Music Blogs

There are a lot of people out there. Who can speak for them?

Even musicians who have universal clout--say, John Lennon--don't speak for us. Sure, we quote them in yearbooks and on greeting cards. "Life's what happens while you're waiting for the bus" or whatever.

And while certain performers seem more aware of social issues, it still doesn't make them a spokesperson. And if it does, it immediately makes their music worse. If Joe Strummer is now St. Joe Strummer, patron saint of all politically-correct punk rockers, then the outlaw power has been neutralized and it's time to go back and worship the Dead Boys instead.

That said, it's pretty obvious that performers from Kurt Cobain to Marvin Gaye, Public Enemy to Bob Marley, Biggie Smalls to U2 (notice how many die young!) would easily get someone's nod for speaking to and for a generation. Yet I think just about anyone could fit the bill.

So I decided to work up a list of ten performers who I've seen kidded for their sincerity, lampooned for their hamfistedness, goofed on for their one-hit wonder status...and I still prefer all of them to U2, who despite unifying Europe, bringing humanitarian aid to Africa and selling cellphones in the U.S, simply don't speak for me or for the 145 friends I have on Facebook who I now proudly speak for, whether they want me to or not.

John Denver: First off, sunshine on my shoulder certainly makes me happy and when it shines on the water, it looks lovely. So the man knew what he was talking about. He was a visionary of sorts. He saw the value in Colorado long before so many people started moving there. Yet, was it his sunny disposition? Did he make life seem too easy? Should he have brooded more? Sung about drug addiction? Chances are more people experience the joys of the sun on a regular basis than a canister full of crank. If not, start thinking about these people you're hanging around with.

Barry Manilow: The man was a showman! Who hasn't danced to "Mandy"? (I've got videos on some people). Who hasn't slurred the words to "Copacabana"? Who hasn't felt the exhilaration of "Looks Like We Made It" or whatever they call that song? Yet, again, another guy thrown on the scrapheap of history. Incredibly successful, but never taken seriously for entertaining millions. Maybe if he'd sung just one tune about Watergate!

Matchbox 20: I admit I can't name one of their songs offhand. But I know Rob Thomas has guested on other people's albums and that means he's got friends! So he's a social networker. And in this day and age that seems to be just as important as actually doing something.

Counting Crows: Nothing says "cutting edge" like Counting Crows, huh? Upon first arrival, Adam Duritz and his boys were being compared to the Band, Van Morrison and other staples of classic rock. Then something happened. Duritz started dating the cast of Friends. The era didn't embrace them and while they scored a few hits, they never got their seriousness taken seriously. Years of post-graduate Springsteen studies gone to waste.

M.C. Hammer: Of all the successful rappers in the world, M.C. Hammer gets to be the butt of the jokes. Sure, he isn't all that great, but there are plenty of averagely talented people in the music business who nobody jokes about. They just leave them be. There was a time when people actively sought out this man's look. I still do, apparently.

Cher: She's been around forever and I guess the infomercials didn't do much for her credibility, but the woman has been a trendsetter and a fashion plate for generations. I'd wager she's sung at least one line as profound as "I found it hard, it's hard to find, well, whatever, never mind." HELLO?

Lionel Richie: How come lite-rockers and romantic balladeers are never given the same respect as cranky hard rock guys and gangsta rappers? Is it the choice of sweaters? And why should a man be so judged? The message should be in the music, not on the fashion label. I guess Richie should've found something to protest.

Rush: Rush sang about society! They sang about outerspace, the future, geopolitics. Their worldview seems every bit as thought out, if not more so, than that of the Clash or U2. Is it because they're Canadian?

Twisted Sister: Bob Dylan was considered the voice of protest and he was asking questions like "How many roads does a man walk down before you call him a man?" (The answer is four, by the way). But Twisted Sister took it WAY further, letting parents know they wanted to rock and that they weren't going to take it. And for this, they get consigned to the cut out bins?

Enrique Iglesias: I guess some guys are just considered too good looking to be taken seriously. If you're too much of a sex symbol, you're just not allowed to say anything important or have what you say be taken as important. Enrique sings in the universal language of love, the language that transcends borders, generations, galaxies. But, alas, he is still just some Rodney Dangerfield looking for respect.