Deconstructing Gene Simmons's "Rock is finally dead" statement

"Rock is finally dead."

Earlier this month Gene Simmons told Esquire Magazine that. Gene is always good for a quote, because there's usually a root of truth in what he says that's been contorted until it loses validity. The man's mouth is a trebuchet for convolution.

He goes on to say: “It's very sad for new bands. My heart goes out to them. They just don't have a chance. If you play guitar, it's almost impossible. You're better off not even learning how to play guitar or write songs, and just singing in the shower and auditioning for The X Factor. And I'm not slamming The X Factor, or pop singers. But where's the next Bob Dylan? Where's the next Beatles? Where are the songwriters? Where are the creators? Many of them now have to work behind the scenes, to prop up pop acts and write their stuff for them.”

Here's the problem. There are two related but separate parts to his statement: 1. Rock is dead 2. New rock bands don't have a chance. The first part is completely inaccurate. Take a look at the top grossing tours of all time. Know what #1 is? U2's 2009-2011 tour. It grossed over $700 mil. Again: this is not a U2 tour from the 80's or 90's. It wrapped up a scant three years ago, and it made almost a billion dollars. #2 goes to the Rolling Stones, who grossed over $500 million from 2005-2007. 8 out of the top 10 from this list are ROCK BANDS, and most of the tours are from the 2000s. 

Either a pic of U2's stage or a robo-monster that has a taste for human flesh.

Statement part 2 is open to argument, because it addresses newer bands and the future. For my argument I'll use bands formed in 2000 and onward as "newer bands"; as it wouldn't be fair to judge the state of sports by how rookies perform, I won't base rock on that standard. It's obvious they don't stack up to artists from other genres, numbers-wise. The newest rock-ish band among 2013's top 10 grossing acts is Maroon 5, formed in '94. Mumford & Sons is the closest thing to a rock band started post-2000 that's even in the top 20. But it's not as if newer bands are fucking starving just because they're not making Beyonce money. Imagine Dragons grossed over $9 million last year on tour. The same year, Halestorm became the first female-fronted band ever to hit no. 1 on the Billboard Active Rock chart then won the Best Hard Rock/Metal Grammy. The Black Keys earned millions during their 2012 tour. If you'll allow me to stretch to bands formed in 1999, Avenged Sevenfold have had two albums debut at no.1 on the Billboard top 100. 

This happened.

Veteran rock bands reign over the touring aspect of music, and newer ones are earning millions and topping the charts. Numbers don't lie and rock music is doing fine.

Bibliography

http://www.esquire.com/blogs/culture/gene-simmons-future-of-rock

http://www.billboard.com/articles/list/5930326/music-s-top-40-money-makers-2014-the-rich-list

http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/958877/album-rock-charts-celebrate-anniversaries

http://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/news/touring/1083306/black-keys-top-hot-tours-chart-followed-by-jason-aldean-eric

http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/5680123/avenged-sevenfold-earns-second-no-1-album-on-billboard-200

Lorde risked 60,000 then sold a million.

Lorde at the Boston Calling concert, 9/6/14. 
(Photo is from the Boston Calling Facebook page)

Lorde is the New Zealand-born singer and songwriter of the huge hits “Royals” and “Team”, and the outstanding Pure Heroine album . At 17 she had already won two Grammy awards, one of which was Song of the Year for "Royals", and was earning high praise from musicians like Dave Grohl, who said "she has an incredible future ahead of her as a writer, performer, and artist." And before all of that, she let 60,000 copies of her music be downloaded for free.

 Lorde won two Grammy awards by 17.

When she was starting out and recording her debut EP, The Love Club, she made the choice to make it freely available for download on Soundcloud. According to her manager, they chose it over iTunes because they reasoned that it would be hard to expect people to pay money to hear an unknown artist. They had so much faith in the music that they made it available for free and decided to worry about money later. Her Soundcloud profile had no photo and the bio didn't mention her age; even her avatar was only a drawing. Just on the strength of the music and through word of mouth, 60,000 copies were downloaded. Fast forward to the current day and her debut album, Pure Heroine, has reached no. 1 on Billboard's digital album charts, no. 3 on the top 200 and sold over a million copies. 

Lorde's Soundcloud avatar.

There are always the arguments as to whether or not the internet has ruined the music business, but artists can also make it work for them. Soundcloud is a website on which anyone can upload their music for public consumption. You could go do it this very moment. Lorde began on this level playing field and has risen to where she is now. She and her manager used the internet to get her name out there, took the initial monetary loss, and stuck to a plan that has paid off. It's gratifying to see hard work and talent lead to success, and she's proved that free online distribution of music can work to an artist's advantage. Her Soundcloud page is still up, too.

Bibliography

http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/5922997/lordes-pure-heroine-hits-1-million-in-sales
https://www.facebook.com/Bostoncalling

Q: "What's it like to be the best guitarist in the world?" Hendrix: "I don't know, ask Rory Gallagher."

Legend has it that when Jimi Hendrix was asked at Woodstock what it was like to be the best guitarist in the world, he answered “I don’t know, ask Rory Gallagher.”

Rory Gallagher is the best guitarist you’ve probably never heard of. Hell, I hadn’t heard of him until a few years ago, and I only did because I read Guitar World magazine. Once I heard his music I was blown away by his playing. His note choices, his phrasing technique, and his fusion of blues and rock are all incredible. You can feel the passion in every note he plays. He simply sounded amazing.

Rory was born in Ballyshannon, County Donegal, Ireland on March 2, 1948. His parents gave him his first guitar when he was 9 and he began performing almost immediately. When he was 12 he won a talent competition and used the prize money to buy the Fender Stratocaster he became most associated with during his career. As a teenager he spent his after-school hours performing in an Irish show band, and three years later formed the band Taste. The group was moderately successful, releasing 2 albums, touring Ireland and England, and even opened for Cream on their farewell tour.

In 1970 he disbanded Taste and began his solo career. He released 10 albums in 10 year, recorded 14 total, and toured extensively. In 1972 he beat out Eric Clapton as Melody Maker’s Guitarist of the Year. Live footage shot on his 1974 Irish tour was of such a high quality that a movie was made from it. Notably, the concert took place in Northern Ireland during a period of heavy violence. Most major acts avoided the area. At least 10 bombs went off in Belfast the day before the show, but Rory refused to cancel.  Irish journalist Roy Hollingworth summarized just what it meant to those in attendance: “Without being silly, or overemotional, it was one of the most memorable moments of my life. It all meant something, it meant more than just rock’roll, it was something bigger, something more valid than just that.”

Acidic sweat does a number on a paint job.

The Stratocaster he got at age 9 remained his main guitar. Taking a time lapse view over the course of his career, the sunburst paint finish can be seen fading away. One popular explanation is that Rory’s sweat was unusually acidic and helped wear the finish away (This sounded interesting but unlikely to me, but it’s on his official biography, so make up your own mind). Another factor is that the guitar was stolen from a gig and found weeks later under a bridge, having been exposed to pouring rain. It may also have something to do with the fact that it was played on almost every night for over 20 years.  

Rory was notable for his playing style, which fused blues, folk and rock. He incorporated slide playing into his arsenal and showcased several acoustic songs. He was often referred to as Clapton’s contemporary, though he never achieved the same level of recognition. That’s not to say he wasn’t successful: his albums have sold over 30 million copies. From 1980 onward he assumed a slower pace, only releasing four more albums. He collapsed on stage in January of 1995 and was emitted to a London hospital, where he was diagnosed with liver failure. He received a successful transplant, but contracted a staph infection and passed away on June 14, 1995. He was only 47.

 

Rory's headstone.

Urban legend has it that Hendrix called him the best guitarist in the world. Whether or not he did, the influence he had on several musicians and the success he attained are undeniable. In 2011 Slash tweeted a petition to have Gallagher inducted to the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame, and urged others to sign it. A portion of it reads “Indeed he has influenced and inspired many artists including Slash, Brian May, Eric Clapton, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan…and was invited by Muddy Waters to play on one of his albums.” 

 

Statue in his hometown of Ballyshannon

And now you’ve heard of him, so go hear him. Audio, video clips and his detailed story are available on his official website: www.rorygallagher.com. I've linked a clip of “Shadow Play", which contains my favorite Rory solo and is an excellent place to start.

Bibliography

“The Rory Story”, http://www.rorygallagher.com/#/story, accessed 8/27/14

“Rory Gallagher: Outside the Establishment”, http://www.innerviews.org/inner/rory.html, accessed 8/27/14

“Riding Shotgun”, http://www.ridingshotgun.co.uk/extract.html, accessed 8/27/14