In a recent interview with WDHA radio station, Foreigner’s Lou Gramm was asked why it’s taken so long for him and his bandmates to be inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. In response, he recalled his bandmate Mick Jones’ sacrifice for the band. He said:
“I knew we had the credentials to be part of the Hall, and I felt that our standing with our singles and our albums… I think we had 19 Top 20 singles; I think it was one or two less than The Beatles, and our sales were always exemplary. We had everything that the Hall required to get in, and for over 20 years, we weren’t even nominated.”
He then talked about Jones’ friendship with the Hall Of Fame head honcho Jann Wenner:
“Now, what, what I do know, and I’m not going to belabor this, is that Jann Wenner was the head honcho at the Hall Of Fame too. And he and Mick were very good friends. They started their friendship working out together, and having coffee afterwards, and talking music. And then they went out to dinner and Broadway shows with their wives. They were, I would call them good friends. But increasingly Mick and Foreigner’s management couldn’t understand why other bands that came out around the same time as us, also very good bands, but lacking the exemplary credentials that we had were not only nominated, but they were in already, and we hadn’t even been nominated.”
Gramm detailed the sacrifice Jones made — ending one of his friendships for the band:
“And so Mick and our manager went to see Jann at his office at the Hall Of Fame and just wanted some answers as to why things are the way they are. And I was told that he either wasn’t willing to elaborate on it or just more or less pretended that’s the way things are. So Mick and Foreigner’s manager kind of abruptly got off the chairs and walk out of the room without saying anything. Needless to say, that was the end of the friendship between Mick and Jann.”
Foreigner’s Induction to Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame
Foreigner’s induction to the Hall Of Fame took weeks after the inductees were officially announced. Many rockers voiced their concerns over the band not being included. This caused many others to speak up about the matter and eventually, the band got inducted.
After their induction, Mick Jones sent an email to Billboard. In the mail, he discussed his relationship with his bandmate and said there was no bad blood and that he would be okay for Gramm to join the ceremony:
“On a personal level, I have no hard feelings toward Lou. We did perform together at the 40th anniversary concert. It has been so many years now since Lou left Foreigner; I like to think that those ill feelings are in the past. There is power in letting go of hard feelings and getting on with your life.”
He added:
“Why carry the burden of hard feelings? It serves nothing in the long run. I do plan to attend. I’m sure my whole family will be there. As to whether I get up on stage and perform hasn’t really been decided as yet. In some ways, it might be nice just to be there to soak up the atmosphere and enjoy being inducted.”
You can watch the interview below.