Rock was alive and well at the KISS show I went to in 2019.
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Gene Simmons [still] Thinks Rock Is Dead
- Thread starter Altitude
- Start date
Rock thinks Gene Simmons is a clown.
Gene Simmons [still] Thinks Rock Is Dead
I must be sure to write down this important information somewhere.
I must be sure to write down this important information somewhere.
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that's kind of the point. you could be the greatest rock band ever, but you won't impress anyone and will remain obscure because its a dead artform as far as the mainstream is concerned.
Gene Simmons [still] Thinks Rock Is Dead!
If you disagree, send $72 in cash to:
Gene Simmons
72 Gene Simmons Blvd
Gene Simmons CA 72721
If you disagree, send $72 in cash to:
Gene Simmons
72 Gene Simmons Blvd
Gene Simmons CA 72721
- Aug 21, 2003
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I think thats only relevent if a musician or band's M.O. includes obsolete business models and endgoals are to be the greatest to impress all the Gene Simmonsauruses out there. Times change. Marketing changes. Music models change.
Two things can be true at once: gene simmons is a colossal jerk and rock's reign as a dominant force in popular music is over. Fourteen percent of music sales isn't exactly dead, but it's a one way road to life support.
It's ok if you still like it! But the music that began as youthful rebellion is now the staid soundtrack of an aging generation.
It's ok if you still like it! But the music that began as youthful rebellion is now the staid soundtrack of an aging generation.
The main appeal of Kiss, to me, when I first learned of them, was that the bass player played with his hair on fire.
That’s Gene Simmons’ contribution to music history.
That’s Gene Simmons’ contribution to music history.
"I’d say that music in the late ’60s and ’70s was innovative simply because it was allowed to be. Freedom and passion drive innovation; money drives replication." – Eddie Jobson
I love Zappa, but that's BS. Showbiz is showbiz and it's always been showbiz: there have always been marketing people that either help put out what the people want or put out what they want the people to want and strategically get them to want it.
1960s, 2020s, the agenda is the same for media companies: to make money. Something becomes popular, either by accident, chance or with work and intention behind it, and then all the copycats come out or are lab-created by the execs/managers/producers.
And just the same, there are always those going against the grain and trying to carve a unique space, who are outside the mainstream.
Ha!!! The title could also be "Boomer thinks stuff from his era was better and the current era sucks".
I don't know, my teenagers can't stand modern music. Their play lists are full of "oldies" from the 70's-80's. So there's hope for the future.
D
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It's because they were first, originators, eponymous, and defined that which followed. In other words were in the right place at the right time. Like Elvis, The Beatles, Zeppelin, or any other artists whose careers paralleled musical or technical advancement or social change. There is no lack of modern talent, it's just that for now everything has already been done.
[pedantry mode]The end of time will maybe occur in about 200 billion years when the universe as we know it will probably end. But our solar system will end in about 5 billion years so unless humans expand out into the universe and take classical music with them, it will only last until the end of the earth rather than the end of time.[/pedantry mode]
Just keep what’s alive and dead as your own personal idea. I listen to the Beatles just about everyday! There just as much alive as anything else to me
Gene Simmons has his opinions. Tough, he may have become a cultural icon, his opinions are not much better than those of ours, in the peanut gallery.
He seems to put the blame on the lack of talent/skill and ignores the drastic cultural and technological evolution (some might argue - revolution) that has taken place.
Rock and roll is not inherently limited but its reach in the current milieu definitely is limited. As fewer and fewer talent choose it for self expression, then it becomes just another genre. Calling it `dead`or `for old guys`shows a lack of perspective.
Say this: It`s not as popular as it once was`, or `Its past popularity makes it seem dead in comparison with what it enjoys today` and I can agree.
He seems to put the blame on the lack of talent/skill and ignores the drastic cultural and technological evolution (some might argue - revolution) that has taken place.
Rock and roll is not inherently limited but its reach in the current milieu definitely is limited. As fewer and fewer talent choose it for self expression, then it becomes just another genre. Calling it `dead`or `for old guys`shows a lack of perspective.
Say this: It`s not as popular as it once was`, or `Its past popularity makes it seem dead in comparison with what it enjoys today` and I can agree.
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Rock Is Dead??? That’s not new news...1999 called and it already informed us of this development:
Kidding aside-And as MANY other here have pointed out-He meant it in a more traditional music business industry kind of way so I agree that in that respect he’s not wrong. Given that he tends to think from a business perspective first and a music perspective second that isn’t terribly surprising. With technology someone could literally record and post an album this week that could go viral-Sure, it probably won’t simply bc the younger generation seems way more interested in low quality auto-tuned music, but it could happen since bands don’t need a record label to get their art out any more.
I would argue that what he fails to realize or acknowledge is that good music can still be found if you know where to look.
There probably is something in the Underground right now that will eventually break thru. Given how angry society has become I wouldn’t be surprised if something akin to Nirvana broke thru in the next few years-To clarify-I don’t mean something w the same musical style-I just mean that a similar pop culture movement could happen and just because mainstream media and entertainment haven’t located it yet doesn’t mean that some form of music culture revolution won’t happen again.
Even if it doesn’t happen-He is living in a fool’s paradise if he thinks for even a second that Metal will ever die.
No-there will probably never be another Metal band that garners as much attention as Metallica did in the early 90s, but I guarantee you that as long as people are angry that genre is going to exist in some form or another -You just need to know where to look for it.
Sorry Gene, but I have faith that someone will pick up the flag-It may not look exactly like you want it or expect it to in relation to your experience, but that doesn’t mean it won’t happen...
Thanks! \m/
Kidding aside-And as MANY other here have pointed out-He meant it in a more traditional music business industry kind of way so I agree that in that respect he’s not wrong. Given that he tends to think from a business perspective first and a music perspective second that isn’t terribly surprising. With technology someone could literally record and post an album this week that could go viral-Sure, it probably won’t simply bc the younger generation seems way more interested in low quality auto-tuned music, but it could happen since bands don’t need a record label to get their art out any more.
I would argue that what he fails to realize or acknowledge is that good music can still be found if you know where to look.
There probably is something in the Underground right now that will eventually break thru. Given how angry society has become I wouldn’t be surprised if something akin to Nirvana broke thru in the next few years-To clarify-I don’t mean something w the same musical style-I just mean that a similar pop culture movement could happen and just because mainstream media and entertainment haven’t located it yet doesn’t mean that some form of music culture revolution won’t happen again.
Even if it doesn’t happen-He is living in a fool’s paradise if he thinks for even a second that Metal will ever die.
No-there will probably never be another Metal band that garners as much attention as Metallica did in the early 90s, but I guarantee you that as long as people are angry that genre is going to exist in some form or another -You just need to know where to look for it.
Sorry Gene, but I have faith that someone will pick up the flag-It may not look exactly like you want it or expect it to in relation to your experience, but that doesn’t mean it won’t happen...
Thanks! \m/
Unfortunately most of music (but not all) at the top level of the industry (the stuff everybody gets to know) has been homogenized so much that whatever the few flavours are that are on tap at any given time, most everything sounds the same. This has especially become apparent over the last couple of years - but was visible even as far back as 20 years ago.
It is true that for a brief period artists in the music industry had more input on their art, but that type of revolution in any industry is rare and more of a blip than the standard operating procedure. After all checks and balances yield profits - and the entertainment industry is as metrics based as any industry is, especially now a days.
However, I don't personally believe rock is dead - there is plenty of new music being made especially at a more grassroots level thanks to advancements in the affordability of recording equipment that definitely embodies the spirit or attitude of "rock" even if it isn't necessarily using the same instruments or traditional genre influences that embody the genre of Rock that Gene Simmons is talking about.
It is an attitude of self determination and work ethic that I think is alive right now more than ever if you look at social media. That said - though there is plenty of great new complete art happening right now, it takes the same amount of effort to find the truly interesting stuff as it has during any cultural decade.
I think to remain artistically inspired as an artist, an interest in all music (and art in general - film, books, paintings, etc.) both new and old is a necessity; you need to be a good reader to be a good writer to paraphrase I believe Stephen King.
For myself though my preferred canvas is typically in line with 60s rock (and the traditional genres that influenced its inception) - my listening pallet is much broader than my canvas, and most definitely has an influence on the music I make in spite of the differences in orchestration/instrumentation.
It is true that for a brief period artists in the music industry had more input on their art, but that type of revolution in any industry is rare and more of a blip than the standard operating procedure. After all checks and balances yield profits - and the entertainment industry is as metrics based as any industry is, especially now a days.
However, I don't personally believe rock is dead - there is plenty of new music being made especially at a more grassroots level thanks to advancements in the affordability of recording equipment that definitely embodies the spirit or attitude of "rock" even if it isn't necessarily using the same instruments or traditional genre influences that embody the genre of Rock that Gene Simmons is talking about.
It is an attitude of self determination and work ethic that I think is alive right now more than ever if you look at social media. That said - though there is plenty of great new complete art happening right now, it takes the same amount of effort to find the truly interesting stuff as it has during any cultural decade.
I think to remain artistically inspired as an artist, an interest in all music (and art in general - film, books, paintings, etc.) both new and old is a necessity; you need to be a good reader to be a good writer to paraphrase I believe Stephen King.
For myself though my preferred canvas is typically in line with 60s rock (and the traditional genres that influenced its inception) - my listening pallet is much broader than my canvas, and most definitely has an influence on the music I make in spite of the differences in orchestration/instrumentation.
