Rock 'Til You Drop?

In his book 'Rock 'Til You Drop (Verso, 2001), John Strausbaugh argues that 'Rock is youth music. It is best played by young people, for young people, in a setting that is specifically exclusionary of their parents and anyone their parents' age.' He writes 'Rock simply should not be played by fifty-five-year-old-men with triple chins wearing bad wighats [and] it's prime audience should not be middle aged, balding, jelly-bellied dads who've bought along their wives and kids'.

(Toby - RTYD)

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Permalink Reply by Jay Stapley on July 14, 2009 at 8:47am

That may have been true in rock's early days, but it has now become part of mainstream culture, and artists like Neil Young and Johnny Cash have shown that the language of so-called "pop" music is not restricted to the young.
As a player, I know that the older I get, the more powerful my playing becomes. Notice that I used the word "powerful" as opposed to "fast, technical, complicated, or flashy."
It is also a common experience for me after a gig to be approached by young musicians asking for tips and sometimes actual tuition. They recognise my expertise and ability.
Unfortunately, in terms of the mainstream music industry, it has become the only industry in the world where the more experience and expertise you have, the less chance you have of getting any work, but as the music industry becomes increasingly divorced from music and more concerned with light entertainment, musicians have quietly gone about their business and started to operate on their own terms and set up their own parallel industry.
Rock 'til you drop, indeed!

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Permalink Reply by Dan on September 7, 2009 at 2:45pm

i like playing and people pay me so say what you want.

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Permalink Reply by Timothy Jones on September 9, 2009 at 7:50am

Brilliant!!! I love all the responses to your John Strausbaugh "Rock is Youth Music" Toby.
As I said earlier he is a Twat and the replies to this discussion appear that most members think he is a Twat. Unfortunately I left him out of my Top 10 Twats list. I did really need a top 100 Twats list.

I think that the replies seem to point to the notion that Rock Music is a lot to do with attitude. The world has changed considerably since my youth but there are still things to rail against. Have the last few "youth" generations protested in any noticeable way against anything important ... I can't remember them doing so! Poll Tax (Community Charge) was the last major demonstration in London that really made any headlines (a lot of Punks in that one)... why? Because of its attitude against an obviously badly constructed new tax levied on the poorer population by Politicians.

I think this country has gone a bit soft and fluffy you know like those white cloud like creatures, SHEEP.

Rock isn't sheep music, it's strength is in its aggression and on occasion anger, which the younger generations don't appear to have as a whole. They have a lot of Me Me Me and self pity but no obvious strength to want to change ANYTHING. They want RESPECT but don't know what it means ... ha ha ha, go earn it you C*NTS!

So I guess it's down to us older ones to keep burning. Who else is gonna want to watch us play? Go on take away their pocket money, I dare you!

Tox.

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Permalink Reply by Dan on September 21, 2009 at 3:50pm

yeah i think its worth having someone to whom rock n roll means rebellion, obviously that not young people for whom going to festivals is like going on a gap year and who see no awkwardness in the fit of corporate interest with self expression. John S was writing in the moment when the biz was stilltrying to keep rock music in a bag it understood, well the old manky cat is out now and its daring to scratch again.

Timothy Jones said:

Brilliant!!! I love all the responses to your John Strausbaugh "Rock is Youth Music" Toby.
As I said earlier he is a Twat and the replies to this discussion appear that most members think he is a Twat. Unfortunately I left him out of my Top 10 Twats list. I did really need a top 100 Twats list.

I think that the replies seem to point to the notion that Rock Music is a lot to do with attitude. The world has changed considerably since my youth but there are still things to rail against. Have the last few "youth" generations protested in any noticeable way against anything important ... I can't remember them doing so! Poll Tax (Community Charge) was the last major demonstration in London that really made any headlines (a lot of Punks in that one)... why? Because of its attitude against an obviously badly constructed new tax levied on the poorer population by Politicians.

I think this country has gone a bit soft and fluffy you know like those white cloud like creatures, SHEEP.

Rock isn't sheep music, it's strength is in its aggression and on occasion anger, which the younger generations don't appear to have as a whole. They have a lot of Me Me Me and self pity but no obvious strength to want to change ANYTHING. They want RESPECT but don't know what it means ... ha ha ha, go earn it you C*NTS!

So I guess it's down to us older ones to keep burning. Who else is gonna want to watch us play? Go on take away their pocket money, I dare you!

Tox.

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Permalink Reply by Alcuin Edwards on October 19, 2009 at 12:30am

Yeah well isn't life tragic. Rock has always defied the expectations of presious little guttersnipes who fondly imagine themsleves to be some kind of pundit. Anyone using the word "should" in these days has already lost the argument.

Rock music, like any other genre, simply is. It will be played by whoever loves it and listened to by whoever enjoys it. Whatever next? Will this guy be trying to tell us we're too old for sex and class A substances as well?

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