I've been thinking about Rod Stewart tonight.
Why?
I guess I was just thinking about art and ambition and happiness. I mean, at one VERY brief period of time, both alone and with the Faces, Rod Stewart was probably the most gifted performer in rock n' roll. Listen to his first solo album, simply called "The Rod Stewart Album", or to "Gasoline Alley" or his masterpiece with the Faces "A Nod Is As Good As A Wink...", or finally his solo masterpiece "Every Picture Tells A Story". These records were all made within two years of each other and they're so full of life and heart and self-effacing humor and swagger that it's impossible to reconcile them with the crap he has put out in the 30+ years since that. And yet he has become far more popular and much, much richer. Never has someone so thoroughly betrayed his talents for the money and the masses.
But, like I said, Rod Stewart has since been married to a succession of supermodels, his most recent album was a #1 hit, and in an age of "American Idol" and when performers can't WAIT to sell their songs to a car commercial, can Rod Stewart even be called a "sellout"?
Ok, I know what you're saying. "Who cares about Rod Stewart?" Good question. And I don't know if I do, but I was listening to "Handbags and Gladrags" earlier and it STILL sounds incredibly beautiful to me. And I just thought, "What happened? Why is is that people are so willing to accept mediocrity? And what is it in us that changes when we stop to care?"
I don't know the answer.
Why?
I guess I was just thinking about art and ambition and happiness. I mean, at one VERY brief period of time, both alone and with the Faces, Rod Stewart was probably the most gifted performer in rock n' roll. Listen to his first solo album, simply called "The Rod Stewart Album", or to "Gasoline Alley" or his masterpiece with the Faces "A Nod Is As Good As A Wink...", or finally his solo masterpiece "Every Picture Tells A Story". These records were all made within two years of each other and they're so full of life and heart and self-effacing humor and swagger that it's impossible to reconcile them with the crap he has put out in the 30+ years since that. And yet he has become far more popular and much, much richer. Never has someone so thoroughly betrayed his talents for the money and the masses.
But, like I said, Rod Stewart has since been married to a succession of supermodels, his most recent album was a #1 hit, and in an age of "American Idol" and when performers can't WAIT to sell their songs to a car commercial, can Rod Stewart even be called a "sellout"?
Ok, I know what you're saying. "Who cares about Rod Stewart?" Good question. And I don't know if I do, but I was listening to "Handbags and Gladrags" earlier and it STILL sounds incredibly beautiful to me. And I just thought, "What happened? Why is is that people are so willing to accept mediocrity? And what is it in us that changes when we stop to care?"
I don't know the answer.
VIEW 16 of 16 COMMENTS
and i think I'm falling in love with Gordon Matta Clark, this anarchitect who is so hot. He's such a bad guy. But he commited suicide in 1978 so we don't have a chance in this lifetime...
can you believe it??I'm falling in love with my books. I hope I don't have to do a work about monkeys or something...