Appleton writer’s book takes on classic-rock mythology
You can burn out or you can fade away. There’s no third option.
That’s the inevitability rock ‘n’ roll fans have frequently been reminded of in recent years. The people that make up the exclusive club of rock royalty — those who’ve strutted and slithered and windmilled guitars for decades and sometimes seem like they’ll do so forever — will someday be gone. And with them will go an era that long seemed everlasting.
This situation we’ve found ourselves in, one of coming to grips with the mortality of the rock-star heroes of the ‘60s, ‘70s and beyond, is at the core of the new book from Appleton native Steven Hyden. “Twilight of the Gods: A Journey to the End of Classic Rock.”
The 40-year-old Hyden is an Appleton East High School graduate who in the 1990s and early 2000s worked as a reporter for The Post-Crescent. He’s since gone on to write for the A.V. Club and Grantland and now is the cultural critic at UPROXX.
Growing up in the Fox Cities, rock stars were his superheroes — men and women (although, let’s face it: mostly men) with otherworldly talents traversing the globe, conquering all — sometimes even tights and capes.
“Of course, those people weren’t gods at all, but rather mortals who would grow old, make comeback records with Don Was and/ or Jeff Lynne, and take money from beer companies for their overpriced, nostalgia-driven concert tours.”
The book follows both the journey of its author from cassette-collecting preteen to a married father of two and that of the classic-rock era, which blossomed in the ‘60s and essentially ran its course by the end of the ‘90s.
“I call it an affectionate critique,” Hyden said by phone. “I have a lot of affection for the era, but I’m also critiquing it at the same time. I think that’s the only responsible way to revisit some of this stuff.”
We’re not only in the twilight of the gods because still-standing members of bands like the Beatles, the Stones, Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd are well into their 70s. We’re also there because the sun is setting on the days of holding them up as deities.
While the tales of their decadence were once celebrated, the evolution of society hasn’t worked in their favor. A group of 20-something British dudes getting loaded, trashing a hotel room and treating women like disposable toiletries doesn’t hold up nearly as well as “Led Zeppelin IV” or “Sticky Fingers.”
“Twilight of the Gods” is certainly affectionate, but it’s no love letter. Nobody writes to the apple of their eye re-contextualizing past actions for the #MeToo era. It’s noble work, though, and allows us to see these idolized rockers more for what they are: flawed human beings who gave the world remarkable art.
While along the way he tackles the “Is rock dead?” question, the genre known as “dad rock” and what can be gleaned from the albums his parents leaned on post-divorce, Hyden’s adventure begins as a child hooked on northeast Wisconsin radio. WIXX, WOGB and WAPL especially laid a foundation that later would support his personal and professional pursuits.
One key moment he zeroes in on is a Who concert in Chicago in 2012. While the band’s two remaining original members Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey, then in their late 60s and who a halfcentury earlier hoped they’d die before they got old, did their best to project immortality, Hyden couldn’t help but realize they looked “really (expletive) old.”