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| Ten Thousand Motels |
Have we reached the end of the road for rock 'n' roll?
By Clarence Page
Baltimore Sun
Originally published May 20, 2005
WASHINGTON - On the culture front, it is encouraging for an aging baby boomer like me to learn that the hottest act on this summer's rock concert circuit happens to be a group of senior citizens.
Yes, the Rolling Stones are leaving their English homes to come back and kick boo-tay on tour yet again, some 40 years after Mick Jagger couldn't "get no satisfaction" in their first invasion. Now Sir Mick - he's been knighted - is 61.
The ability of geezer Stones to roll in as this summer's hottest-selling rock concert ticket is a testament not only to their resilient talents but also to how much rock 'n' roll is ailing as a vital, edgy soul-capturing engine of youth culture.
The summer of the Stones follows a winter of rock's discontent. "Rock Radio No Longer Rolling," blared a headline in the March 24 Rolling Stone magazine. In the previous seven months, no fewer than five major-market rock radio stalwarts switched to other formats.
The sounds of "urban," the radio industry's artful term for hip-hop, or "hurban," short for "Hispanic urban," are the new engines of creativity and sales, outside the easy listening "cool jazz" or golden-oldie rock stations.
CD sales show a similar trend. All 10 of the top performers on the Billboard music sales charts were black artists in October 2003, for the first time in the 50-year history of the charts.
If young black artists are emerging at music's new cutting edge, history is only repeating itself. Like countless other rockers, the Stones reverently embraced the low-down, fundamental Mississippi-Memphis-Chicago blues axis, dropping in on Chicago and Memphis clubs to jam with Buddy Guy, B. B. King and others.
And now, years after studying the lords of ancient blues arts, the Stones themselves have become elder statesmen of rock, a role to which the media are unaccustomed. In an interview on NBC's Today show, Mr. Jagger and lead guitarist Keith Richards, also 61, hinted at a curious "inverse racism," as co-host Matt Lauer put it, in the way reporters always seem to ask white seniors like the Stones why they're still touring while black artists keep touring no matter what age they are and hardly anybody asks them why they still do it.
"We're just musicians," Mr. Richards said. "I mean, it's other people's bags that we get put in, and, I mean - right, because we're white. Oh, 'You - you made a lot of money, why the hell would you want to do that?' Because we love it."
Still, it doesn't speak much for the state of new rock artists that the old guys seem to make a bigger noise.
I suspect that rock as we have known it is over. Been there, heard that, bought the T-shirts. Maybe rock died as a cutting-edge force with the 1994 suicide of Nirvana leader Kurt Cobain, the king of grunge, the Seattle-born music of youth despair that became rock's first and last Big Thing of the 1990s.
Maybe some new Beatles, Stones, Sex Pistols, Nirvana, Jimi Hendrix or some other Messianic Big Thing is coming around the corner to save rock once again. But if history is our guide, I predict that rock will fade after a half-century of vitality into a pastime of aficionados in the way of jazz, the blues, bluegrass and other once-prominent genres.
The new nurseries of music creativity are much the same as the old ones: black culture, Latino culture, working-class whites, angst-ridden suburban kids and the fast-rising global multicultural techno-reggae pulse of "world music." Who knows? As the world's young people live increasingly in the fast-paced, planet-shrinking paths of cyberspace, the next musical rage may not be so easy to pin down by geography.
In the meantime, as we boomer geezers fill our iPods with memories and gather in amphitheaters to hear soulful rock survivors perform what's left of our music and the selves that we once knew, indulge us, children. These days we hear a new message in the Stones' refrain, "This could be the last time. May-be the last time, I don't kno-o-ow."
Oh, no.
Clarence Page is a columnist for the Chicago Tribune, a Tribune Publishing newspaper. His column appears Tuesdays and Fridays in The Sun.
[Edited by Ten Thousand Motels] |
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| SirMuddy |
Rock is dead (they said)
Long Live Rock! |
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| FotiniD |
Every now and then some music guru comes along and proclaims rock is dead - for the past thirty years or so.
I wonder who gives whom the right to know when something begins, goes stale or is over. Just let it happen for Christ's sakes!
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| egon |
i said it before;
rock is merely taking a power nap |
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| Mel Belli |
Boooooring.
There's plenty of great new rock music out there. It doesn't sell as much as in the boomer era because there's so much else competing for the attention of media consumers.
Those hot-selling black artists still don't hold a candle to the Beatles' track record on Billboard. |
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| gimmekeef |
Rock will flourish again as soon as some fresh talent perhaps a Green Day..actually spends the time to learn more than one note and how to play their instruments.Its only a matter of time before kids will tire of bobbing their heads moronically to this hip hop garbage.No music ever dies.Stones remain a big draw not for the nostalgia..but they simply can still put on a consistent better live show than any band in history could emulate. |
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| J.J.Flash |
Good article. Thanks Mo! |
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| Martha |
It is coming to an end. I can feel it in my bones. I must see as many rock shows as I can before it's over. |
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| 69 Chevy |
I don't have a hard time finding CDs to buy or shows to attend. |
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| Saint Sway |
I've seen The Black Crowes over 10 times this spring.
Trust me when I tell you, Rock-n-Roll is far from dead.
The Crowes will never let it die!
That band is the real fucking deal.
go see them and have your faith in R&R reborn |
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| Poplar |
quote:
FotiniD wrote:
Every now and then some music guru comes along
Clarence Page is many things, but he's no rock guru. He should stick to politics/economics, etc. Still, not a bad article. I agree with most of it.
[Edited by Poplar] |
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| Nellcote |
Right now, I'm finding plenty of rock to enjoy...
Currently, here's what's hot in rotation....
Kids got great pedigree, and, yes Bloozehound it is..
WICKED PISSA!
http://www.shooterjennings.com/flash/index.html
Check out:
Busted In Baylor County
Manifesto # 1
and, the single...4Th of July...
Now, c'mon GIT IT!
We now take you back to regular programming.... |
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| time is on my side |
Rock dead????
Sure it's not as popular as it once was. At one time, it used to dominate the industry. Yet, look at the current concert scene. What acts are the hottest??? Got to be Eminem, 50 cents, right??? They sell tons of CD's so people must be standing in line to see them. Well, you would be wrong. Their tickets are priced at less than $100 and they still have plenty of them left. Just pulled up ticketbastard and I don't think they have sold out anywhere. How is that possible??? Because rap, hip hop don't generate any kind of excitement live. They could possibly sell out small venues but basically have no chance in large venues. The people that buy their CD's have very little interest in seeing them live even at very affordable prices.
Now compare that to rock acts like U2, Bruce Springsteen, and, you got it, the Rolling Stones. Going back into time, The Grateful Dead never sold that many CD's but, as a live act, they were an awfully tough ticket to get.
Who do you think has the hotter live acts??? Rock or rap, hip hop. Who would you pay big money to see???? I think it's clear the public has spoken.
Rock dead??? I don't think so.
[Edited by time is on my side] |
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| Soldatti |
The rock is dead as a powerful genre that sells records, like a live shows force is still alive. |
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| corgi37 |
You are forgetting the point. Sure, the live situation is not too bad, but the radio play, the cd sales, and the general "buzz" is certainly not about rock.
Young people are not going to see the Stones, Who or Mc-fucking-Cartney. Just as black people are not. Like the dude said in his article, radio stations are changing formats (in the U.S. anyway).
Here, it is different. We dont have a large population of hispanics or blacks, but we have alot of Pacific Islanders, who, to a tee, DO NOT listen or like rock. They have adopted rap, hip-hop, crap - call it what you will.
But, our large pub culture still flourishes, and in those pubs and clubs, rock and roll still lives. To me, its the difference between us and U.S. Jet were a pub band. Inxs. Ac/Dc. Men at work. Even Little River Band. They all started in beer barns. And, though poker machines have taken over, there are still plenty of places to see rock bands. Both original acts, and cover bands (i play in a cover band, but we are still rehearsing).
But, on the charts here, we have a odd blend of U.S. stuff, U.K./Euro stuff and of course, local stuff. Love of rock is now (sadly) based along cultural lines. It seems very few black people in the U.S. identify with rock now. They all wanna be "gangstas" and "pimps". Over here,it is hilarious to see some fuckwit from our nice suburbs trying to act and talk like a fucking Crip! hahahaha.
But, yeah, rock is screwed.
Country is almost rock these days anyway. Which is sad, as i BLOODY HATE IT! So right-wing. So patriotic bullshit. ANd, why do the fuckers HAVE to wear those stupid hats? I mean, ok, we get it, you are corn-po. Sheesh!
Mind you, it takes an Aussie like Keith Urban to make country rock again. Show the Yanks how to do it the right way. And, yep, he played in dingy pubs and clubs.
As i posted in another thread (and i thought i was really brilliant in what i wrote) the recent re-birth of back to basics rock has died. Hives are gone. Who knows if Jet will even get into a studio again? Other acts like White Stripes and the band that sound sooooo much like Velvet Underground (Fabrizio if the drummer, sorry, cant recall their name) sold around 1/3 of their breakthrough albums. Dont go on about Black Crowes. Shit, thats just re-hashed stuff. Who sees them? 20,000 people? Or, more likely, 500. Bet there are not many 20 year old black kids in the crowd!
Bands like Kings of Leon are really just college radio bands. Stuff the rich white kids can dig. They are still very, very much a nothing band. I do like Weezeer though!
Either way, who cares. I can just be like my dad and love a dead genre. And tell my kids in 15 years how crap their music is compared to mine.
I will be full-circle then.
[Edited by corgi37] |
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| time is on my side |
quote:
corgi37 wrote:
You are forgetting the point. Sure, the live situation is not too bad, but the radio play, the cd sales, and the general "buzz" is certainly not about rock.
Other acts like White Stripes and the band that sound sooooo much like Velvet Underground (Fabrizio if the drummer, sorry, cant recall their name) sold around 1/3 of their breakthrough albums.
You make some good points and, as I've said, rock doesn't dominate the music industry as it once did. However, I still believe good rock sells records. For one, you are factually incorrect about White Stripes. Their last CD was Elephant and it was their biggest seller. Their newest CD HAS NOT been released yet (it doesn't get released until June 7th of this year). Most music insiders believe their newest will also sell when it gets released. Acts like Radiohead, Wilco, Green Day (whether you like them or hate them) to name just a few along with White Stripes are some newer acts that have had no problem selling CD's. It should be noted that the overwhelming majority of their fans are, in fact, young people. Older established acts like U2 and Bruce Springsteen still sell CD's. So it's clear there is a market for rock not only on the live concert scene (where rap, hip hop have always done poorly- why do so few people who buy their CD's want to see these acts live if it's creating such a big buzz???) but for actual CD sales.
What's creating a huge buzz right now in the music industry??? A new rap, hip hop record???? No, it's the newest by Cold Play (again, doesn't make any difference whether you personally like or dislike them), it's just more evidence that rock, while certainly suffering to some degree, is simply not dead or dying.
[Edited by time is on my side] |
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| Madafaka |
Long live rock, I need it every night,
Long live rock, come on and join the line,
Long live rock, be it dead or alive.
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| MrPleasant |
I suppose classical music is dead also. I mean, have you guys heard of a weirdo named Beethoven? |
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| glencar |
But classical music no longer thrives in the culture like it once did. Symphonies are not doing all that well. Rock isn't in as poor shape but it's not the cultural force it once was. It's somewhat depressing. |
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| MrPleasant |
Nah. Why depressing? Popular decline is as natural as bad taste.
Influence rarely dies, though, especially in art. As Luis Buñuel said: "what isn't plagiarism is tradition". |
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| corgi37 |
Time is on my side!! - Oops! I thought White Stripes had released a cd about 2 months ago. Shows how much i know!
Anyway, we'll see. Elephant was their biggie, but lets see if their new product matches it (i doubt it).
Green Day??? Come on. Are THEY the future of rock? Why not Blink 182? Or Hanson? To call their stuff even remotely punk is just showing my firm belief Americans never got punk in the 1st place. It's "power-pop", spiced up with a few naughy words. They are not exactly Nirvana. Its rich white kids playing at "slumming it". Music for the college kids to pretend their hard, then waiting for Daddies cheque to arrive so they can get new mag wheels on the Porche they got for their birthday. |
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| Ten Thousand Motels |
>Country is almost rock these days anyway. Which is sad, as i BLOODY HATE IT! So right-wing. So patriotic bullshit. ANd, why do the fuckers HAVE to wear those stupid hats? I mean, ok, we get it, you are corn-po. Sheesh!<
Not all country is right wing. You've got Willie, Hank III, Johnny Cash wasn't "right wing", I don't think Haggard is either, Waylon certainly wasn't, Roger Miller wasn't, Marty Robbins wasn't, ... anyway trying to paint American Country and Western with a rght wing brush flies in the face of the facts.
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| MrPleasant |
quote:
corgi37 wrote:
ANd, why do the fuckers HAVE to wear those stupid hats?
THAT is a great phrase. Somebody should put it in a movie. |
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| time is on my side |
quote:
corgi37 wrote:
reen Day??? Come on. Are THEY the future of rock? Why not Blink 182? Or Hanson? To call their stuff even remotely punk is just showing my firm belief Americans never got punk in the 1st place. It's "power-pop", spiced up with a few naughy words. They are not exactly Nirvana. Its rich white kids playing at "slumming it". Music for the college kids to pretend their hard, then waiting for Daddies cheque to arrive so they can get new mag wheels on the Porche they got for their birthday.
I wasn't try to analyze the quality or merit of any individual act. The question was whether or not rock music sells CD's and whether or not rock music in general is dying. I'm disputing both notions. Green Day was merely used as an example of an act that is univerisally described as rock music and, for whatever reason, sells tons of CD's. Personally, I tend to agree with your description of Green Day's music in general even though I do like their last album. |
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| Ten Thousand Motels |
Because they want to. It's still a free country. Why do Aussies wear short pants???? |
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| MrPleasant |
quote:
Ten Thousand Motels wrote:
Because they want to. It's still a free country. Why do Aussies wear short pants????
Because of the weather, I guess. However, wearing hats all the time is basically a formality.
When I wrote that Corgi37's phrase was "great", I meant it from a linguistical point of view. It just READS very strong, IMO. Also, it could be used in tons of scenarios. |
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| Soldatti |
This year (so far) the Top rock acts were:
- Green Day
- U2
- Nine Inch Nails
- Beck
- Weezer
- Bruce
That's the kind of "rock" that the people is buying. |
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| Bloozehound |
quote:
corgi37 wrote:
Mind you, it takes an Aussie like Keith Urban to make country rock again. Show the Yanks how to do it the right way. And, yep, he played in dingy pubs and clubs.
c'mon dude, you really serious>?
keith urban, huh
country is roots music at its purest and finest, member it was one white bread "corn po" dude in a funny hat tradin licks with a black cat named Tee Tot on a porch somewhere down south that basically inspired this whole thing we love called rock in roll, but you're right, all great music originates in dingy pubs, bars, clubs ect...that's where it all starts, cause they're lean n' hungry, some choose to stick to the "underground, unknown is best mentality"
who the fuck cares
and if your dicks limp cuz there ain't enuff niggas at your local pub its cause they hung up their geetars long ago and be hangin at the dingy hip hop clubs
get up, get out, get into to something new
plus we "yanks" dont "get it" with punk, even though we invented it
rockablilly anyone? VU and the stooges ring a bell
you preachin to america about "good" music, with men without hats, INXS and midnight oils and ac/dc(ok ac/dc'll slide)
shee-at !
that all you got boy, show cards poker fAce, cuz you don't bluff the hound
Ha~!
"I'd heard The Burritos out in California
could fly higher than The Byrds
Roger McQuinn had a 12 string guitar.
It was like nothing I'd ever heard
And The Eagles flew in from the west coast
Like The Byrds they were trying to be free
While in Texas the talk turned to Outlaws
Like Willie and Waylon and me.
Hey!
Well that somewhere Texas music is in the make
And we've been making music that is free
Doing one night stands and playing with our bands
Willie, Waylon and me
Oh Mad Dog! go to lead
They say The Beatles were just the beginning
of everything music could be
Just like The Stones I was rolling a lone
Like a ship lost out on the sea
And Joplin would die for the future
And Dylan would write poetry
And in Texas the talk turned to Outlaws
Like Willie and Waylon and me " ~ DAC
lotta truth in that country tale, more americans (not to mention texans) and brits in that story than aussies a far as I can see
and each those artists create and INSPIRE great music!
so hop along, mate!
aight, I'm off my soap box
gEEtarz plz!
yippie kiyee mother fucker! |
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| stones2002 |
Rock is not dead. Rock is hiding and you have to find it. Reason why I say that is last night at the house of blues (inside it was like a small club) A friend and I saw 3 bands for$20 -The Exies, Silvertide and the main band Braking Benjman. All bands were awsome. Granted I had never heard of any of them. But a great show with great times! Then we saw this little college band free so we saw 4 bands. |
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| corgi37 |
Men without hats? WTF? Arent they English?
Oh, yeah, America invented punk. Forgot about that. Sex Pistols and the Clash were the best rockabilly bands ever, right? And, The Saints. Heard of them? 100% one of the 1st punk bands...anywhere. From Brisbane. That was during your love affair with Linda Ronstadt and The Eagles. Sadly, our love affair too (groans).
I still am not sure what the hell is meant by why we wear short pants. Bad tailoring perhaps? Beats the green & purple check polyester golf pants you guys are famous for. I only wear shorts at the beach or on warms days. I dont wear them to work, or when going out. But, those country twats where those stupid freaking hats everywhere! Just in case we dont know they is "down home". Like, the big belt buckle and soup strainer moustache dont give 'em away none.
Easily, 99% of country is right-wing conservative. Look what happened to the Dixie Chicks! I watch the country channel all the time, and without fail, its big hats, big moustaches (NEVER trust a musician with a moustache!) and the stars and stripes fluttering in the background.
It is the devils music!
Dont argue with me, as i am right.
Talk to the hand, girlfriend. |
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