Chubby Checkers says that he'd like to get into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame before he "drops dead."

Speaking at the Songwriters Hall of Fame ceremony in Los Angeles, Checkers, 72, said he's not getting any younger: "I don't want to get in there when I'm 85 years old. I'll tell them to drop dead, so you better do it quick while I'm still smiling."

He added, "If you put me in when I'm too old to make a living, then it's no good for me to be in there.

The Rolling Stones, they're in there. The Beastie Boys are in there, they're young. Hall and Oates were just in there and they're still making money."