The first time I saw the Pretenders was on MTV. I remember the voice of Chrissie Hynde, her black high top hat, her beautiful hair with bangs that almost cover entirely her beautiful eyes (the way she cuts her hair is almost a trademark of Chrissie that unfortunatley is a nightmare for photographers). I loved that voice immediatley and I thought that Chrissie was a fox. I would have married her in my fantasies and lived happily ever after listening to her voice and song. I still feel the same way today and have confessed this fantasy to my wife.

As stated previously with Steve Vai, I can't afford to buy all the albums I want but my wife enhanced my album collection with the Pretenders after we got married. I listen to the Pretenders as much as I can and I always love the lyrics, and of course Chrissie's voice. I saw the Pretenders live as they opened for Deep Purple here in Italy. I thought it would be a strange prelude to the Deep but it really worked well. Chrissie's voice is as good, or even better in person than in recordings. Her band jams and her lyrics resonate. I enjoyed immensely the concert. In addition I enjoyed meeting her briefly backstage. A very grascious person.

The Pretenders are in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and deserve so. There is something magical in Chrissie Hynde's voice and the lyrics that accompany it. Chrissie Hynde is not only a rock & roll star but also rebel with many causes. Similar in her outspokeness against social injustice as Joan Baez, Michelle Shocked, Susan Sarandon and others. As I was visiting "Pretenders Archives," the official site of the band I came across this in the Question and Answers section:

"I have a page about women in music. Will you add a link to my site? Answer: We don't care if it's women or men in music. The presence or absence of a penis makes no difference to us. As far as we're concerned, "women in rock" type sites discriminate against men. For these or any other sites, if you link to us from your site, that's fine, but do so because you like the site/band and don't expect a return link." I am not stating that these are the words of the band or Chrissie Hynde but, I believe that the webmaster represents the philosophy of the band. My hat goes of to this response!

The Pretenders' songs will be around for ever because that is what a hall of fame band is about, and that is the magic Chrissie's voice has.