Is rock music dead? A lot of people who have made their living as rock musicians seem to think so. It feels like every week we hear another aging rocker talking about how rock music is dying, if not already dead. You can add one more musician to the list of rockers who feel this way. Flea, bassist of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, says rock is “kind of a dead form in a lot of ways.”
Flea was talking shop with another ‘90s rocker, Mike McCready from Pearl Jam, on SiriusXM’s Pearl Jam Radio. Why does Flea think rock is dead? Allow him to explain:
“When we were kids, when I said I want to be in a rock band and that’s what I’m doing for my life, that’s what I was going to do, no question. You’d get: ‘You are a f*cking lunatic, you are crazy. You’re never going to get a decent job in your life. What are you doing? You’re ruining your life… But nowadays, you decide you want to be in a rock band it’s like, ‘Oh great, let’s get you an image consultant, and a lawyer, and a manager, and let’s see what we can do here. It’s a great money making opportunity for you junior.”
So, basically, rock is dead because musicians want to make money and actually have a career. That doesn’t really seem to have anything to do with “rock” dying, just what Flea thinks rock bands should act like. Which, you know, he’s an icon and entitled to his opinion, but some are going to look at him like an old man yelling at a cloud. Well, at least he’ll always have his bees.
(Via NME)
