. Whenever you hear hate speech or something derogatory about someone else … We’re all human things. I don’t give a f— if you’re Jewish, Black, quiet, tutti frutti… I don’t care!”
He continued: “Here’s the trick: silence is complicity… I’m standing here tonight loudly and proudly and in solidarity with Allen, his family, all of my Jewish friends and the entire Jewish people of the world. F— Antisemitism and f— anybody who says anything in that manner.”
The singer didn’t mention Kanye West by name, but the rapper has made several antisemitic comments lately. That seems to have inspired other antisemitic displays in recent weeks, including in Florida and in Los Angeles. The Holocaust Museum of Los Angeles says that they have been flooded with antisemitic messages after West rejected their offer to tour their museum. The museum tweeted at West, pointing out that he has over 30 million followers on Twitter, which is more than twice as many Jewish people as there are on earth.
Yahoo! reported that Grubman told reporters, “I had no idea what he was gonna say; he wanted to keep it secret.” He added that the Rock Hall had requested a copy of the notes written for the night to be displayed in the museum.
Besides speaking about Grubman, Mellencamp joined Bruce Springsteen to perform a tribute to Jerry Lee Lewis, who died last month. You can watch an edited version of last night’s induction ceremony on HBO and HBO Max. It will air on Saturday, November 19th at 8 pm ET.
Rock Hall 2022: Complete Setlist from the Induction
Duran Duran
Duran Duran was inducted by Robert Downey Jr. The band’s set included “Girls On Film,” “Hungry Like the Wolf” and “Ordinary World.”
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 05: Inductees Nick Rhodes, John Taylor, Roger Taylor and Simon Le Bon of Duran Duran speak onstage during the 37th Annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at Microsoft Theater on November 05, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame)
Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo
Benatar and Giraldo were inducted by Sheryl Crow. Their set included “All Fired Up,” “Love Is A Battlefield” and “Heartbreaker.”
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 05: Neil Giraldo and Pat Benatar perform onstage during the 37th Annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at Microsoft Theater on November 05, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame)
Judas Priest
Priest was inducted by Alice Cooper. The metal band’s set was “You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’,” “Breaking the Law” and “Living After Midnight.”
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 05: (L-R) Inductees Ian Hill, K. K. Downing, Rob Halford, Scott Travis, Les Binks and Glenn Tipton of Judas Priest pose in the press room during the 37th Annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at Microsoft Theater on November 05, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame)
Lionel Richie
Lenny Kravitz did the honors of inducting Richie. For his set, Richie performed three songs: “Hello,” “Easy” and “All Night Long (All Night).” Richie was joined by special guest Dave Grohl on guitar for “Easy.”
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 05: Inductee Lionel Richie and Dave Grohl perform onstage during the 37th Annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at Microsoft Theater on November 05, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame)
Eurythmics
U2’s The Edge was tapped to induct the Eurythmics into the Rock Hall. The duo’s set featured “Would I Lie to You?,” “Missionary Man” and “Sweet Dream (Are Made of This).”
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 05: (L-R) Dave Stewart and Annie Lennox of Eurythmics perform onstage during the 37th Annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at Microsoft Theater on November 05, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame)
Eminem
Eminem was inducted into the Rock Hall by friend and mentor Dr. Dre. The rapper’s set featured six songs and two special guests: “My Name is,” “Rap God,” “Sing for the Moment” with Steven Tyler, “Stan” with Ed Sheeran, “Forever” and “Not Afraid.”
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 05: Steven Tyler and inductee Eminem perform onstage during the 37th Annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at Microsoft Theater on November 05, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame)
Dolly Parton
Parton was inducted into the Rock Hall by Pink, who later sang “Coat of Many Colors” with Brandi Carlile. “9 to 5” was performed by Sheryl Crow and the Zac Brown Band, while Parton performed her highly teased rock song aptly named “Rockin'” with the Zac Brown Band.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 05: Inductee Dolly Parton speaks onstage during the 37th Annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at Microsoft Theater on November 05, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame)
