The State of Rock n' Roll

i just watched the tom petty documentary
it was about four hours long
and it recharged my rock n' roll clock

tom tells it like it is
he is america's troubadour
he had this quote about today's rock stars being made on game shows
i thought that was exact

i have people in my life who love the idol shows
and all the banal derivatives
i can't see it
i can't hear it
there's no heart
there's nothing real
it's smoke and mirrors

i realize i'm from a different time
and that i'm no longer being marketed too
that's okay
because the world is mostly for young people to enjoy
that's always been the way it is

but right now it's about speed
how fast can i get there?
when do i get my reward?
what can i do to stay relevant?
speed kills
you wanna get there?
take the high road
and take in some sights along the way
the high road ain't the easy road
the high road means you gotta work your ass off
and practice
and play with lots of different musicians
no free rides baby

i have people in my life who like the kings of leon
they sound like a good bunch of guys
and some of them have beards
they probably took the high road for a while
now they just cancelled a major tour
and this affects me
because our agency in canada works with their opening act - the sheepdogs
i like the sheepdogs
they have a decent sound
and some solid writing
and beards too!
and they know how to stink up a cross country van
for me
that gives them credibility
now
the kings of leon cancelled their tour because one of them has exhaustion
exhaustion?
you're on stage for 90 minutes a night and you have exhaustion?
i watched two guys tear down a roof in 90 degree heat today
i bet they do that at least three times a week
you'd think they would be pretty tired at the end of an eight hour day
i wonder if they phone in sick with exhaustion ever?
could you imagine?
'i can't come into work today - i have exhaustion'
pass the pink slip
anyway
the sheepdogs were all set to rock the world opening for kings of leon
now they have a massive task of finding new shows on short notice
this makes my agent tense
i like happy agents
happy agents are good for the series
at least they have some good news by being on the cover of rolling stone magazine

right now the music business is full of strong beautiful women
lady gaga - beyonce - katy perry - rhianna - clifton david
i don't know any of their music
but they all have sexy videos
with lots of boobies and bums
but this is not rock n' roll
i've been left behind
i figure that's the way things are supposed to be
but i have CAL
to remind me that true talent will always find a place in the world

this past weekend we played two flawless dark side shows in florida
i don't know if pink floyd classifies as rock n' roll
i always think of rock n' roll music as little richard or the stones
or the beatles
maybe rock n' roll is an attitude
a way to get through life
question authority
work hard
pursue happiness

craig
august 3, 2011
milk and a peanut butter and honey sandwich