By Ian Liberman
COREY TAYLOR’S SOCIAL COMMENTARY
With the unrest, shootings and protests in the news recently in the United States, Corey Taylor (Slipknot, Stone Sour) shared his thoughts about how rock music can help in peoples’ lives in a recent article on NME.com…
“Anytime you think and feel that maybe things are too much, you’re being made to feel like things are too different, things are too overwhelming, you feel like you’re not strong enough to stand up not only for yourself but somebody else, just remember that music and life bring us all together.”
Taylor also discussed the Black Lives Matter movement in the article.
“THE MAN WHO SOLD THE WORLD”… AND HIS ART COLLECTION
David Bowie’s art collection will be sold by his estate in November of this year by Sotheby’s in London. Wealthy fans will have the opportunity to select from 120 sculptures and 300 paintings. Fans who cannot afford to participate, but want to indulge in fantasy, can click here to see the pictures of the collection.
QUICK HITS
Sean Lennon says that if you play the Beatles album Revolver over and over again, you will go into a trance.
Body Count with Ice-T recently did an impromptu cover of Slayer`s “Reign In Blood.” Click here to check it out!
SORRY DONALD!
Both Queen and Third Eye Blind were none too thrilled with Donald Trump using their music during the Republican National Convention, and let him know that it wasn’t acceptable.
TRENDS/OPINIONS
The Shunning of Rock and Rap/Hip-Hop
Rock and rap do not get the attention that they deserve in the mainstream.
The Grammys have only have four categories each for rock and rap/hip-hop, despite the fact that these two genres make up between 75-80% of all CD/vinyl sales. Pop music, which is well-represented at the Grammys, only makes up approximately 10% of CD/vinyl sales.
As if it isn’t bad enough that these two powerhouse genres are largely ignored in the general categories, they also have to suffer the indignity of having pop acts creep into the handful categories that belong to them. Furthermore, the awards that they do receive are not even featured in the television broadcast.
The other institution that shuns both genres is The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Though there is some debate as to what is actually “rock and roll,” it can certainly be argued that rap/hip-hop artists deserve their seat at the table before acts that are pure pop. NWA got inducted this year, but not without a fight, and disdain from Gene Simmons.
The hard rock and metal industry has blasted the RNRHOF for their biased attitude towards the genres that clearly should take preference over pop, R&B and disco artists.
Is it time for these two outsiders to team up and form their own awards show to get the recognition that they deserve?
Rock and rap/hip-hop have a long history of musical peer acceptance and admiration, so this idea has more credence than you might think at first blush. We’ve seen collaborations between Linkin Park and Jay-Z, Rage Against The Machine and Cypress Hill, Anthrax and Public Enemy, Aerosmith with Run-DMC and others.
My suggestion is that both of these ignored genres band together to promote and recognize each other’s talents through a peer award system. The money, music, sales power and talent are there already, and there are cable stations and content creators (like Netflix) that offer the potential to reach rock and rap/hip-hop audiences directly.
Let us know what you think…
INFERNO OF ROCK TRIVIA QUESTIONS:
If trivia is up your alley, make sure to check out the Inferno of Rock Trivia Card Game available on Amazon or worldwide from Rock From Hell.
AUGUST 2016 TRIVIA QUESTIONS
- What was so special about Kiss Comic number 1 by Marvel in 1977?
- Sharon Osbourne spends a lot of her free time with her favorite charity now that she is separated from Ozzy. What is the charity?
- Metal Poet Henry Rollins, in a video for Funny or Die, reads what Dr. Seuss classic?
[a] The Cat In The Hat [b] Green Eggs And Ham [c] Oh The Places You’ll Go
JULY 2016 TRIVIA QUESTIONS
- What was the famous Jack Black movie that puts rock music back into the field of education? What is the actual song that wins the class the prize? School Of Rock, “It’s A Long Way To The Top” (AC/DC)
- One very famous hard rock band has a lead guitarist who loves to throw axes in axe competitions. What is the name of the band? Killswitch Engage. Lead guitarist, Joel Stroetzel
- Which metal band will be joined on stage by an 82-year-old vocalist for a few gigs in this summer of 2016? Drowning Pool
Leave a Reply