Sunday
Jan202019
Twilight Of The Idols: 'Monkey' Edition
Sunday, January 20, 2019 at 10:16AM Today's post is from our friend HIM.
I’ve been gloating a lot lately about my none-too-amazing prognostications of years past (see 2015 and 2016). I also haven’t been contributing that much (I’ve hinted at the reasons why and will leave it at that). So I decided to meet myself halfway and do a bit of both. I am kind, to myself, that way.
We all know the story: we are losing the bands and musicians we love. Tours are becoming odder, combining bands in ways that often defy logic. Festivals are becoming weaker, with a few bloated goats at the top and a whole lot of ‘huh’ bands filling out the middle and bottom. When it comes to metal and glam, we can put all the faith we want in the new guns. But, and let’s be honest here, the bands we really love are going extinct. That’s just the nature of life.
Case in partial point: Skid Row. The classic line-up is still alive and sorta’ kicking. They just don’t see eye-to-eye. On one side stands Bach, a megalomaniac of diminished range but also infinite appeal (at least for some). On the other side stand people like Sabo and Bolan and, to a lesser extent, Hill. They have diminished appeal but also a ‘we don’t care’ approach to the whole reunion idea. They go through singers like underwear. Bach goes through tirades about them like underwear. And they all go through rounds and rounds of releases that are less and less interesting, playing in places that are less and less crowded. Bach scores some points for being a bit more in the spotlight. But those points aren’t exactly doing him any favors.
And so we arrive at this: the 30th Anniversary release of Skid Row. A classic of the era. Should be a celebration, right? Nope. It is a Rhino Records digital release (meaning: it exists in the ether like bits and bytes of this and that) with only an already released bonus track and a live concert performance already available on YouTube and other sites. Not too amazing. Then again, no one in the band (currently) or Bach likely had anything to do with this. This is stuff other people own. But imagine what it could have been. What stuff must be out there, even if Bach did suffer the loss of a lot of memorabilia in the flood a few years ago? What sort of tour would have been mounted if all the major players could get in the head space necessary to please the fans?
That said, what we do have is proof that they mattered, 30 years ago:
Skid Row - Monkey Business (Live On SNL) from Jaehyung Lycanus Sim on Vimeo.
Simply put, that stuff is amazing! Yes, Bach seems to be a bit too amazed by his own stage presence. Then again, wouldn’t you be if you were Bach back then? Watch how he moves and drops and swings and bangs his head. And the band is tight. Really tight. That is something we will never, ever, see again. No matter what. Even if they all decided to play nice and get back together. It . . . won’t . . . be . . . the . . . same. Ever.
This is a long post with a short, if bittersweet, payoff. Many of you just watched what you wanted to see. None of you will ever see that again. Unless you push repeat.
Yes, there are new bands carrying the torch. Yes, there are other genres and sub-genres. But, no, what all of us really dig is dying. And it won’t get better. It will just get different. Reason being, we are all trapped in amber. And, as I said in a recent post, the bill always comes due. So play what you can while you can, because we will all pay when we must.
We are lucky to Bring Back Glam! But we can’t go back. Skid Row is dead. Long live Skid Row!!!
Reader Comments (10)
here's Skid Row in 2018...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Xih10RbTTY
Yes I'm a huge fan
That being said, I did wanna comment on your other point. There are a lot of great newer bands out there these days and finding them is even easier than it has ever been, you just hafta look for em. If you want more, I suggest broadening your horizons and checking out some other genres for once. That will expand the possibilities of success & satisfaction, even more! 🤘🏼
Still, it is good you flagged the subject so we can all document the demise of our heroes together.
For me, I knew it was all pretty much over - the beginning of the end, if you will, when I saw Cinderella’s last show.
So, even though our heroes are fading fast, there are lots of new bands inspired by them who are kickin’ a*s, albeit virtually anonymously, since there isn’t a huge appetite for Rock & Roll among America’s youth today.
But you of all people, Shawn, knows which new bands ROCK and which one’s not! Please go to Allyson’s “Best Albums of 2018” to check out 60+ Comments revealing all the great albums and songs of 2018 and then some! We need your list, man!!!
I was far from gloating, Metalboy! Sorta' taking a p*** on the fact that I was stating the obvious. That said, this anniversary and how it was celebrated vs. how I remember them put things into an 'obviously' stark contrast. Reactive? That is a word that the Scientologists use a lot. I best get myself to a center and get my stuff ironed out. I kid.
Nice story about Hill, Crued. Cool that he remains a level-headed fellow. Bet that was a treat.
Koz, I like your approach. I actually take the same approach too. Did that when I went to see Ryche a few years ago. Did the same when I get to see most of the older bands. If I don't, then it is just me being a dink for not giving them a bit of credit for carrying on. At the same time, there are some artists I think should call it a day and some that haven't and still act like they bring it like they did when they were young. Bach and Coverdale come to mind. I suppose I would be willing to grant them more of a pass if they were a bit more truthful with us. But that would mean they had to be honest with themselves. And I can certainly understand how hard that is for anyone. Myself included.
And I agree with you, Bkallday. If you read what I wrote again, I at least gestured to your point regarding which set (Bolan and Co.) needs which set (Bach and his wine and ego) more. I also agree with your point about newer bands. Only to a degree though. There are a few reasons for that. First, you pick any new band and feel that they are great. Cool. You say "X is the greatest new thing." Then wait a few years. Are "X" as great as Skid Row, Poison, or Crue were? Oh no. You see what I did there? They aren't . . . at least for us. And that is the passage of time and the handing off of the torch to another set of fans and music lovers.
But there is something more at play as well. Even if these newer bands are easier to find, they are also easier to lose. They don't maintain traction. Yes, for a host of reasons. And, yes, a few do squeak by. I guess I am pointing to that whole "rock is dead" debate that Simmons started. There were some very important kernels of truth in what he said.
Shawn, your point is what I was gloating about (I guess?). For each of us, there is that moment where we realize that something that mattered to us is slipping away. At that point, you start to see traces of it all around you. Why? It marks a split with the time when you were a part of something and the time when you are now looking for something.
Eras end not in dramatic moments. Nah. They end slowly. But we find those moments we can point to and say, "It happened. It ain't ever gonna be the same." That doesn't mean we still don't love the greats (I do). It also doesn't mean we don't find new bands that do something for us (I do). It just means we aren't the ones in the main line anymore. Truth is, neither are Skid Row, Motley Crue, Poison, Cinderella, etc., etc. When they pass, we do too (at least in part and hopefully at least mostly figuratively).