{"id":791263,"date":"2018-12-13T06:30:27","date_gmt":"2018-12-13T13:30:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/?p=768457"},"modified":"2018-12-13T06:30:27","modified_gmt":"2018-12-13T13:30:27","slug":"the-zombies-on-their-overdue-rock-hall-induction-this-is-a-life-defining-moment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/music-news\/the-zombies-on-their-overdue-rock-hall-induction-this-is-a-life-defining-moment\/","title":{"rendered":"The Zombies on Their Overdue Rock Hall Induction: \u2018This Is a Life-Defining Moment\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Few bands that have entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame<\/a> have had to wait quite as long as the Zombies<\/a>.\u00a0The British Invasion group \u2014 best known for their hits \u201cShe\u2019s Not There\u201d and \u201cTime of the Season\u201d \u2014 have been eligible for induction since 1989, but they didn\u2019t even appear on a ballot until 2014 and it took three more tries before they finally got in this year. When we phoned up frontman Colin Blunstone and keyboardist Rod Argent they weren\u2019t even remotely bitter about the wait. In fact, they were both absolutely ecstatic that it finally happened. We spoke to them separately, but combined the conversations into a single Q&A.<\/p>\n

Congratulations!
Blunstone:<\/strong> It\u2019s absolutely incredible. I\u2019m just thrilled. It\u2019s wonderful news. First of all, to think that 330,000 people voted for us in the fan vote and then, on top of it, to have the members vote for us as well \u2026 Peer-group acceptance is such a wonderful thing for any artist. It really is just incredible news. It\u2019s one of the most exciting days in my professional career, I think.
Argent:<\/strong> It was just great to hear about the fan vote, but at the last minute I thought that I couldn\u2019t quite believe this was actually going to turn the corner and happen. When [our manager] Cindy [da Silva] called me and said, \u201cI just have to tell you that you have been elected,\u201d I was absolutely and completely delighted.<\/p>\n

Are you surprised that this happened?
Blunstone:<\/strong> That\u2019s an interesting question. The thing is, this is our fourth nomination. I suppose that there\u2019s a part of you that wonders if our nomination could ever turn into an induction. You do start to doubt that it could happen. I\u2019ve tried to be fairly philosophical about it and tell myself that if we don\u2019t get inducted, it\u2019s just a bit of fun. Don\u2019t take it too seriously. But of course when you\u2019re actually inducted everything changes and you think, \u201cThis is a career-defining \u2026 a life-defining moment.\u201d
Argent:<\/strong> When I was a kid, Elvis [Presley] seemed like someone from another galaxy. American culture and American music of that sort seemed so far away from anything that I could aspire to at that moment. To think that all these years later, I\u2019m on the same roster as Miles Davis, Ray Charles and all my heroes that have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, it just feels like a complete honor.<\/p>\n

Blunstone:<\/strong> To some degree, I think it kind of validates everything we\u2019ve done. I feel that the first incarnation of the band that finished in 1967, we perceived ourselves as being unsuccessful. That was one of the main reasons that everyone decided it was time to move on and get involved in new projects. There\u2019s been lots of ups and downs in this 50-year career, but to see that the second incarnation has been able to build up such a huge following, it\u2019s really exciting. This is the pinnacle, to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. What a reward for all of the ups and downs over the years.
Argent:<\/strong> I know it\u2019s fashionable in some circles to say, \u201cI don\u2019t mind whether I get into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame or not,\u201d but that is not how I\u2019ve ever felt. When we were first nominated, that felt like a huge honor in its own right. I never felt frustrated. I just felt, \u201cI can\u2019t believe we\u2019ve been nominated again.\u201d And this time to turn the corner and get inducted, feels fantastic.<\/p>\n

A real theme of the band is that it takes a very long time for your work to be appreciated, so for this to happen after so many years makes sense.
Argent:<\/strong> That\u2019s certainly true! I remember when we played our first single [\u201cShe\u2019s Not There\u201d] to the record company, they didn\u2019t think it was commercial. When it first came out, the main label put us on a subsidiary label and \u201cShe\u2019s Not There\u201d was Number One, it was the first English band after the Beatles to top the Cashbox<\/em> charts with a self-written song. Certainly nobody thought \u201cTime of the Season\u201d was terribly commercial.
Blunstone:<\/strong> Rod will always say that Odessey and Oracle<\/em> got some good reviews at the time, and it probably did, but overall it didn\u2019t get a great reaction, and certainly not commercially. It\u2019s always intrigued me that over a period of time, with nobody promoting the album, no one marketing it, people\u2019s attitudes towards the album changed. It took on a life of its own and gradually people became aware of it.
Argent:<\/strong> I\u2019ve read that the induction ceremony is going to take place on March the 29th, 2019. That\u2019s \u2014 to the day \u2014 50 years after \u201cTime of the Season\u201d became Number One on Cashbox<\/em>. That seems like an unbelievable milestone, really.<\/p>\n