They all espouse either an anti-authoritarian or a Romantic existentialism - or sometimes both. Whether it be punk's rebellion or hippydom's ''tuning out'', you see a total lifestyle and thought process being set across. So teddy boys dressed this way, listened to this music, had this political ideology. Switch teddy boy with mod, rocker, hippy, punk, etc etc. And they are all young and stupid enough to think they will ''change something'' and this will be their status in perpetuity rather than become Reagan or Thatcher voters. A few rarer types think they can drink and drug themselves into oblivion and not end up a fat sweaty shaking mess who shits their pants. Only Keith Richards can pull the stuff off. Even Jimbo ended up with a beer gut.
Pete Townsend used a lot of what I describe in Quadrophenia. From the movie, you'll see Gary Daniel's character appalled when he discovers that Sting, playing the top Mod, fuels his lifestyle by being a subservient bell boy to ''the establishment''.
But they look to their leaders as their font of wisdom. ''Jesus replacements'' or replacements for political and military figures that were formally admired. That has what has happened since 1955. Teenagers-twentysomethings have constantly looked for Jesus replacements. But ultimately for these heroes, those English stately piles and extra houses in Beverly Hills and the Caribbean look just too enticing and those Greatest Hits tours will easily provide the cash. Some of them even get their head turned by reactionary politics. It is just easier to play the hits then try and make better ones.
Thus Presley went from whipping up female teenage girls into a sexual frenzy, to joining the army and supporting Nixon (in fairness, Elvis never espoused some flabby bullshit). John Lennon vacillated in an embarrassing mess of hypocrisy and contradictions neatly encompassed in the Imagine music video. Johnny Rotten will get a nice cheque from selling butter and do the hits thing.
Axl Rose. Axl Rose and GN'R. Where do you even begin there? There are very artistic and admirable statements from 1990 where Rose said he wanted to ''topple Appetite'' and there is no reason he is saying this for financial motives. And now he is content to just play the ''best of collection'' like Perry Como.
It is all just a con.
