Rock 'n' Drool
We talk about so much more than politics around these parts. We talk movies, complain about television, and we have a Song of the Day, a Song of the Week and a Song from Moment-To-Moment. We even do history (guilty) and sports (guiltier).
So let's get the anger and the animus out of the way. I hate beating around the bush, so let's just say it, get it over with and lay our cards on the table: Rock 'n' Roll sucks. It ages like milk.
There's nothing like a 69-year-old Mick Jagger warbling "I can't get no satisfaction." Are you kidding? At that age just getting up in the morning is satisfying. And with the way he's treated his body, he's lucky he still wakes up at all.
And many of them don't. The number 27 has taken on an almost mystical quality in the annals of Rockdom since that seems to be the age so many of them keel over and die from their narcissistic and hedonistic lifestyles.
With it's crudity and youth-centric themes, neither the rocker or his music translates well over the decades.
At age 69, Frank Sinatra could still belt out a Cole Porter tune. Sammy Davis could handle Birth of the Blues 'til the day he died. A man near his seventh decade cannot sing "Sometimes I'm sexy, move like a stud..." and keep his dignity.
It's also difficult to maintain your rebel street cred while accepting a knighthood from the Queen, like Sir Mick, Sir Paul and Sir Elton.
So let the bashing begin. Lance can lash and Mr. Escalante can "Vandalize" me to his heart's content. Besides, it's time for my oatmeal and vitamin shot...
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Comments:
Jan '12
Re: Rock 'n' Drool
Depends on the rockers. I'm a self-admitted fan of progressive rock, where you have guys who are still vibrant (and creating good new material!) forty years or so after first coming on to the scene (well, not in all cases, but you get the point).
If the musician's shtick is being puerile, then of course it's going to get tired after a couple of decades. If they're an actual performer and artist? Can last quite some time.
May '10
Re: Rock 'n' Drool
Whew! You are referring to Bing Crosby. I got really nervous when the Justin Bieber advert started on Youtube in front of your clip.
May '10
Re: Rock 'n' Drool
Otherbriansmith - Ads? My browser weeds those out. Didn't even know.
May '11
Re: Rock 'n' Drool
I am not a Sinatra fan, but I don't ever remember noticing pitch problems. And I tend to be a stickler on pitch.
BTW Robert Plant made a point of singing in the cracks between the keys. That, plus Jimmie Page, made for a powerful effect only slightly diminished by stupid lyrics. I was always glad that I could never understand the words.
Nov '10
Re: Rock 'n' Drool
EJ, there is nothing to lash out at. I love discovering new music, even if its old. I love sharing the music I find, even if its not all great (not everything that is enjoyable has to be great.) But what I love most is talking about music. And your post is hotter than a Phoenix sidewalk in the summer. Well done, maestro.
You wear you fuddiness well. Though I for one think its a bit of an act. You are an artist at heart. Just one who knows his own tastes. And one who knows how to engage a conversation. I should take some lessons.
Edited on May 9, 2012 at 9:07pmNov '10
Re: Rock 'n' Drool
I dunno...I think these guys are still all right...
I know Sting isn't quite as old as Mick Jagger, but something tells me he'll still look and perform better when he's 70.
Feb '11
Re: Rock 'n' Drool
You mean this? I was surprised how I laughed myself.
Oct '10
Re: Rock 'n' Drool
The Black Crowes have always been one of my favorite bands, and I have always despised the Rolling Stones. A few years ago I was discussing this with a friend of mine and he said that he had always considered the Black Crowes to be a modern, American incarnation of the Rolling Stones. I sat dumbfounded for a few seconds and realized: He's basically right.
40 years makes all the difference in the world.
May '10
Re: Rock 'n' Drool
Antiphon - Not quite that kind of arranging... But I like the Bing reference. Always wondered if there was a connection beyond the Pacific Northwest.
Apr '11
Re: Rock 'n' Drool
I recall something I read in National Review about 10 years ago. I think it might have been Brookhiser, or maybe Derbyshire: "Rock music is all garbage, all the time." (That's a close paraphrase--I can't find the reference.) Anyway, I agree; the statement is wholly true, even though I like lots of what might be called rock music. My liking that music is a defect in me. (It's the obverse of the line by WFB: if you don't like Bach, the problem is with you, not Bach.)
May '10
Re: Rock 'n' Drool
As a songwriter (certainly not a superstar), I'm glad that many of the songs I wrote when I was younger did not reach the public eye.
I hope to rewrite the lyrics to some of them and edit the arrangements eventually. But old songs are like old habits — hard to break.
There's a big difference between what will sell and what provides lasting satisfaction for oneself and for others.
Apr '12
Re: Rock 'n' Drool
Heh, the extremity of the quote Mr. Blankenship used above reminds me of something a restranteur/bartender once told me when he learned I was a poet:
Poetry is like beer. With beer, all beers are good; it's just that some beers are better than others. On the other hand, all poetry is bad. It's just that some poems are worse than others.
May '10
Re: Rock 'n' Drool
Peggy Lee at 69... somewhere in between I'd say:
May '10
Re: Rock 'n' Drool
Aaron - Irving Berlin was the king of the scrapped lyric. Before the war "Puttin' on the Ritz" was a song making fun of spendthrift Blacks in Harlem.
Edited on May 9, 2012 at 10:03pmJul '10
Re: Rock 'n' Drool
Good songs are still being written, but the culture is not as monolithic as it was so they aren't as instantly recognizable outside their niches or demographics as something like Sinatra was. Much of rock is also youth-oriented, so of course when a guy is 60 singing about youth angst it plays false. It also seems when I hear older bands playing that they can no longer hit the same high notes, and that changes the color of the song, sometimes making it feel like it has less punch than the original. That's why we have our recordings.
Someone mentioned Johnny Cash. His voice was ragged by the end. You could hear the feebleness of his body, but the song selection focusing on end of life and contemplation was perfect for that sound. It was the hallmark of a good performer and producer in choosing songs that fit where Cash was in his life instead of trying to sing some of his earlier works that required a vibrant, booming voice.
Edited on May 9, 2012 at 10:01pmNov '10
Re: Rock 'n' Drool
Irony of ironies, Garbage has a new album coming out next week and the title track is available for free download this week at iTunes. The boys may be getting up there in age, but people tune in for Shirley Manson.
Nov '11
Re: Rock 'n' Drool
EJ: Sir Paul lets his audiences sing the rock numbers now; these days, he's singing *standards* [See: "Kisses on the Bottom"]...Just sayin'....
May '10
Re: Rock 'n' Drool
Is that all there is?
Feb '11
Re: Rock 'n' Drool
The Rolling Stones Live and Keith Richards!
Feb '11
Re: Rock 'n' Drool
Why does it have to be either/or, EJ? Never has been for me.