Quote Originally Posted by edtyct
I'm not a particular fan of the rolling stones either, though I'm more contemporary with them. The thing that gets me is how people feel like they have the inside track on musicians' ability or motivation merely because they listen to music or because music is important to them or because their particular taste/bias inclines them a certain way, etc., as if they have some special entitlement. The idea that the rolling stones "sucked after Mick Taylor left" doesn't really mean all that much, since lots of people seemed to like them after that point. Is their judgment somehow less credible? And what about the suggestion that the rolling stones' "music is secondary to their maintaining their original lineup, their presence, and their ability to draw a crowd based solely on their past reputation, as well as their ability to still walk and breathe without visible aid"? So, what they want to do first and foremost is to keep the original core members together, which is valuable to them because it maintains their audience and makes them lots of money by allowing them to exploit their past reputation. Why don't all those people who flock to their concerts and buy their records see what we, who are really in the know, see--that the rolling stones have no genuine musical/performing relationship, or any direct interest in the experience of playing before a big friendly crowd? We know, unlike everyone else, that they're only in it for the money, which they need so badly.

But how many of us, if we were millionaires many times over, would still do our jobs if we didn't love them? And the ageism in this dismissal is hard to take--that the ability of the rolling stones to make viable music is suspect because they are old by some people's standards. Why don't they just go home and leave the music world, not to mention the rest of the world, to the kids, who incidentally will never age themselves? I'm reminded of Jerry Seinfeld's line in the show when confronted with someone who persisted in making questionable jokes about religion. When asked if he was insulted as a religious person, Seinfeld answered, "No, I'm offended as a comedian." I'm not defending the rolling stones as a fan, I'm defending them as a person with a few years.
I couldn't have said it any better. Nice.....very nice indeed.

Robert