Blue Oyster Cult’s Eric Bloom Puzzled by Hall of Fame Snubs

Count Blue Oyster Cult's Eric Bloom among the music fans that are puzzled year after year by the nominees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

"I don't know their rules or criteria," Bloom told Ultimate Classic Rock, "but there are so many people that deserve to be in there that aren't. And there are a lot of people who aren't rock 'n rollers who are in there. [The organizers] have varied ideas about who should be in there. I just don't understand it." (Check out the full list of inductees.)

This year's nominees, like nominees from past years, have inspired fans to howl in outrage and cheer in delight. Guns N' Roses, Heart, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Red Hot Chili Peppers,  the Small Faces/the Faces, and War are up for consideration. However, once again titans such as Kiss and Rush are not.

"Should Joan Jett be in there? Absolutely," said Bloom. "Alice Cooper just got in there, 10 years after he should have been. He's been a tutor to tens of thousands of thousands of musicians."

Blue Oyster Cult and the Alice Cooper Group have a connection that goes back decades. Not only have the musicians toured together, but musicians from both bands have collaborated on a variety of projects.

One of the most notable recent teamings among the groups is the founding of Blue Coupe, a group that includes brothers Albert and Joe Bouchard, founding members of Blue Öyster Cult, on drums and guitar respectively, and Dennis Dunaway, founder of the Alice Cooper Group, on bass.

Dunaway was inducted into the Hall of Fame as part of the Alice Cooper Group.

When asked why Blue Oyster Cult isn't in the Hall, Bloom seemed to just humbly shrug off the snub. "We are passed over every year," he said. "There are so many people who should be in there, and they are all in front of us."