Rock And Roll Hall of Fame Chairman John Sykes just sat down for an interview vulture to reveal some of the mystery behind the organization’s selection processes. When the author asks Devon Ivie if the process has any similarity to conclaveSykes compares it more to “a cross between an intellectual conversation and WWE.” “It’s not a beautifully organized or wonderful meeting,” he explains. “This goes on for hours. It just depends on when people decide to stop fighting for the artists they want to record. There are about 30 people. The nominating committee cares deeply about who they want.”

At least one of those people is Alfred “Weird Al” Yankovic, who Sykes admits “came up in conversation” when asked specifically about the artist. “He’s a genius,” says Sykes. “He did brilliant versions of the songs, but I’ll be honest: he never made it anywhere near the ballot.” Which is fair and sensible, of course, considering how few slots there are and how many people are likely to want one . For example, the B-52s (“(T)hey just haven’t made it on the ballot yet, but I think they will one day.”), the Pixies (“There was a group of” passionate nominees.) and Phil Collins (Genesis is already in, but “We have such a backlog of people to get in that sometimes great solo artists like Phil can’t get on the ballot.”) are some notable candidates Sykes has considered.

Part of Sykes’ mission, at least as highlighted in it vultureexpanded the understanding of rock and roll to include rappers like Missy Elliot and Jay-Z. While some people have pushed for the institution to be renamed the Music Hall of Fame, Sykes firmly believes that the term “rock and roll” is broad enough to encompass more or less the entire spectrum of popular music. “We need to explain it better. “Little Richard, Otis Redding, Chuck Berry – these artists were the cornerstones of rock and roll,” Sykes remembers telling Jay-Z. “When you look at the sounds over the years, you realize that these artists ultimately influenced hip-hop.” You can read all of his thoughts here vulture.