In a brand new interview with Lyndsanity! With Lyndsey Parker, BAD COMPANY drummer Simon Kirke spoke in regards to the British supergroup’s upcoming Rock And Roll Corridor Of Fame induction, which was introduced in April 2025 after many years of eligibility. Requested if followers can anticipate to see him and BAD COMPANY singer Paul Rodgers carry out on the induction ceremony, which might be held on November 8 on the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, Simon mentioned (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): ”I feel the key is out that we will carry out. I do not know — I’d get into hassle, however I noticed some Google information that BAD COMPANYwill carry out on the Corridor Of Fame. So I’ll cautiously say sure. I am not at liberty to say which songs. I imply, fairly truthfully, I do not give a shit. We’re gonna play, and no matter Paul chooses is ok by me. And simply to play with him once more is gonna be an actual thrill for me, ‘trigger I missed him. I missed taking part in with the band. I miss taking part in significantly with Paul, ‘trigger he is such a beautiful singer.”
Requested how lengthy it has been since he and Rodgers carried out collectively, Simon mentioned: “We did our final present over 5 years in the past, in Las Vegas, of all locations the place BAD COMPANY and LYNYRD SKYNYRD have been flip-flopping a headline tour. And it was top-of-the-line gigs we ever performed on. So thank God we completed on gig and never a shitty one.”
As for a way Paul‘s voice is as of late, contemplating that Rodgers revealed in September 2023 for the primary time that years earlier he suffered 11 minor strokes and two main strokes, which practically ended his profession, Kirke mentioned: “I have not heard him sing since [we last played together], fairly truthfully. I do know he has sung, and we’re gonna do a few rehearsals for the cameras and so forth and so forth. However when you’ve gotten a voice that naturally good, it is gonna take a hell of quite a bit for it to fray or devalue or no matter. So I feel he is gonna be superb for the 2 songs that we have chosen.”
This previous August, Kirke informed Defenders Of The Religion about lastly being inducted into the Rock Corridor: “We’re more than happy. We’re very honored. Fairly truthfully, I feel it is about time [laughs], however I do not wish to seem ungrateful.
“BAD COMPANY, as you already know, have been round 50 years. We influenced a few generations of bands, so it is about time and we’re very completely satisfied,” he continued. “I am additionally completely satisfied, as a result of expensive previous Mick Ralphs, our guitarist who handed away a few months in the past, discovered that BAD COMPANY was going to be inducted simply a few weeks earlier than he lastly handed away. That made us very, very completely satisfied certainly.”
The now-75-year-old Rodgers suffered his first main stroke in 2016 and a second in October 2019, which required him to endure a significant surgical procedure to get well from. On the time, Rodgers underwent a carotid endarterectomy, a process to take away plaque from the arteries working by your neck to your mind, in accordance with the Cleveland Clinic.
This previous June, Ralphs died on the age of 81 as a consequence of issues from a stroke he suffered in 2016.
Different inductees within the Performer class are SOUNDGARDEN, Chubby Checker, Joe Cocker, Cyndi Lauper, OutKast and THE WHITE STRIPES.
BAD COMPANY has been eligible for induction since 1999 and obtained its first nomination this yr.
The induction ceremony will as soon as once more stream stay on Disney+, and an edited model will air on ABC at a later date.
Requested by U.Ok. radio veteran Paul Stephenson of VRP Rocks if he ever obtained a purpose why BAD COMPANY hadn’t been nominated earlier, Simon mentioned: “No. Nicely… Hmm. There are a number of causes. One in all them being, I feel as a result of BAD COMPANY had three lineups, it type of diluted our foreign money, if you’ll. In the event you can think about a band like CREAM they usually change Ginger Baker or they modify Jack [Bruce] or Eric [Clapton], God forbid, a few occasions, it will type of dilute and muddy the waters of the committee. In order I am informed by this insider, they needed to do a FREE–BAD COMPANY doubleheader, because it have been, like [when] THE FACES and THE SMALL FACES have been inducted, however for some purpose it did not present up. There was additionally a political factor that I can not actually go into with out getting type of into scorching water, nevertheless it was a mix. I feel the primary factor was the triple lineup… It simply wasn’t a clear-cut ‘Let’s induct BAD COMPANY.’ There have been components that now have dissipated.”
Again in November 2023, Kirke was requested by “The Bob Lefsetz Podcast” how he felt about BAD COMPANY not having been inducted into the Rock And Roll Corridor Of Fame. He responded: “I feel it is such a travesty, fairly truthfully. And never simply that, however FREE — FREE definitely must be [in the Hall], as a result of FREE has been round since 1968, and the 2 bands have been chargeable for influencing a variety of bands who’re already within the Corridor. So I really feel fairly dangerous about it. However I am not gonna go on an excessive amount of about it. It is simply I feel we must be in. Actually FREE. And I feel Paul Rodgers must be in on his personal deserves, as one of many nice rock vocalists of all time. If Eric Clapton and Rod Stewart and Jeff Beck could be inducted as solo artists, then definitely Paul Rodgers must be in there. That is my two cents.”
Later within the chat, Kirke provided one attainable clarification for why BAD COMPANY had been ignored by the Rock Corridor.
“I feel due to BAD COMPANY‘s altering lineups over the 50 years that we would been collectively, it type of devalued our foreign money a little bit bit,” he mentioned. “You had the Brian Howe period, you had the Paul Rodgers period, one and two, when Paul rejoined the band, we had Robert Hart. So I truthfully do not know why we have now not been nominated — not even inducted; it’s important to be nominated first, as you already know.”
In September 2023, Rodgers informed SiriusXM‘s “Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk” that he wasn’t bothered by his absence from the Rock Corridor. “Nicely, it does not have an effect on my day by day life. It does not have an effect on what I do in any means in any respect,” he mentioned. “It is a kind of issues. However I keep in mind years and years in the past, Ahmet Ertegun, who was the pinnacle of Atlantic Information [and a co-founder of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame], mentioned to me, ‘Paul, we’re making this museum of rock and roll. Do you guys wanna be a part of it?’ And I mentioned, ‘What, a museum of rock and roll? What’s it referred to as?’ He mentioned, ‘Nicely, it is referred to as the Rock And Roll Corridor Of Fame.’ I mentioned, ‘Nicely, I do not suppose rock and roll belongs in a museum.’ So it is my dangerous, I assume. And he requested me a few occasions, and I type of like refused, I assume, mainly. So, you already know, there you go. Onwards and upwards.”