Loss of not one, but multiple visionaries within a short timeframe is downright traumatic. With deaths of both Brian Wilson and Sly Stone we seem to be back to trauma of 2016 and Bowie/Prince both being gone within months of each another.
What comforts me in this situation is that for a moment, however brief, a lot of people will go back to revisiting catalogs of both BW and Sly. That is not a small thing considering that both were also relegated to “Are they still alive” status in recent decade or two, crucial difference from both Prince and Bowie.
The other comforting thought is that we can also go back to figuring out what exactly produced geniuses this level. Guardian currently posits that sole issue is the lack of talent among modern musicians and I have to vehemently disagree. Talent is still aplenty, the real problem is lack of desire to risk letting artists develop organically.
It’s simply impossible to imagine someone like Nick Cave or Bjork or Tom Waits emerging today in the way they did when they did. The old support system (MTV, John Peel, unenshittified technology) is long gone, replaced with a demand to produce hits right out of the gate. We’re down to 3 major labels and a slew of streaming platforms, chief among them being Spotify.
Yes, Bandcamp is there, as is Pitchfork and Needle Drop and Quietus as are countless small music blogs, publications and magazines like Wire, but they are also drowned out collectively by much bigger voices.
Who are the rockstars today? I’d say they are people like Joe Rogan, Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg, i.e. no one really producing anything creative, unless you count AI or Metaverse or NFTs as art. All of them long with Donald Trump they are allowed to take risks and get rewarded handsomely, even when nothing of value is being produced.
For what its worth music business today is run by Silicon Valley. And perhaps therein lies the problem – grift is the real art now, spurred on by endless promises that never come to pass. Yes, yes – old music industry wasn’t that great either and pampered rock stars and their debauchery sure annoyed plenty of people. What we failed to understand collectively and culturally, it seems, is that vacuum left by traditional rockstars will be filled by someone else, often people that have no business of being anywhere near zeitgeist.
It’s highly unlikely we’ll ever go back to times when people like Sly Stone and Brian Wilson were given carte blanche. With that said, the examination of what made both and their genius possible is crucial during the times when Donald Trump is a hero to millions. Guardian may not see much talent out there, but I do. Death of monoculture might not let a singular, unique voice spring up to the surface and take over every nook and cranny any longer. But if there’s a hill I’m willing to die on its this – talented artists and musicians are still aplenty. Don’t let Guardian fool you into thinking otherwise.
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