Where is the next big thing in rock music? Since the explosion of Nirvana’s “Nevermind” in 1991 no single album or band has come anywhere close to defining our generation.
Can it be defined? Has the Internet fractured our social skills to such an extent that we have fewer common denominators than students 18 years ago?
Philosopher Thomas Kuhn’s theory of the history of science, which describes periods of revolution and normality, applies very well to rock music. Rock music does not progress in a linear fashion, there are periods of regularity and every so often there are paradigm shifts that completely change the game: The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Progressive, Punk Rock, Hair Metal and Grunge spring immediately to mind. What, if anything, will be next?
Nowadays it’s hard to find bands that connect with large numbers of people. It seems that society has become so fractured and alienated by the Internet that the traditional process for going out and experiencing music has been warped. Yes, there are thousands of bands online, but when was the last time you bought a CD from a band on MySpace?
The market has become so crowded that the usual mechanisms for true talent to rise to the top have been distorted.
9/11 changed a lot of things. It shattered many young people’s sense of optimism — wars in Afghanistan and Iraq numbed them further. Cynicism and nihilism eventually set in. It became lame to enjoy things such as music.
An easy way to make yourself feel superior to someone else is by trashing his or her favorite band. The bands you loved are no longer your source of happiness and pride but a liability hanging over your head. Musical pleasures have been downgraded to guilty pleasures and are in danger of being forgotten. What will someone say when they find out I actually enjoy Phil Collins? I shudder to think.
Bands are now coveted not for their talent but for underground street credentials. Once they gain fans they have “sold out” and are no longer worth listening to. What is so terrible about wanting people to hear and enjoy your music? The focus in music is now on whispering over an ironic country chord progression. Remember, it isn’t cool to be skilled at your instrument; that makes you a wanker.
What happened to passion and seriousness in rock? Take U2, they have been making passionate and interesting music for almost thirty years and yet they get more hate than any band I can think of.
How dare Bono speak out and try to make the world a better place? Who does he think he is? This says less about Bono’s philanthropic interests and more about those who criticize him.
If you had the influence to try to make the world a better place, would you try?
The same goes for the influence, no matter how small, we have each day. Please try to be positive and constructive in everything, especially music. It seems that we only know how to tear down and not build up.
