Radiohead and The Cure were among the bands inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Friday night.
Also receiving the honour were Def Leppard, Roxy Music, The Zombies and Janet Jackson. Stevie Nicks became the first female artist to be inducted both as a solo act and part of a band (she was previously inducted with Fleetwood Mac).
David Byrne introduced Radiohead, a band that took its name from one of his Talking Heads songs.
“They richly deserve this honour for two reasons," he said. "The music, the quality and constant innovation in the music, but equally for the innovations in how they release their work and how they market it and get it to the public—things that have changed the entire music business.
“They’re creative and smart in both areas, which is a rare combination for artists—not just then or now but any time.”
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Only Radiohead guitarist Ed O’Brien and drummer Phil Selway were on hand for the induction.
The latter admitted: “Radiohead can be an awkward and challenging band to be in. We may not be the greatest musicians around, and we’re certainly not the most media friendly of bands. But we have become very adept at being Radiohead, and when that connects with people it feels amazing.”
O’Brien thanked his fellow band members. “We’ve been doing it for 34 years and are still doing it. I want to thank them for their integrity, their authenticity, their commitment," he said. "None of these things you should take for granted.
“I also want to thank them for the musicians they are. That thing when we play together; that collective sound that we make. Some of the nights we have in the rehearsal studio where they’re like transcendental moments. I thank them for that. But most of all I want to thank them for this deep, deep friendship.”
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The Cure – who performed five songs, including hits like “Lovesong” and “Boys Don’t Cry” – were introduced at the ceremony by Trent Reznor.
“I struggled my whole life with feeling like I don’t fit in or belong anywhere — kind of like right now — and hearing this, suddenly I felt connected and no longer quite so alone in the world," the Nine Inch Nails frontman explained.
“Immediately this band struck a deep chord with me… A lot of darkness I felt in my head was coming back at me through the speakers… all of it anchored by one of the most exquisite instruments — Robert Smith’s voice.”
Smith was, not surprisingly, a man of few words. “It’s a very nice surprise to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame,” he said.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be aired later this month on HBO.
- with files by Katrina Nattress at iHeartRadio