The coming death of just about every rock legend

The Week dot com ^ | August 31, 2019 | Damon Linker

[Steve_Seattle]

When I was a teen, there was an incredible variety in pop music. At any one time, the charts might include songs from The Beatles, the Stones, the Kinks, Elvis, Herman's Hermits, Dean Martin, Peggy Lee, Roger Miller, the Drifters, The Beach Boys, Lesley Gore, the Supremes, The Byrds, The Young Rascals, Ray Charles, The Lovin' Spoonful, Petula Clark, The Crystals, Dusty Springfield, The Righteous Brothers, Roy Orbison, and Neil Sedaka.

Now, there is a real sameness and lack of variety and creativity. Complex melodies and harmony are rare, lyrics are banal and repetitive, and the rock band has almost disappeared as a genre.

[wardaddy]

I don’t think the touring wear and tear hurts

The exercise of it I think helps ....look at Jagger and Daltrey and Springsteen

Worst thing they do is many smoke...a rich man who eats decent and works out can take all the opiates he wants short of overdosing like Tom Petty did....the Tylenol they mix in will kill most first

Cocaine is deadly long term as is booze....usually

All those Women....maybe the biggest threat

[FreedomPoster]

I’ve been going to Derek Trucks’ shows for 10 or more years now, and saw him before that with Gregg. Most recently I saw Tedeschi-Trucks Band at The Fox in Atlanta about a month ago. Lots of younger folks at his shows.

[wardaddy]

Willie is probably not long

[cyclotic]

Their losses were painful? Really?

I’ve never suffered pain from the death of a guitar player.

[wardaddy]

100 years from now people May still enjoy some of this music

They sure as hell won’t be listening to anything in current production then

[wardaddy]

Yet me guess the usual hate filed snark about folks if they die

Free Republic snark rivals Breitbart posters ignorance

[bankwalker]

Willie? Rock?

[Steve_Seattle]

“A hundred years from now young people will be asking who all those names were. And they’ll be asking Keith Richards.”

About 25 years ago I saw a spoof on SNL in which Mike Myers (I think) was dressed up like Keith Richards, puffing on a cigarette (stuck between his middle finger and index finger to give it an extra "punky" look), and doing a Depends commercial: "And if you don't agree that Depends is the best adult diaper, then screw you."

[ealgeone]

Vast majority are liberal.

[Vaduz]

Being a rock legend has to be the most crappy job no life always on the move no wonder they O.D.

[Drew68]

Now, there is a real sameness and lack of variety and creativity. Complex melodies and harmony are rare, lyrics are banal and repetitive, and the rock band has almost disappeared as a genre.

There's a lot of great modern rock bands out there who have come out in the last 10 years. There's so many! The problem now is exposure. There are no radio stations or MTV these days to give cross-country promotion for up-and-coming bands so these guys are hungry and not making money. Great bands putting in 5-10 years tops through their 20s-early 30s and then throwing in the towel because they've got families to feed.

There's rock music out there, great NEW rock music. It's finding it that's hard and then when you finally do find it on Spotify or Pandora, turns out the band broke up three years ago.

[mumblypeg]

Little Richard is 86.

“SHUDDUP! I started rock n roll. They stole it from me!”

[bigbob]

Springsteen - about as much as Hillary.

[miss marmelstein]

LOL!

[Alas Babylon!]

I am looking forward to it, for some of them...

The Boss, for example. And certain other rockers from New Jersey... Bon something or other...

The drummer/singer from the Eagles...

The piano player who did “The way it is...”

[dfwgator]

Ginger Baker is the real miracle, how he has made it to 80, I’ll never know.

[dfwgator]

Ringo Starr looks fantastic for his age.

[Rebelbase]

What was the point of someone adding 2020 election and DNC talking points to the Keywords?

[dfwgator]

Sting is another one who looks great for his age.

Must be all that Tantric Sex. ;)