THE ROCK AND ROLL LIFE: MYTH OR REALITY

Andy, of Matchbook Romance: “I mean I’ll tell you one thing.  I bet if I went and checked on hits, our MySpace page would have way more hits, maybe double the hits that our actual website has.  It’s like I might as well just have a MySpace page instead of paying for another site to go up.  But it’s more stuff all around you know, you can spread yourself out but MySpace is really kicking ass.”

Fans today are more likely to get the chance to get to know their bands, and they’re more than likely to see them as talented, popular peers as opposed to Rock Heroes.  Music fans today are fare less likely to put their music icons up on a pedestal, and the musicians themselves, with the occasional pretentious exception, are less likely to seek out a pedestal to be put upon.

Grant, of UnderOath: “It’s definitely way tougher when you’ve got like 20 kids wanting to talk to you and then 200 kids wanting to come out.  There just isn’t enough time to just sit there and have in depth conversations with them like you’d like.  But at the same time most people or most fans understand that and respect that.  There’s never or will never be a time where we’re like ‘oh I’m too big get away from me’ or stuff like that.  If I have the opportunity to talk to someone, I’ll do it and I’ll do it as long as I can.  But it’s harder now so you try to do the best you can.  People are cool.  They respect that.”

Is the glamour gone?  Is the glory gone?  Hardly; today’s Rock Musician and Rock Star is still a performer; it’s still about doing something for the approval of thousands of fans; it’s still about getting that kind of attention.  But what defines glamour and glory and even success changes from one musician to another, from one band to another.  In that sense, though, today’s musicians seem better prepared to conduct the business of being a Rock Star; they appear far more ready to take an active role in managing their band and their careers, and quite reluctant to leave day to day operations up to personal managers.

“Sleep all day, party all night” is no longer the Rock Star’s mantra; it seems in this new age of Rock Music, the mantra is “Work hard, respect the fans, have fun and make music.”  And for that, I truly believe today’s Rock Star deserves admiration and respect.