They say that rock 'n' roll will never die, but playing it on stage could very well kill you. Or at least leave you with lots of aches and pains that will nag you for the rest of your life. The same goes for other genres as well. Just ask these legendary rockers, pop stars, and other performers. The music biz is dangerous.
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They say that rock 'n' roll will never die, but playing it on stage could very well kill you. Or at least leave you with lots of aches and pains that will nag you for the rest of your life. The same goes for other genres as well. Just ask these legendary rockers, pop stars, and other performers. The music biz is dangerous.
It sometimes feels like musicians can get away with anything. Justin Bieber can get arrested and still keep cranking out mediocre music. Ozzy Osbourne can bite the head off a bat and still land a mediocre reality show. Johnny Cash can publicly confess to shooting a man in Reno, just to watch him die, and still get to cut a record in Folsom Prison. Man, what would a musician have to do to get in some real trouble?
Being a rock star has to be one of the greatest jobs — and feelings — in all of existence. Not only do these lucky individuals get to spend their lives following their creative muse, but they get well-compensated for their troubles, in the form of financial riches and the unending adulation of appreciative fans.
It's a poorly kept secret that rock stars and their bands don't exactly view themselves as normal people. To paraphrase Christopher Walken: Sure, they put their pants on one leg at a time just like the rest of us, but once their pants are on they make hit records, rock auditoriums full of people, and dodge mountains of groupies who are all trying to get their pants off again. Just imagine being on tour: Everybody allowed to come into contact with you is there to cater to your every whim, thousands of people show up every night in different cities just to hear you rock, and you get paid obscene amounts of money for this. You could be the Dalai Lama, and that would still go to your head.
Being a famous musician is a pretty tough gig. Sure, there are plenty of perks, like fame and fortune, but you've got to put in some pretty long hours if you want to succeed. Plus, there's always the chance you could get shot, knifed, or tortured to death. Because when you reach the peak of musical perfection, there's always some lunatic out there who wants to drag you back down ... and bury you six feet under.
