Former Iron Maiden, Foo Fighters Members Left Off Rock Hall List
If Iron Maiden and Foo Fighters are inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, three of those bands' former members won't have their names added to the plaques.
Onetime Iron Maiden singer Blaze Bayley, whose five-year stint as Bruce Dickinson's temporary replacement included the albums The X Factor and Virtual XI, was left off the list of nominated band members along with founding drummer Doug Sampson, who departed the group before it recorded its self-titled 1980 debut album and is not eligible for induction.
Two former short-term members of Foo Fighters - drummer William Goldsmith and guitarist Franz Stahl - are also excluded from the new list of nominees, with only the band's six current members eligible for induction. The Dave Grohl-fronted band's self-titled 1995 debut was a one-man effort, with the former Nirvana drummer playing every instrument. Goldsmith joined the group for the subsequent tour but played on only a handful of songs on the Foos' next album, The Colour and the Shape, before leaving in 1997. He cited Grohl's intense perfectionism as the reasoning for his departure.
"Dave had me do 96 takes of one song, and I had to do 13 hours' worth of takes on another one," Goldsmith said in a 1998 interview. "It just seemed that everything I did wasn't good enough for him or anyone else."
Goldsmith's replacement, Taylor Hawkins - who is nominated for induction alongside Grohl, bassist Nate Mendel, keyboardist Rami Jaffee and guitarists Pat Smear and Chris Shiflett - has emphasized the decision was purely Goldsmith's. "The first drummer for the Foo Fighters buckled under the pressure and still blames Dave for that," Hawkins said in 2018. "It’s like, no, dude, and Dave never fired him, by the way. Just so we’re all clear: Dave never fired him.”
Former Foo Fighters guitarist Franz Stahl also didn't make the ballot cut. Stahl joined in 1997 to replace original guitarist Pat Smear (who rejoined the band in 2005) but stayed only a couple years and played on just a handful of tracks, including the single "Walk After You." Stahl was let go from the band right before the release of the Foo Fighters' third album, There Is Nothing Left to Lose, due to creative differences.
“It just seemed like the three of us were moving in one direction, and Franz wasn’t," Grohl said at the time. Stahl was upset, but in the 2011 Foo Fighters documentary Back and Forth, he called his time with the band as “the best years of my life."
Iron Maiden are also up for their first nomination this year. The current lineup of singer Bruce Dickinson, bassist Steve Harris, drummer Nicko McBrain and guitarists Adrian Smith, Dave Murray and Janick Gers is on the ballot, along with former members Paul Di’Anno (singer), Clive Burr (drummer) and Dennis Stratton (guitarist). Bayley joined the group in 1994 after Dickinson left to pursue a solo career. When Dickinson returned five years later, Bayley was out. "It was a shock to leave Iron Maiden," Bayley said in 2019. "The odd thing is Bruce is such a lovely, lovely bloke, and he's always been very supportive of my career."
Watch Blaze Bayley Talk About Iron Maiden
The other bands up for 2021 Rock Hall nomination this year pretty much reflect their original lineups. Rage Against the Machine will include singer Zack de la Rocha, bassist Tim Commerford, guitarist Tom Morello and drummer Brad Wilk.
If Devo are voted in, the group's two pairs of cofounding brothers - Mark and Bob Mothersbaugh and Gerald and Bob Casale - will be inducted along with original drummer Alan Myers.
The nominated members of the Go-Go's haven't been specified, but it's expected to include their classic lineup of guitarists Charlotte Caffey and Jane Wiedlin, singer Belinda Carlisle, drummer Gina Schock and bassist Kathy Valentine.
And while singer David Johansen is the only surviving member of New York Dolls, who are up for their second nomination, his late bandmates bassist Arthur “Killer” Kane, guitarists Johnny Thunders and Sylvain Sylvain (who died just last month) and drummers Jerry Nolan and Billy Murcia are included on the ballot.