02-04-2009, 11:04
Certain artists commonly thought of as overrated are figureheads for group identification. So-called "heartland" artists like Bruce and John Mellonhead speak to common, folksy things like hanging out in familiar places, blue-collar hardship, attachment to home state, home town, etc. The Dead are figureheads for the hippies; the Clash for punks.
If you want to make big bucks in the music business, find a large flock of sheep and sing to them in their language. That's not to say that the above bands are not good, sincere, or that all of their fans are sheep, but to understand scale of their appeal, I think you have to look beyond their music and to their image, what they represent on an emotional level, etc.
As for any that I'm totally clueless about within the rock category (Don't get me started on pop.), I guess I'd have to say Van Morrison. Apart from Brown Eyed Girl, I find his songs very boring. He doesn't have a strong enough image to be a figurehead. He's just sort of been there all these years, making albums here and there, and putting me to sleep.
If you want to make big bucks in the music business, find a large flock of sheep and sing to them in their language. That's not to say that the above bands are not good, sincere, or that all of their fans are sheep, but to understand scale of their appeal, I think you have to look beyond their music and to their image, what they represent on an emotional level, etc.
As for any that I'm totally clueless about within the rock category (Don't get me started on pop.), I guess I'd have to say Van Morrison. Apart from Brown Eyed Girl, I find his songs very boring. He doesn't have a strong enough image to be a figurehead. He's just sort of been there all these years, making albums here and there, and putting me to sleep.