The Death of Rock 'n' Roll?

Noel Gallagher, songwriter and guitarist of the 1990s Britpop band Oasis, considers himself "the last of a dying breed" of rockstars.  In his lengthy cover interview with Esquire UK for their December 2015 issue, Gallagher decries the current state of rock 'n' roll.

 According to Gallagher, who is as well known for his music as he is his unapologetic cultural commentary, "Rock’n’roll is all about freedom and honesty. Freedom of thought, freedom of expression. You have a duty to be honest [...] To me, it’s about fucking utter gobshites just being fucking headcases." Bands like his own, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Stone Roses, the Smiths, and the Kinks meet this criteria. These bands, for their personas as much as their music, are considered legendary and elite. Because of this, his critique of modern rock music can be analyzed within mass culture theory.

"Record companies now can sell a billion Ed Sheeran downloads tomorrow morning. They don’t want someone like [...] me. They want professionals. That’s what it’s become now." By 'professionals', Gallagher means musicians who make calculated decisions in relation to their careers and public personas, who participate in social media, and are conscious of their actions, and the public reactions they will garner. This hyper-awareness quickly snowballs into a perceived lack of authenticity, the very backbone of Gallagher's rock 'n' roll, which discredits the artist and removes his/her work from the elite tier, and into the common world to be celebrated by the masses. Gallagher continues his lament, tearing into contemporary rock bands: "This new generation of rock stars, they look great: [Arctic Monkeys frontman] Alex Turner, [...] the guys from Royal Blood. They’ve got the fucking skinny jeans and the boots, and all that eyeliner. I’ve got a cat that’s more rock’n’roll than all of them put together." Though they may look the part, their music is considered less valuable because they aren't rock 'n' roll by his standards. Neither Alex Turner nor Royal Blood are ever in the headlines for outrageous partying or insulting other bands, like Oasis were in their heyday; they're usually just selling out Madison Square Garden or putting out well-received albums. Though their success is comparable to that of the elite, they are not considered elite because they lack the spirit of rock 'n' roll.

Gallagher's ruthless take-down of modern rock has a lot of room for criticism itself. Firstly, it is very elitist. Since he considers his own now-defunct band among the greatest of all time and then juxtaposing himself against these newer groups, he is implying and sometimes directly stating that he is better than them-- he is one of the best that's ever done it, and they can never touch him. Additionally, his argument is hedged on his own taste. The quality of music is ultimately subjective, and each person hears it different. Though the artists he calls out may have never played a show on the level of Oasis' legendary Knebworth gig attended by 250,000 people (referenced throughout the article), they are very successful in their own right, and are clearly enjoyed by both fans and critics alike. Ed Sheeran recently sold out Gilette Stadium, and I have personally attended two Arctic Monkeys gigs that were packed to the brim with fans shouting out every lyric. Finally, Gallagher is clearly bitter that his generation is being replaced by an entirely new breed of rockstars. "Ten years ago," he tells Esquire, "I said we’d be the last. I just felt it. [...] And I've been proved right. And I don’t like that." So maybe the 'gobshite' rock 'n' rollers of the 1900s really are dead and gone, but as long as someone out there has a dream, some tight pants, and an electric guitar, rock 'n' roll will never die.