Proxy Music
I am reading a book called '' This Is a Call: The Life and Times of Dave Grohl '' by Paul Branningan. Paul is a rock journalist who met Grohl more than two decades ago. It is a pretty good read I must say. Dave is a few years older than me but I can recognize some elements of myself in how music and the discovery of the punk hard core scene in particular helped him to forge a very strong and solid set of values. Those served him well over the years leading him to become the person he is today. But as I reach pages 146 or 147 of the book I know dark vibes will start to cloud the story as the author cannot escape unfolding a few dark chapters where Nirvana and Kurt Cobain in particular spiralled into overnight success, fame, heroine, ODs and ultimately the suicide of Cobain in Rome.
Kurt was a complex individual, I kind of think of him as being very spiritual in his own way but intense and utterly driven. He had an obsession in standing out from the crowd which was in complete contradiction from the underground scene he was coming from. He was and would not be the last rock icon to depart from this world in such a dramatic fashion. In 2017 alone Chester Bennington or Chris Cornell namely committed the irreparable too.
Did those guys have anything in common or were they subject to similar patterns? I am no shrink but past elements of depression and the substance abuse cliche they were all coming from dysfunctional families. Those sons of divorcees shared some troubling similarities insofar that they had developed at a very young age a strong aspiration and eagerness to be found. Later in life they almost thrived at the game of hide and seek with society, a dangerous game where fame and recognition would ultimately lead them to a point of no return.
They got bigger than their own personas and ended up having huge difficulties to cope with their status. From the outside it could have been seen as self inflicted hysteria but I think for Chris, Kurt and Chester it was probably more a question of being trapped on a destructive path without having access to any emergency exits.
Death sells, A&R managers and other voracious label marketers rarely pass the opportunity to exploit the love and fascination the public have for music martyrs. T-shirts, live bootlegs, goodies of any shape or form including albums re-issues are making sure you can purchase and acquire the ultimate death by procuration experience. It does not really matter if it does involve spoiling the artist legacy, Jeff Buckley for example has released more music material dead than when he was alive. How daft is this?
Suicide sells better, drugs a bit less, choking in your own puke like Bon Scott is probably at the end of the pecking order but you can always rely on the creativity of the corporate labels to romanticize dramatic stories. Anything in order to squeeze every single dollar out of established or wanna be rock stars memorabilia.
Sometimes corporations kill their customers too and I am not talking Big Pharma here, Judas Priest's CBS pumped thousands of dollars in legal costs making sure the industry would not be held responsible for the suicide linked to the song Beyond the Realms of Death.
Icons like Jim Morrison, Prince or Bennington will continue to trigger the inner combustion engine of young talented individuals, their narrative will influence boys and girls of different generations, they will fascinate and incentivize tortured souls to pick up guitars, write songs and make music.
But make no mistake it is not, it has never been and will never be about the music, be under no illusion because it could be potatoes or socks corporate labels only care about returns on investments.
If you have any ounce of naivety left in you I would like to share a quote taken from the visionary lyrics of a song written by the defunct Four Horsemen on their first album.
Rockin is ma business and business is good !!!!
Articles from Pascal Derrien
View blogWhat the fuck !!! I don’t write much lately and so what !! It’s just surrounded by a myriad of twats ...
Is anything I can do for you sir ? A bit of violence maybe with a pinch of cynicism. We have some ve ...
Hello how are you? I don’t know if I answered. Reason being is that I was not too sure who this was ...
Related professionals
You may be interested in these jobs
-
Paediatric Homecare Nurse
Found in: beBee S2 IE - 2 days ago
Cpl County Cork, Ireland Full timeCpl Healthcare are seeking Community Nurses for a leading paediatric homecare provider. · Our client is seeking experienced Nurses to deliver nurse-led care to children in their homes. In this truly rewarding role you will become a key part of a families life, ensuring children h ...
-
Ecologist
Found in: beBee S2 IE - 5 days ago
Limerick City and County Council Ireland Full timeLimerick City and County Council invites applications from suitably qualified persons, who wish to be considered for inclusion on a panel from which temporary and permanent vacancies for Ecologist may be filled throughout the lifetime of the panel. · The successful applicant m ...
-
Sheet Metal Worker
Found in: beBee S2 IE - 14 hours ago
Matchtech Republic of Ireland Full timeAre you an experienced Sheet Metal Worker and looking for your next challenge? If so, our client are currently hiring Sheet Metal Workers (with previous Aircraft MRO experience) on a permanent basis in Ireland. ...
Comments
Pascal Derrien
6 years ago #20
ah thank you Joyce \ud83d\udc1d Bowen Brand Ambassador @ beBee :-) Much appreciated
Joyce 🐝 Bowen Brand Ambassador @ beBee
6 years ago #19
Pascal Derrien
6 years ago #18
Pascal Derrien
6 years ago #17
yeah true had not thought about RS kind of survivors they are 😀Franci\ud83d\udc1dEugenia Hoffman, beBee Brand Ambassador
Harvey Lloyd
6 years ago #16
WIth no empirical or cultural evidence or understanding i would say that the artists of my generation (Boomers) were accidental artists. They had a song and story just wanted to sing it. Today's commercial one hit wonder bands seem to be the product of the machine. Hell Americans got sold a pet rock and sofas to lay them on. Marketing at its finest. Most importantly the drama of the musical, paralleled some of our own dramas and allowed us kindred moments. The ears in today's video world are a neglected appendage, that in my youth i didn't need visual stimulation i could see the video of the artist in my mind. I retreat there often and remember the days that imagination was king and artists could fuel the journey.
Pascal Derrien
6 years ago #15
absolute value versus commercial return don't we hate it becomes clear music is just a commodity 🎶😩 Thanks Harvey Lloyd
Harvey Lloyd
6 years ago #14
Pascal Derrien
6 years ago #13
Devesh \ud83d\udc1d Bhatt exactly vastly a western world issue only , a big issue in rich countries an insignificant one in the grand scheme of things :-(
Devesh 🐝 Bhatt
6 years ago #12
Pascal Derrien
6 years ago #11
it's the never ending journey of the grass is greener elsewhere syndrome, in the case of Cobain in particular once he reached his goal he found out he had ended up in a nightmare where even his artistry was manipulated in turn it did accelerate his addcition and we all know what happened next Ian Weinberg :-(
Ian Weinberg
6 years ago #10
Ian Weinberg
6 years ago #9
Pascal Derrien
6 years ago #8
thanks Debasish Majumder good to hear :-)
Debasish Majumder
6 years ago #7
Pascal Derrien
6 years ago #6
Indeed , Grohl had only joined the band on their second album coming from Scream he had a huge reputation as a drummer though in the circuit , he started working on his music while sharing a house with Kurt, was it self preservation or instinct but he sheltered himself well from the Courtney/Kurt circus :-) Once Sub Pop their initial label had to let them go (but took a big cheque) things started to go haywire :-(
David B. Grinberg
6 years ago #5
Pascal Derrien
6 years ago #4
I concur with your points the emergence of indie labels give room for breathing temporarily but they are no fit in terms of scale, as for the tortured minds fame is a calamity .... :-) cheers CityVP \ud83d\udc1d Manjit
Pascal Derrien
6 years ago #3
thanks Gert Scholtz I remember a big cheese from Sony Music telling me about the second band I managed '' your guys are really good and way above the average but your band lead is a liability ,he will not last two albums and we will lose money therefore.....'' :-)
CityVP Manjit
6 years ago #2
Gert Scholtz
6 years ago #1