Dave Matthews said he felt “unqualified and undeserving” of induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, after the Dave Matthews Band were nominated during their first year of eligibility.

But he added that he liked the idea of being named among the varied artists who make up the 2020 nominations, including the Doobie BrothersJudas Priest, Soundgarden, Motorhead, Pat BenatarDepeche ModeMC5Nine Inch NailsTodd RundgrenT. RexThin LizzyWhitney HoustonKraftwerk, the Notorious B.I.G. and Rufus featuring Chaka Khan.

“I'm not sure that Lemmy Kilmister ever heard of the Notorious B.I.G., and I'm not sure if the Notorious B.I.G. ever heard of Lemmy," Matthews told Billboard, "but maybe that's what rock ’n’ roll is… people falling out of their world or getting out of their world and getting in front of everybody and doing something that seems impossible and getting noticed for it. I feel like I don't belong, but I'm pretty happy to be included...in a pretty outrageous lineup of people. If I'm gonna be in a category of people getting into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, it's good to be included in one that makes no sense.”

He added: “I was very happy to hear about it, and it is overwhelming. I do feel undeserving and flattered as well by the whole thing, and I think the whole band does, too. We all reached out to each other to say, 'How bizarre is this?'"

He also predicted there might be an “awkward moment’ if the band were honored and former member Boyd Tinsley chose to attend. He was dismissed in 2018 after being accused of sexual misconduct, but Matthews said he had no “ill will,” adding: “Boyd's not with us in the band anymore, playing, but it doesn't mean he wasn't there when we made our first record. There might be an awkward moment, but I hope that we're all old enough to let it go -- although maybe it would make more papers if we came to blows up on stage. But that's not really my style."

 

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2020 Nominees

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