Twisted Sister Guitarist: Rock Is Dead

While Twisted Sister defiantly claimed that "You Can’t Stop Rock And Roll" back in their 1980s heyday, guitarist Jay Jay French seems to think that this is no longer the case. Speaking in an interview with Greek website Rock Overdose (translation provided by RockAAA), French offers a pretty grim prognosis for rock music:

"In the United States it’s dead. There are almost no rock bands anymore on the charts if you look. Foo Fighters maybe once in a while but the fact is the heavy rock scene is completely dead from a commercial stance as the charts are all dance music... the symbol of Keith Richards or Axl Rose or Led Zeppelin or of excess and all that on the rock side is almost invisible at this point. So yes the Rolling Stones, ACDC or Judas Priest can still go on tour and Twisted Sister can go on tour and be more popular than we’ve ever been but young people who listen to new music? It’s not that popular just now and I think that’s just the cycle we are going through."

What’s more, fans expecting new material from the band are set to be disappointed. According to the guitarist, the group has no plans to record material in the near future because there isn’t the demand for it:

"We don’t really see a reason why to record. When a new one comes out you maybe play one song from it because nobody cares so it’s pointless. I’d rather play what everybody wants to hear than play something they are not familiar with... That just happens to be the way the situation is these days. It doesn’t pay and nobody buys the material anyway so it doesn’t make any sense to do it. Most bands are never honest enough to say it and want to say they are still making new material but nobody really cares."

Twisted Sister are set for a series of international festival appearances this summer. Based on Jay Jay’s comments, it would seem that a greatest hits set is on the cards for those shows.

Comments

[GrungeHippie26]

in the words of metallica "sad but true"

[JFRules]

Got to keep the faith, don't stop believing lol

[steveo54]

i think rock will come back soon. last time dance music was popular was disco, and after that rock and heavy metal ruled the world

[Garci]

Oh, great that you've told me! I mean, let's all be thankful that the guitarist of Twisted Sister can tell us that it is dead. That must mean it is!

Rock's not dead, but it is for you. Your band was a fad, which lived its course and died out. Tough break. Rock lives, whether TS keeps at it or not.

[argentotenebre]

that's the way it is for pretty well any band from the 70s or 80s, the new stuff is never as popular as the old stuff. The only exception I can think of is U2

[fenderstrattele]

rock is dead, but hopefully there will be a new band that's gonna bring it back into the mainstream, but usually when that happens the 'real' rock fans are gonna hate them because they sold out...

I honestly can't wait for a new real rock n' roll band to rule the charts again

[TJ1991]

Rock isn't dead at all. You just have to know where to look. It's not all about being in the charts.

[BigMikeBDD]

The charts are full of garbage....you can't pay attention to that and know where to look!

[milliorn]

Goes to show how out of touch this guy is with the industry.

[rockstarbear]

Is anyone else feeling incredibly insulted that Jay Jay says they have no interest to record because there's no demand for it? It says to me that to many "professionals", rock music is a product, not an art form and they have NO interest in creating music unless it's going to pay them more than their artist management job (Jay Jay French) or their building manager job (Fee Waybill). Rather cheapens their music overall, actually.

[IsThereLoveInSp]

One of the most untrue statements I've heard regarding music

[Duke_Lukem]

So no one likes you anymore, it was bound to happen. Butthurt much?

[Ibeanez]

This coming from a guy who was in a band that did its best to destroy rock music out of sheer corniness and buffoonery.

[Megadeth2011]

I take it he hasn't heard Amon Amarth's most recent masterpiece.

[Mobby32]

in the usa its true but in other countries? not at all

[ShakeMe90]

I saw Cage the Elephant the other night and they put on a hell of a rock show. They went from small clubs to outdoor festivals so they give me a little bit of hope.

[PaisleyWilde]

Its all on a cycle. It'll be back

[jackdude500]

rock is like a glorious phoenix it may be burned out at this point in time but it will one day rise from the ashes and everybody will worship it like they once did

[Engel22]

Rock will survive, Wacken is still alive and we'll be here for many decades to come.

[Holoogamooga]

I agree with him. Rock music is dead COMMERCIALLY and in the public eye. Avenged Sevenfold and Arcade Fire both had number one albums on the album charts, but even that doesn't matter any more. It's all about singles, and the singles chart is all about dance and pop.

Is rock dead as a form of music? No. I have more than three weeks' worth of audio on my hard drive and almost all of it is rock from the last decade with a good portion from the last few years. It may not be selling, but it is alive and well.

Ultimately it just depends on how you define rock (i.e. he defines it as total excess) and being alive as a genre.

[Cheesepuff]

he don't know what hes talking about.

rock as this guy knows it is totally dead. the old style of rock music has become cliche, unchanging, and boring. It's the reason bands like Jet, Airborne, Nickelback, and Hinder suck.

we have new forms of rock and roll now, and some of the best musicians ever. its just that the charts tend to go for soulless pop acts whose sole intention is to sell you their music and have it stuck in your head, which isn't all a bad thing (nothing wrong with a little pop music is there?).

and actually, the internet has freed musicians from having to sell themselves out in order to get a record deal. some of the best music of all time, rock or not, is being made today.

not only that, but there is more new music now than there ever has been. technology has really changed things for the better.

the 'rock and roll' image, however, is dead. The trendy picturesque excess of money, fame, sex, and drugs is gone. 'Rockstars' as we used to know them, are long gone, and that is a good thing. those things ruin the music more often than not.

in conclusion, rock is dead. long live rock.

[demon.guitarist]

This is bollocks.

Rock is alive and well.

Cheesepuff has that correct.

[Penn100]

He sounds like a sell-out to me.

Not making new music because it doesnät sell? What the hell.

Also, freaking amazing is being made the whole time.

[GrungeHippie26]

Holoogamooga wrote:

I agree with him. Rock music is dead COMMERCIALLY and in the public eye. Avenged Sevenfold and Arcade Fire both had number one albums on the album charts, but even that doesn't matter any more. It's all about singles, and the singles chart is all about dance and pop.

Is rock dead as a form of music? No. I have more than three weeks' worth of audio on my hard drive and almost all of it is rock from the last decade with a good portion from the last few years. It may not be selling, but it is alive and well.

Ultimately it just depends on how you define rock (i.e. he defines it as total excess) and being alive as a genre.

Really!?!, Avenged Sevenfold. Thats not rock, that is noise. This about rock being overcome by pop, rap, country, and garbage like them. Bands like Avenged and Linkin Park are fakes that pass off as rock music just because they have guitars. Real rock is about freedom, rebellion, and a release of emotion- to those posers its all about selling records.

[thisguythereyea]

+1 with Cheesepuff
All I have to say was said by him. I would like to call upon the Cheesepuff religion, because being a Cheesepuffician sounds awesome

[abhilaksh]

Rock n' roll will never die, it just keeps evolving over and over again. it might not be a major money earner or crowd earner, but it keeps the balance in the background.

[ChucklesMginty]

I'm pretty sure reading these comments brought my IQ down.

[Eirien]

Cheesepuff wrote:

he don't know what hes talking about.

rock as this guy knows it is totally dead. the old style of rock music has become cliche, unchanging, and boring. It's the reason bands like Jet, Airborne, Nickelback, and Hinder suck.

we have new forms of rock and roll now, and some of the best musicians ever. its just that the charts tend to go for soulless pop acts whose sole intention is to sell you their music and have it stuck in your head, which isn't all a bad thing (nothing wrong with a little pop music is there?).

and actually, the internet has freed musicians from having to sell themselves out in order to get a record deal. some of the best music of all time, rock or not, is being made today.

not only that, but there is more new music now than there ever has been. technology has really changed things for the better.

the 'rock and roll' image, however, is dead. The trendy picturesque excess of money, fame, sex, and drugs is gone. 'Rockstars' as we used to know them, are long gone, and that is a good thing. those things ruin the music more often than not.

in conclusion, rock is dead. long live rock.

Spot on mate. French is just showing his ignorance here. There's more amazing music out there today than ever before, whether it's rock or any other type of music. You just have to look for it. And I think music is becoming less connected to image which is definately a good thing in my opinion.

[true_bacon22]

Is it just me or is Twisted Sister the most cynical group of people ever?

[rgt42dx]

thanks to the internet and strong independent artists and labels, we know rock is still alive and well under the pop radar.

[BenjaminFields]

He's right. Rock music is pretty much absent in the "Mainstream" scene..ie., charts, mtv..etc. I guess you could say that good, viable "mainstream rock" is dead. However, I find it kind of silly that anyone would think that actual rock music is dead. The underground scene, the indie scene is more alive than ever. Tons of great, great rock bands are sprouting all over the country and abroad. Bands like Titus Adronicus, New Age, Wavves, No Joy, Vivian Girls, Mail Bonding..etc. All these groups evoke a nice garage rock, punk feel that's simultaneously new and familiar.

[jekylhyde]

Things go in cycles. I think in ten years time rock will be mainstream again. And also, rock isn't dead if it isn't mainstream. There's plenty of rock bands in the world and people listen to music (rock and other genres) nowadays more than ever. It just that these guys who are already stars, they rarely know anything about bands that aren't mainstream.

And not making new music in the fear of that it wont sell? What the hell is that?! Very rock'n'roll...Yeah, mostly people want to heat the classics, but still... But fortunately I don't listen to Twisted Sister so I have nothing to worry about.

[Lion_Slicer]

This says a lot more about Jay Jay than it does the state of rock.

[jtalep]

just because his career is dead doesn't mean the genre is...idiot.

[sLiPtALLica]

Cheesepuff :
he don't know what hes talking about.

rock as this guy knows it is totally dead. the old style of rock music has become cliche, unchanging, and boring. It's the reason bands like Jet, Airborne, Nickelback, and Hinder suck.

we have new forms of rock and roll now, and some of the best musicians ever. its just that the charts tend to go for soulless pop acts whose sole intention is to sell you their music and have it stuck in your head, which isn't all a bad thing (nothing wrong with a little pop music is there?).

and actually, the internet has freed musicians from having to sell themselves out in order to get a record deal. some of the best music of all time, rock or not, is being made today.

not only that, but there is more new music now than there ever has been. technology has really changed things for the better.

the 'rock and roll' image, however, is dead. The trendy picturesque excess of money, fame, sex, and drugs is gone. 'Rockstars' as we used to know them, are long gone, and that is a good thing. those things ruin the music more often than not.

in conclusion, rock is dead. long live rock.
POSTED: 05/19/2011 - 123 pm / quote |

Yeah man I totally agree. I'm sick of people saying "rock is dead" all the time when they dont take the time to go out and look for it. Mainstream rock is generic and shallow and for people who just want to only listen to radio music and not take time to get into real music. There are some very exciting bands right now but you definetly dont hear this kind of stuff on the radio. Bands like Mastodon, Between the Buried and Me, Lamb of God and Gojira are putting out some of the best stuff Ive ever heard but theyre definetly not making too much money and they are not "rockstars in any way. I like rock and metal out of the spotlight because it gets rid of a lot of poser bands who just want the money.

[Macabre_Turtle]

Rock music is still in the charts. And him not wanting to make music because he won't get enough money is disgusting.

[mferguso88]

this guy is a clown, just by saying that rock is dead because its not on the charts goes to show how uncredible this guy is. and i wouldnt call twisted sisters rock, id call them disco with guitars and stupider hair. shut your mouth ******* rock is alive and kicken more than ever.

[mrags2818]

GrungeHippie26 wrote:

Holoogamooga wrote:

I agree with him. Rock music is dead COMMERCIALLY and in the public eye. Avenged Sevenfold and Arcade Fire both had number one albums on the album charts, but even that doesn't matter any more. It's all about singles, and the singles chart is all about dance and pop.

Is rock dead as a form of music? No. I have more than three weeks' worth of audio on my hard drive and almost all of it is rock from the last decade with a good portion from the last few years. It may not be selling, but it is alive and well.

Ultimately it just depends on how you define rock (i.e. he defines it as total excess) and being alive as a genre.

Really!?!, Avenged Sevenfold. Thats not rock, that is noise. This about rock being overcome by pop, rap, country, and garbage like them. Bands like Avenged and Linkin Park are fakes that pass off as rock music just because they have guitars. Real rock is about freedom, rebellion, and a release of emotion- to those posers its all about selling records.

Freedom? -Bat Country
Rebellion? -Trashed and Scattered
Release of emotion? -God Hates Us

Honestly, please do some homework before you get so quick to judge bands. Hate them all you want, but by your definition of rock, they epitomize it. I'm not saying they do, but seriously, stop crying at the thought of a band that tweaks with the genre a bit being considered good.

[Abacus11]

What a stupid thing to say. Rock isn't dead, Twisted Sister's music just hasn't held up over time. They were never very good and they're lucky to have had a couple of hits 25 years ago. Be quiet and go away.

[scguitarking927]

Cheesepuff wrote:

he don't know what hes talking about.

rock as this guy knows it is totally dead. the old style of rock music has become cliche, unchanging, and boring. It's the reason bands like Jet, Airborne, Nickelback, and Hinder suck.

we have new forms of rock and roll now, and some of the best musicians ever. its just that the charts tend to go for soulless pop acts whose sole intention is to sell you their music and have it stuck in your head, which isn't all a bad thing (nothing wrong with a little pop music is there?).

and actually, the internet has freed musicians from having to sell themselves out in order to get a record deal. some of the best music of all time, rock or not, is being made today.

not only that, but there is more new music now than there ever has been. technology has really changed things for the better.

the 'rock and roll' image, however, is dead. The trendy picturesque excess of money, fame, sex, and drugs is gone. 'Rockstars' as we used to know them, are long gone, and that is a good thing. those things ruin the music more often than not.

in conclusion, rock is dead. long live rock.

Those soulless pop artists singing about excess lol??? In my mind that's why rap and pop music is so popular, they adopted the mentality of rock stars and made it their own. That's one of the reasons I listen to it.

I for one just think rock needs to get back to it's roots. Rock and roll is about counter culture, generally not giving a flying F*** about anything and living in excess, parties, women, and big sound.

There's a few artist trying to repave the road, cage the elephant, Jet, Hinder, bands like that. Hopefully there will be many more to come.

[Johnneeey]

Come to Germany

[johnyguitar]

Abacus11 wrote:

What a stupid thing to say. Rock isn't dead, Twisted Sister's music just hasn't held up over time. They were never very good and they're lucky to have had a couple of hits 25 years ago. Be quiet and go away.

You hit the nail on the head dude.....

[Attercop]

Lion_Slicer wrote:

This says a lot more about Jay Jay than it does the state of rock.

+1

[Covet]

If rock is dead, Twisted Sister killed it.

[whywefight]

Duke_Lukem wrote:

So no one likes you anymore, it was bound to happen. Butthurt much?

this.

[GuitarBassVoice]

the foo fighters and muse disagree with you Jay Jay

[Patrick L]

Rock is far from dead. there's tonnes of great bands out there. Manchester Orchestra,Cage the Elephant,Brand New, etc... it's not that the genre is dead, it's just the fact that it's not as popular as it once was.

[guitar:god]

Well just wait few weeks, Monkeys´s "Suck It And See" should revive our baby

[nevynguitar]

Rock music isn't dead,
it's just frozen. It will melt someday...

[Tarsplitter]

mrags2818 wrote:

GrungeHippie26 wrote:

Holoogamooga wrote:

I agree with him. Rock music is dead COMMERCIALLY and in the public eye. Avenged Sevenfold and Arcade Fire both had number one albums on the album charts, but even that doesn't matter any more. It's all about singles, and the singles chart is all about dance and pop.

Is rock dead as a form of music? No. I have more than three weeks' worth of audio on my hard drive and almost all of it is rock from the last decade with a good portion from the last few years. It may not be selling, but it is alive and well.

Ultimately it just depends on how you define rock (i.e. he defines it as total excess) and being alive as a genre.

Really!?!, Avenged Sevenfold. Thats not rock, that is noise. This about rock being overcome by pop, rap, country, and garbage like them. Bands like Avenged and Linkin Park are fakes that pass off as rock music just because they have guitars. Real rock is about freedom, rebellion, and a release of emotion- to those posers its all about selling records.

Freedom? -Bat Country
Rebellion? -Trashed and Scattered
Release of emotion? -God Hates Us

Honestly, please do some homework before you get so quick to judge bands. Hate them all you want, but by your definition of rock, they epitomize it. I'm not saying they do, but seriously, stop crying at the thought of a band that tweaks with the genre a bit being considered good.

Excuse me while I facepalm at your fail.

[Iommianity]

Rock is dead you say? Hmm, I doubt it has anything to do with endless nostalgia package tours from bands popular 25 years ago. Or classic rock bands selling their most famous songs to car companies. Stations like VH1 are there to uphold the spirit of integrity of rock, I assume.

Guys like Jay Jay have no business talking. People like him played the game, and helped turn rock into a commodity. He talks about what's missing, and then goes on to say there's no point in creating art if there's no return. Absolutely clueless. You want real rock and roll? Lock yourself in a closet with Chuck Berry and Little Richards records. Things change.

[strat0blaster]

There were people saying this about Twisted Sister's generation of rockers too.

Sounds like he's just run over the hill.

[one-dead-cop]

just because rock isn't in the charts doesn't mean it's dead!..

[mrags2818]

Tarsplitter wrote:

mrags2818 wrote:

GrungeHippie26 wrote:

Holoogamooga wrote:

I agree with him. Rock music is dead COMMERCIALLY and in the public eye. Avenged Sevenfold and Arcade Fire both had number one albums on the album charts, but even that doesn't matter any more. It's all about singles, and the singles chart is all about dance and pop.

Is rock dead as a form of music? No. I have more than three weeks' worth of audio on my hard drive and almost all of it is rock from the last decade with a good portion from the last few years. It may not be selling, but it is alive and well.

Ultimately it just depends on how you define rock (i.e. he defines it as total excess) and being alive as a genre.

Really!?!, Avenged Sevenfold. Thats not rock, that is noise. This about rock being overcome by pop, rap, country, and garbage like them. Bands like Avenged and Linkin Park are fakes that pass off as rock music just because they have guitars. Real rock is about freedom, rebellion, and a release of emotion- to those posers its all about selling records.

Freedom? -Bat Country
Rebellion? -Trashed and Scattered
Release of emotion? -God Hates Us

Honestly, please do some homework before you get so quick to judge bands. Hate them all you want, but by your definition of rock, they epitomize it. I'm not saying they do, but seriously, stop crying at the thought of a band that tweaks with the genre a bit being considered good.
Excuse me while I facepalm at your fail.

Intelligent comeback, glad you can formulate a sentence

[strat07]

jackdude500 wrote:

rock is like a glorious phoenix it may be burned out at this point in time but it will one day rise from the ashes and everybody will worship it like they once did

thats why i hate power metal

[SumFX]

scguitarking927 wrote:

Those soulless pop artists singing about excess lol??? In my mind that's why rap and pop music is so popular, they adopted the mentality of rock stars and made it their own. That's one of the reasons I listen to it.

I for one just think rock needs to get back to it's roots. Rock and roll is about counter culture, generally not giving a flying F*** about anything and living in excess, parties, women, and big sound.

There's a few artist trying to repave the road, cage the elephant, Jet, Hinder, bands like that. Hopefully there will be many more to come.

Good grief....are you serious?

Living life to excess is not the "counter culture" these days. The "counter culture" nowadays would be criticising the modern way of life which is predominantly sex,drugs & terrible music.

[Rioc act]

no, twisted Sisters is dead.

[Zeppelin Addict]

Don't know about anyone else here.. but being younger and hearing the 'vets' of rock claiming it's death only motivates me to try and bring about change.. We can sit in here whining and complaining, picking apart what Jay Jay said word for word, even bringing up A7x to start a sh!tstorm (yea, there's always THAT guy..)

If you don't like how things are being done, do them yourself. Simple as that.

[The Earth Gods]

Rock has BEEN dead for a long time. How iz this guy jus realizing this now?

[whaip]

sad for you, that you don't know any rockbands....

[zalant]

"I’d rather play what everybody wants to hear than play something they are not familiar with..."

There's a cliche that says people go for beer when you utter the phrase "here's a new song for ya" at a gig. My question is, how did the classics ever become classics? When Van Halen's 1984 was a new album and they toured on it, did people really go to the bathroom/buy beer when Dave said, "here's a new song called Panama"? What about Stairway to Heaven? Zepplin were a few albums in already when that came out. Did people head out for a piss when Jimmy fired up the double neck live on that one?

The point is that people will stick around or come out to see new music, but only if it is good. That just means that if you've already had hugely successful stuff in the past, you REALLY have to put out good new material, or yeah, you'll fall into that rut where people only want you to play the old songs.

[philwhite]

I kind of agree with him on the rock being less popular. Maybe not dead though. I think it will come back eventually. Hopefully it doesn't come back as grind core. ick. As for not recording its unfortunate for fans but I can see his point. I like hearing new material at concerts but I hate it when bands only play new material. You have to have a good balance.

[jmako]

Jesus thank you, i cant believe i had to read so far down to find someone with some sense.

if youre only recording for the cash anyway then i dont want to hear it. im glad youve called it quits. what a douche

rockstarbear wrote:

Is anyone else feeling incredibly insulted that Jay Jay says they have no interest to record because there's no demand for it? It says to me that to many "professionals", rock music is a product, not an art form and they have NO interest in creating music unless it's going to pay them more than their artist management job (Jay Jay French) or their building manager job (Fee Waybill). Rather cheapens their music overall, actually.

[moparhead]

not quite.If these bands wont rave with comercialism,then rock and metal will live FOREVER.

[psychasmic]

Rock isn't dead, its simply going through a metamophasis. Rock transformed into punk which turned into metal which turned into grunge whick turned into drop-d alternative metal such as godsmack, disturbed, nickelback. Rock's still around, bands like metallica and iron maiden made it big with hardly any radio airplay and can be done again today. The problem is that hip-hop culture has taken such a deep-root in america's youth today, but thank goodness for the bands today that stuck to their roots and kept head banging.

[celticstorm84]

Megadeth2011 wrote:

I take it he hasn't heard Amon Amarth's most recent masterpiece.

Bazinga.

[Loki_37]

SumFX wrote:

scguitarking927 wrote:

Those soulless pop artists singing about excess lol??? In my mind that's why rap and pop music is so popular, they adopted the mentality of rock stars and made it their own. That's one of the reasons I listen to it.

I for one just think rock needs to get back to it's roots. Rock and roll is about counter culture, generally not giving a flying F*** about anything and living in excess, parties, women, and big sound.

There's a few artist trying to repave the road, cage the elephant, Jet, Hinder, bands like that. Hopefully there will be many more to come.


Good grief....are you serious?

Living life to excess is not the "counter culture" these days. The "counter culture" nowadays would be criticising the modern way of life which is predominantly sex,drugs & terrible music.

Thank you. Essentially the problem with the rock image is that its idea of the counter-culture has remained the same, while culture itself has changed greatly.

[Megadeth2011]

All this talk about the counter culture and rock being dead... I never thought about it, but rock in the 70's and 80's created today's culture. Think about it. Sex, drugs, rock and roll? Sounds like most of our culture today. So the counter culture today would be abstinence, sobriety, and light music. Everybody prepare... Christian Rock is about to hit it big.

[mrcrono]

You make music because you enjoy making music, not because it sells. This is why rock music is "dead", you cock.

[PeenieMcGee303]

Rock's dead?.....Not over here.

[matmcd]

I wonder if he did this interview from a rocking chair with a blanket across his legs and some herbal tea in one hand while shaking his fist in the air.

[AustinHoag]

Good to know demand is why people make music.
Make music because you want to. Not because it sells.

[BOYERxBREAKDOWN]

Ty Segall, and the Black Lips and the whole garage rock movement. Proof rock is still very much alive.

[slaveskinJACKET]

Cheesepuff wrote:

...some of the best music of all time, rock or not, is being made today...

What the **** have you been listening to? Or better yet, what the **** are you on, and where can I get some?

When I think of the best music of all time, there are few exceptions from the past 20 years that would make it, but there has been almost nothing worth mentioning for the last 15 years, regardless of what genre you prefer. Anyone who believes different, I will assume is a 'hipster' that is 'too cool' to listen to music that their parents might have had access to, or they have just never been exposed to the classics. Or they might just have shitty taste in music.

Sometimes I try to imagine 20 years from now, how I will view the music that is currently being released, because right now, I think most of it sucks hard. But 20 years ago, it was easy to find new music that I liked. These days it's nearly impossible, unless I'm hearing some old stuff for the first time.

Music has become watered down and bland, all around the board.

If you disagree, please, elaborate.

[K!!LsWiTcH]

this guys awesome hes really honest and chill and hes gotta point

[Megadeth2011]

slaveskinJACKET
What the **** have you been listening to? Or better yet, what the **** are you on, and where can I get some?

When I think of the best music of all time, there are few exceptions from the past 20 years that would make it, but there has been almost nothing worth mentioning for the last 15 years, regardless of what genre you prefer. Anyone who believes different, I will assume is a 'hipster' that is 'too cool' to listen to music that their parents might have had access to, or they have just never been exposed to the classics. Or they might just have shitty taste in music.

Sometimes I try to imagine 20 years from now, how I will view the music that is currently being released, because right now, I think most of it sucks hard. But 20 years ago, it was easy to find new music that I liked. These days it's nearly impossible, unless I'm hearing some old stuff for the first time.

Music has become watered down and bland, all around the board.

If you disagree, please, elaborate.

Something Wild- Children of Bodom
Hatebreeder- Children of Bodom
Follow the Reaper- Children of Bodom
Endgame- Megadeth
Mechanize- Fear Factory
Twilight of the Thunder God- Amon Amarth
Surtur Rising- Amon Amarth
The System Has Failed- Megadeth
United Abominations- Megadeth
Watershed- Opeth
Blackwater Park- Opeth
Tempo of the Damned- Exodus
Waking Into Nightmares- Warbringer
Dead Heart In a Dead World- Nevermore
This Godless Endeavor- Nevermore
Enemies of Reality- Nevermore

shall I go on?

[tbag2325]

Didn't the Foo Fighters have the #1 spot a few weeks ago? And he's basically saying that he has no talent and couldn't bring back rock even if he wanted to.

[alexjohnston]

If you only make music that's in demand then you're not in it for the right reasons? If you love rock n roll you make new music anyway, who cares whether a large group will dig it. If everyone took this attitude then rock would die.

"and tries to supply the demand, he ceases to be an artist, and becomes a dull"
-Oscar Wilde

[Iommianity]

slaveskinJACKET wrote:

Cheesepuff wrote:

...some of the best music of all time, rock or not, is being made today...

What the **** have you been listening to? Or better yet, what the **** are you on, and where can I get some?

When I think of the best music of all time, there are few exceptions from the past 20 years that would make it, but there has been almost nothing worth mentioning for the last 15 years, regardless of what genre you prefer. Anyone who believes different, I will assume is a 'hipster' that is 'too cool' to listen to music that their parents might have had access to, or they have just never been exposed to the classics. Or they might just have shitty taste in music.

Sometimes I try to imagine 20 years from now, how I will view the music that is currently being released, because right now, I think most of it sucks hard. But 20 years ago, it was easy to find new music that I liked. These days it's nearly impossible, unless I'm hearing some old stuff for the first time.

Music has become watered down and bland, all around the board.

If you disagree, please, elaborate.

How could I possibly elaborate further on calling you a douche? I'd say that's a fairer assumption than calling people who disagree with you hipsters, especially since I have your post to back it up.

When you think of the best music of all time, you should maybe throw some subjectivity in the mix.

[RockNRollahGuy]

If rock is dead then why am I 14 years old and lives in America and listens to guys like Scorpions, Metallica, Twisted Sisters, Iron Maiden, Megadeth, Black Sabbath and many others?

[nincompoop]

I happen to agree to an extent.

I don't think its necessarily rock music itself, but the standard guitarist, bassist, drummer and singer formula. Even Foo Fighters, a definite Alternative Rock band, while very good in its own right, is starting to sound generic.

Its almost as though there's only so much that can be done with the basic rock 'n roll formula. This is why, I think, you're seeing more bands with female vocalists and keyboards, as well as a surge in the popularity of alternative writing styles such as bluesy rock (The Black Keys), indie, progressive, garage, house, electronic, and even more pop-oriented bands.

[I-am-hollywood]

Music evolves so does rock no bands want to carry on where twisted sister left off for good reason there a hack band

[nincompoop]

RockNRollahGuy wrote:

If rock is dead then why am I 14 years old and lives in America and listens to guys like Scorpions, Metallica, Twisted [Sister], Iron Maiden, Megadeth, Black Sabbath and many others?

Because you're 14. Every 14-year-old goes through a transitional phase of listening to 70's-80's hard rock/heavy metal. I know, because I was once that 14-year-old--and at 21, I hardly ever listen to rock/metal anymore at all.

[qpoitras]

there are many new bands that are playing some very heavy metal and things like that but have you heard anything that actually sounds like rock n roll? i haveint its incredibly sad. the new music today is very bad, i dont understand what people see in it, it took art and made into...well a piece of shit really. rock is very much alive, people still talk of it and play it and love it, but all of that they love is from the past. its true that its dieing, you cant tell me theres as much rock and roll bands as there was in 60's to 90's. but you cant say its dead when were all on this website keeping it alive. we wont let it die because we love it too much its up to uss to create it.

[slaveskinJACKET]

Megadeth2011 wrote:

slaveskinJACKET
What the **** have you been listening to? Or better yet, what the **** are you on, and where can I get some?

When I think of the best music of all time, there are few exceptions from the past 20 years that would make it, but there has been almost nothing worth mentioning for the last 15 years, regardless of what genre you prefer. Anyone who believes different, I will assume is a 'hipster' that is 'too cool' to listen to music that their parents might have had access to, or they have just never been exposed to the classics. Or they might just have shitty taste in music.

Sometimes I try to imagine 20 years from now, how I will view the music that is currently being released, because right now, I think most of it sucks hard. But 20 years ago, it was easy to find new music that I liked. These days it's nearly impossible, unless I'm hearing some old stuff for the first time.

Music has become watered down and bland, all around the board.

If you disagree, please, elaborate.
Something Wild- Children of Bodom
Hatebreeder- Children of Bodom
Follow the Reaper- Children of Bodom
Endgame- Megadeth
Mechanize- Fear Factory
Twilight of the Thunder God- Amon Amarth
Surtur Rising- Amon Amarth
The System Has Failed- Megadeth
United Abominations- Megadeth
Watershed- Opeth
Blackwater Park- Opeth
Tempo of the Damned- Exodus
Waking Into Nightmares- Warbringer
Dead Heart In a Dead World- Nevermore
This Godless Endeavor- Nevermore
Enemies of Reality- Nevermore

shall I go on?

Might as well not, if you continue to go on like that I will continue to be unimpressed.

While there are some pretty badass riffs and music scattered throughout some of that stuff, I'm not a big fan of death metal-type stuff (because I like singers who can, and do, sing), but most of what you listed seems pretty generic, to me, especially the death metal.

I like the shit out of older Megadeth, but newer Megadeth just doesn't do much for me. After 1992, there are good riffs here and there, but I've yet to hear a good song, let alone a good album, from after that.

Children of Bodom is actually the best thing I see there, but mostly because they don't take themselves too seriously. Their covers are what I like best from them.

But I was hoping for a more diversified response, because everything you listed ranges from heavy metal to death metal, which is fine, I was just hoping for more examples.

[qpoitras]

GrungeHippie26 wrote:

Holoogamooga wrote:

I agree with him. Rock music is dead COMMERCIALLY and in the public eye. Avenged Sevenfold and Arcade Fire both had number one albums on the album charts, but even that doesn't matter any more. It's all about singles, and the singles chart is all about dance and pop.

Is rock dead as a form of music? No. I have more than three weeks' worth of audio on my hard drive and almost all of it is rock from the last decade with a good portion from the last few years. It may not be selling, but it is alive and well.

Ultimately it just depends on how you define rock (i.e. he defines it as total excess) and being alive as a genre.


Really!?!, Avenged Sevenfold. Thats not rock, that is noise. This about rock being overcome by pop, rap, country, and garbage like them. Bands like Avenged and Linkin Park are fakes that pass off as rock music just because they have guitars. Real rock is about freedom, rebellion, and a release of emotion- to those posers its all about selling records.

you get it wrong bro. avenged sevenfold is not like linkin park they play hard and they play well. great guitarists great singer the drummer was the shit.i wouldint call them rock though...Metal

[cRACk mONKEyTTU]

It's obviously dead to Twisted Sister.

I prefer bands who create music not only for fans, but for themselves, as a job that they love to do. Bands like Rush, Tool, Chevelle, Iron Maiden, Metallica, even U2. All of those bands try to push their music and shows further not only for their fans, who appreciate it, but for themselves to keep getting better. Why would you just play your same old songs over and over? Youre not improving as an artist if you do that and thats why fans think that is dead. People want new, original ideas for music. The world is changing and so does rock and roll if it doesnt want to die out. Not the formula for rock, but how it is presented.

[slaveskinJACKET]

Iommianity wrote:

slaveskinJACKET wrote:

Cheesepuff wrote:

...some of the best music of all time, rock or not, is being made today...

What the **** have you been listening to? Or better yet, what the **** are you on, and where can I get some?

When I think of the best music of all time, there are few exceptions from the past 20 years that would make it, but there has been almost nothing worth mentioning for the last 15 years, regardless of what genre you prefer. Anyone who believes different, I will assume is a 'hipster' that is 'too cool' to listen to music that their parents might have had access to, or they have just never been exposed to the classics. Or they might just have shitty taste in music.

Sometimes I try to imagine 20 years from now, how I will view the music that is currently being released, because right now, I think most of it sucks hard. But 20 years ago, it was easy to find new music that I liked. These days it's nearly impossible, unless I'm hearing some old stuff for the first time.

Music has become watered down and bland, all around the board.

If you disagree, please, elaborate.

How could I possibly elaborate further on calling you a douche? I'd say that's a fairer assumption than calling people who disagree with you hipsters, especially since I have your post to back it up.

When you think of the best music of all time, you should maybe throw some subjectivity in the mix.

Well, you could start with using a little more of an elaborate insult than just calling me a douche. Great job, by the way. It probably took you a long time to come up with that. I'm proud.

But your lack of an actual response just solidifies my claims, because apparently, you couldn't come up with anything to serve as actual input, you just tried to hurt my feelings, or something...

And I wasn't saying people who disagree with my taste in music are hipsters, I was saying people who can't admit that most modern music is bland are probably closed minded... and also probably thought Saw VI was the most intense, original movie ever made.

And I do use subjectivity when determining the greatest music ever produced--my own subjectivity. Why would I let someone else's opinions control my own? Someone else's opinions could be an influence on mine, but I don't just blindly accept other people's opinions as my own.

"Well, I really don't like Coldplay, but Billy does. Greatest music ever made, for sure."

And I can appreciate/respect talent even if I don't appreciate the final product.

P.S.
Coldplay is not one of those things that I dislike yet appreciate/respect.

[blackbird51]

slaveskinJACKET wrote:

Cheesepuff wrote:

...some of the best music of all time, rock or not, is being made today...

What the **** have you been listening to? Or better yet, what the **** are you on, and where can I get some?

When I think of the best music of all time, there are few exceptions from the past 20 years that would make it, but there has been almost nothing worth mentioning for the last 15 years, regardless of what genre you prefer. Anyone who believes different, I will assume is a 'hipster' that is 'too cool' to listen to music that their parents might have had access to, or they have just never been exposed to the classics. Or they might just have shitty taste in music.

Sometimes I try to imagine 20 years from now, how I will view the music that is currently being released, because right now, I think most of it sucks hard. But 20 years ago, it was easy to find new music that I liked. These days it's nearly impossible, unless I'm hearing some old stuff for the first time.

Music has become watered down and bland, all around the board.

If you disagree, please, elaborate.

Check out Protest The Hero or some Mars Volta

[rabb1t34]

well look at it from his personal view... they would have to pay 50k just to record a new album. and guess what, all of those would be "fans" will just download it from pirate bay or some shit site instead of supporting the band. hes just being honest. it cost money to put "art" on the market.. the corps cant really pay for it because not enough people will buy it.

rockstarbear wrote:

Is anyone else feeling incredibly insulted that Jay Jay says they have no interest to record because there's no demand for it? It says to me that to many "professionals", rock music is a product, not an art form and they have NO interest in creating music unless it's going to pay them more than their artist management job (Jay Jay French) or their building manager job (Fee Waybill). Rather cheapens their music overall, actually.

[neversleeps84]

blackbird51 :

Check out Protest The Hero or some Mars Volta


Hell yeah!
Also, nothing like the old "rock is dead" comment to spark the fires, lol.

[i_am_metalhead]

rabb1t34 wrote:

well look at it from his personal view... they would have to pay 50k just to record a new album. and guess what, all of those would be "fans" will just download it from pirate bay or some shit site instead of supporting the band. hes just being honest. it cost money to put "art" on the market.. the corps cant really pay for it because not enough people will buy it.
rockstarbear wrote:

Is anyone else feeling incredibly insulted that Jay Jay says they have no interest to record because there's no demand for it? It says to me that to many "professionals", rock music is a product, not an art form and they have NO interest in creating music unless it's going to pay them more than their artist management job (Jay Jay French) or their building manager job (Fee Waybill). Rather cheapens their music overall, actually.

Guess what. You're wrong. Bands barely see any profit from album sales. Any band will tell you this. Most bands actually encourage downloading because it gets their music to a wider audience. The main people bitching about music sales are the big wigs at record companies who aren't making any money off it.

[theNut{sacks}]

this is so true

[vanillasky]

I find this funny, considering that there are plenty of good, new artists in virtually every genre out there right now. The best music is rarely around the Billboard's top ten list. I'm wondering why we should care that the guitarist from Twisted Sister is calling rock "dead". Because he's realizing that his band is no longer relevant? Of course a band that is stuck in the 1980s is going to say that rock is dead.

[Gibson_Man]

The fact that rock and roll (regardless of definition) is not as widely seen high on music charts can somewhat be a product of illegal downloads. I understand not everyone downloads illegally and only less than 1% of those who do are caught with minor fines. The fact is that charts these days do not do any band of any genre justice. Remember hearing about how so-and-so sold a million albums in the first week of release back in the ‘70s and ‘80s? Nowadays, the number one album seems to be selling just a little over half a million units at most during the first week of release. With pop and dance music, a lot of artists (Lady Gaga, Ke$ha) are claiming to be “rockers.” By mental definition, they can claim to be rockers, but by musical definition, they are not. I don’t expect to hear “Poker Face” in the middle of “Stairway to Heaven” and “Back in Black” on the radio. I agree that one day all this dance and pop music will soon die out, but until then, this is what charts are stuck with.

[actaderock]

the truth is rock ''lives'' in comparison to other genres, it was invented in the 50s and has evolved, but still produces, but who the hell produces classical music, jazz music or disco?????


Good music started way back in 1700 and evolved and died in 1900, just until 40 years later another type of good music started.

Now, Rock Music being in the top of the charts lasted until 2004 approximately, but maybe in 10 years another type of good music that is not necessarly rock will come out!!!

or maybe rock wil revive, who knows

[actaderock]

and what i do see, is the increasing amount of kids getting sick of pop culture, maybe this does mean the revival of good music

[actaderock]

vanillasky wrote:

I find this funny, considering that there are plenty of good, new artists in virtually every genre out there right now. The best music is rarely around the Billboard's top ten list. I'm wondering why we should care that the guitarist from Twisted Sister is calling rock "dead". Because he's realizing that his band is no longer relevant? Of course a band that is stuck in the 1980s is going to say that rock is dead.

i know!!!! but in the 80s everyone knew who poison was, but today, no one knows who crashdiet is

[mnewland1]

In his case with his band(Twisted Sister), he's right, and I respect the honesty, I mean let's be serious, no one is going to care about new twisted sister songs, even if they were good, they wouldn't get any radio play. But in the case of say, Metallica/Judas Priest/Slayer/etc they will still sell albums, other than live shows, there are no gimmicks with those bands, people like them for their music. Yeah, this guy is right, it is pointless to try to climb the charts with glam rock.

[crazy8rgood]

Well, it's good to know the guitarist from Twisted Sister cares more about pleasing fans and creating music simply due to supply/demand, than he cares about creating music for the sake of creating music.

What a wanker.

[Xaiver]

If Dave Grohl says rock isn't dead then rock isn't dead.

[shikkaka]

rockstarbear wrote:

Is anyone else feeling incredibly insulted that Jay Jay says they have no interest to record because there's no demand for it? It says to me that to many "professionals", rock music is a product, not an art form and they have NO interest in creating music unless it's going to pay them more than their artist management job (Jay Jay French) or their building manager job (Fee Waybill). Rather cheapens their music overall, actually.

I dont disagree with you, but when you are a not a professional musician, its a lot easier to call it 'art'. They all have families to feed and commitments with their jobs. Does that mean they shouldn't make music? It depends on if they really want to or not.

[scguitarking927]

SumFX wrote:

scguitarking927 wrote:

Those soulless pop artists singing about excess lol??? In my mind that's why rap and pop music is so popular, they adopted the mentality of rock stars and made it their own. That's one of the reasons I listen to it.

I for one just think rock needs to get back to it's roots. Rock and roll is about counter culture, generally not giving a flying F*** about anything and living in excess, parties, women, and big sound.

There's a few artist trying to repave the road, cage the elephant, Jet, Hinder, bands like that. Hopefully there will be many more to come.

Good grief....are you serious?

Living life to excess is not the "counter culture" these days. The "counter culture" nowadays would be criticising the modern way of life which is predominantly sex,drugs & terrible music.

I'd beg to differ. Culture now a days would be the closest it has been to what was being experienced in the 60s and 70s. Politically, socially, and economically.

counter culture always has been excess in the form of sex and drugs. It's not the modern way of life, it's just now on the front page of these new things called tabloids where you see it. Billy Joe down the street isn't F***ing girls every night and getting stoned out of his mind it's the Keshas and and other pop stars that are doing these things.

And you also don't see too many bands stand up politically and write some very controversial tunes against the government now a days. Where as back then you were hailed as heros to stand up and scream F*** the government. Everybody tries to play it safe in the fear of upsetting people...

[ledzep426]

Twisted Sister may be dead, but rock isn't. Remember how everyone thought rock was dead when the White Stripes broke up? Now the Foos are the face of rock music today. We can't give up, ROCK WILL ROLL AGAIN!

[Patriot1zzy]

Who gives a flying **** if rock is dead. Honestly, I think heavy metal/rock is coming back as strong as before. Just look at Megadeth and Metallica, they've returned to their roots. New bands like Black Tide, and other bands that blend heavy metal with experimentation like A7X are only making this industry all the more popular. Even if it were dead, does that mean that you should drop what you love doing because it won't sell as much as before? This guy obviously only does this for the money, because if he loved what he was doing, then he would be more than happy making music. Metallica and Megadeth are true heroes in this, they continued making music they wanted because it's what they love doing.

[TheIceCreamMan]

Rock as it was in the past is dead and good ****ing riddance. The fact is music evolves. There's still rock music out there, it's just very different than what it was 30 years ago. And really, how many of you would really be happy or okay if rock music was the stagnant norm for 30 years, with everyone still singing about their precious Nightrain or ballads to chicks they ****ed one time?

[WCPhils]

Three words.

Protest the Hero!!!

[CrawlingHorror]

I think what Jay Jay said has been totally misconstrued because he happens to be absolutely right and here's why:

First, there is no demand for a Twisted Sister record. And that 50k you think it would cost for them to do an album? Try about ten times that. Hell, when TS came out with "Come Out and Play" in 1985, despite being a more than solid record, they had to cancel their tour due to a lack of ticket sales. Back then they were getting radio and MTV support, too.

Moreover, unless that radio and MTV support was there to basically power rotate new songs into the national collective unconscious people at concerts really did get bored by new songs because they didn't know them. Humans tend to like that which is familiar to them after all. Moreover, due to the fact that Twisted Sister is a nostalgia act now, they basically become a greatest hits roadshow where geezers like me can relive our youth.

But now radio playlists are constricted like never before by monstrous media conglomerates with lots of backdoor payola involved for acts that the labels effectively control like puppets *cough Good Charlotte *cough. TS ain't gonna get played on a Clear Channel or Citadel station and the band members, who all have families to care for aren't going to put up their own money to either record or tour behind a new record that has a limited audience, one that is at an age at which it stops consuming music and heads into retirement.

Now one car ague over just what constitutes rock. It is true that there have been great bands over the last 15 years (Stratovarius, Symphony X and Children of Bodom are big favorites of mine), but they have largely been ignored in America by the labels/radio/MTV and usually have to try to make their living in Europe and Japan. One of the above commenters enumerated what he thought were good bands, but both Megadeth and Exodus are 80's acts.

And therein lies the problem with the record industry: because so many clubs have closed or have gone corporate (where only signed acts are allowed to play), there isn't the kind of breeding ground for new acts like there used to be. The proof of that is in what you see on the concert scene, where the biggest grossing acts are inevitably 70's and 80's warhorses like Rush, the Eagles, U2 and Ozzy. Nobody can sell out six nights at a 15,000 seater like the old days who has started their career in the 1990's. The result is that the concert industry, for all intents and purposes, is dead. The professionals in the industry will admit that.

And while there are boatloads of kids trying to play good music here in the states, the fact remains that they have almost no chance of being signed since the labels are too busy chasing the next Britney Spears, Lady Gaga and Katy Perry (Ugh, what a complete fraud she is). A hot chick is a more facile sell than a groups composed of five ugly metalheads you can't sell to a female audience.

There has also been a generational change in the A&R departments where you now have them staffed not by rock and roll people, but by alternafags. This has resulted in bands who, well, let's bring in Don McLean to tell the story:

"We sang dirges in the dark
The day the music died"

Rock in America doesn't really soar anymore, it mopes and plays to its shoes. There is none of the old glamour or glory, the rebellious aspect of it has been completely co-opted and made safe for corporate exploitation and bands aren't given several years to develop before they hit like Rush, Kiss, Iron Maiden and UFO were. Now it's one or two albums and unless one of them goes platinum it's see you later. This is exacerbated by high ticket prices hindering people from being able to go to more than a couple of concerts a year, which means fewer people are seeing the opening acts and that results in less of a chance for a previously unheralded band to get exposure. And because of the depressed tone of the music going to a show isn't really a party anymore, but like a huge encounter group where whingers go to commiserate with each other. What a bummer that is!

Consequently, since MTV and VH1 are so personality driven, unless you have a media friendly persona (like a lot of rap acts, for example) that will bring folks to the carnival, it is tough sledding to get your act on the air.

Yes, you can find good bands if you look for them. But the natural fact remains that America is a "give me convenience or give me death" society (h/t to Jello Biafra) and people want to be spoon fed their entertainment without having to put any real work into it. That is why radio is so powerful a medium (though it is dead as any kind of artistic force) for music. And since radio sucks hard right now so does what is in the charts.

[Molomono]

No demand?

Fuck, I agree that rock has lost a lot of it's former fame and is becoming less profitable to play as a band.

But why would you need demand to make music?

I demand myself everyday to write something awesome, since when did money become the motivation that drives the songs being written by big name bands.

If i could i'd lock myself up for days doing nothing but writing music. Why is he complaining about economical demand? I think he lost as much spirit as the scene lost commercial value.

With a mindset like his no wonder rock is dying.

[Human371]

I read the title as "Twisted Sister's Guitarist is Dead". Anyway like some have you have said, rock isn't dead, it's just not on the top 40 anymore. But who gives a sack of ***** about those anyways? I sure as ***** don't.

[emphaticleech]

There are almost no rock bands anymore on the charts if you look.

Sorry. What? Since when did charts matter to real rock n' rollers? Sounds like mr. French is just butthurt he's not on top of the world like he was (undeservedly) in the 80s. Hell, rock didn't even have a foothold on the charts until Bill Haley and the Comets covered Rock Around the Clock. Rock n' roll had been around for close to ten years before that (circa early 40s). Doesn't mean the genre was dead. I think the genre is getting new life into it. The newer bands that don't make the charts as often as the generic rock, metal, metalcore, etc acts are the ones pushing the envelope... and are about a million times better than anything that came out in this ignoramus' heyday.

Who cares if you're not on the charts? Doesn't mean you're not popular, or the genre you play is dead. It ain't about the fame and money, doofus.

[thegreasefire]

Don't let the man get you down...

[emphaticleech]

CrawlingHorror wrote:
wall of text

No. Just plain, no. For one, America isn't the only place where generic, boring music is popular. Another, the music business has ALWAYS been about what's popular at the moment. The 60s.. if you didn't sound like Hendrix or Zeppelin, nobody wanted you. The 70s; Disco, bad prog clones and generic "classic" rock bored the airwaves. The 80s; Hair metal/glam metal/whatever... you can't tell me that wasn't marketed about the look much like the Sex Pistols in the 70s. The 90s; nothing but crap Nirvana clones and post-grunge boredom dominating the airwaves. The 00's; lots of bad metalcore and pop country...

etc etc.

Point is, this is NOT a new thing. Music has been a business ever since Elvis became a marketable face.

[Shaggy92]

Why don't you find something to b!t

[Tripazoidal1]

rockstarbear :
Is anyone else feeling incredibly insulted that Jay Jay says they have no interest to record because there's no demand for it? It says to me that to many "professionals", rock music is a product, not an art form and they have NO interest in creating music unless it's going to pay them more than their artist management job (Jay Jay French) or their building manager job (Fee Waybill). Rather cheapens their music overall, actually.
I agree completely!

[jrcsgtpeppers]

how can rock be dead? did you guys not read about kesha? shes the future of rock and roll, and as long as i know we are in good hands, i can sleep with my giant blue squid safely at night

[SumFX]

scguitarking927 wrote:

counter culture always has been excess in the form of sex and drugs. It's not the modern way of life, it's just now on the front page of these new things called tabloids where you see it. Billy Joe down the street isn't F***ing girls every night and getting stoned out of his mind it's the Keshas and and other pop stars that are doing these things.

And you also don't see too many bands stand up politically and write some very controversial tunes against the government now a days. Where as back then you were hailed as heros to stand up and scream F*** the government. Everybody tries to play it safe in the fear of upsetting people...

Well maybe the UK is different to the USA?
Over here (UK) there are so many skets & chavs sitting aroud doing jack shit, procreating, getting high, causing senseless violence, getting pissed all hours of the day, neglecting their children, blah, blah, blah.

Point is in the UK sex, drugs and terrible music is our culture, why? Because of all the terrible role models (pop/rock stars/footballers/reality t.v "stars",etc) being shown to us day by day by the media (newspapers/gossip magazines, t.v, etc)

Sure if you are lucky enough to live in a nice and quiet part of the UK the people will generally be more conservative but that isn't the 'youth' culture.

To be part of the counter culture these days (in the UK) would be to abstain from drugs & alcohol.

As for your other point, bands that say "**** you" to the goverment are not shown in the mass media. It's the useless unintelligent crap about sex, drugs & terrible music thats shown in the media constantly.

The counter culture is no longer sex, drugs & rock n roll, the majority of people are not super right wing these days.

So the counter culture would be writing songs against racism, homophobia, sexism, rock n roll life, politics, media saturation,etc.

You get where im coming from?
Bands that write about intelligent topics will not be popular on a large scale (as people can't relate to their different views/culture), so they don't get the attention, which in turn makes them the counter culture.

[SmittyMan90]

I agree and disagree here

[fuzzthedog]

The rock legends only went downhill when one of them died or when they sobered up. If Aerosmith would just go into a week of getting high, they'd probably be producing some decent music again. AC/DC is still pretty solid, but they've never been sober, just drug-free (for a while).

[CaliforniaKid]

Rock isn't dead... I've got it tied up and ball-gagged in my basement.
"It puts the lotion on its skin or forced to listen to Gaga again."

[emphaticleech]

SumFX wrote:

scguitarking927 wrote:

counter culture always has been excess in the form of sex and drugs. It's not the modern way of life, it's just now on the front page of these new things called tabloids where you see it. Billy Joe down the street isn't F***ing girls every night and getting stoned out of his mind it's the Keshas and and other pop stars that are doing these things.

And you also don't see too many bands stand up politically and write some very controversial tunes against the government now a days. Where as back then you were hailed as heros to stand up and scream F*** the government. Everybody tries to play it safe in the fear of upsetting people...

Well maybe the UK is different to the USA?

It's not. Most of the biggest burnouts listen to rock genres. People just like to complain and blame pop and rap for talking about sex... which is something rock would NEVER do. /sarcasm.

[Revolution_87]

I like T.S but thiats bullshit, Like others have said its not all about the charts. aside from the hundreds of bands in every town in every country busting their balls every night chasing a dream, There's hundreds of exciting new rock bands/musicians!

As for MOST of these older bands, Their times well past. Only a few like Maiden and AC/DC can still hold their own. Maybe Jay Jay needs to pull his head out his ass and look at successful modern bands like Foo Fighters, DOWN, Alter Bridge, BFMV, Avenged Sevenfold to see nothings changed...It just isnt style over substance anymore making T.S a relic.

[Fenderexpx50]

Rock supposedly has been dead since the 70's. So it doesn't rule the charts. You see what's on the charts these days? Who cares about what's popular. There are still a lot of rock artists making a living to this day. The focus has just shifted off of it.

[demonomania]

all this bitching about how evil and soulless pop music is amuses me. did anyone ever stop to think that some people may not like rock, and instead, enjoy pop, rap or what ever other genre people claim is poisoning music? i personally don't listen to much top 40 type stuff, but i know plenty of people that do, and it doesn't bother me like it seems to bother some. people have different tastes, get over it.

btw, im not meaning to sound all pissed or anything, just saying

[rodrattlehead]

It's one of the most ignorant coments that i've ever read, seriously, the rock n roll don't rule the charts anymore... so what ? there's more music than the famous, like lamb of god, sylosis, unearth, airbuirne, as i lay dying, machine head, holy grail etc...

there's a lot of genres and more talented musician, more than the 80's and 70's, i respect twisted sister but jay jay is a douchebag

[BOYERxBREAKDOWN]

TY SEGALL.

[starsky133]

A member of TWISTED SISTER thinks ROCK is DEAD!? Damn, open your eyes. Rock isn't dead, it's busy puking its guts out in the bar bathroom while hip hop and rap is taking over. Rock will be done in a few minutes to kick some more ass. Rock can never die.

[Swannie]

SmittyMan90 wrote:

I agree and disagree here

this

[cdayrocks]

Hey hey my my rock and roll will never die- Neil Young

[DAR/RYL]

rock is not dead there are new bands like airbourne, the answer, bullet.....look up these "Skull Fist - Heavier than Metal", "Steelwing - Roadkill", "Enforcer - Katana", "Colossus - The Mountain That Rides", "Cauldron - All or Nothing", "Crowning Glory - Sea of Dead Dreams", "Neuronspoiler - Words, Words, Words", "Christian Mistress - Riding on the Edges", "Helvetet's Port - Lightning Rod Avenger", "Holy Grail - Call of Valhalla", "Volture - Heavy Metal Machine", "White Wizzard - Over the Top", "Wolf - Speed On", and "Cast Iron - Running from the law".

[rockguitar314]

argentotenebre wrote:

that's the way it is for pretty well any band from the 70s or 80s, the new stuff is never as popular as the old stuff. The only exception I can think of is U2

the other guys i can think of is Aerosmith

[pugachev]

GrungeHippie26 wrote:

in the words of metallica "sad but true"

/thread...ish...whatever this is.

[JoeVro/BCRich]

The underground metal scene is thriving right now and just keeps growing. Just because you can't hear it on the radio doesn't mean it's not a huge and still growing genre

[crisheat9]

TJ1991 wrote:

Rock isn't dead at all. You just have to know where to look. It's not all about being in the charts.

You deserve a cookie. The words that supposedly came out of his mouth are words of greed.

[rattleurhead]

Just sounds to me like this guy is money hungry. Rock 'n roll is supposed to be about the music, but he doesn't want to record because it won't sell? Can anyone say sellout?

[DimebagsGhost67]

Rock never died, it simply evolved years ago into what we know and love today as METAL

[Lost Dog]

No its not. It just happens that Twisted Sister is no longer relevant, and hasn't been for a long time. And you're jelly.

[Year Zero]

I agree with him it's dead, and so is good music. It's the same reason why people elect George W Bush and Sara Palin as their representatives and why Reality Tv dominates all channels.

[Imptheshrimp]

rockstarbear wrote:

Is anyone else feeling incredibly insulted that Jay Jay says they have no interest to record because there's no demand for it? It says to me that to many "professionals", rock music is a product, not an art form and they have NO interest in creating music unless it's going to pay them more than their artist management job (Jay Jay French) or their building manager job (Fee Waybill). Rather cheapens their music overall, actually.

Oh my god, this completely. I don't care if some old glam metal fart things rock is dead, charts are mostly garbage. But no, WE'RE NOT MAKING MATERIAL BECAUSE THERE IS NO DEMAND. That is one of the worst things I've heard a professional musician say. That is so incredibly awful. Honestly.

[DrumVillain]

Rock's not dead, it's just not that popular.. which I actually enjoy. I definitely feel special about being part of a not-that-mainstream yet kickass community of rock and metal fans. I feel there's something much nicer about the music I like when I know not everyone around me is into it. And there are still artists coming out with good rock music, both the old ones and even some of the new ones.

Plus it's a pretty douche move on Twisted Sister's part to not feel enthusiasm for their music just because they're so goddamn pecimistic about the music industry. Saying you don't want to make music because you think it won't get that much fame and money is as bad as saying you want to make music for the sole purpose of getting fame and money.

[shred_wizzard]

death metal is still kicking in various forms, and some hardcore/hard emo music gets decent attention. Its not dead

[gapazian]

So basically because bands like Led Zeppelin aren't around no more and rock music doesn't happen to have the highest record sales right now, it's dead? Interesting. Even if only one guy played Rock 'n' Roll, it'd still be alive. Nothing can die as long as someone is keeping it alive.

[gapazian]

Year Zero wrote:

I agree with him it's dead, and so is good music. It's the same reason why people elect George W Bush and Sara Palin as their representatives and why Reality Tv dominates all channels.

Good music is dead? Were you on prescribing meds when you wrote this? Did they affect your common sense? I could easily name you 100 bands/artists in a variety of genres that make fantastic music. Stop being ignorant and look for good music.

[kmcharger21]

I hate it when people say that it is dead. As long as there are still a few people listening to rock in the world its not dead. Thats a slap in the face to people like us who do like good rock. Yea the whole music scene is changing but not everyone is a crazed lady gaga fan.

[DanielN]

TJ1991 wrote:

Rock isn't dead at all. You just have to know where to look. It's not all about being in the charts.

This is it... particularly the part of "you just have to know where to look"... most of the comments posted in this article are unnecessary if you read this one.

[DanielN]

Duke_Lukem wrote:

So no one likes you anymore, it was bound to happen. Butthurt much?

Also THIS! lol

(sorry for double posting)

[seizure13]

You cant kill rock and roll, its here to stay!

[CannedBullets]

People still listen to Twisted Sister?

[dylanfromearth]

Guys, Gyz, new RHCP album this fall.

[Chronologo]

Half true, why wouldn't you record more stuff if you love music?? They could perfectly move to Europe where rock is still kickin', Sorry Jay but I think you're too deep into the money thing.

[kmcharger21]

GrungeHippie26 wrote:

Holoogamooga wrote:

I agree with him. Rock music is dead COMMERCIALLY and in the public eye. Avenged Sevenfold and Arcade Fire both had number one albums on the album charts, but even that doesn't matter any more. It's all about singles, and the singles chart is all about dance and pop.

Is rock dead as a form of music? No. I have more than three weeks' worth of audio on my hard drive and almost all of it is rock from the last decade with a good portion from the last few years. It may not be selling, but it is alive and well.

Ultimately it just depends on how you define rock (i.e. he defines it as total excess) and being alive as a genre.


Really!?!, Avenged Sevenfold. Thats not rock, that is noise. This about rock being overcome by pop, rap, country, and garbage like them. Bands like Avenged and Linkin Park are fakes that pass off as rock music just because they have guitars. Real rock is about freedom, rebellion, and a release of emotion- to those posers its all about selling records.

People bash A7X way to much. Dont get me wrong i love 80s rock. It was the best. But come on people this is why everyone thinks that rock is dying because everyone is complaining about todays rock music. Come out of your holes and open your eyes and see the light that not all new music is bad.

[guitarman052]

This is why I don't care for Twisted Sister. Especially Dee Snider!

[diablomastabarb]

Proof is in the title of this very article. Ug didn't use his name 'cause no one knows who the hell he is.

[stephenunknown]

Xaiver wrote:

If Dave Grohl says rock isn't dead then rock isn't dead.

THIS. Right on. In Grohl we trust. Not twisted sister..

[Ganadote]

Anyone else find it ironic that someone who thinks he has the spirit of rock n roll in him actually cares if their music is popular/sells a lot? He's not sounding like a rock musician but a pop artist who cares only about chart success and money.

[Jackie Lawless]

mrags2818 wrote:

GrungeHippie26 wrote:

Holoogamooga wrote:

I agree with him. Rock music is dead COMMERCIALLY and in the public eye. Avenged Sevenfold and Arcade Fire both had number one albums on the album charts, but even that doesn't matter any more. It's all about singles, and the singles chart is all about dance and pop.

Is rock dead as a form of music? No. I have more than three weeks' worth of audio on my hard drive and almost all of it is rock from the last decade with a good portion from the last few years. It may not be selling, but it is alive and well.

Ultimately it just depends on how you define rock (i.e. he defines it as total excess) and being alive as a genre.

Really!?!, Avenged Sevenfold. Thats not rock, that is noise. This about rock being overcome by pop, rap, country, and garbage like them. Bands like Avenged and Linkin Park are fakes that pass off as rock music just because they have guitars. Real rock is about freedom, rebellion, and a release of emotion- to those posers its all about selling records.

Freedom? -Bat Country
Rebellion? -Trashed and Scattered
Release of emotion? -God Hates Us

Honestly, please do some homework before you get so quick to judge bands. Hate them all you want, but by your definition of rock, they epitomize it. I'm not saying they do, but seriously, stop crying at the thought of a band that tweaks with the genre a bit being considered good.

the whole nightmare album was garbage. the only decent song on the whole album was the title track.

city of evil? now that an album. even their white album was good, but they tried WAY too hard with nightmare. it was awful.

[btbamaddict]

i ****ing despise twisted sister but its kinda true. at least for the "hard rock" scene.

[rebeltildeth87]

the spirit of true rock n roll lives in the underground. there will always be kids (weither punk, metal, or whatever) jamming out tunes for no other reason than passion. and yes sex, drugs, and rock n roll are still alive. its just moved underground.

[stoltobot]

I dunno, to me the singles charts and radio have been dead since the late 1980s. I remember watching the top 50 every Saturday morning in the early '90s waiting through countless terrible songs just to see a clip of GnR, Green Jelly, Metallica, RATM, etc. The radio is just as bad, maybe worse. This has not changed at all.

[Kojax]

French says "It’s not that popular just now and I think that’s just the cycle we are going through."

Why is everybody hating on him so much? In comparison to the chart dominance rock held during the 60's, 70's and 80's he is completely right. The 'Era(s) of rock' are gone. French is completely justified in saying rock is 'dead' as he means in the mainsteam of the industry.

[iwannabesedated]

Is Rock Dead? No. But it's dying for sure.

And don't pull the "oh, all the good stuff is in the underground" bullshit either, cause you know as much as I do it just isn't true.

Having one or two good bands here and there doesn't make rock become relevant and/or good again. There needs to be a scene, then a movement, and then have it inspire crossover successes. As much as I'd like to say underground rock is better, it being popular has as much to do with inspiring more and more great music as anything underground.

[blinkSumNOFX]

Cheesepuff wrote:

he don't know what hes talking about.

rock as this guy knows it is totally dead. the old style of rock music has become cliche, unchanging, and boring. It's the reason bands like Jet, Airborne, Nickelback, and Hinder suck.

in conclusion, rock is dead. long live rock.

Please think before you slap a band in the face as to use them in the same sentence as Nickelback. Yes Jet and Airborne are totally imitating classic rock, (Airborne much more so)and therefore nobody will really "love" them, but you get a lot of AC/DC fans going, "hey, this is pretty damn good, i LIKE them." i don't see anything wrong with that. Nickelback is the single worst band of all time, but i will admit they are kind of doing there own thing as far as their sound, so you do get the occasional idiot going "WOW THESE GUYS ARE THE BEST I LOVE NICKELBACK." i could see the Hinder comparison, but i dont see how you would compare them to Jet and Airborne.

[Alpha_Wolf]

Lol, oh well.

[Hamham272]

argentotenebre wrote:

that's the way it is for pretty well any band from the 70s or 80s, the new stuff is never as popular as the old stuff. The only exception I can think of is U2

Pretty sure more people bought The Joshua Tree than any of the last 3 albums U2 released, next time think about your comment, the last U2 album failed on so many levels. It's true Rock isn't "IN" but just because it's not going to rake in the 100s of millions of sales does not make it dead. People will continue to live off playing rock music and will continue to make it.

[adelyne2kaylee0]

Ever heard of a lil band called Avenged Sevenfold? Look at how there last album did on the charts and tell me rock n roll is dead chum suckas!

[deadjames]

I can't believe someone from twisted sister would have the nerve to say something like that rock is going strong, if there was ever a time when rock was closed to dying it was in the 80s, hair metal is the most uncreative, boring, talentless form of rock there is, there are tons of good wildly popular contemporary rock bands, mumford & sons, the black keys, pearl jam, foo fighters, red hot chili peppers, black label society, green day, slash, the raconteurs (or just jack white in general), and these guys are all huge regardless of their place on the charts, their fans flock to see them in concert so obviously there is still a huge demand for rock music, just not for old hacks dressed up like women (i. e. twisted sister)

[deadjames]

And if u still have to argue in favor of the 80s look at some of the metal bands that were actually good, ozzy, metallica, megadeth, and van halen are still as huge as ever

[BondedByBlood]

Yeah sure! What does he know? All rock bands that are alive today are miles better of twisted sister -.-

[guitfiddleRR]

. I’d rather play what everybody wants to hear than play something they are not familiar with...

Seriously Jay!!!????!?!? Playing new and unfamiliar stuff is creates new ideas, propels music, and gave birth to acts like The Stones or Zeppelin. Playing the same shit as everyone else is easily what makes it boring and brings music to a hault.

[Jazz1992]

diablomastabarb wrote:

Proof is in the title of this very article. Ug didn't use his name 'cause no one knows who the hell he is.

This. Totally this.

[FearOfTheDuck]

Rock isn't dead, its underground

[Scarified96]

This is very sad but actually true. You can't find new "roots-on" rock bands anymore. All we've got today are lame pop-rock bands, emo screamo bands, heavy-metal bands that state they're a rock band etc.

[ionoobmaster]

this guy forgot what rock is about.... it's about not giving a F**k

[TheKube with K!]

BULLSHIT!

you dont make new albums just fpr money and charts.. and if only one person hears that album and it does him eargasm, it was worth the work!

hate guys talking shit like that because they are depressed that their career is over.
you should do music because it's beautiful, doesn't matter how many people listen. **** off money, art!

just my stance guys.

[UpTheIronsFTW]

Oh yeah, rock is dead, cause no-one listens to rock... Makes sence...

[Metal4themasses]

steveo54 wrote:

i think rock will come back soon. last time dance music was popular was disco, and after that rock and heavy metal ruled the world

FUCK YES

[eVAN_HALEN3]

What I go from that is Jay Jay sold out. If he actually cared about the music instead of the stupid people that don't listen to it, then it would be different. All Twisted Sister fans should be ashamed cause he just told them to screw off cause they don't matter enough to write new music. If being a really popular band is what you're writing music for, then you've sold out. You're not writing for the music and you're extremely pathetic. Congratulations, you've just joined Justin Bieber and the Jonas Brothers.

[eVAN_HALEN3]

Dude you really need to listen to some Alter Bridge. Try to tell me thats not amazing writing.

slaveskinJACKET wrote:

Iommianity wrote:

slaveskinJACKET wrote:

Cheesepuff wrote:

...some of the best music of all time, rock or not, is being made today...

What the **** have you been listening to? Or better yet, what the **** are you on, and where can I get some?

When I think of the best music of all time, there are few exceptions from the past 20 years that would make it, but there has been almost nothing worth mentioning for the last 15 years, regardless of what genre you prefer. Anyone who believes different, I will assume is a 'hipster' that is 'too cool' to listen to music that their parents might have had access to, or they have just never been exposed to the classics. Or they might just have shitty taste in music.

Sometimes I try to imagine 20 years from now, how I will view the music that is currently being released, because right now, I think most of it sucks hard. But 20 years ago, it was easy to find new music that I liked. These days it's nearly impossible, unless I'm hearing some old stuff for the first time.

Music has become watered down and bland, all around the board.

If you disagree, please, elaborate.

How could I possibly elaborate further on calling you a douche? I'd say that's a fairer assumption than calling people who disagree with you hipsters, especially since I have your post to back it up.

When you think of the best music of all time, you should maybe throw some subjectivity in the mix.


Well, you could start with using a little more of an elaborate insult than just calling me a douche. Great job, by the way. It probably took you a long time to come up with that. I'm proud.

But your lack of an actual response just solidifies my claims, because apparently, you couldn't come up with anything to serve as actual input, you just tried to hurt my feelings, or something...

And I wasn't saying people who disagree with my taste in music are hipsters, I was saying people who can't admit that most modern music is bland are probably closed minded... and also probably thought Saw VI was the most intense, original movie ever made.

And I do use subjectivity when determining the greatest music ever produced--my own subjectivity. Why would I let someone else's opinions control my own? Someone else's opinions could be an influence on mine, but I don't just blindly accept other people's opinions as my own.

"Well, I really don't like Coldplay, but Billy does. Greatest music ever made, for sure."

And I can appreciate/respect talent even if I don't appreciate the final product.

P.S.
Coldplay is not one of those things that I dislike yet appreciate/respect.

[[x]Huffy[x]]

Rock music was never about chart performance anyway. To claim it is dead is pathetic.

[Bassatron]

Paper and Scissors triumph!

[Stikit2duhman]

lets of comments in denial. hate to admit it, but its kinda true. if not dead, rock is terminal ondition

[Eifler121]

The rock Twisted Sister played is, and I'm thankful for that. Dee Snyder was on the radio the other day playing Ratt and Whitesnake and saying it was the best rock n roll ever made. Surely the Black Keys are at least better than any of those bands. Black Keys just had a massive hit, Arcade Fire just beat out Eminem for album of the year, Jack White's stuff has continued to do well. People just don't know where to go to look for it.

[georgebushguy79]

crisheat9 wrote:

TJ1991 wrote:

Rock isn't dead at all. You just have to know where to look. It's not all about being in the charts.

You deserve a cookie. The words that supposedly came out of his mouth are words of greed.

Or some ice cream.

[rioter78]

Alright, this is coming from Twisted Sister's Guitarist... WOO, he's really one to talk about the state of rock (NOT!!!!!) There are a few bands that might be mentioning, but the rest sound like pieces of turds. Now he's just being greedy also, if I ever see this guy in public, I'm gonna punch him in the face. Now I know these are some Metal artists and not Rock, but so be it. The Big 4 right now are surging right now, but they're being mentioned publicly. Disturbed just made Asylum and it went to the top of the Billboard 200, but is anyone talking about it? I find it bull$hit that the music industry is trying to phase out ACTUAL MUSIC, and replace it with this garbage pop and rap. People... We really need to make a resurgance of Rock, and we need to do it right now. I cannot stand people talking about this noise that they see as music. What would the bands of yesteryear say about this? "Unacceptable" is probably the right term for it. LET'S FIGHT TO GET OUR MUSIC BACK PEOPLE!!!!!

[whywefight]

history of rock in the last week:
1. rock album sales skyrocket
2. kesha announces new album will be influenced by 70s rock
3. rock is announced officially dead.

[distoare]

Coming from a band member who were supposed to stop touring years ago this is lame, I think. Rock, Metal, hard and heavy music are NOT dead!

Check out a promo for Brooklyn - www.bkmtl.com - the scene is alive.

People write and play music because they need to do so. It is true, and sad, that garbage music rules the airwaves and it really always has. The industry has never gotten used to the new technology and THAT is what has caused the downfall of the major labels and NOT mp3's.

The proof is there in the form of DRM and how it was amazingly mismanaged and rings tones where the industry made billions and billions!

[rockingrugger]

I read the title as 'Twisted Sister Rock Guitarist: Dead'

[Slash181]

Again another shit title from UG. he didnt say rock was dead he just said rock was dead in the US. which i agree is kinda true but to state rock is dead as a whole is ****ing stupid and insulting from UG's behalf. i wonder why they dont sign the end of their articles/interviews eh... anyway regardless, rock isnt dead and it doesnt need a 'has been' to clarify anything. so for all the people that are like... no its not!! its not dead, i hate that guitarist :'( shut up, get grips and see for yourself the past makes the future, the present is the past and the future is what you create of it. lets make some ****ing rock music (metal in my case or prog rock)

[Slash181]

haha brilliant... it didn't censor 'shit' because its precisely what it is. not news, not important and a waste of time.

[TimmaPSI]

rockstarbear wrote:

Is anyone else feeling incredibly insulted that Jay Jay says they have no interest to record because there's no demand for it? It says to me that to many "professionals", rock music is a product, not an art form and they have NO interest in creating music unless it's going to pay them more than their artist management job (Jay Jay French) or their building manager job (Fee Waybill). Rather cheapens their music overall, actually.

definitely. music isn't something you make because people want to hear it. it's something you make because it's inside you and you have to let it out. some people wont like it, some will. but you have to let it out.

[PhilFoxNJ]

Scarified96 wrote:

This is very sad but actually true. You can't find new "roots-on" rock bands anymore. All we've got today are lame pop-rock bands, emo screamo bands, heavy-metal bands that state they're a rock band etc.

have you ever even looked beyond mtv? look up the song "modern art" by the black lips, and then tell me rock is dead.

[Brownesauce]

Rock is dead. Long live paper and scissors.

[emphaticleech]

slaveskinJACKET wrote:


Music has become watered down and bland, all around the board.

If you disagree, please, elaborate.

The Flaming Lips and Hank Williams III.