I'm as stoked about the new bracketology as anyone, but don't forget the HOA--it's time for the 2002 election (only six more left after this one).

Submit a ranked list of your ten most deserving artists. You may want to check out the top 100 eligible candidates. For a reminder of who's already been inducted, see the results thread.

For your top FIVE artists (at least), you must explain why they deserve to be in the HOA. You may recycle your comments from past elections if you wish, but I want us to have a context for WHY we're selecting these artists. Ballots without comments for the top five will NOT be counted!

In addition, you have the option to nominate up to three people for the Backstage Wing. This isn't required.

Deadline for ballots is Sunday, July 19, at 6:00 pm US Central time (midnight GMT).

Voting is now open. Go bananas.

1. Townes Van Zandt – Brilliant songwriter whose influence continues to grow years after his death.

2. The White Stripes – Kept guitar rock relevant for a few more years. Nice color scheme.

3. Wire - An important band during the punk era.

4. Lynyrd Skynyrd – Not weird.

5. Lucinda Williams – Great songwriter. Two excellent albums.

6. Herbie Hancock
7. Wanda Jackson
8. Uncle Tupelo
9. The Buzzcocks
10. Wilco

1. The White Stripes – Jack’s shtick can be grating at times, but he’s got the chops and the overall vision to put plenty of meat on those creaky old bones. And the ex / fake sister / newly minted Patti Smith daughter-in-law contributes a lot more to the overall vibe than she’s given credit for.

2. Wilco – This was the year they made their most audacious music, but even more audacious was the way they paved the way for artists to get around the moribund record-company system to get that music out so people could hear it.

3. New York Dolls – Yes, I’m stubborn.

4. Jay-Z – Deserves all his props for talent, longevity and amazing business savvy.

5. Ornette Coleman – A true visionary who, unlike far too many of his contemporaries, lasted long enough to become a living legend. Long overdue for induction!

6. Wire
7. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
8. Nine Inch Nails
9. Lynyrd Skynyrd
10. The Grateful Dead

BACKSTAGE WING
1. Nicky Hopkins
2. Greil Marcus
3. Martin Scorsese – For using rock music better than any other filmmaker ever has, or ever will.

1. WIRE. Priced to clear, this week only. Everything must go (no, wait, that’s MSP).
2. NINE INCH NAILS. You’re going to get what you deserve.
3. JESUS AND MARY CHAIN. I’d start dropping them down my ballot if I had reasonable options.
4. WILCO. Will jump to the top next year, if necessary.
5. JEFF BUCKLEY. Kind of surprised he’s still here…I figured at the least he deserved induction before Elliott Smith.
6. THE VERVE
7. PRIMAL SCREAM
8. JAY-Z
9. RICHARD AND LINDA THOMPSON. This is a flyer, since they’re now on Rune’s ballot, to see if anyone else bites.
10. THE WHITE STRIPES. Not weird at all.

#11 is Lucinda Williams.

1. Dinosaur Jr.: Bassist Lou Barlow also fronted Sebadoh in the 90's

2. Buzzcocks: See last week

3. The Jesus & Mary Chain: See last week

4. Nine Inch Nails: Maybe the best artist of the genre.

5. Fugazi: I know, they're a long shot. Never made a bad album, arguably one of (if not THE) most consistent bands in the 90's

6. Wire
7. MC5
8. Erik B. & Rakim
9. Jane's Addiction
10. Santana

1. The White Stripes - De Stijl was a great album and White Blood Cells rightfully made them stars. Jack's genius shines too brightly for him to have languished in indie obscurity.

2. Jay Z - I dislike all of his post-blueprint stuff, but as of 2002 his body of work is both strong and consistent.

3. The Strokes - I'm starting to think Is This It is nearly as good as the hype. As other albums stock rise up and down, it's remained incredibly solid. The album as a whole is just one big air-tight arrangement. Also me and my best friend end all of our nights out by blasting Last Nite through my car speakers.

4. Jeff Buckley - Will be in one day, maybe during a weaker year though.

5. The Verve - This is the placing of a man who has lost hope.

6. Primal Scream
7. Belle and Sebastian
8. Wire
9. The Jesus and Mary Chain
10. Dinosaur Jr.

I would like to save Wilco for next year, so they can top my ballot.

1. THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS - I guess they'll stay up here for eternity now. Despite the nasal voice, there's still so much variety in their work, it's hard to get tired of it.

2. THE WHITE STRIPES - Now three albums in, with a gigantic breakthrough. All albums are fantastic, about time we discovered them. (Did anybody in here know about them before White Blood Cells?)

3. MANIC STREET PREACHERS - They were amazing on their first albums. The Holy Bible is my favorite album at the moments. 4 real.

4. HANDSOME FAMILY - Extremely entertaining alt-country duo. The lyrics are among the best ever written, and the melodies are impossible to forget.

5. 22-PISTEPIRKKO - Finnish eccentrics (like all Finns :) with a bucketfull of great albums behind them by this time. I've seen them live twice, and their are highly recommended. Check out the album called Eleven.

6. JEFFERSON AIRPLANE
7. DIMMU BORGIR
8. THE STROKES
9. MANSUN
10. RICHARD AND LINDA THOMPSON

01. THE STROKES: please believe the hype. Five youngsters from good families are getting flaming critical props during this 2001 because of their guitar-based sound that takes back the urban New York sound of bands like Television or The Velvet Underground and because of the fresh look and attitude that takes back the ROCK.
My favourite album: Is This It (2001).
My Top 5 Songs: Last Nite (2001), Trying Your Luck (2001), Someday (2001), New York City Cops (2001), Hard to Explain (2001).

02. SUPER FURRY ANIMALS: a Welsh band singing both in English and their native Welsh tongue with an undeniable gift for melody and an unprejudiced ability to fuse disparate styles in a unique way.
My favourite album: Rings Around the World (2001).
My favourite song: Juxtapozed With U (2001), Northern Lites (1999), It’s Not the End of the World? (2001).

03. LUCINDA WILLIAMS: the Queen of Hearts of country-rock, known for her particular perfectionism and her ability for pen the most heart-breaking country ballads and sing it with her wise voice macerated in alcohol.
My favourite album: Car Wheels on a Gravel Road (1998).
My favourite song: Sweet Old World (1992), Metal Firecracker (1998), Essence (2001).

04. KYLIE MINOGUE: a teen pop star following the path opened by Madonna that is achieving lately a well deserved recognition because of perfect dance hits like “Spinning Around” or “Can’t Get You Out of my Head” (the best song of 2001 by far) and her sensual and suggestive stage presence.
My favourite album: Fever (2001).
My favourite song: Can’t Get You Out of My Head (2001), Spinnin’ Around (2000), Some Kind of Bliss (1997).

05. LAMBCHOP: having inducted so many country artists, why not this pioneers of alternative country scene? And not only country, their style includes forays into soul and rock too.
My favourite album: Nixon (2000).
My favourite song: I’m a Stranger Here (1996), Grumpus (2000), The Man Who Loved Beer (1996).

06. BELLE AND SEBASTIAN.
07. YO LA TENGO.
08. THE MAGNETIC FIELDS.
09. SIGUR RÓS.
10. MOJAVE 3.

And another special edition of the backstage wing (today: playing piano with the Stones):
01. NICKY HOPKINS: Harold Wexler said it perfectly, Nicky Hopkins was the quintessential session man, a complete warranty of quality, a not only competent but creative piano player. Favourite song: THE ROLLING STONES Loving Cup (1972).
02. IAN STEWART: the early Stones were not a quintet but a sextet, but manager Andrew Loog Oldham left Stu outside the spotlight because of his woodcutter look. But The Stones always considered him part of the band and he got paid as a member, even when they hired another piano players. Favourite song: THE ROLLING STONES Stoned (1963).
03. BILLY PRESTON: the one and only musician that played with both The Beatles and The Stones, infusing pure rhythm and blues to the Stones mid-70s material. Favourite song: THE ROLLING STONES Melody (1976).

PS 1 from 2009: Are we not inducting Wilco and The White Stripes too soon (in case we do)? What I’m going to put on top for 2002 and 2003?
PS 2 from 2009: Based on schleuse eligible lists I’m keeping track of the artists and bands that the critics could have inducted and comparing with our own inductees. I’m planning to post the results when the game finish. Looking to the list of our inductees not inducted yet by the critics I noticed a funny trend: if we could mix the styles of the artists into one the resultant style could be called... GANGSTA-COUNTRY!!

1. Lynyrd Skynyrd - what's the problem here? too overplayed on classic rock radio?
2. The Magnetic Fields - a master of pop music styles. the lyrics are smart, funny and clever, but never unemotional
3. Richard & Linda Thompson - i'll bite
4. The Blue Nile - malick
5. Ryan Adams - i know his public persona is annoying, but i honestly believe he's the best songwriter of the decacde
6. Jackson Browne
7. Dwight Yoakam
8. Warren Zevon
9. John Cale
10. Prefab Sprout

A little bit of reshuffling.

1. Siouxsie and the Banshees- Any takers?

2. Janet Jackson- It was a troublesome time for Janet for a bit after a nasty divorce with previous collaborator Rene Elizondo, and with All for You, she emerged with a breath of fresh air. The songs sound like a rebirth of her fun spirit in places, while in others her pain comes to the forefront.

3. Kylie Minogue- Released a whirlwind-like 9 months after Light Years, Kylie would unleash Fever on the world in 2001 to her greatest success yet. It remains my favorite dance album ever recorded.

4. Grace Jones- A few artists may pass her in the weekly rankings, but she's got a firm place in my list until the end.

5. Missy Elliott- I waited to include her until her epic So Addictive album was eligible. It's my favorite rap album ever, although it mixes in a lot of Missy's surprisingly soulful and lush vocals. Her genius is evident everywhere on the record.

6. The Strokes- This will be the only chance I have to vote for them, so I will, even though I prefer Room on Fire. Nevertheless, Is This It was a catalyst in the industry that evolved to churn out some great music for these ears in the years to come.

7. Donna Summer

8. Annie Lennox

9. Joan Jett

10. Kim Wilde

1. The Strokes - When I first discovered AM, and looked up the highest-ranked album of the noughties, my thought was, "Nah. This is going to be an overhyped disappointment." Then I listened to it. Holy shit was I wrong!

2. Jay-Z - I can't put my finger on what makes Jay-Z so good. All I know is The Blueprint is darned good.

3. The White Stripes - Jack White is one of those crazy genius stories that just shows up and explodes. The fuse was lit with White Blood Cells.

4. 2Pac

5. Coldplay

6. Daft Punk - Discovery moves them up, but not that far up.

7. Rage Against the Machine

8. Red Hot Chili Peppers

9. Foo Fighters

10. The Verve

1. ABBA - Europop at it's finest.
2. NINA SIMONE - The High Priestess of Soul
3. DEEP PURPLE - I want you I need you I gotta be near you. Ooh I got a strange kind of woman!
4. JEFFERSON AIRPLANE - Back in the 60s, Grace Slick was one of the coolest women in rock music.
5. CROSBY, STILLS, NASH & YOUNG - I am quite surprised they didn't make it yet. Isn't this one of the most obvious omissions?

6. GRANDMASTER FLASH & THE FURIOUS FIVE
7. THE JESUS AND MARY CHAIN
8. MISSY ELLIOTT
9. ROD STEWART
10. PRIMAL SCREAM

BACKSTAGE
1. ANTON CORBIJN
2. GERRY GOFFIN & CAROLE KING
3. TIMBALAND