Pretenders Inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by Neil Young

Photos by Scott Gries and Timothy A. Clary of Getty Images

Last night, the Pretenders were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by Neil Young. From a RollingStone.com report, Young said that he and Crazy Horse mined the Pretenders debut album for ideas in the early Eighties.

"They went through all the heartache that rock & roll is built on. They lost two key members and they never gave up."

Chrisse Hynde said in accepting the award:

"We are a tribute band. We're paying tribute to James Honeyman-Scott [guitarist] and Pete Farndon [bassist], without whom we would not have been here."

Neil joined the Pretenders on the song "My City Was Gone".

In post ceremony comments, U2's Bono said that he believes the legends who have been a part of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame wouldn't stand a chance of survival in today's music business. From Volume10:

"There is very little chance for there to be another U2 the way the business is constructed right now. You have to have the single immediately. If you don't, you don't get a second chance."

"I don't think that's what the great American artists or the great European artists, for that matter, have come out of. Bruce Springsteen didn't have a single for 10 years. Neil Young, I'm not sure, he ever had a single; and every song Neil Young does sounds like a single to me."

Highlights of the ceremony will be broadcast at 9 p.m. Saturday on VH-1.

More great photos from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony of U2, Buddy Guy, B.B. King, Bo Diddley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Bruce Springsteen. More photos on Yahoo!, VH1.com, and WireImage.

Photo of Chrissie Hynde, Pretenders and Neil Young by Timothy A. Clary of Getty Images

From Modern Guitars transcript:

Neil Young: "Thank You, it’s a great honor to be here. I enjoy your company every time I come here. See you people all the time. It’s great! I’m running for office.

"No, really, I’m very happy and very honored to be here to talk a little about The Pretenders, who had a great influence on myself and my band, Crazy Horse. Yeah, well, when we couldn’t figure out what to do, we’d just put on those records and listen to them, and go ‘Ok, they got a....what’s she look like? This was 1980 or something, anyway they had a huge impression on me. I obviously didn’t look at my...I don’t have any notes."

"I don’t know what to say. This is one of the greatest Rock and Roll bands that ever lived. They went through all the heartache that rock 'n' roll was built on. They lost two key members, and they never gave up, they kept going, nothing would stop them. Chrissie, she’s a rock 'n' roll woman. She’s got it in her heart. She’s gonna be rocking till she drops, and I love her. I’m very proud just to know her.

And it’s my pleasure and distinct honor to induct The Pretenders into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame."

Chrissie Hynde: "The things I’ll do for a handsome man. I know that The Pretenders have looked like a tribute band for the last 20 years. And actually they are a tribute band. And we’re paying tribute to James Honeyman-Scott and Pete Farndon, without whom we wouldn’t be here. And on the other hand, without us, they might have been here, but that’s the way it works in rock 'n' roll."

After the ceremony, Hynde was asked: "What was it like playing with Neil?"

"Fucking great!", replied Chrissie.

Neil playing a red Gibson ES-335 hollow body electric guitar

More on Neil Young and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.