Guys want to be them, girls want to love them. Rock stars are iconic, and

are part of a new American Tradition of the anti-hero. Elvis shaking his hips. The

Doors getting banned from the Ed Sullivan show because Jim Morrison said “higher.”

And current day with aging rockers the Rolling Stones making half a billion dollars on

their tour. One must ask: What makes a rock star simply rock? There are three things

that every musician needs to be a successful rock star: appearance, partying abilities, and

being in the papers.

Having a good signing voice, being able to kick ass on a guitar, or being

able to bang on the drums like you are giving the marching beat for the devil’s army is

not all a band or a rock star has to have. You must look like a rock star. Before Judas

Priest became the Judas Priest that we know today, they were more of a hippy band

wearing flowing robes that were rather fruity. The image changed to leather & chains and

the rest is history, with the album British Steel being a huge hit and making Judas Priests

not only rock Stars but eventually rock legends. Sid Vicious of the British Punk band Sex

Pistols would go on stage with spiked hair, and a chain with a lock around his neck…in

my opinion very punk! Motley Crue, the most decadent band of all history, had a glam-

metal look about them. With lots of hair, ripped and torn clothes, and tattoos the Motley

bunch rocked in L.A. 100% bad ass, 100% rock stars! Is it true that clothes make the

man? Well the clothing may not make the man, but image is important.

How much alcohol does a normal person in society consume on a regular

basis? Maybe a 6 pack a week? Maybe a case? Well a true rock star drinks that in one

sitting every day. A party for us normal people last only one night, while rock stars will

(and do) go on for days where the debauchery does not stop. You cannot be a rock star

alone with just alcohol. Beer and Liquor is legal, while drugs are illegal. A true rock star

may not be out in the open with there drug use, but they sometimes consume massive

amounts of mind altering substances. Nikki Sixx, bassist for Motley Crue, has overdosed

on two different occasions from heroin. Proving that a rock star can pull a song out of

any situation, Sixx went on to write “Kick Start My Heart” about the situation. Keith

Richards, lead guitarist for the Rolling Stones, has been quoted as saying he mixed a

portion of his dad’s ashes with cocaine. Both Nikki and Keith are members of two of the

most highest selling rock bands of all time. A true rock star can handle the booze and

drugs, and possibly end up in rehab. One may ask that if a rock star “sobers up” are they

still considered rock stars? If you get a tattoo and then get it removed does it mean that

you never got it? My point exactly. Now shut up and keep reading.

Getting in the paper is always exciting for anyone, once I had my picture posted in

the local newspaper. But for a rock star that is simply small potatoes. A rock star being

in the headlines, or on Entertainment Tonight, is good for business. Someone may see

something in the papers about Dee Snyder going before a Senate hearing committee to

fight against warning labels on CD’s, or Keith Richards falling out of a coconut tree.

That brings attention to the cause of rock, and the selling of albums so that a rock star

can continue the reign of destruction that goes hand in hand with rock star life.