I feel like I have to feel very sorry for the future generations of this world.
I have been spending a lot of time recently scouring the back catalogues of groups like AC/DC, Iron Maiden and Rush.
Let us have a look at AC/DC for a minute. Two members are over 60, the others approaching 60. Rapidly. However, age aside, these guys rock harder than a lot of the new acts on the charts. Still touring, still releasing new material. No constant rehashing of old stuff.
Now, browse over to Iron Maiden. The oldest member of that band is Nicko McBrain, who at 58 is the old man of the band. The rest of the band members are all in their early, to mid, 50s. Similar to AC/DC, they’re still recording, still touring. For god’s sake, Bruce Dickinson flies charters for Astraeus when he’s not busy with Maiden.
Rush’s members are all in their late 50s. Neil Peart bashes a set of drums like I have never seen before, or since.
The point I am trying to make is this... I weep for the children, because they may never see talent like these guys live. Ever.
What have we got when these bands retire? Let’s have a quick look at what we’ve got...
Justin Bieber
The Jonas Brothers
Miley Cyrus
Ke$ha
Coheed and Cambria
Nickelback
The fucking Parlotones
R&B acts too numerous to mention.
Do we notice any superiorly talented, hard rock acts on that list? No.
And, that boys and girls, is why I weep for the children.
While Rush, AC/DC and Iron Maiden are still recording and touring, all is good in the world.
What happens when they feel like retiring? The same thing happened with Toto a few years ago. All I can give my kids one day are a few recordings and some live DVDs. My children will never have the privilege of seeing Toto performing live.
My children are most likely never going to see Maiden, Rush or AC/DC live. And, fingers crossed, gods willing, they will have better taste in music that whatever is popular today, or tomorrow.
Please, can we have some serious hard rock acts? People that don’t care to be relevant. People that don’t care about popularity or album sales. But, rather, people that care about the music. People that care enough about their art to be the best at it. Not good enough, but the best.
