As anybody reading
this probably already knows, Gene Simmons of legendary arena juggernaut Kiss recently declared
the death of rock n’ roll during an interview for Esquire
magazine.
Now, to be fair, Gene Simmons says a lot of stupid things, but for some reason this
comment got under my skin, which is good, because it motivated me to start
blogging again!
In
the interview, conducted by his son Nick, Simmons calls out file sharing as the
“murderer” of rock music and even goes so far as to tell aspiring musicians to
give up now because it just ain’t worth it.
What
the hell Gene? I realize that the unapologetic pursuit of money and fame was
all your band was about, but do you really believe that’s all rock n’ roll is?
Don’t
get me wrong; I think Kiss was a great band. They wrote fun, hard rocking songs
at a time when everybody else in rock music was taking themselves just a bit to
seriously. Kiss is the pro
wrestling of music, and back in the day it was great because they never
pretended to be anything other then a huge joke. Hell, they even wore clown
makeup.
But now
Gene Simmons, the bloody-mouthed snake-tongued demon bass player from hell, is
telling kids, don’t picking up a guitar, it isn’t a fiscally responsible move.
Are
you kidding me? What kind of asshole tells kids to give up on their art? Yes,
record sales are in the toilet, yes labels are running scared, sure there is a
glut of “talent” shows telling every 14-year-old with a decent set of pipes
that fame and fortune are just television audition away.
GOOD!!! GREAT!!! OUTSTANDING!!!
Rock
n’ Roll is a subversive art form. Its changing, constantly battling conformity,
giving the finger to the mainstream, be that roller-skates and disco, spandex
and blown out hair or dwindling iTunes sales and reality television.
In
the 60s, songwriter bands like The Beatles and The Beach Boys sent the
Tin Pan Alley music pimps packing. In the 70s the punks literally gave the
major labels the finger,
then forced them to sign them anyway. Even in the 80s when the suits thought
they’d finally captured, sterilized and repackaged rock to maximize its earning
potential, underground
musicians performed in living rooms and basements and tiny clubs, bidding
their time ‘til the worm turn once more in the form of depressed sludge-punks
from Seattle.
Do
you really think in this age of availability, when every man, woman and child
can access nearly every song ever recorded at the push of a button, that new bands
won’t find their audience? That this following made up of fans that actually
give a shit won’t buy t-shirts or tickets to their shows? Sure record
sales are down! who needs ‘em anyway? Oh right, the suits… screw em.
As I type these words I’m listening to U2’s new album, Songs of Innocents, which came out for free today on iTunes. It’s
not the best album they’ve ever put out, but it’s a hell of a better then their
last one, and I'm thinking U2 probably gets this new
marketplace.
Times
have changed Gene, and maybe your right. Maybe the era of “rock stars” with
palaces in the hills and gold encrusted toilets is over, but I think something even
better is on the horizon, an era of artists who who make a living, not a
fortune; who genuinely love the music they are making and love their fans they've earned.
Anyway
I’m done ranting, I’ll leave you with a lyric from punk-folk rocker Frank Turner, who can
say in a few lines what takes me 600 words: “There’s no such thing as rock
stars, There’re just people who play music, and some of them are just like us
and some of them are dicks.”
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