Did you like Wakeman's speech at the RRHoF?

Rick Wakeman is , in my opinion, the GREATEST musician ever!!!

No, I didn't find it very funny at all.

I'd heard most of it before (including the prostate joke) but what is the RRHoF if not a celebration of past achievements and greatest hits...

Formentera Lady wrote: lazland wrote: uduwudu wrote: lazland wrote: cstack3 wrote: Downes didn't like it much.... If that is a real quote, and not some kind of spoof, it is as much a comment on Downes as anything else.There was no need for the crack at Anderson at all, and rather showed him up for what he is.....a not particularly pleasant chap who works as a hired hand for "Official" Yes. Horn single handily responsible for 90125.......reeeeealy? I thought he was referring to Drama. Or Fly From Here. I wondered where the success was. The other Trevor was responsible for 90125. Oh, and Chris Squire of course. Lost of hostility, antipathy, loathing and fear, envy and jealousy throughout Yes.   Horn produced 90125. That is what he is referring to. So sad to read Downes post. It is like burning bridges, and that with these line-ups there will never be a reunion...

I usually dislike Downes comments, from the few that I have read. He just sounds pedantic and negative. It sounded like he was trying to glorify what was done by his side of Yes, while trying to pull down what the competing Yes were doing. Even Steve has been more political of his opinions about all this things, and he is the one who should actually have the real quarrel with Jon and Rick (and Trevor). Perhaps Downes was bitter about not having been inducted himself. I understand he must have been a Wakeman fan at some point (as he was fan of Yes before he was invited into the band). Perhaps living in his shadow doesn't help his ressentment, since Wakeman will always be the favourite keyboard player of the band (at least compared with himself), and he was part of the best loved albums from the band too (well, usually The Yes Album and Relayer are among the best loved ones too, though). And in the end Downes really can't pull off Wakeman's parts so nicely, just as Rabin can't pull of Howe's parts.

cemego wrote: Wrong Trevor was on stage (should have been Horn). Geoff Downes is awesome but couldn't hear his keyboards at all on the STeve Howe Yes tribute band show.

Rabin was on how many more Yes albums than the Horn-meister? And Downes awesome? Completely laughable and his keyboards shouldn't be heard or only heard faintly. Good one to the sound guy.

It might have been a bit "off color" for some folks but I won't be the stick in the mud who says it was bad. 

Yes I did. It ran too long but it was refreshing for someone to have some fun during a speech for a change. It would have been nice for Chris' family to thank everyone including their father. Shame on the HoF for not allowing that to happen.

Are there really people on here who don't know who Wakeman is? 

Management fault (as usual). Brief the guys in protocol (re C. Squire) JA to introduce and everyone to be on topic. It may have been more appropriate to have RW recite the circumstances of how he was shanghaied into Yes. That call on his birthday (From CS) in 1971 after a number one record and then having his position in the band "assumed" and swiftly on tour would have gone down well. RW is quite the raconteur troubadour.

Now if he had interrupted say a HoF management speech (Jann Wenner) with his current repertoire then it would have gone down 100% (except with the HoF but they don't matter). But that evening was about Chris Squire and Yes and ironically he well, buggered it up.

Freaking  hilarious. He's a grumpy old man what did you expect? Yes has been flogging a dead cat for years. I really like everything up to and including Relayer Howe's speech sounded like he had written it back in 1975 and was waiting to deliver it ever since.  Wonder how old Ian Anderson will be when and if Jethro Tull ever makes it in.