What is a Rock Star?

The Prig talks about "being a rock star" a lot. But what does that really mean? Quite simply, it means you are giving the public something it yearns for (outside of the music). It's why Badfinger never hit the big time even though Paul McCartney wrote songs for them. It is why Pearl Jam helped define a scene and Mudhoney stayed relatively unknown. It's why people actually think Jim Morrison had talent.

Rock Stardom is a fickle but powerful thing.

But what makes a rock star? Here is a short list of qualifications that I look for. Kindly apply these metrics when you are listening / watching your new favorite indie buzz band and judge (harshly) accordingly.

1) The Look. First and foremost, the band / lead has to have "The Look." There are many forms of the Look: really good looking (Mick Jagger, Blondie), weird looking (Robert Smith, Siouxsie Sioux), bad looking (Iggy Pop, Peaches), ridiculous looking (George Clinton), insane looking (Axl Rose). Whatever it is, it has got to have something. Liam Gallagher's hair spawned like a hundred (albeit mostly shitty) bands - the power of the The Look is undeniable. Without the look, you probably won't last.

Taking your band picture with the Hipstamatic app on your iphone probably won't work.

2) Drugs. Doesn't always apply (see Ian MacKaye), but usually is part of it. Heroin can make and break a band. Drugs can be the difference between this:



and this:



Need I say more?

3) Creativity of Origin. You don't need to be the first mover, but you need to be a creative driver in a scene. The Beatles creating Britpop out of working class Liverpool. R.E.M. out of the indie rock scene of Athens, Georgia. Pearl Jam and Nirvana out of Seattle grunge. The Jam out of the Mod scene. Even Ariel Pink has a story - the guy was a shut who made 500 songs in his house before people took notice.

You're a middle class kid making "beats" on your Mac? Sorry man, not going to work for me.

4) Having Something to Say. The lyrics / music have to resonate with a mass of people. Being a small mass (30 Seconds to Mars) or a large one (Lady Gaga) - having something to say goes a long way to making a rock star.

The National seem to make girls wet just by singing about watching TV. I don't get it, but obviously they're saying something.

5) Swagger. Tough to measure, but absolutely necessary. In a room full of bands, is your band the coolest? It should be. Even to the point of idiocy, I need my rock star to believe that his / her band is the center of the universe. I need my rock star to believe his concert is the highlight of the listener's year.

Without swagger - could we ever have had this?!

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All aspiring Rock Stars, please see the above and act accordingly. The Prig doesn't make the rules, he just recognizes them and acts accordingly. So should you.