Time For A Swansong.... or is it?

Jayd · 13 Jul 2004, 19:20

Found a piece in tonights Manchester Evening News about Rock Stars approaching retirement age, Meat gets a mention, cant seem to post the link but pasted below to read:

IT was in 1965 that The Who's Pete Townshend penned the memorable line: "Hope I die before I get old". Over the years, half The Who died and the other half got old.

Could the writer of My Generation ever have anticipated that his band would still be singing that song of rebellion and bloody- mindedness when the years of rheumatism and bifocals beckoned?

Townshend and Roger Daltrey, both 59, are preparing to tour Japan and Australia... 39 years after penning that immortal line and 22 years after The Who's first "farewell tour".

Many other farewell tours will genuinely prove to be the last goodbye, however. Tina Turner, 64, shimmied her last in 2000, saying that, after 44 years of touring, she did not want to reach a point where her stage antics were no longer dignified.

Cher, 58, has done 200 dates on her long farewell tour, after complaining: "I'm getting too old for this. This thing is kicking my ass. This thing would kick Britney Spears' ass. This show is hard!"

Hank Marvin, 62, once told the M.E.N. he would know the time had come to stop touring when, "I wake up in the middle of the night and go for a pee in the wardrobe".

Last month, The Shadows played their last farewell gig at the London Palladium. Perhaps he did finally take that wrong turn in the night.

Phil Collins, 53, passed through Manchester recently on his farewell tour, citing deafness among the reasons he will tour no more. "To me, it was almost a relief," he said. "I know it sounds perverted, but it was like, `I can't do this any more'. It meant I had to make changes."

Meat Loaf, 55, said that the pain he suffered in his legs after years of stomping around concert stages meant last year's big tour would be the last. As if to prove that a quieter life beckoned, even those goodbye dates had to be re-shuffled for him to undergo heart surgery.

Generation

"This is probably the first generation that has reached that level where they are too old, in their own minds, since popular music started in the fifties and sixties," says Paul Rees, editor of music magazine, Q.

Paul Simon has called the current tour, "A nice way to say, officially, goodbye." The duo first met at the age of 11, at school in New York, split in 1970, reunited for a tour in 1981, but fell out so spectacularly that they did not speak for a decade.

In 2003, they sang together at the Grammy Awards and the idea for the current tour was hatched. On the timescale of past Simon and Garfunkel reunions, another one at a future date seems most unlikely for the 62-year-olds.

But you can never discount the odd encore. After The Eagles split in 1980, Don Henley said a reunion would happen, "When hell freezes over".

The Eagles 1994 tour, consequently, was called the Hell Freezes Over Tour. The fiftysomething country-rockers are now into the second year of their cannily-titled "Farewell 1" tour. Even so, Henley admits: "There are certain days when everybody's tired and everything is getting very old, and one sort of hits a wall."

Rees says: "Foolishly, I went to see Black Sabbath several years ago, on their retirement tour, and got very emotional at the end of it. A year later, they were touring again."

Ozzy Osbourne staged his No More Tours tour 12 years ago. Look at him now. Kiss's Farewell Tour lasted from 2000 to 2002, but they never could say goodbye.

The fiftyish rockers are currently girding themselves for the 2004 Rock The Nation tour. The tradition of the artist who keeps coming back for another farewell tour dates back even to Frank Sinatra.

Britain's first professor of popular music, Prof Sheila Whiteley, of Salford university, says artists' farewell tours are often, "Their debut curtain call - the first of thousands. What they want is for their loyal fans to say, `Oh no, not the last ... surely just another would not hurt'."

Meanwhile, there are some old-timers who seem unstoppable - the Rolling Stones are into their sixties, Paul McCartney is 62, Tom Jones is 64, Cliff Richard is 63. It's not as if any of them needs the money. James Brown is still an electric performer at 71. Bluesman BB King is still going strong at 78.

"Nobody ever says that Muddy Waters or John Lee Hooker, in their sixties and seventies, were not capable of doing valid work," says Rees. "The one challenge for people is to go on producing good work. Bob Dylan has done it. His last two albums are as good as anything he has done for two decades. Springsteen continues to do it.

Britney Spears

But he adds: "I can't imagine Britney Spears still knocking it out at 40 or 45 years of age. Madonna has made some great music, but what she does is a big song and dance show and it is a very difficult thing to turn it into her being a pure musician. Madonna is freeze-framed in a certain time and period."

Prof Whiteley is still a fervent fan of the Rolling Stones. But she says Paul McCartney begins to resemble Cliff Richard, while Cliff himself, she says, "Is becoming the Vera Lynn of the music scene".

But she maintains: "Creativity is not confined to youth. Good writers, good musicians, good academics, come to that {hellip} creativity should in many ways expand, continue and reflect life experiences."

REES says: "You go and see McCartney and he has not made a good record for the best of 30 years. The focus is now: 'Here's the Beatles', and you can't recreate the Beatles with a bunch of session musicians.

"It doesn't work. What you get is a cabaret sing-song - fine if that is what you want, but, as an artistic thing, it has no relevance at all.

"I love the Stones, but I don't think they have made a valid record for three decades or more. Mick Jagger is still pretending he is in his twenties. The way to do it is to accept who you are and not apologise for it. There is nothing wrong with being in your fifties and sixties and making music.

"The great thing thing about Dylan and Springsteen is that they reflect on their mortality and write about themselves as they are. They aren't re-writing Jumping Jack Flash or The Frog Chorus.

"Having said all that, when the Stones finally do say, `This is the last time', I'll be at the front of the queue for tickets, because it makes you realise how old you are when people you have listened to have reached a point where they are hanging up their boots."

Gez · 19 Jul 2004, 19:43

Suppose it comes to us all.........have a wee drink..

Alice · 23 Jul 2004, 01:39

Well, there are musicians who are more than 60 years old and still play, make touring and recordings.

For example the band Hawkwind, their leader, Dave Brock, is 62 and they tour a lot this year, playing festivals and preparing for big European tour this Autumn.

13 Jul 2004, 19:20	#1
Jayd If I could bust into hell....... I would Join Date: 13.06.2003 Location: Montclair, New Jersey Posts: 1,314	Time For A Swansong.... or is it? Found a piece in tonights Manchester Evening News about Rock Stars approaching retirement age, Meat gets a mention, cant seem to post the link but pasted below to read: IT was in 1965 that The Who's Pete Townshend penned the memorable line: "Hope I die before I get old". Over the years, half The Who died and the other half got old. Could the writer of My Generation ever have anticipated that his band would still be singing that song of rebellion and bloody- mindedness when the years of rheumatism and bifocals beckoned? Townshend and Roger Daltrey, both 59, are preparing to tour Japan and Australia... 39 years after penning that immortal line and 22 years after The Who's first "farewell tour". Many other farewell tours will genuinely prove to be the last goodbye, however. Tina Turner, 64, shimmied her last in 2000, saying that, after 44 years of touring, she did not want to reach a point where her stage antics were no longer dignified. Cher, 58, has done 200 dates on her long farewell tour, after complaining: "I'm getting too old for this. This thing is kicking my ass. This thing would kick Britney Spears' ass. This show is hard!" Hank Marvin, 62, once told the M.E.N. he would know the time had come to stop touring when, "I wake up in the middle of the night and go for a pee in the wardrobe". Last month, The Shadows played their last farewell gig at the London Palladium. Perhaps he did finally take that wrong turn in the night. Phil Collins, 53, passed through Manchester recently on his farewell tour, citing deafness among the reasons he will tour no more. "To me, it was almost a relief," he said. "I know it sounds perverted, but it was like, `I can't do this any more'. It meant I had to make changes." Meat Loaf, 55, said that the pain he suffered in his legs after years of stomping around concert stages meant last year's big tour would be the last. As if to prove that a quieter life beckoned, even those goodbye dates had to be re-shuffled for him to undergo heart surgery. Generation "This is probably the first generation that has reached that level where they are too old, in their own minds, since popular music started in the fifties and sixties," says Paul Rees, editor of music magazine, Q. Paul Simon has called the current tour, "A nice way to say, officially, goodbye." The duo first met at the age of 11, at school in New York, split in 1970, reunited for a tour in 1981, but fell out so spectacularly that they did not speak for a decade. In 2003, they sang together at the Grammy Awards and the idea for the current tour was hatched. On the timescale of past Simon and Garfunkel reunions, another one at a future date seems most unlikely for the 62-year-olds. But you can never discount the odd encore. After The Eagles split in 1980, Don Henley said a reunion would happen, "When hell freezes over". The Eagles 1994 tour, consequently, was called the Hell Freezes Over Tour. The fiftysomething country-rockers are now into the second year of their cannily-titled "Farewell 1" tour. Even so, Henley admits: "There are certain days when everybody's tired and everything is getting very old, and one sort of hits a wall." Rees says: "Foolishly, I went to see Black Sabbath several years ago, on their retirement tour, and got very emotional at the end of it. A year later, they were touring again." Ozzy Osbourne staged his No More Tours tour 12 years ago. Look at him now. Kiss's Farewell Tour lasted from 2000 to 2002, but they never could say goodbye. The fiftyish rockers are currently girding themselves for the 2004 Rock The Nation tour. The tradition of the artist who keeps coming back for another farewell tour dates back even to Frank Sinatra. Britain's first professor of popular music, Prof Sheila Whiteley, of Salford university, says artists' farewell tours are often, "Their debut curtain call - the first of thousands. What they want is for their loyal fans to say, `Oh no, not the last ... surely just another would not hurt'." Meanwhile, there are some old-timers who seem unstoppable - the Rolling Stones are into their sixties, Paul McCartney is 62, Tom Jones is 64, Cliff Richard is 63. It's not as if any of them needs the money. James Brown is still an electric performer at 71. Bluesman BB King is still going strong at 78. "Nobody ever says that Muddy Waters or John Lee Hooker, in their sixties and seventies, were not capable of doing valid work," says Rees. "The one challenge for people is to go on producing good work. Bob Dylan has done it. His last two albums are as good as anything he has done for two decades. Springsteen continues to do it. Britney Spears But he adds: "I can't imagine Britney Spears still knocking it out at 40 or 45 years of age. Madonna has made some great music, but what she does is a big song and dance show and it is a very difficult thing to turn it into her being a pure musician. Madonna is freeze-framed in a certain time and period." Prof Whiteley is still a fervent fan of the Rolling Stones. But she says Paul McCartney begins to resemble Cliff Richard, while Cliff himself, she says, "Is becoming the Vera Lynn of the music scene". But she maintains: "Creativity is not confined to youth. Good writers, good musicians, good academics, come to that {hellip} creativity should in many ways expand, continue and reflect life experiences." REES says: "You go and see McCartney and he has not made a good record for the best of 30 years. The focus is now: 'Here's the Beatles', and you can't recreate the Beatles with a bunch of session musicians. "It doesn't work. What you get is a cabaret sing-song - fine if that is what you want, but, as an artistic thing, it has no relevance at all. "I love the Stones, but I don't think they have made a valid record for three decades or more. Mick Jagger is still pretending he is in his twenties. The way to do it is to accept who you are and not apologise for it. There is nothing wrong with being in your fifties and sixties and making music. "The great thing thing about Dylan and Springsteen is that they reflect on their mortality and write about themselves as they are. They aren't re-writing Jumping Jack Flash or The Frog Chorus. "Having said all that, when the Stones finally do say, `This is the last time', I'll be at the front of the queue for tickets, because it makes you realise how old you are when people you have listened to have reached a point where they are hanging up their boots."

19 Jul 2004, 19:43	#2
Gez Knicker thief Join Date: 17.04.2003 Location: auch...not on the fence Posts: 5,633	Suppose it comes to us all.........have a wee drink..

23 Jul 2004, 01:39	#3
Alice Junior Loafer Join Date: 14.04.2002 Posts: 25	Well, there are musicians who are more than 60 years old and still play, make touring and recordings. For example the band Hawkwind, their leader, Dave Brock, is 62 and they tour a lot this year, playing festivals and preparing for big European tour this Autumn.