Roger Daltrey Says Rock ‘n’ Roll Has ‘Reached a Dead End’
Roger Daltrey, the man who once sang "Long Live Rock," has declared that the genre is dead.
In a new interview with The Times of London (via Stereogum), the Who singer said that rock 'n' roll has “reached a dead end,” but he does see some hope for future music in the form of hip-hop.
"The sadness for me is that rock has reached a dead end," he said. "The only people saying things that matter are the rappers and most pop is meaningless and forgettable. … You watch these people and you can’t remember a bloody thing."
Daltrey has been quite vocal on a number of subjects in recent years, including the music industry (he said he refuses to make another record because the internet ruined everything), AC/DC's recent tour (it was a karaoke show without singer Brian Johnson, he said) and even his fans (he stopped a show after someone fired up a joint in the audience).
And he's not the first veteran rocker to chime in on the whole rock-is-dead thing. Gene Simmons, Joe Perry and even the late Lemmy Kilmister declared the genre kaput.
But apparently the classic-rock side of things is still relatively healthy. Daltrey just wrapped up two moneymaking weekends at the Desert Trip festival, which included sets by the Rolling Stones, Neil Young and others.
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