Awards shows suggest rock is dying
GENRE HAS BECOME AN AFTER-THOUGHT
In 1972, The Who were singing “Long Live Rock.” In 1998, shock rocker Marilyn Manson was proclaiming “Rock is Dead.” In 2014, Gene Simmons of KISS echoed that sentiment and judging by this year’s music awards shows, he and Manson are right.
Rock is non-existent anymore on any of the major awards shows, which have been taken over by pop and hip hop where the stage show and outfits are more memorable than the music.
Maybe I’m getting old — which I am — but today’s musical offerings are the equivalent of watered-down Kool Aid with little flavour or substance.
Yet rock shows still sell as we saw here earlier this year when Halestorm and Stone Sour hit the stage at the Enmax Centre and last fall when Foreigner performed here. We’ve seen it numerous times locally because rock is still relevant to music fans and listeners, not only in southern Alberta but around the world.
But you wouldn’t know it if you tuned into the MuchMusic Video Awards last weekend, that station which once was a magnet for rock artists. You wouldn’t know it by looking at the charts where Billboard’s “hot rock songs” include works by Imagine Dragons, Panic! At The Disco and Weezer this week. These are considered rock artists in this era.
Its top mainstream rock songs are more believable with bands like Five Finger Death Punch, Disturbed, Three Days Grace, Pop Evil, Godsmack and young ’70s throwbacks Greta Van Fleet represented. But will we see these performing on any awards show in this era? With few if any exceptions, it’s doubtful.
Simmons, in his declaration, blamed file sharing, saying that today’s youth don’t expect to pay for music. Is that really the case or has streaming killed the concept of an album that people buy to not just hear one hit tune but to explore a band or solo musician’s artistry?
We’re in a disposable society and music has become part of that, the rock artist perhaps being the biggest victim. It’s been often stated artists don’t have the luxury of developing their craft by producing three or four albums before creating a hit anymore.
In today’s world, we are creating instant celebrities with one download or YouTube video. And the celebrities don’t tend to be rock artists.
Do you know who’s on Billboard’s Hot 100 this week? Drake, Maroon 5 with Cardi B., the latter who is part of two of the top 5.
Rounding out the top 10 are two by Ariana Grande plus efforts by 6ix9ine — who? — Juice WRLD (ditto the who), Post Malone, Travis Scott and Tygo featuring Offset. In the Hot 100, rock artists are as rare as a window in my car not covered by dog snot.
Gone are the not-so-long-ago days when Bon Jovi, Motley Crue, Bruce Springsteen or even Nickleback would be making noise on the charts, artists generally considered to be rock acts. And forget about the halcyon days when Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, The Allman Brothers, Queen, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Eagles, Dio, UFO, Fleetwood Mac, The Guess Who, Bad Company, Foghat and so many others were making an impact on the music world.
Instead the charts now have Juice WRLD.
Yes, I’m old but the reality is rock artists are being forgotten. And the only solution is for someone to create a true rock awards show to honour those artists who are creating the music that still fills arenas. Such a show did exist for a couple of years in the 1970s and it’s time to revisit that concept to put a spotlight on the musicians still following in the footsteps of the rock greats who forged a path that a few still follow in the shadows.
Only then maybe will the rock genre start becoming relevant again to the music industry. As it is to fans.
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