“Tubes World Tour,” The Tubes – “A mighty important crusade … We’ll be leaving as soon as we’re paid.” It’s a dizzy, busy life for these merry men (and one lady), a theatrical bunch that started life way on the outre side, before moving center. Even McGuinn has admitted he likes Patti’s better.) Kinda all you need to know about the ride, right?ĪUDIO: Patti Smith Group “So You Want To Be…”ĥ. “So You Wanna Be a Rock ‘n’ Roll Star,” Patti Smith (written by The Byrds’ Roger McGuinn and Chris Hillman. And sex recipients from the more than willing local girls. Aside from Connie’s treats, there’s the joy of coming to your town to help you party it down. Your biggest, grandest fantasy as a teen boy about what the rock life is all about. “We’re an American Band,” by Grand Funk Railroad : As referenced up top. The aforementioned bits from “Life on the Road” and “All the Way to Memphis.” Add to that: “Motorway,” “Sittin’ in My Hotel,” “This Time Tomorrow” and “You Can’t Stop the Music,” “The Ballad of Mott the Hoople,” “Saturday Gigs” and “Marionette” plus Ian Hunter’s “Once Bitten, Twice Shy” from his solo debut LP.ģ. Kings of the Road (winners, tie) : The Kinks and Mott the Hoople. So, in that I have lived vicariously, transported via the magic of music into a sweet, sweet Connie’s embrace with Grand Funk Railroad, ridden on a bus all the way to Memphis with Mott the Hoople, and hung out with the boozers and losers on the road with The Kinks.ġ. Some of these listed songs are about the process – the drudgery/delight of the road and others more about the biz itself. The list is many but off the top of my head, Mission of Burma, The Cure, The Cars, Tortoise, Spiritualized, Buzzcocks. I also have to raise a glass that in many years of rock toil have never written a rock/road song. This one, in a very bad way You keep yelling, “Wrong! Wrong! Wrong!” Some of their first album songs stick forever. They were mad scientist Tom Scholz’s studio project unleased upon an unsuspecting AOR world with creamy hooks and just enough hard rock/melody to bit the commercial bullseye. Special razzie here goes to the band Boston for “Rock and Roll Band,” with that “We’re just another band out of Boston …” No, they were not a band playing clubs, sweating it out, grinding it out. Other times we – that is, those of us outside, listening in – wanna shout out, “Hey, stop wingeing about how wearying your privileged life and write about something that touches all of us out here in the wasteland or normalcy!” (Sometimes, two different things.) The rule of thumb – or maybe fallback position – in literature or music is “write what you know.” Many a rocker has taken that to heart. I have, however, listened to scads of songs about being a rock star and/or a rocker on the road. I’ve never been blinded by the spotlight on stage. Nope, never in my youth did I schlep a guitar and a suitcase, trawling across the land in a crappy van, playing shambolic gigs in crappy bars for $100. I am not a rock star, nor have I ever been a rocker on the road.
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