*Caveat: I only recently started listening to this podcast, and have been cherry-picking episodes from the back-catalog. Like the concept of the podcast, and Joe is great in his role as resident expert and ringleader. Additionally, most of the guests are very entertaining and add something to the conversation. What I can’t understand is why Kristen is on the show. She has almost no understanding of music history (or music in general, for that matter), and seems to have no interest in doing research on the bands/artists that she will be commenting on. And she often stops the flow of the podcast because she won’t stop riffing on a comment she made that didn’t make any sense the first time she said it. I intitially downloaded about 30 episodes, and have listened to half. The rest are getting deleted as soon as I finish this review.

Found this pod after Joe was on SPY pod. Great in depth and insightful discussion of musicians and music. Lots of humor too. Both hosts Kristen and Joe are a great balance for each other. Burning through the back catalogue now.

I have been listening for years, and I enjoy hearing folks talk about music that I (in many cases) have a lot of nostalgia for. Joe’s knowledge base is great, and I appreciate his passion for it. Kristen is a great foil for him, and their interaction is fun.

Just discovered thanks to Hollywood crime scene . This will keep me entertained hours, days….love it!

You know what Rock and Roll needs? Idenity politics. Female host is all of the terribly trite NPR opinions one would expect. They sure think themselves funny (they're not) they love a good "white people" punchline but are incredibly sensitve to anything that might be deemed racy. They are everything wrong with the current state in rock (woke). Ugly opinions. Incapable of realizing their own hypocrisy. Given a choice they would likely cancel previous Rock Hall inducties. They would have you believe that all white males have an advantage in being inducted into the Hall, yet some of the more high profile acts that have been snubbed are white males, Iron Maiden for instance. Much of the show is them spewing contrived controversy, host then spinning facts to push their misinformed liberal agenda. Humorless, vacuous Portlandia couple.

Y’all never disappoint.

I love this show

Updated JAN 2023: You must never stop. Do not quit. It keeps getting better! My kind of music nerdery and insider intrigue. I’m hooked. Keep it up. The caliber of guests, including actual hall voters and nominating committee members, is impressive. Must-listen podcast about a mostly-unimportant industry nostalgia celebration. Who cares? I do! Why do I care? I don’t know!

Consistently well-researched, thoughtful, and hilarious. I look forward every year to tuning in and following the eligible/nominee/inductee cycle with Joe and Kristen.

Feels weird to say, but I’ve learned so much from this show—not just about the history of music, but also how the industry views itself. I was mourning the potential loss of the annual FYE countdown episode, so what a delight to see it in my feed this week. Please keep it coming! Especially the fantasy ballot draw, the nominee reveal episode and the interviews with voters.

I left the 5 stars long ago, but wanted to welcome Joe & Kristen back after the hiatus and looking forward to the draft and this years coverage. Thanks for making such a great podcast.

So happy the show is back! Joe and Kristen are both funny and knowledgeable while bringing on the best guests who have great conversations.

Please come back. The draft is gonna be so interesting this year. I’d hate to not hear your takes. I love the pod.

This has become one of my favorite podcasts and I’ve gone back to listen to previous years’ episodes. Joe does an excellent job researching and organizing each episode, and the guests are always engaging and knowledgable. I’ve learned a lot even from episodes about artists I didn’t think I was interested in! It’s focused on the Rock Hall but will appeal to anyone interested in pop music history. I hope Joe and Kristen continue it next year!

I've been listening for years and feel bad that I'm only just getting around to rating it. Joe and Kristen are SOOOO good at what they do! They really balance each other with a perfect blend of knowledge, humor, and editorializing. I've learned so much through this show, especially when they invite rock historians.

This amazing podcast has triggered many deep dives into artists I would have never found otherwise. Despite the snarky title, the “rock hall” theme is merely a vehicle for a perpetual debate about early influencers, emerging legends and icons across almost any genre, ranging from rock to rap to blues/r&b and its many variants. The arguments about who deserves Hall recognition and when is always entertaining. Where else will you hear hilarious conversations w music historians, comedians and journalists all in one place? Required listening for any music nerd.

The best podcast out there about the rock hall. And really just a great music history podcast. I’ve learned many interesting deep facts from this one. Subscribe now and hopefully they will be back soon with one of the best episodes every year where they play clips of newly eligible bands game show style. It’s a can’t miss.

What a great way to talk about rock with knowledge, humor and personality, and meet some great people along the way! Gather round the hoagie and let’s discuss!

Great podcast even if you don’t care about the Rock Hall. Hoping they come back after the break with new seasons! The episodes with the First Time Eligibles and the Drafts are always a blast. They find awesome guests for their deep dives into an artist. I enjoy the historical aspect of the show and they keep it entertaining even if you aren’t particularly drawn to a specific artist or genre. Great work - hope you get more recognition in 2023!

I look forward to this podcast coming out every week to help me get through my work week. I hope Joe and Kristin take a much needed (and well deserved) break and can come back rejuvenated for the next induction cycle!

Never have Joey Devine on the show again.

As a weirdo who’s obsessed with the rock hall, it’s a highlight of my day every time an episode comes out. My friends are sick of listening to me rant about this topic and now I get to listen to my pretend friends talk about it! The rock hall is endlessly fascinating (again, if you’re a weirdo) and my pretend friends Joe and Kristen and their guests always find an interesting angle. Who cares about the rock hall? (sob) I do…

Love this Podcast listen to it every week! But i hate the Country Music Slander! Hopefully with Dolly’s Induction we see one every other year. Shania Twain has the Best Selling Album of All Time of people not in the hall. I am a Shania “Stan” and i feel the passage of the torch goes from Dolly to Shania to Taylor.

I wasn’t sure what to expect, but this is an amazing show - full of humor, insightful and extremely interesting. I’m so glad I subscribed and look forward to new episodes. Keep up the good work!

I was a little hesitant about this show at first, but I’ve become a convert. This is the best Rock Hall podcast out there. The hosts are smart

I only discovered Joe & Kristen's gem of a podcast a few months back, but man I am already completely addicted. It's been a long time since I've had this much joy going through the back catalogue of a podcast of any kind. If you're thinking, "But I'm not so interested in the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame," it honestly is not a prerequisite. Me, I'm more of just a music fan in general, but this podcast really ticks all the boxes for me; because each episode is all about evaluating the career and achievements of an individual band or artist, while hearing brief samples of their best songs. And since Joe and Kristen are comedians, you'll be laughing all the way through, first minute to last. The irony is that after you listen for a while, you'll find that you actually *do* care about the rock hall-- such is the infectiousness of Joe's enthusiasm for the subject. Don't miss this one; it truly is among the best.

I stumbled upon this podcast and as a Rock Hall fan myself, I find it interesting to listen to and I’ve checked out a bunch of old episodes as well. Wish I knew about it earlier.

The serious lack of them mentioning my second favorite band Molly Hatchet and them totally dismissing my number 1 favorite band Kiss won’t stop me from giving this radical podcast a 5 star rating.

Great pod with knowledgeable hosts. The only downside is they and their guests really show their age when talking about anything late 90s-on.

My current favorite podcast. A lighthearted, entertaining, and informative look at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the bands who are (and aren’t) in, and all of the drama and politics that go along with it. Most of the guests are top notch and Joe and Kristen are funny and work well together as the advocate and the skeptic. If you’re a super serious music nerd who wants to dissect every artist and song by note this might not be for you. If you just love music and are intrigued by the enigma that is the RRHOF this is your place!

I’m surprised to hear myself saying this - this is my favorite podcast. I’m not a music writer or insider. I’m not a stan for the hall. But every week, this is the podcast I wait for.

If you watch the ceremonies and participate in the fan vote you’ll like it.

I thought I knew quite a bit about the Rock Hall until I started listening to Joe! He and Kristen are so fun and informative about this much maligned but still highly thought about institution.

But I know who cares about this podcast. Me! Because it’s great.

4/5

I've been listening to this podcast regularly for about six months. I just listened to the b-52's episode and loved it. They are my new biggest snub. I also enjoyed the most recent episode of Foo-ly about the history of the rock hall honoring itself. I still don't love the hate on Boston Foreigner and Styx. They may not be the most important or diversified bands but they are important to me. But overall love the podcast, especially the dynamic interplay between Joe and Kristin.

I never thought I’d encounter anyone else who knew so much — or even cared past the one genre they like — about the Rock Hall as I do! What a great podcast! Now, just need a meetup for Rock Hall nerds at the next induction ceremony!

I didn’t know anything about the Hall until I started listening to this pod. The hosts are great the information is interesting. Great guests toooo! 10/10

Love this podcast - great for in-depth convo on the history of popular music and the politics of how it is represented in awards spaces, books, and other media. The hosts are funny and kind, they don’t punch down and they don’t follow some elitist model of what “good” music is. Their guests are brilliant, insightful, and entertaining — often with insider knowledge that makes each listen a wealth of insight. Recommended.

I really enjoy this podcast and the hosts, particularly the episodes leading up to the RRHOF inductee announcement. Whether you agree or disagree, the fun is in listening to the debate. Great guests as well, and loved that they helped HOF members fill out their ballots!

I found this show about 2 weeks ago and have been bingeing it non stop ever since.

great show!

On top of being an interesting look at what it takes for artists to be considered and included in the Rock Hall, the hosts and guests are silly and endearing. Essential listening for rock fans and any music trivia nerds. I look forward to it every week.

I remember my mom keeping change in the ashtray, ready to pull over and call the local sports radio station to strongly agree or mostly disagree with what the ‘dummies on the radio’ were talking about. Listening to this podcast while walking the dog or driving my MINI (aka Dame Helen), I catch myself agreeing out loud with Kristen or yelling at guests who are on the HoF nominating committee for their HORRIBLE opinions. How are there people in the ‘big sandwich room’ who believe that Foreigner or Bad Company should be inducted before Pat Benetar, Kraftwerk, Bad Brains, LL Cool J, or Tina Turner (solo)?!? Joe (resident genius) and Kristen (the voice of everyone who ‘doesn’t care’) invite the real fans, the music aficionados who can argue for an artists inclusion as if they were speaking to the Supreme Court. It’s not too ‘inside baseball’ - I have recommended this to friends and family who are now regular listeners (although they probably do not yell at *redacted* or *redacted* for pushing for Poco instead of Carole King).

Joe, Kristen, and their guests offer great discussions about artists and their legacies in this show. I really enjoy their commentary, and Joe includes great song clips to orient the listener. They’re so enthusiastic about the artists, and there’s no snootiness, so casual music people like me aren’t put off. Subscribe, even if you don’t care about the Rock Hall!

It’s very good

I do. So does Kristen (kinda). I didn’t care before I listened to this podcast, but Joe’s enthusiasm is infectious. They’re both great hosts! I don’t know what else to say just try it out if you like music.

I found this podcast in late 2019 and I’ve been hooked ever since. Going back to listen to old episodes, particularly the artist-specific ones, has been fun and informative. Keep it up Kristen and Joe!

I don’t know why I care about the Rock Hall but I do and it feels like this show was made exactly for me, I love it. The dynamic between the two hosts is great, Joe brings the more in-depth knowledge and Kristen is hilarious and keeps the show grounded, because really, the Rock Hall is ridiculous if you start examining it in depth. Screw the haters, Kristen you rock!

...and the guests, but really it’s all about the Joe