Two Shots of Gin (Or A Nobel Peace Prize)?

When I was growing up in the '60's and '70's, the job description for pop star was simple: you grew your hair long, cut a few records, never woke up before noon, shagged a few groupies, married a fashion model and hung around the pool drinking too much overpriced booze. Maintain that lifestyle for a couple of decades and you've got yourself a nice career (Hello, Rod Stewart).

If you were a real overachiever, you could work heavy drugs, fast cars and an early death into the mix, assuring that your progeny will always have fodder for legal battles or lucrative appearances on Oprah (Hello, Jim Morrison).

Back in those days, not only did we know where our rock stars stood, we knew where our parents stood. Musical miscreants like Janis Joplin gave Mom and Dad someone to point to while lecturing about the evils of loud music, tight jeans and covert masturbation. Sure, George did Bangladesh and there was hippie talk about peace and love, but for the most part the rock and roll world conveniently revolved around a culture of reckless self-indulgence.

Ah, those were the good old days.

Today, things have gone all topsy-turvy.

Sure, we've got Amy Winehouse and Britney Spears and Courtney Love, but the whole Prada-Soaked-in-Courvoisier thing is so Paris Hilton. And the "I'm privately going to rehab (but be sure to let them know at Entertainment Weekly)" thing is so screamingly '90's it makes me want to wear a fanny pack and buy a Furbie. [Personal note to Britney: Real pop stars don't do rehab: they either die young or maintain a nice steady stream of drug and alcohol consumption until Johnny Depp co-opts their personality for a pirate movie.]

So, save for a few hyper-inflated floozies flown in from planet "Me, Me Me," what does rock and roll stardom have to offer us? A bunch of do-gooders.

Last week, I wrote about how those pesky progressives over at Farm Aid were spouting all that stuff about giving money to the farming industry instead of Wall Street. Sure, it makes a lot of sense but can Willie Nelson really call himself a 'rebel' with that kind of talk? I know Willie's getting on in years, but isn't there some sort of senseless debauchery tucked away in his kit bag of celebrity?

It's a good thing John Mellencamp dropped that whole "Cougar" thing from his name a long time ago. Can a guy really call himself a "Cougar" and then go about spending his time advocating for farmers, people who were and should always be the economic backbone of our country? I don't think so.

And what about Barry Manilow? We've heard rumors about his selfless work in supporting school music programs, working with a bunch of other do-gooders to dig up $500,000 in instruments for kids in California.

Barry's never been much of a rebel. Well, there was that Beagle thing in the 1970's, but c'mon, instruments for under-funded band programs? Isn't there some sort of licentious skeleton in his closet that can suddenly come to life and land 'Ole Barry in the tabloids?

Now, in the ultimate slap to rock and roll self-centerness, Paul McCartney is out there advocating for, get this: PEACE! Last week, he was in Tel Aviv, no less, meeting with a bunch of young people from the One Voice Movement, talking about how Israel and Palestine could eventually come to peaceful terms.

In a press release, Paul's quoted as saying,  "I'm not a politician -- I just want to bring a message of peace. In every place I perform I see that people want the same thing".

OK, Paul, I think we're all on the same page with you: this whole Arab/Israeli pissing match is about 1000 years old and it's a little tired. But, doesn't Paul know that Pop Stars For Peace is so '70's, that WAR is what makes the headlines? If we didn't have a war, what would do with those several hours of presidential debate time we have scheduled for prime time?

I'm all aboard the Peace Train, down with the farmers, totally supportive of the kids and their bass drums. But all this do-gooding from pop stars back to back to back is rocking my world.

Excuse me while I dump some Jack into my coffee and go back to surfing the web. I heard rumor that Jim Morrison really is alive and living Paris...and he's rooming with Bon Scott.

Comments

[Matt]

If Jim's alive and well in Paris why the HELL isn't he swooping back in to rescue us from the fake rock stars you mentioned? I don't think he had Britney in mind when he wrote LA Woman...

[eric]

I can see why he would be hiding in Paris. LA is nothing like it used to be. Once financial Armageddon completes its process, it might go back to what it once was.

[John Beck Real Estate]

This blog Is very informative , I am really pleased to post my comment on this blog . It helped me with ocean of knowledge so I really belive you will do much better in the future . Good job web master .