Another sign I'm getting old

Van Halen and R.E.M. will be among this year's inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

For me, Van Halen will always conjur memories of the school bus ride home in the sixth grade when "Jump" played almost continuously out of kids' boom boxes. Cassette tapes were all the rage by the time I started taking interest in music, but "5150" was one of the albums I owned on vinyl. And "Right Now" was probably one of the biggest hits of my college years.

As for R.E.M., they were one of the signature sounds of the late 1980s/early 1990s. They were still considered alternative and very cutting edge back in high school. There was a garage band of high school kids that used to play at some school functions called Standing on the Ceiling. The only thing I remember them playing was a cover of "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)." By the time I started my college radio show, I knew next to nothing about alternative music. R.E.M. was one of the few alternative bands I was familiar with, so they got a lot of airplay.

Joining Van Halen and R.E.M. this year in the Hall of Fame are the Ronettes, Patti Smith and Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five.