I hope I am not the only one that becomes enraged when seeing Miley Cyrus wearing a Led Zeppelin T-shirt. Or Nicole Ritchie donning a head scarf, ala Axl Rose and flashing the rock on symbol at photographers as she is snapped walking up rodeo drive for a shopping spree thanks to dad Lionel.A recent interview with Motley Crue Bassist, Nikki Sixx, illustrates that even the musicians are feeling the frustration. When asked what music would be playing in his version of hell, Sixx promptly replied, “Ashlee Simpson. She is not a rock chick.” (2004).
My point I, when did Rock and Roll become so commercial, that simply purchasing a vintage T, hanging Bon Jovi’s Slippery When Wet vinyl on the wall, and putting your facebook status as Rock on, become even remotely, rocks tar
It seems there is a lot of money to be made with marketers inventing and pedaling new ideas of how the ordinary person can be a rock star at home. When flipping through the latest issue of Rolling Stone, there article, ‘Rock and Roll Must Haves’ may as well be a DIY kit of how to achieve rock star status all in the comfort of your own home. According to Rolling Stone, one must have; the Guitar Hero, World Tour game, the Sex Pistols new graphic novel , The Man with Kaleidoscope Eyes by Alan Aldridge, a Sony USB turntable and of course the vintage T and scarf that all the celebs are wearing.
It is mind blowing that a genre that developed in such an effortless, real and raw circumstance, has become such a marketed product. This new wave of rock and roll consumerism is blurring the line between the greats and the would be’s if they could be’s
If we give the ordinary man a guitar, tell him to, play it, swear on stage and of course have all of the typical rock star paraphernalia where does that leave us? While I believe that rock stars are born and not made, it is sure hard to spot the genuine from the fakes in this day and age. In my opinion there has been no real rock band that has been able to fill the shoes of Guns n Roses since the 1980’s. Velvet Revolver came close, yet fell apart due to the pitfalls that are involved in a rock star’s life. Of course bands like RHCP, Pearl Jam and STP must be applauded for their input, and it absolutely does not go unnoticed. However, I’m sure you will agree with me that they are a different sounding type of rock. I really hope that this does not mean that we will have to put up with the likes of Fall Out Boy and Hinder, to fill the rock fans desire for down and dirty music.
References
Hiatt, B 2008, ‘Gear’, Rolling Stone, December issue, no. 685, p. 34, acp magazines.
Rock and Roll Guru
http://rockandrollguru.com/?p=1302
Chief Marketer
http://chiefmarketer.com/media360/broadcast_cable/rolling_stones_10042005/
Great post, Katie! Thanks for the link.
ReplyDelete"It is mind blowing that a genre that developed in such an effortless, real and raw circumstance, has become such a marketed product."
ReplyDeleteI could not agree more! I feel like everytime I look at a magazine and see a picture of a celebrity, they are wearing some rock 'n' roll band tee that they have probably only hear one song of. Not to pick on Lindsay Lohan or Ashlee Simpson, of course... ha ha ha