Photo-Illustration: Vulture; Photos: Getty Images (Angela Weiss/AFP, Kevin Mazur)
Not to outdo the iconic pairing of David Letterman and Warren Zevon, but the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has doubled its special guests for this year’s ceremony. Cyndi Lauper’s induction honors will be handled by Chappell Roan, a musician whom Lauper once described as a true performance artist for modern times. “She has inspired me with her fashion, her hair, of course, her makeup, her music,” Roan said in a new video. “I actually auditioned with ‘True Colors’ for America’s Got Talent when I was 13. I didn’t make it, but the song is still incredible.” The following artists will also be involved to celebrate the inductees at the November 8 event, though the Rock Hall didn’t confirm their respective Bob-and-Sensei-esque combinations: Avril Lavigne, Bryan Adams, Donald Glover, En Vogue, Feist, Gina Schock, Hurby Luv Bug Azor, Janelle Monáe, Jerry Cantrell, Jim Carrey, Joe Perry, the Killers, Lisa Coleman, Mick Fleetwood, Mike McCready, Nancy Wilson, Nathaniel Rateliff, and Tedeschi Trucks Band.
So, let’s analyze. Like the first round of speakers and performers, there are a few easy connections to be made. The Go-Go’s Schock makes sense to honor a fellow female drummer, the White Stripes’ Meg White; Glover opened for OutKast during their final tour in 2014. Carrey and Soundgarden were an SNL host-and-musical-guest combination back in 1996, with Chris Cornell enjoying the comedian’s company so much they he gave Carrey one of his guitars after the episode aired. (Cantrell and McCready, of Alice in Chains and Pearl Jam, respectively, should make one hell of a Soundgarden supergroup for the night as well.) Wilson can contribute to any super-jam and we’d be elated by her presence. And until we’re disproved, we’ll assume Lavigne just really wants to debut her own pop-punk take on “The Twist.”
