Monday, November 28, 2011

The Map Toward Metal Treasures!

Where have all the heroes gone? Or is this part of getting old? Is Steven Tyler of Aerosmith this generations Frank Sinatra? If so, does that make David Lee Roth Tony Bennett?

VH1 Classic has creatively latched onto the roots of heavy metal in America by pulling from the grave the unsung lyrics beyond what Rollingstone and Creem Magazine boldly tried to print in their headlines but were out sold by free posters in Tiger Beat, tell all rumors in People and unexpected pictures in US Weekly.

Although it feels like ten minutes ago; Alice Cooper singing Schools Out every three hours mutilated the once tame genre of sound held by Burt Bacharach, John Denver and everything Motown. Steppinwolf vowed to erase extremely long drawn out guitar solos by delivering the message faster than Tweets on Twitter while KISS levitated the rock power ballad with a B sided orchestra driven Beth that a rule breaking radio disc jockey from Georgia tossed on the air because Detroit Rock City wasn’t doing it for him.

Rock radio has seen more star wars than Darth Vader: base beats from 70’s Disco, 80’s safe happy programming of Phil Collins, Michael Bolton and Steve Winwood Adult Contemporary and an unexplained addiction to Country music that sounds more like mid-70’s Poco and Fleetwood Mac than Hank Sr. and Waylon. Metal has evolved within the times experiencing more reinventions then Madonna.

80’s Hair Bands weren’t meant to be a generational movement just as much as Kurt Cobain didn’t set out to collect millions of plaid shirt wearing supporters. Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam took on Ticketmaster! Billy Corgan from

Smashing Pumpkins writes and produces today but no longer waits to release his hand in metal…he posts it for those who’ve always supported. Lars Ulrich of Metallica didn’t attack Napster; it was a simple question that required an answer, “How could a piece of unfinished music he left two hours earlier be available to the world? It wasn’t fair to the artist!”

Again, Rollingstone Magazine has printed a story about how the Rock radio industry is dead; calling the recent firing of radio legend Jim Ladd the nail in the coffin.

How many times does the average person have to hear Party Rock Anthem, Boom Boom Pow and Rascal Flatts before they hit search on I Heart Radio?

Metal hasn’t changed only those who enjoy receiving it.

When a grey haired, face completely caved in eighty year old camper whips out a Droid to latch onto a sniff of modern rock; that tells me the beer buzzes that once shaped his concert going path three decades ago still places importance on Rock’s presence in the 21st century. The only difference between us are the stories held tightly by guitar licks and drum rolls that remind him of a deeper rock history therefore he uses it to bridge the generational gap introducing me to the music makers that forced Ted Nugent to create a garage band called The Amboy Dukes.

Where have all the heroes gone?

Lady Gaga stepped way ahead of the pop music crowd by designing an earth shattering Thanksgiving special that did more for the Post War, Boomer, Xer’s and Y generations than Harry Potter.

Why did Aerosmith captivate the masses of the lazy Capenter’s, Kenny Rogers, Cat Stevens 70’s radio scene? The message you’ll never read at Cleveland’s Rock n Roll Hall of Fame is that Joe Perry filtered nothing which gave his guitar a personality like that of a horn section so often attached to pioneers like Benny Goodman, Buddy Rich and Guy Lombardo.

The evolution of Rock will never be challenged by religion because those born to play it were already standing straight up.

When will the pages expose the makers of permission; those who stood before the gates of change and enlightened leaders to use Rock as part of their Sunday morning message. Can you say Stryper?

I’ve yet to hear how Rock Music as a whole has had a labor dispute forcing fans of the sound to wait until after

Christmas to watch the game. There’s never been a walk out. There’s never been a players strike. Radio didn’t enforce a lockout…nor is this part of getting older.

You haven’t lived unless you’ve tried to scream like Robert Plant. You don’t have a hair on your butt if you don’t bravely walk up to a karaoke microphone and belt out You Shook Me All Night Long.

Is Rock really over? I Heart Radio…

For the first time since 1984 David Lee Roth is pumping his California soul into the raging riffs mysteriously presented by the guitarist that once stood in front of Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley asking to replace Ace Frehely. I can’t stand the idea that Michael and Sammy aren’t part of the twist but like the road warriors they are; neither of them need Van Halen to continue spitting metal between their teeth. Where will you hear the songs? I Heart Radio!

Where have all the heroes gone? They’re on I Heart Radio…

Banking CEO’s come and go as do motivational speaking guru’s and major corporations that biggie sized not because its legal but it’s within our appetite to have a Super Wal-Mart and Lowes Home Improvement somewhere nearby.

We’ve stood witness to the mightiest of strength falling and will hold nothing against those that convinced us to throw away every album and cassette to purchase the compact disc then Ipod.

Free radio still exists without there being anyone but you in control… I Heart Radio.

My god this sounds like a cheap Wayne’s World designed free plug! Wow! I guess I deserve that punch. The reality is…I’m a radio junky that supports metal and don’t need a mining city to scoop up a shovel of what brings the house down. If I bump into something great…it’s my job to share it.

Rock n Roll will never die!

arroecollins@clearchannel.com

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