Entertainment For Lively Minds
The only way to sustain creativity in a rock career.
Posted by Joe Muggs on 1 September 2008 - 9:35am.
At last I've worked it out! There is only one category of rock artists who manage to maintain any creativity past middle-age: ones that sound like old men to start with.
Neil Young
Robert Wyatt
Leonard Cohen
Tom Waits
Bob Dylan.
All started their careers sounding like ornery old gits, and all still write good songs many decades later. So if you want to be creatively active into your dotage, the answer is clear: start croaking now!
- More from Joe Muggs.
- Login or register to post comments
-
Paul Heaton
He has a mature voice too and is an excellent lyricist. Sounded old in his 20s with some Housemartins stuff.
Spot on!
Surely we can also add Randy Newman to that list. Although Van Morrison may be the exception that proves the rule.
Conversely, on the distaff side - Joni Mitchell ...quality career heads south as grumpy old woman gene kicks in.
If this is true then
it must work the other way round too. So anyone who sounded like a kid early doors must have seen age put the kibosh on their career and creativity.
Peter Noone - check
Little Jimmy Osmond - check
Lena Zavarone - check
Bay City Rollers - check
but Micheal Jackson was arguably at his peak in the 80s as opposed to his early days. Though I suppose nothing beats I Want You Back.
Actually Neil Young (circa I Am A Child, Old Man) and Robert Wyatt both sounded pretty childlike to me - in a good way of course. And you could argue Laughing Len started off with a youngish tenor until the mid 80s when his voice leapt down an octave.(or two!)
For me...
Michael Jackson's best records were made with The Jackson 5, with the exception of 'Off The Wall'.
Sustain?
re Mr Young. I'm not so sure that sustain is the right word, if you mean keep a consistent standard throughout. Have you ever ACTUALLY listened to Trans? Or Landing on Water or Everybody's Rockin'? Sorry Neil, no they weren't!!
Thank heavens it all eventually went back uphill!