10-12-2020 - Last of their Kind

 Last of their Kind

IDEA - 10-12-2020

by

Patrick Ryan

1,472 Words

When did rock and roll die?   Rolling Stone interviews the rock band, Cam Tuning, in their dressing room. The show is in two hours, but there are no signs of jitters; this group of four guys has been on the road since the band was signed in 1997. It's rock show number 1,380, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, tonight. Show number 32 of 68 on their 2021 tour. They'll hit the road again later this year and play Europe and Asia. Just another year for a band that hasn't had a hot 100 hit in 4 years and hasn't cracked the top ten in 7 years. They open and close the show with classics from the late 1990s and early 2000s. They try a few new songs in the middle, that's when they see the crowd thin out; I guess bathroom breaks and concessions are a calling. The interviewer for today's session, Martin Sally, is young, couldn't be over 25, leads with the question, "When did rock and roll die?" The band is surprised and refutes the argument, but Marin fires back with statistics, "four." "What?" "This year, there were four hot 100 rock songs, so far, and just 12 last year. That’s if you consider electro-pop, rock." "Hell no! That shit is wack," the band responds. "Okay, then none." This statistic surprises the band. They spout some modern bands they like, but Martin has a response to all their suggestions. "They haven't had a hit since 2015, they split up in 2018, the lead singer is in rehab, they're now experimenting with instrumental music." As the band sits and attempts to find a competitor for themselves, Martin says, "You guys are an endangered species, a rock band that releases new music and gets radio play; guitar solos, high-notes, bass, and drums ... a typical rock band."  Your audience used to be a mixed group of males and females, and are now mostly white males dragging their girlfriends to the show, but they end up on their phone most of the time. "Look at top-rated music videos." "That's the problem, MTV no longer plays music videos." "Of course, why would anyone watch MTV for music videos? They're a reality television channel? Music videos are on YouTube, and they're watched more than ever in human history; but they're not watching rock music videos, mostly just hip hop and rap." They delve into different topics from the diversification of music sub-genres to how people consume music; every step of the way, Martin is there with data and a forecast that Cam Tuning is dying. A band from another age is left in a world that no longer consumes their new music. Playing rock and roll, turning the amp up to 11, and living the rock star lifestyle is everything they've ever wanted to do; tonight, the band realizes it's coming to an end. After the interview, they hear their opener close their set; it's an electro-pop band.