Why such a thing ever needs to be said, for such a long time, is strange to me. Why anyone actively seeks proof of such a claim seems like a massive waist of time. To write off an entire genre of music as "dead" is extremely foolish when the musical landscape is an ever changing market.
When I was in school I remember a librarian openly moaning to students about how no one read books anymore and that all we were interested in was video games and TV.
"No one reads books anymore! Reading books is dead. Reading and writing books is dead, no one is interested anymore!"
Now I dont know if she was being a bit over dramatic, but she probably did have a point. Then Harry potter was released. The Da Vinci Code. Twilight.
All shite in my opinion, but all of them sold millions, were made into successful movie franchises, and basically had everyone from 5 year olds to 85 year olds reading them.
So the librarian was wrong. Reading books wasnt dead, people had just embraced other areas of the media for a while. And what was she basing her claim on? That the library was empty most of the time?
The librarian was wrong; and so is anyone who claims that Rock'n'Roll is dead.
There was a piece in The Guardian from a few days ago by somebody called Alexandra Topping. In it they lay claim that Rock was dead, beaten by the likes of Hip Hop and Pop due to those other genres outselling rock music in the singles chart. "Rock songs in the charts fall to lowest level in 50 years, with only three tracks appearing in the top 100 best-sellers".
That was the argument., because there wernt any big singles from a rock act last year - it was dead as a music genre.
NME, in response to this piece, bought in a guest blogger Ben Patashnik from "Rock Sound" to set the record straight (read full article here)."Calling the singles chart a barometer of the music in 2011 is like saying Metallica aren’t a big band because they haven’t sold many cassette tapes this year – singles stopped being relevant almost a decade ago and pretending otherwise is woefully out of touch"
1 - 0 to Ben I recon...
Another thing mentioned in The Guardians article is that rock music fared far better in the album charts with 27 albums featuring in the top 100 best selling list and also mentioned that the biggest selling live act of the year was in fact a rock act - Bon Jovi.
Now im not a Jon Bon fan by a long stretch, but I think its fair to say that the guardian is arguing against its own point, and doing a pretty good job at it.
Later in Bens blog he lays down a list of evidence to hammer home his point that rock isn't dead, and he nails it for the most part.
However, before hand he lists off a bunch of Rock acts he sites as further proof that Rock isn't dead. He states that these bands sell out size able venues and sell well in the charts.
The list iiiiiiiiis Bring Me The Horizon, Deftones, Bullet For My Valentine, Linkin Park, 30 Seconds To Mars, The Gaslight Anthem, Paramore, You Me At Six, Lostprophets, Parkway Drive, A Day To Remember, All Time Low, Enter Shikari.
Youtube any of these acts and what you will discover is a group of bands all playing a similar brand of rock that became popular during the end of the 90's and early 00's. I like to call it "shouty shouty american cheese" or "mock scary yank noise" or how about "sweaty moshery skateboardy music, sort of punk and grunge, but not really either". Anyway, im not a fan of this sort of Rock music, but i know allot of people are and they are entitled to there own opinion. As is Ben, hes entitled to his opinion, but is this his only argument for Rock'n'Roll? No other form of rock music was mentioned in his blog, only these bands that form a very distinctive sound. Yes its rock music, but just one type of rock music.
Add to that the fact Bon Jovi was the biggest live act last year and that 1 of the 3 songs considered "rock" in the top 100 best selling singles of the year was a song by Florence And The Machine, you start to wonder that maybe its not Rock'n'Roll thats dead, but peoples perception of what it is.
Linkin Park, Bon Jovi.....Florence And The Machine. These are the bands used for and against the argument, by journalists, music journalists.
I have sat here for the last 15 minutes or so now, thinking about what to write next but I honestly cany get past the last few sentences.
Basically, there is no argument here - for or against. There is no argument because they are both flawed.
Although I tend to agree with bens blog far more than what was printed in The Guardian, he falls into the trap of letting his personal taste have to big an impact on what hes writing. Hell, if he nearly alienated me with what he was writing (and im on his side!) he will of surly put off people who tend to sit on the fence when it comes to music.
If I didnt know any better, and had read the two articles, I would probably come away with a very strange perception of what Rock'n'Roll is.
Rock'n'Roll is either out dated music played by the over 40's for the over 40's or a new brand of heavy metal that encourages headbanging/crowd surfing/rape and pillageing.
How very narrow minded, and as Ben would say, out of touch.
Rock'n'Roll is more than just the bands Ben mentions. Its more than singles and album sales. Its more than ticket sales. All Rock'n'Roll is, is an umbrella term in which lots of things can come under.
Rock'n'Roll is NOT what people who write for specific Rock magazine tell you it is (Ben let himself down again when he slammed indie rock bands. His job WASNT to argue for his favourite type of rock music, it was to argue for Rock'n'Roll as a whole. By slagging indie bands hes harming his own argument).
Rock'n'Roll is not what the Guardian tells you it is.
Its not something that can ever be judged by sales, figures, money and greed. leave that for Simon Cowell.
Rock'n'Roll is whatever you want it to be, and thats why it will never die.
Its the music, the lifestyle, the attitude. Its a way of life, a feeling, a sense of belonging. It inspires, it moves and touches people. It transends through all genres and infultrates other forms of media that can be seen and heard all over the world.
Its just Rock'n'Roll.
Now let me end with a cliche.
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