"Classic Show Biz" In Rock

[filkertom]

In the previous thread, tomreedtoon mentions that he doesn't listen to "most serious pop music", and laments what he perceives as a lack of "classic show biz in the rock world".

Now, I am not in any way jumping on him. I think he's missed out, and I'd like to help. I think it'd be fun to not only show him that there is indeed such a thing as "classic show biz in the rock world", but also to introduce him to some of the truly great rock performances available online.

(I think this may be the Bowie-Turner performance he refers to.)

Since this is kinda show-biz-zy, let's try to stick to videos. Although there are forty-nine-thousand buttloads of great audio performances online, especially at places like The Internet Archive.

My first three choices, off the top of my head, would be these:
Meat Loaf - "I Would Do Anything For Love"

Annie Lennox - "Sweet Dreams" at Live 8 (cadhla, vixyish, tfabris, Ookla, we have fucking got to cover this at OVFF)

Billy Joel and Elton John - "Piano Man"

Link us up to some of yours!

Comments

[tomreedtoon.livejournal.com]

By the way, let me chime in. (You can tell by my Moral Orel face that I'm serious.)

In the very early 60's, the "lame" acts - people like Frankie Avalon, Fabian and the like - saw themselves as being part of show business proper. They not only sang, they got into movies (or tried to) and saw themselves doing what the previous generation did - do TV shows where they would host, do comedy skits and the like.

That ended shortly after the Beatles arrived. Especially among the rock acts at the time, when they were booked on TV variety shows, they resented being made to read lines and take part in skits. They felt they were all about the music and only about it. There was reverse hostility too...every time he had to book a rock act on his show, conservative Red Skelton came out and asked to play with the band on his autoharp. But mostly, the rock acts didn't want to be a part of show business, seeing themselves as untouched and pure artists. They saw show business as run by adults, Establishment, and evil.

End result: when people got tired of their music, those guys found themselves out of show business proper. Sonny and Cher were lucky; to survive they had to work state fairs and lousy clubs, and they learned how to be more rounded entertainers almost at gunpoint. Few other acts of their generation did, and got stuck playing "greatest hits" concerts to diminishing audiences.

Maybe not every performer can be "well rounded" and do a variety of things. I doubt that I'll see Tom Smith dancing with any stars, or Eminem getting hit in the face with a pie and taking it with comic good grace. But we now have a generation of rockers and musicians who don't even try to stretch themselves, and I think we're all poorer for it. I, for one, would like to see Eminem in a Three Stooges skit - maybe with the remnants of the Stooges, if any of that band are still alive, or with Run DMC.

[tomreedtoon.livejournal.com]

Oh, while I'm here, I might add that nearly all working bands never consider mixing comedy with music. That's why I support Dementia and filk; it's a way back to what I consider the natural order of things.