Can you think of instances when more-established musicians try to re-cast themselves along the lines of a younger artist? Neil Young pretending to be Devo for an album does not count. I’m thinking more along the lines of the 30-year-old Pub Rock veterans who changed their date of birth and recast themselves, in 1976, as Punks.
Do you believe in Rock Repentance?
If given the chance to create a new ad campaign for a revamped AMC Pacer, what band/song would you use?
Do you own more “bad” Stones or “bad” Dylan albums?
Name something musical from a time you lived through that’s now considered part of a current-day nostalgic perspective on the era that does not ring true to your memory and experiences.
If there is such a thing as Rock Repentance, how might any of the following artists repent for their Rock Sins?
- Rod Stewart
- Billy Idol
- Ted Nugent
I look forward to your responses.
More later, but the band I’d select for my 2009 AMC Pacer ad would be the Apples In Stereo. Definitely.
Rock repentance is possible, but only by the creation of more good rock.Saying “I’m sorry all my albums now suck” is not repentance.
I own more bad Dylan than Stones. The reason: bad Dylan albums are (usually, at least) trying to do something different that doesn’t work. Bad Stones albums are just bland, second rate rock and roll.
On the run here, but I just wanted to chime in a bit.
Can you think of instances when more-established musicians try to re-cast themselves along the lines of a younger artist?
Sure, when rock went disco. Elton John and Rod Stewart were exceptionally awful. The Stones and Kinks a little better, But the Stones really “got” the punk thing more.
Do you believe in Rock Repentance?
Redemption maybe, but not repentance.
If given the chance to create a new ad campaign for a revamped AMC Pacer, what band/song would you use?
Molly’s Lips by The Cardigans. Some kind of Twee thing like that.
Do you own more “bad” Stones or “bad” Dylan albums?
Stones. I’d never buy a “bad” Dylan album. I don’t like him enough for that.
Name something musical from a time you lived through that’s now considered part of a current-day nostalgic perspective on the era that does not ring true to your memory and experiences.
The Ramones were not popular. They were not well loved and everyone hated The Sex Pistols, too. Now I hear The Ramones everywhere and see tons of over 40’s wearing those black Ramones T Shirts. I bet some those same people beat people up in 1977 for wearing those shirts.
If there is such a thing as Rock Repentance, how might any of the following artists repent for their Rock Sins?
Rod Stewart
Billy Idol
Ted Nugent
Rod Stewart should have bowed out after A Night on the Town (or never got his stomach pumped, they’re both equally awful).
Billy Idol seems to have gone away quietly enough.
Ted Nugent should be real sporting and try to kill a rhinoceros with nothing but his loincloth. If he won’t accept the challenge from the Mighty Rhino, then he’s yellow.
Good answers, 2K! Right on, especially, about the Ramones.
“Can you think of instances when more-established musicians try to re-cast themselves along the lines of a younger artist?”
Remember in the early 80s when Pete Townshend got some kind of New Romantic hairdo? Being drunk is no excuse for having “Chinese eyes.” Linda Ronstadt also went ‘new wave’ on her Mad Love album with similarly unsatisfying results.
“Do you believe in Rock Repentance?”
Yes, I believed Little Richard every time he gave up rock & roll.
“If given the chance to create a new ad campaign for a revamped AMC Pacer, what band/song would you use?”
Something by American Music Club.
Do you own more “bad” Stones or “bad” Dylan albums?
I own pretty much complete sets by both artists, but Dylan has recorded more. You know me, I like even the bad Dylan albums.
“Name something musical from a time you lived through that’s now considered part of a current-day nostalgic perspective on the era that does not ring true to your memory and experiences.”
The current music nerd craze for 80s post-punk conveniently forgets how incredibly unpopular that music was at the time.
“If there is such a thing as Rock Repentance, how might any of the following artists repent for their Rock Sins?
* Rod Stewart
* Billy Idol
* Ted Nugent”
Retire. Please. Permanently.
For the first question, this probably doesn’t fall under what you meant, but Robert Pollard always struck me as somebody who got really pissed off at hearing at some kids in a lousy band and decided he was going to go out and show them up.
Rock Repentance: I guess it’s possible, but I go back to that Rock Brazil/Rock Argentina idea we kicked around here about Rock War Criminals who have to go on the lam and do time in Ringo’s All-Starr Band to atone for their transgressions. I always meant to follow up on that.
Has anyone used their song “Go!” for a car ad? It almost seems like someone must have. I would go with Lennon’s “Nobody Loves You When You’re Down And Out” for my Pacer campaign.
How would these Rock Sinners repent:
You know what? I don’t think he can. Somehow, I like Rod even less now after the Stewart/Stones showdown, because I was forced to accept that he was once better than I thought. Rod would need a time machine and an elaborate plan to change the ‘80s.
I almost feel like he’s got nothing to atone for. There was just the right amount of campiness and weirdness in his career, and it’s not like he’s still hanging around.
Capture Bin Laden.
i always thought Mick Jones was about 8 years older than the rest of The Clash, especially when i look at photos of him now. Also, in early Clash band photos, he’s rockin a mullet. I figure he was probably in a Badfinger type band from 70-75, then re-worked his look/ethos to keep on rockin into his 30’s
There is no Rock Repentance. Only the hope that your worthwile material will one day outweigh things you did for the money.
Something from Yo La Tengo’s Fakebook will sell 10 million new AMC Pacers
I threw out all of my bad albums. There are only good ones in the collection now. I only own 2 Bob Dylan records. I have about 12 Stones albums. One of them is Emotional Rescue, which I’ll bet most of you hate so…
Stones!
The entire Pretty in Pink experience.
The movie’s choice of clothes, music, and characterizations are so bizzare to me. Some weird post-new wave trip. Didn’t quite hit the mark.
Rod could get with Rick Rubin and make a ballsy rock record for the new decade.
Billy could make an album with some Gen X members, or any non Steve Stevens band, you know, no wailing guitars?
in other words, they could use to get the fuck out of LA for a while, at least musically.
as for the Nuge, he can go blow himself.
Can you think of instances when more-established musicians try to re-cast themselves along the lines of a younger artist? Neil Young pretending to be Devo for an album does not count. I’m thinking more along the lines of the 30-year-old Pub Rock veterans who changed their date of birth and recast themselves, in 1976, as Punks.
I would guess that “Starship” would qualify, given how fair away from that rickety Jefferson Airplane they came to BUILD that city with their shiny 80s layers and de-hippified new band members.
Do you believe in Rock Repentance?
Sure, but only if it involves venial sins against Rock.
If given the chance to create a new ad campaign for a revamped AMC Pacer, what band/song would you use?
All I can think of is John Denver driving one for some reason, and no one wants to buy that. As wide as that thing looked maybe it should be marketed to lardasses with Leslie West’s Mississippi Queen.
Do you own more “bad” Stones or “bad” Dylan albums?
I have impeccable taste where these two are concerned. The worst album from the two I have is 12 x 5 by the Stones in my reckoning.
Name something musical from a time you lived through that’s now considered part of a current-day nostalgic perspective on the era that does not ring true to your memory and experiences.
What is current nostalgia, the days before downloads? Long playing albums had a lot of crap on them, kids. Equipment DID cost a lot of money, comparatively, none of this $40 Shuffle crap.
If there is such a thing as Rock Repentance, how might any of the following artists repent for their Rock Sins?
These guys can supress their own bad taste and dubious talents into a supporting role with someone WITH good taste and talent.
Rod Stewart should become a haberdasher.
Billy Idol should become a Las Vegas judge who grants divorces.
Ted Nugent, well, there’s an exception to every rule. Maybe he can do a straight cover of XTC’s Melt The Guns.
Starship is a good one, Mockcarr. Yes, that counts. I like the call on Pollard too, even if it’s stretching it a bit. Love the idea of Yo La Tengo doing a Pacer ad! Many good answers above! Keep ’em coming.
Mr. Carr sez:
As wide as that thing looked maybe it should be marketed to lardasses with Leslie West’s Mississippi Queen.
I say:
Heart video of Magic Man, back in the day, fade to image of Gremlin. Heart doing the same song now, acoustic (filmed from behind if possible) and then fade to the Pacer. Done and done.
“Name something musical from a time you lived through that’s now considered part of a current-day nostalgic perspective on the era that does not ring true to your memory and experiences:”
The whole recasting of Nirvana and Kurt Cobain as messianic figures.
I feel I now know the exact measure by which death subsequently overrates an artist. This is something I wondered about when I was growing up in the 80’s and beginning to see cracks in the canon of rock (Hendrix, Janis Joplin etc. You may enjoy some of their music, as I do, but they were being sold as saintly figures and they just didn’t hold up).
I was living in the Pacific Northwest when Nirvana was playing local shows and the only burning question anyone had about them was “Are they better or worse than Mudhoney?”. The next question was “When is this mopey shoegazing in lumberjack outfits going to end?”
Nothing in rock puts lipstick on the pig more than leaving a beautiful corpse. Death is the best career move.
Aside from the examples of former pub rockers (i.e. The Vibrators, The Stranglers, Joe Strummer, et al.) turned punks you alluded to above, the one I can think of right off the bat is David Bowie styling himself as a ’90s industrial icon on his Outside album and touring with Nine Inch Nails around that time.
Yes. I have a friend who thinks that if an artist has already made a great album, he/she/they have the ability to do it again.
Neither. I own no Stones albums past Some Girls and the only ’80s Dylan album I have is Oh Mercy, which I actually really like. Nor do I have any of the “bad” early ’70s ones (I’ve never heard them).
Anything related to this decade’s ’80s nostalgia qualifies in this regard.
Rod should get back together with the living members of The Faces and do a Rubin-ized type album. Billy should do the same with Gen X. As for Ted, he can start by donating some of the cash he would normally use for gun purchases and send it to oh, I don’t know, just about Democrat locked in a tight Senate race right now like in NC, OR, NH, et al. 🙂
Bowie’s NiN phase is EXACTLY the sort of thing I had in mind for that first question! Nice work, Berlyant.
The new Rolling Stone has Elvis Costello interviewing Nick Jonas.
I agree with the Pete Townshend “New Romantic” phase.
Anyone who tried to add Drum and Bass to their sound in the late 1990s (Bowie and Oasis come to mind)
Every old school act that claimed to like Beck so they would be considered current.
I love the great English poet William Idol so he needs not to beg for salvation. I do need to find Generation X on CD or see if anything is at Amazon Mp3 store.
Rod…1967-1972 he was the king, then the rest is so freakin’ bad. Every Picture Tells A Story may be my all time #1 record, but I never bought anything past Atlantic Crossing (OK the one with Duran Duran when I was in Hight School…with Lost In You and Dinomite)
If Downtown Train or Young Turks are on the radio I will listen if Love Touch comes on I remind anyone within earshot that this is the worst song ever recorded by anyone…ever
Ted – he has not done anything, times just changed. Saw him open for ZZ Top in 2003 and his show was the same as the show I saw in 1988 when he played with LA Guns.