“Cool” is a relative term. If you have any doubt look no further than any of the “style” posts here at Rock Town Hall—or better yet, see if you can’t find pictures of some of the dorks who write those posts.
Who are we to police rock ‘n roll cool, you might ask, what makes them arbiters of cool?
Within the Halls of Rock we have developed some common ground on what definitely isn’t cool in rock ‘n roll. The following video, submitted by Townsman cherguevara, features many elements of fashion, stage presence, and whatnot that pathetically self-appointed guardians of cool like yours truly spend inordinate and unhealthy amounts of time chuckling over. In the spirit of one of our Nice series of posts, I ask you to view this video and avoid the temptation to shoot ducks in a barrel. Rather, see if you can’t identify examples of relative cool.
Please dig deep; don’t take the easy route and identify obviously cool instrumental fills or laud a musician’s past glories. In all fairness you may want to turn the volume off.
This is cool on so many levels:
1. These are the COOLEST Halloween costumes ever!
2. It’s cool to determine once and for all that Joe Walsh was one of the primo sources for Sean Penn’s “Spicolli” look.
3. This band was so cool that they blew off touring the US and focused on touring Japan. Bodhisattva in Budokan!
4. It’s cool that the lead singer was able to get a job after “Annie.”
5. Joe Walsh shows such level of cool in his inspired combination of America’s Cup and Jack-in-the-Box burger flipper wardrobe.
John Entwistle is actually walking around on stage. He must really be into playing this song.
Totally!
Great observation. Maybe he felt free to move w/o swinging nova and guitars.
It’s cool that Darryl Hall got a perm and tried a pleather outfit just for this one occasion as guest singer.
I do actually find the wall of modular analog synth gear behind Emerson cool. Can’t help it.
Hey, I un-ironically enjoyed the hell out of that! Love the Ox bass into the Joe Walsh solo. I’ve never heard of this project before, so thanks.
But that lead singer (Rick Livingstone, I had to search more than one website to find that) can go.
I think sitting down tom play guitar is cool. Drummers and pianists do it, so why not guitarists? I like the lucite strat and headphones too.
I have never heard of this group, to know they existed is cool. Skunk in his trademark headphones and stool is cool. Emerson siting down is cool. Walsh is so uncool he’s cool. Entwistle is just naturally cool. Hall, not so much. I am biting my tongue to not comment on the licks and past glories. The song sets you up for a I IV V progression but takes a left turn at the V, cool. We even have a horse named Bodhisattva, we call him Bohdi.
Thanks for posting. It made my morning.