An attempt to explain why rock and roll died
1. Rock must innovate to live. From rock-a-billy to British Invasion, to Psychedelic, to Classic Rock to Metal to Grunge and all genres in between. After Grunge what was left to do?
2. Time passes. With the new Millennium rock's time passed. I don't here anyone pining for Tin-pan-alley.
3. Rock is supposed to be happy and fun (Chuck Barry, Elvis), you know, pop. Def Leppard didn't make it big until Photograph. Grunge was not fun.
4. As a result pop migrated to Country which then lost much of it's southern twang making it more palpable to Yankees like me.
5. Refusal to die. The Rolling Stones are still around, so's Pink Floyd, so's Kiss, heck so are acts I love like Iron Maiden and AC/DC. Rolling Stone (the magazine) still wants to cover U2 and Bruce Springsteen.
6. Much of rock is an excuse for a really good guitar solo. By the new millennium guitar solos got kinda old, no?*
7. It's a lot easier to rap than learn an instrument. When MTV aired the Aerosmith/RunDMC video, it sowed the seeds of Rock's destruction.
8. Going into the 80's Rock was already running out of ideas. Metal bought it time.
2. Time passes. With the new Millennium rock's time passed. I don't here anyone pining for Tin-pan-alley.
3. Rock is supposed to be happy and fun (Chuck Barry, Elvis), you know, pop. Def Leppard didn't make it big until Photograph. Grunge was not fun.
4. As a result pop migrated to Country which then lost much of it's southern twang making it more palpable to Yankees like me.
5. Refusal to die. The Rolling Stones are still around, so's Pink Floyd, so's Kiss, heck so are acts I love like Iron Maiden and AC/DC. Rolling Stone (the magazine) still wants to cover U2 and Bruce Springsteen.
6. Much of rock is an excuse for a really good guitar solo. By the new millennium guitar solos got kinda old, no?*
7. It's a lot easier to rap than learn an instrument. When MTV aired the Aerosmith/RunDMC video, it sowed the seeds of Rock's destruction.
8. Going into the 80's Rock was already running out of ideas. Metal bought it time.
We don't really think technology killed rock. Eight Tracks didn't hurt it, nor did cassette tapes or even CDs. There is no reason to think streaming killed rock.
*Why are there no Country guitar gods?
