What happened to rock music as a revolutionary force?

[Saint Frankenstein]

Is rock dead? Where is it in terms of being a major cultural mover and shaker? I don't see it in the West as being the fear inspiring boogeyman - the necessarily devil - that forced us to re-examine our social assumptions and even foundations by turning a mirror on society, as it once did. The scene seems dead, in terms of that. Where's the social criticism? When I was a kid in the '90s and early '00s, rock bands were being blamed for murders and social degeneracy left and right, just as they were blamed for social transgression throughout its entire history. I don't see senatorial or congressional hearings over music or art in general anymore. Is nothing shocking anymore? I believe shock art is always needed as a method for society to (be forced to) re-examine itself, as uncomfortable as it is (and should be).

Rock music broke racial, political, religious, philosophical, gender and sexual boundaries over it's 50+ year history. But since the early 2000, its revolutionary spirit has seemed all but non-existent. Even rap music has lost its revolutionary edge in the mainstream. It's like no one really has anything to say anymore. There's no more protests, artists being banned from performing and being vilified in the media anymore. To some, they may take this as a good thing , but I personally don't. If you're not basically inciting riots, then something's wrong. We are surely not living in a utopia, so rebellion is a must. We've even lost multiple icons in rock iconoclasticism this year, such as David Bowie and Prince. Surely there's no one of the younger generation of artists who can possibly match them in stature. My generation has shamefully dropped the ball. We don't even have a Kurt Cobain when it comes to my peers. I am quite ashamed of my generation, the millennials, when it comes to art.

Has our culture become too jaded? Too commercialised? Too apathetic? Too consumerist? Is there really nothing left to say? Is that era of human culture just dead and we're just too atomized with our smart phones and apps to ever have such a cultural phenomenon again? Are the Kardashians, Kanye and Beyonce truly the best we can offer now?

Did Marilyn Manson really call it with the Rock is Dead song? Is he really the last great archetypal rock star (as I view him as being, since we have had no real artistic cultural boogeymans since him and Eminem.)

"Rock is deader than dead."

 

[Altfish]

As someone who is fast approaching pensionable age I still think there is plenty of 'edgy' stuff out there.
The like of Glastonbury have morphed into corporate events but here in Manchester there are plenty of small clubs with new bands learning their trade.

A problem is doing something 'new'. It all appears to have been done - there does appear to be an attempt to shock by wearing scanty clothes but that is only in the main stream.

No, music is not dead, you just have to try harder to find it, as The Jam said "Going Underground"

 

[Augustus]

Don't forget David Hasselhof. He pretty much ended the Cold War on his own.

Ok, maybe with a little help from The Scorpions

 

[bobhikes]

Is rock dead? Where is it in terms of being a major cultural mover and shaker? I don't see it in the West as being the fear inspiring boogeyman - the necessarily devil - that forced us to re-examine our social assumptions and even foundations by turning a mirror on society, as it once did. The scene seems dead, in terms of that. Where's the social criticism? When I was a kid in the '90s and early '00s, rock bands were being blamed for murders and social degeneracy left and right, just as they were blamed for social transgression throughout its entire history. I don't see senatorial or congressional hearings over music or art in general anymore. Is nothing shocking anymore? I believe shock art is always needed as a method for society to (be forced to) re-examine itself, as uncomfortable as it is (and should be).

The protesting is no longer coming from the liberals but from the conservatives. The rock groups are not supporting them. There are major conservative protests around the US but they protest differently and you are always getting some old rock group banning the movement from using there song. Rock groups are liberal.

 

[Kapalika]

Rap happened. Really tho it ain't dead, well at least if you consider metal to be rock.

Around here where I live rock and metal are really popular, and hip hop is popular too. Country to some degree but I don't see it as much as hip-hop and Rock. Rock and metal events pull the biggest crowds around here for sure.

 

[HonestJoe]

I think pretty much everything has changed.

The political systems and structures was once almost exclusively old, male, white, middle class and (small c) conservative. Anyone outside that bubble had pretty much no (legal) outlet to make their voice heard. Rock music became a focus for protest because it already appealed to the younger and more liberal core and there would be obvious practical overlap between protests and concerts. Some of the successful artists would have shared their audiences political views and some would be more than happy to play up to them for their own benefit.

Today, the political system (and wider society) is much more open and diverse - still with problems but massively different compared to just a couple of decades ago. Mass media and technology offers pretty much anyone platforms to speak their minds (they might be being ignored but they still get the catharsis of speaking out anyway). At the same time (and for some of the same reasons), the music industry have become more corporate and structured and is also accessed more via technology rather than big open-air concerts.

Over all, I see positives and negatives throughout these changes and while there are plenty of apparent changes, lots of underlying things remain largely the same.

 

[Guy Threepwood]

Is rock dead? Where is it in terms of being a major cultural mover and shaker? I don't see it in the West as being the fear inspiring boogeyman - the necessarily devil - that forced us to re-examine our social assumptions and even foundations by turning a mirror on society, as it once did. The scene seems dead, in terms of that. Where's the social criticism? When I was a kid in the '90s and early '00s, rock bands were being blamed for murders and social degeneracy left and right, just as they were blamed for social transgression throughout its entire history. I don't see senatorial or congressional hearings over music or art in general anymore. Is nothing shocking anymore? I believe shock art is always needed as a method for society to (be forced to) re-examine itself, as uncomfortable as it is (and should be).

Rock music broke racial, political, religious, philosophical, gender and sexual boundaries over it's 50+ year history. But since the early 2000, its revolutionary spirit has seemed all but non-existent. Even rap music has lost its revolutionary edge in the mainstream. It's like no one really has anything to say anymore. There's no more protests, artists being banned from performing and being vilified in the media anymore. To some, they may take this as a good thing , but I personally don't. If you're not basically inciting riots, then something's wrong. We are surely not living in a utopia, so rebellion is a must. We've even lost multiple icons in rock iconoclasticism this year, such as David Bowie and Prince. Surely there's no one of the younger generation of artists who can possibly match them in stature. My generation has shamefully dropped the ball. We don't even have a Kurt Cobain when it comes to my peers. I am quite ashamed of my generation, the millennials, when it comes to art.

Has our culture become too jaded? Too commercialised? Too apathetic? Too consumerist? Is there really nothing left to say? Is that era of human culture just dead and we're just too atomized with our smart phones and apps to ever have such a cultural phenomenon again? Are the Kardashians, Kanye and Beyonce truly the best we can offer now?

Did Marilyn Manson really call it with the Rock is Dead song? Is he really the last great archetypal rock star (as I view him as being, since we have had no real artistic cultural boogeymans since him and Eminem.)

"Rock is deader than dead."

I think that reflects the aging 'workforce' of musicians, many of those bands are still very popular and performing- outselling new bands- they've grown up, had kids, cleaned up, quite drugs and alcohol, mellowed out..

I agree, sadly there seems to be no replacement for countless rock icons who are now getting up into their 60's and 70's

 

[Shadow Wolf]

Rock became too mainstream and profitable, and metal picked up the torch.

The protesting is no longer coming from the liberals but from the conservatives. The rock groups are not supporting them. There are major conservative protests around the US but they protest differently and you are always getting some old rock group banning the movement from using there song. Rock groups are liberal.

Bands such as Ministry and Lamb of God say otherwise. They are left leaning, they do protest, and what they don't support are Conservatives.

 

[Demonslayer]

Rock music broke racial, political, religious, philosophical, gender and sexual boundaries over it's 50+ year history. But since the early 2000, its revolutionary spirit has seemed all but non-existent.

I have had a theory for a long time that rock and pop are cyclical. So in the 70's you had a rock dominated decade, the 80's were dominated by pop and rock took a back seat. Then in the 90's the grunge thing drove rock back to the dominant music, then in the 2000's we were back to pop.

So I've been waiting since 2010 for the next decade of rock. Much to my chagrin, it seems to be delayed. Although watching the Voice there is this guy Laith Al-saadi who plays blues inspired rock, sort of reminds me of Greg Allman a little. He seems to be popular and it got me thinking that maybe the next rock revolution is starting to gear up.

Rock isn't dead, it's just chilling in the tour bus smoking a fatty and waiting for the show to start. And as always, when the show does start it's going to be electric. Just you wait!

 

[BSM1]

Is rock dead? Where is it in terms of being a major cultural mover and shaker? I don't see it in the West as being the fear inspiring boogeyman - the necessarily devil - that forced us to re-examine our social assumptions and even foundations by turning a mirror on society, as it once did. The scene seems dead, in terms of that. Where's the social criticism? When I was a kid in the '90s and early '00s, rock bands were being blamed for murders and social degeneracy left and right, just as they were blamed for social transgression throughout its entire history. I don't see senatorial or congressional hearings over music or art in general anymore. Is nothing shocking anymore? I believe shock art is always needed as a method for society to (be forced to) re-examine itself, as uncomfortable as it is (and should be).

Rock music broke racial, political, religious, philosophical, gender and sexual boundaries over it's 50+ year history. But since the early 2000, its revolutionary spirit has seemed all but non-existent. Even rap music has lost its revolutionary edge in the mainstream. It's like no one really has anything to say anymore. There's no more protests, artists being banned from performing and being vilified in the media anymore. To some, they may take this as a good thing , but I personally don't. If you're not basically inciting riots, then something's wrong. We are surely not living in a utopia, so rebellion is a must. We've even lost multiple icons in rock iconoclasticism this year, such as David Bowie and Prince. Surely there's no one of the younger generation of artists who can possibly match them in stature. My generation has shamefully dropped the ball. We don't even have a Kurt Cobain when it comes to my peers. I am quite ashamed of my generation, the millennials, when it comes to art.

Has our culture become too jaded? Too commercialised? Too apathetic? Too consumerist? Is there really nothing left to say? Is that era of human culture just dead and we're just too atomized with our smart phones and apps to ever have such a cultural phenomenon again? Are the Kardashians, Kanye and Beyonce truly the best we can offer now?

Did Marilyn Manson really call it with the Rock is Dead song? Is he really the last great archetypal rock star (as I view him as being, since we have had no real artistic cultural boogeymans since him and Eminem.)

"Rock is deader than dead."

I think you've hit on something, but I think one of the main problems with rock nowadays is that there is no resistance to it. I was 6 when Elvis hit the scene, and I grew up with rock in the sixty's and seventy's. This was something new then and never seen before by the powers that be. Anything that didn't meet with our parent's standards was quickly (and sometimes severely) attacked. This only fueled the rock fire and the rest, as they say, was history. Plus there were major problems and causes to correct back then. When my kids were growing up and tried to use their music as a protest, those of us that were part of the early rock generation were not shocked nor judgemental (although we may have been slightly annoyed by Death Metal). Basically we patted them on the head and said, "that's nice". Talk about deflating a protest!. Also, early rock seems to be more melodic and easier to sing. At 66 I am in rock and blues band and people for the most part want to hear the old stuff; they tend to become part of the set by singing along; however, we refuse to do "Free Bird". Is rock dead? Hardly, but like @Altfish said you may have to scratch a little for it.

 

[Revoltingest]

I think you've hit on something, but I think one of the main problems with rock nowadays is that there is no resistance to it. I was 6 when Elvis hit the scene, and I grew up with rock in the sixty's and seventy's. This was something new then and never seen before by the powers that be. Anything that didn't meet with our parent's standards was quickly (and sometimes severely) attacked. This only fueled the rock fire and the rest, as they say, was history. Plus there were major problems and causes to correct back then. When my kids were growing up and tried to use their music as a protest, those of us that were part of the early rock generation were not shocked nor judgemental (although we may have been slightly annoyed by Death Metal). Basically we patted them on the head and said, "that's nice". Talk about deflating a protest!. Also, early rock seems to be more melodic and easier to sing. At 66 I am in rock and blues band and people for the most part want to hear the old stuff; they tend to become part of the set by singing along; however, we refuse to do "Free Bird". Is rock dead? Hardly, but like @Altfish said you may have to scratch a little for it.

Also, music reflects culture.
Back in the day, we had anti-war songs for us hippies, Group W bench types, & malcontents.
I even voted for a Democrat (McGovern) to kick guns-a-blaze'n Nixon out of office.
Nowadays, the Democrats are running a pro-war candidate, & there's no objection to that at all.
Nixon looks like a civil rights paragon compared to her.

I googled to see what Billboard says is the most popular song right now.
Something called "Uptown Funk".....something about Michelle Pfeiffer & some guy kissing himself cuz he's "pretty".
Geeze.......

 

[Father Heathen]

I thought rock was dead until I discovered these guys

 

[BSM1]

I thought rock was dead until I discovered these guys

"That's nice."

 

[Acim]

The commercialization (and therefore distribution) of music took a turn in the 1990's that it hasn't recovered from. I think many see it as a great thing. No more middle men needed in getting directly to the music that people really enjoy listening to. But now, no longer much promotions being done, except for a very select few.

Prior to the 1990's, things were greatly hyped up. In many cases, it was warranted, but the 80's were when things were clearly in domain of being overhyped when not so warranted. Yet, there was (or still is) some very great music, with lots of diversity in that era (based on the hyped stuff).

I think there is more diversity now, than ever, but is not being hyped/promoted. That takes middle men to do that type of work, but who's going to pay them when people just assume download music for free and when the perception is middle men are greedy people who steal from artists?

Now distribution is, you seek out an artist or type of music you might like, you find it enjoyable, you tell people about it. If it goes viral, you're a very lucky artist. If not, oh well, perhaps you're not trying hard enough.

 

[Acim]

I googled to see what Billboard says is the most popular song right now.
Something called "Uptown Funk".....something about Michelle Pfeiffer & some guy kissing himself cuz he's "pretty".
Geeze.......

Uptown Funk is so 2014.

Still a great song though.

 

[BSM1]

Also, music reflects culture.
Back in the day, we had anti-war songs for us hippies, Group W bench types, & malcontents.
I even voted for a Democrat (McGovern) to kick guns-a-blaze'n Nixon out of office.
Nowadays, the Democrats are running a pro-war candidate, & there's no objection to that at all.
Nixon looks like a civil rights paragon compared to her.

I googled to see what Billboard says is the most popular song right now.
Something called "Uptown Funk".....something about Michelle Pfeiffer & some guy kissing himself cuz he's "pretty".
Geeze.......

True. I, also, voted for McGovern. I think, though, that I voted for Mac simply because I was tired of working for Nixon for almost four years.

 

[Father Heathen]

"That's nice."

*shrug* If you dismiss the band before giving it a fair listen, then it's your loss. Despite first impressions from appearance, their sound is more influenced by King Diamond, Pink Floyd, Blue Oyster Cult, and The Beatles than it is your typical death metal.

 

[YmirGF]

Rock was more successful than the proponents of the genre ever dared to dream. Rock then became mainstream. R.I.P.

 

[BSM1]

*shrug* If you dismiss the band before giving it a fair listen, then it's your loss. Despite first impressions from appearance, their sound is more influenced by King Diamond, Pink Floyd, Blue Oyster Cult, and The Beatles than it is your typical death metal.

You missed my point.

 

[Wirey]

Rock was never revolutionary. We were all just really high.