Rock Stars. Are There any left?

It seems like we haven't had a new rock star in over a decade at least. We have rappers and pop singers claiming that 'they rock' but where are the charismatic front men that could have the audience in the palm of their hand? Where are the wild boys that were household names - for the right and wrong reasons? Where are the musicians that kids looked up to, picked up an instrument so they could be like them?

What makes a rock star?

Musical talent.
Uniqueness
Large than life personality
Charismatic
Childhood trauma

This last one I put cause it seems that the majority of famous front-men has some form of dramatic event or other happen to them in their childhood. or they suffered from a form of mental illness. If this is the case, could that be the reason we have no new rock stars? Society will never bread another Ozzy Osbourne. There's no way social workers would allow a kid to have the type of childhood he had these days, not to mention ADHD and other learning disabilities are more understood these days. Could it be that there's no need for rock stars anymore, and that it the current world we no longer bred them?

Possible the most important question - Do the antic of rock stars take away, or improve upon the music?


A list of rock stars - in no particular order
I may have left some off. I do apologize.

David Lee Roth
Jimi Hendrix
Ozzy Osbourne
Robert Plant
Jimmy Page
Axl Rose
Kurt Cobain
Steven Tyler
Jo Perry
Freddie Mercury
Jim Morrison
Mick Jagger
Keith Richards
Eddie Van Halen
Rob Halford
Tommy Lee
Ronnie James Dio
Alice Cooper
Slash
Layne Stanley
Dimbag Darrell
Rob Zombie
Eddie Vedder
Ted Nugent
Nikki Sixx
Angus Young
Bon Scott
Ritchie Blackmore
Glenn Hughes
Roger Daltrey
Pete Townsend
Zakk Wylde
Scott Weiland
David Coverdale
Dave Mustane
Bruce Dickenson
Rob Halford
Jon Bon Jovi
Phil Lynott
Gene Simmons
Paul Stanley
Ace Frehly
Dave Grohl
Bono
John Lennon
Paul McCartney
Billy Joel
David Bowie
Sting
Lou Reed
Elton John
Prince

Jack white?
Matt Bellamy?

Only those left from the 60s,70s and 80s.

It's a tricky question because what constitutes a "rock star" varies depending on who you ask.

To some people a rock star is someone like Ozzy in the 80s, ****ed up 24/7, licking piss off the floor, and just being completely bat-bite insane.

To other people a rock star is just an iconic frontman like Freddie Mercury, Robert Plant.

And then to others, rock star status is about how good your music is and/or your affect on the culture of music.

I'm sure there are batshit crazy musicians out there today but I don't know of any personally. As far as iconic frontmen go, I despise Kanye West and his ilk but they pretty roundly fulfill the larger than life persona of a "great" frontman.

I've never had much attachment to the idea of rock stars since my idea of what constitutes "rock" in its purest or truest sense as a kid came not from Ozzy or Zepp or Queen, but from people like Neil Young and Bob Dylan. I don't know, those were just the figures that resonated with me in my youth. So if I were looking for a rock star today I'd probably be looking at the acts who confound expectations. Lil Wayne tried to do a rock album or two, that was a very ballsy move and highly reminiscent of Neil Young and Bob Dylan -- unfortunately it's highly reminiscent of Neil and Bob's worst moments, when they go way far off the reservation.

But are there traditional rock stars out there today? Honestly I'm not the right person to ask, I'm not all that knowledgeable about modern rock.

Aktivator said:

Jack white?
Matt Bellamy?

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I'd have to agree Jack White is a rock star, though personaly I kinda lost interest after reading an interview with him in Guitar World where he claims Stevie Ray Vaughan was 'no big deal.'

Not sure who Matt Bellamy is. Have to check.

AboutAGirl said:

It's a tricky question because what constitutes a "rock star" varies depending on who you ask.

To some people a rock star is someone like Ozzy in the 80s, ****ed up 24/7, licking piss off the floor, and just being completely bat-bite insane.

To other people a rock star is just an iconic frontman like Freddie Mercury, Robert Plant.

And then to others, rock star status is about how good your music is and/or your affect on the culture of music.

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I'd have to agree with you on that one. Ozzy, Freddie Mercury and Jimi Hendrix are worlds apart, but all fall under the banner of rock star.

AboutAGirl said:

I'm sure there are batshit crazy musicians out there today but I don't know of any personally. As far as iconic frontmen go, I despise Kanye West and his ilk but they pretty roundly fulfill the larger than life persona of a "great" frontman.

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I don't care what anyone says, hip hop is not rock. Hip Hop artist are not rock stars. They may fill the persona in some cases, but there really need to be a new term for them.

AboutAGirl said:

I've never had much attachment to the idea of rock stars since my idea of what constitutes "rock" in its purest or truest sense as a kid came not from Ozzy or Zepp or Queen, but from people like Neil Young and Bob Dylan. I don't know, those were just the figures that resonated with me in my youth. So if I were looking for a rock star today I'd probably be looking at the acts who confound expectations. Lil Wayne tried to do a rock album or two, that was a very ballsy move and highly reminiscent of Neil Young and Bob Dylan -- unfortunately it's highly reminiscent of Neil and Bob's worst moments, when they go way far off the reservation.

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I'd class both Neil Young and Bob Dylan as rock stars, which is interesting since most of Dylan's work is acoustic. It's more about what his lyrics were about and his persona. (Big fan of Neil Young also)

AboutAGirl said:

But are there traditional rock stars out there today? Honestly I'm not the right person to ask, I'm not all that knowledgeable about modern rock.

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Maybe the world just doesn't need rock stars anymore?

I'd have to add Tuomas Holopainen to my list of rock stars. Nightwish mastermind, composer, lyricist who has an obvious passion for music and a great stage presence.

Clone Page and Plant before all is lost....

What constitutes a rock star , (like most things musical), is subjective, and is left up to the individual person doing the deciding.

Heck, in his day, Buddy Holly was a rock star.

Nice list metalife, but, as James Brown used to say "Give the drummer some". Keith Moon, Roger Taylor, John Bonham, Ginger Baker, Peter Criss, Alex Van Halen and Mitch Mitchell were every bit the rock stars that their bandmates were.

Mr. Bob Dobolina said:

Nice list metalife, but, as James Brown used to say "Give the drummer some". Keith Moon, Roger Taylor, John Bonham, Ginger Baker, Peter Criss, Alex Van Halen and Mitch Mitchell were every bit the rock stars that their bandmates were.

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I didn't realize I was an anti-drummist.

But seriously, you're right. Those guys are every bit rock stars.