When anyone talks about justice or how things in this wide wide world are unfair, I say this:

Kiss is not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

And pretty much every time I say this, the other person says: They're not?

Regular people don't keep track of the yearly comings and goings of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I'm not even sure if most musicians care about it.

The football and baseball halls of fame are different, of course. There are rules and votes and so many percentages of votes and the value of relief pitching or outside linebackers.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was put together by Jann Wenner (founder of Rolling Stone...not THE Rolling Stones) and some other people who made a lot of money off of popular music. Whoever is on the board keeps their thoughts on the matter out of the papers. We don't see vote counts. We have no idea what the rules are except that you have to have been in the music recording business for at least twenty five years.

This twenty-five year thing is interesting, considering most bands and artists have a shelf life of about five years. The Beatles were around for less than a decade as major recording artists. Of course there have been lots of solo albums from those four guys, and three of them have been re-inducted into the Hall of Fame as solo artists.

But Kiss has no place in the hallowed halls. It can't be a for lack of room.

Is it because they wore makeup, stopped wearing it and then went back to their made up ways because it was a good business decision?

Is it because they've had a lot of different drummers and guitarists after kicking out the originals in the late seventies?

Is it because they rock and roll all night and party ev-er-y day?

Is it because Gene Simmons has a really long tongue and sang a song called "Cold Gin" even though he never was a drinker?

Or that the drummer sang a silly (but successful) ballad about missing his wife?

Maybe it was the lunch boxes and action figures and really bad movies?

Kiss isn't my favorite band by any stretch of the imagination, but I understand their importance in this thing called rock. It's called showmanship. And they've got some pretty good tunes, too.

My favorite band of all time is Van Halen. They are in the hall. The honor was accepted by the two guys who are no longer in the "current" band: Michael Anthony (best backup singer ever...and bassist) and Sammy Hagar. And it's been almost twenty years since they had any kind of cultural significance whatsoever. Of course, they are getting their own video game soon.

Was Van Halen put in the hall just so they could go out on tour again as the almost original Van Halen? Is that what they were waiting for? Some kind of validation from the powers that be?

And why are there powers that be in the pantheon of rock and roll?

This is the music of rebellion. This is the anti-establishment. And this is what they sell everything from burgers to iPods to cars to insurance with.

Maybe Kiss did this on purpose. Maybe they've been spurning acceptance into the hall so all of us will eventually ask the question of why they aren't there. It's possible. There's always been a lot of cold calculation to Kiss's reign and accompanying army.

Whatever the reason, it stands as the biggest injustice to the "institution" of rock and roll. Quite possibly the biggest injustice in the history of the world.

And so whenever someone is feeling down or put upon or called racist because they say their ethnic upbringing influences their decisions, think of poor Kiss. They will never get into the rock and roll Valhalla, even though they helped build the temple.

Matt Worley will be so old when his band gets into the hall, he'll only be able party every day at afternoon tea time.