The interest in musicianship is undoubtedly there. The question is, where are today’s real live guitar heroes, keyboard wizards, bass masters and drum virtuosos? Sure, YouTube is the temple of the talented, as well as the not-so-talented, and is full of would be musical heroes ready to unfurl their capes and fly. So why aren’t these guys and gals household names? What’s different now than when we were in our formative music years?
If you remember growing up in the 60’s, 70’s or 80’s, the virtuoso was elevated and praised to the ends of the Earth. He was the super hero of millions, challenging conventional wisdom and inspiring those of us born with minimal or modest talent, to keep on searching for the lost chords or the perfect paradiddle.
Jimi Hendrix did things with a guitar that still can’t be easily beaten today. Pete Townshend’s unconventional approach, experimentation and frustrations made him known the World over. Jeff Beck found a sound and style that was, and still is, totally his own. As the 60’s turned into the 70’s, London walls were daubed with the words “Clapton Is God”. The 70’s saw Jimmy Page and Richie Blackmore dazzle fans with their virtuosity. And at the end of the same decade, Eddie Van Halen’s “Eruption” decimated our fragile eardrums and blew our tiny minds. In the 80’s Edward’s legacy paved the way for Vai, Satriani, Bettancourt, Malmsteen and many more guitar slingers besides. And then…
And then it stopped. Bands still had good players, but few folks knew their names. Perhaps the hair metal bands with their posing and posturing killed our taste for an honest hero? Or maybe it was the Seattle sounds of Nirvana and Pearl Jam that relegated the role of virtuoso to the scrap heap? Rap certainly has had its effect by eliminating the entire need for talented players on most tracks. When rap re-discovered rock through collaborations by Run DMC and Aerosmith, and Public Enemy and Anthrax, there could have been hope for the return of the musical hero. But it wasn’t to be, as later rap/rock acts such as Linkin Park and Deftones, along with most of the Emo movement, just ignored the need to restore musicianship on its vacant pedastal.
It was a regression in rock. The noise had been brought without the ability to play well. And so differentiation became limited, and excitement levels fell along with sales. These guys were just like us. The played, sang, dressed and performed just a few notches above our own levels of minimal and modest talent.
This had negative impact all round. Unless they were superfans, no-one could name most of the individual members of a top 10 band. This was bad, not from an elitist “musicianship = good” stand point, but rather from a brand perspective. Back in the 70’s and 80’s, a band’s brand was made up of DNA that almost always included its members virtuosity, personalities, names and interests. This will never work in the same way again because it’s all laid out in front of us on the web. Folks don’t care what the guitarist is called and what his favorite licks are because there’s no mystery. Back in the day, it was often difficult to hear a record before buying it. And it was hard to find information or articles on many up and coming bands. Today it’s all there. All successful and sustainable heroes need to be shrouded in a degree of mystery, like Page and his once alleged fascination with occultist Alistair Crowley. Today, that’s just not possible. Our bands are transparent, their laundry is on the line, and at the end of the day, they are just made up of regular guys. The magic has dissolved.
There is no shortage of talent in the world, but it hasn’t risen to the top just yet. The media doesn’t care about virtuosity, so there’s no incentive for it to showcase such talent. There is a severe shortage of outlets for talented rising heroes. Radio doesn’t give a damn. It’s based on the “Don’t bore us – get to the chorus” mentality to generate ad sales. Same with TV for the most part. Maybe we need “So You Think You Can Shred” to spur the return of the rock hero? Naturally it’s all down to the web, but its fragmentation isn’t producing heroes at a rate of knots just yet.
So here we are today, waiting for a hero or two to emerge from the web abyss. Will they ever come back? I think, yes, without a doubt. And fairly soon.
In Europe, and to a lesser degree in the US, progressive rock is on a sharp rise. Never the most fashionable musical genre, prog never went away. As any self respecting owner of “Close To The Edge” will tell you, this, the genre of throwing daggers into keybopards, touring with costly 100+ piece symphony orchestras and always making sure that there’s a never-ending drum kit nearby at all times, is also clearly built on virtuosity. Radiohead has proved that it’s ok to create complex songs. Today’s prog is taking that philosophy and adding another layer – groundbreaking musicianship. And it’s emerging through the web and live shows, and very little else. It’s the vanguard of the new wave of heroes. Bands like Porcupine Tree and Dream Theater have huge, passionate followings, and grass roots bands from Finland to Oakland are following in their wake. The next Jeff Beck and the future Neal Peart will most likely emerge from this underground but highly active and talented scene.
So watch out. The return of the hero is nigh, and it’s coming on the crest of the prog new wave. So for those of us who remember prog’s heyday, is it time to dust off the Yes tour jacket, squeeze into that Van Der Graff Generator ’77 tour shirt and slap Aphrodite’s Child on the stereo? Well if that’s what it takes to return the guitar god to his throne, you can count me in (but please, do keep it to yourself).
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