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In the 70s we had rock gods...

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The irony is that you seem to think you have something interesting or unique to say in your post. The truth is that your statement is derivative and has been said millions of times before. Minor details have changed, but it has been said since centuries before you were born. Yet, here you are, repeating the same tired statement as though it is something new and profound.

Back in my day, we had real philosophers. They were the gods of the intellectual world. You had to have something unique and important to say to get it out to the public. Now anyone with a computer can spread their half-baked thoughts with thousands of people in the time it takes to type it out.
 
The irony is that you seem to think you have something interesting or unique to say in your post. The truth is that your statement is derivative and has been said millions of times before. Minor details have changed, but it has been said since centuries before you were born. Yet, here you are, repeating the same tired statement as though it is something new and profound.

Back in my day, we had real philosophers. They were the gods of the intellectual world. You had to have something unique and important to say to get it out to the public. Now anyone with a computer can spread their half-baked thoughts with thousands of people in the time it takes to type it out.

Gosh, an insulting post. How very original. How's life under that bridge?
 
Agree. I also think instant access to information via social media, Youtube, etc. has killed a lot of the mystique that surrounded rock stars of the past. Today, I can find out anything about anybody just by clicking on a few websites.
Great point. Used to explore and experience the wonder of album cover art while listening and that was our multimedia experience. Muse was the last band to spark my wonderment. Chris Stapleton too. REAL talent that sparks that kind of “Wow” like back in the day. Great post!!
 
I'm think society has just changed. Back then we didn't have the internet, telling you every time someone does something. We also have internet instant celebs, who are just as crazy, and are here today, gone tomorrow. More people in the news for less. Then add in the fact that debauchery and serious drug use are no longer seen as things to emulate. The stuff Zeppelin did to groupies? It would be all over the net, they would make a public apology, and then dropped by the label.
 
Back in my day, we had real philosophers. They were the gods of the intellectual world. You had to have something unique and important to say to get it out to the public. Now anyone with a computer can spread their half-baked thoughts with thousands of people in the time it takes to type it out.

Woh broh. You're ooooold. Like thousands of years old.

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edit: What's Greek for "Get off my lawn!" ? :spit::rage::mad:
 
I would argue that the rock gods from the 60s and 70s that are still alive are just pale, derivative imitations of their former selves (What is passing for Queen these days instantly comes to mind). It would be a challenge to show today's young people current footage of classic rock acts and convince them these bands were once rock gods.

Bingo.

Don't perform until you die on stage. It's just depressing. Elderly rockers are not cool. Take up golf and play with your grandkids.
 
We had them in the 80s and 90s also. Bands like Metallica and Guns and Rose's were bigger than life. Hard for bands to get that big now a days when the make little money. Record companies dont bother to support rock bands like they do pop music.

Fans stream music for free. Hard to make a living that way. It's our fault
 
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Do we want new rock gods?

I agree that popular music is less complex today than years ago, and this has data to back it up.

And of course, the music business has changed several times, most recently with Napster--->iTunes.

But I wonder also if the people most into rock music actually want new rock gods? Once a legacy musician was promoted to rock god status - and some time passes - it becomes an affront that there could be new rock gods. Anyone new is constantly compared to the old, and the death knell of "greatest of all time" is heard.

How could there be new rock gods, when the greatest of all time have already been declared?

The implication we sometimes hear is that the younger people don't have the talent. This is easily disproven, and yet the myth of talentless generations persist. It started with the maligning of Gen X, called "X" because their parent's generation of creative geniuses couldn't think up a better name, and were so self-absorbed with their rock gods and authors, they actually believed Gen X didn't have any talent, either.

For everything , there is a first time. the rock era was the first time we had amplified music, and a pantheon was born of it. But I think we can all rest assured, the Gods of Electronica - the fake musicians - once deified, their genre is just as dead as rock, and all we are seeing now is the long, cosmic burnout. Long live! Pull up a chair, it's quite a light show...
 
I saw the guys from Killing Joke outside our usual rehearsal studio a few months back. it's funny but they definitely had a kind of presence about them that's different to us regular folks. mind you, you're probably talking about the generation before that.

I read a pop sociology book about different roles in society, one of them is "warrior", which is basically what rock stars are. it's not necessarily being rich or being a leader, but very much high status.
 
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Music has become just another form of entertainment. It’s pretty much divorced from any larger social or political context these days.

Hard to have gods when there’s no people taking inspiration or being motivated to take action from their message. Assuming they have messages worth listening to.

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Isn’t this the age old truth, that each generation thinks their’s is the last great one - wether it’s music, behavior, or bravery that’s being discussed.

Foo Fighters sold out Wimbley Stadium 3 days straight.
There are EDM artists playing to 10’s of thousands of people, making 100’s of millions of dollars a year.
Pop artists still worshipped and adored by youth of today.

They may not be “rock gods” genre-wise, but other than that, what’s the difference? That today’s stars aren’t famous for chugging Jack backstage with 50 groupies?

There are hugely popular stars today just like in the age of rock, and now, just like then, that status is *dictated by the youth*. Therefore anyone on here discussing our rock gods of the past, has no say in who the “rockstars” of today our. We had our chance, made & worshipped our Stars, and now us, like our stars, are old & relatively irrelevant in the star making mechanism.

Same old thing - child rebels against parents, then all too quickly realizes they’ve become them.
 
Maybe...

Well partly that, but largely a comment on how little real musical development there has been in the last 30 years and how everything has become so safe and bland. Everything is derivative, or is the past "rediscovered". And the stars of today just aren't like they were in the old days :)

I suppose with so many more people and so much music being created everything just gets diluted.
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I disagree.

So does this man.

View attachment 3178506

What're ye on about then?

He's a perfect example. He's a sad old man trying to relive the 60s singing (kind of) to thousands of sad old men trying to relive the 60s. Nothing "rock" about that. There are more orthotic shoes at a Stones concert than at a Dr.Scholls warehouse. Likely 80% of the audience had to grab a nap before to make sure they were awake at the end. Coffee likely sells more than beer.
:roflmao:
 
Both of my kids, 18&16, love 70s-90s rock, same stuff I grew up listening to.

These days, there are just so many more niches and audiences for artists and listeners, it is harder to have that critical mass of x% of the population talking about the same artist, creating their fame and markets for merchandising like their used to be. There also aren’t the big record companies like their used to be. The internet has changed things, redistributed opportunity and money, and collapsed some areas of the industry - eg retail and distribution are now the same thing, Apple, Amazon, Spotify, etc. they don’t need to sell lunch boxes to sell downloads and seem happy to leave ticket sales up to the companies who specialize on that these days, which are now also both retail and distribution.

Promotion now has also changed, it’s more artist managed via social media, and more of a “pull” or opt-in model than the old “push” model of print and TV ads.

I say we don’t need rock theology, just like we don’t need statues of “great men” anymore. Bring it on.