Very Old Rockers
Thursday, November 29, 2007 Filed in: People
I don't know what rock band was on television last
night, but they were old and wrinkled. When are we
too old to rock?
Mick Jagger is in his 60s and still rocks, despite being worth a gazillion dollars. The Rolling Stones had their share of hits-- 60s, 70s, maybe even one in the 80s, but what about the 90s and the 00s, the double-naughts? Nothing.
For Jagger and the Stones, the last 30 years have been mostly about tours and greatest hits albums and collecting money. And aging. Aging badly.
Is Keith Richards still alive? The rock band I saw on television reminded me of the Stones; senior citizens at a Halloween Ball proving to all the world their ability to look ridiculous, old, and grotesque all at the same time.
Remember that rock band that went out on top? The Beatles. Since then, rock groups seemed to have aged beyond belief. It's not a pretty sight.
Take Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett. One deceased, the other dressed for immortality. Both looked good in their prime, but time was kind. Sinatra looked better in his 80s than he did in his 40s. Bennett still looks great.
Whatever happened to Shania Twain, the country crossover rocker babe from Canada? Could there be a sexier, more sensual creature in a music video? Has age caught up to the beat beauty of country music?
People age, and the sight is not always good on the eyes. What would Elvis look like today? He died in his 40s but that was over 30 years ago. Somehow, the view of an old white man with no hair, a cane, a curled up lip, wearing a white jump suit, just doesn't have the same attraction as the virile King of Rock 'n Roll from the 50s, 60s, and 70s.
Rock 'n Roll may live forever, but bands and singers get old. A few look good along the way. Bobby Rydell and Donny Osmond come to mind. Others, like Keith Richards, just look like old people wearing a Halloween costume.
Mick Jagger is in his 60s and still rocks, despite being worth a gazillion dollars. The Rolling Stones had their share of hits-- 60s, 70s, maybe even one in the 80s, but what about the 90s and the 00s, the double-naughts? Nothing.
For Jagger and the Stones, the last 30 years have been mostly about tours and greatest hits albums and collecting money. And aging. Aging badly.
Is Keith Richards still alive? The rock band I saw on television reminded me of the Stones; senior citizens at a Halloween Ball proving to all the world their ability to look ridiculous, old, and grotesque all at the same time.
Remember that rock band that went out on top? The Beatles. Since then, rock groups seemed to have aged beyond belief. It's not a pretty sight.
Take Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett. One deceased, the other dressed for immortality. Both looked good in their prime, but time was kind. Sinatra looked better in his 80s than he did in his 40s. Bennett still looks great.
Whatever happened to Shania Twain, the country crossover rocker babe from Canada? Could there be a sexier, more sensual creature in a music video? Has age caught up to the beat beauty of country music?
People age, and the sight is not always good on the eyes. What would Elvis look like today? He died in his 40s but that was over 30 years ago. Somehow, the view of an old white man with no hair, a cane, a curled up lip, wearing a white jump suit, just doesn't have the same attraction as the virile King of Rock 'n Roll from the 50s, 60s, and 70s.
Rock 'n Roll may live forever, but bands and singers get old. A few look good along the way. Bobby Rydell and Donny Osmond come to mind. Others, like Keith Richards, just look like old people wearing a Halloween costume.
