I don't see how Layne Staley has anymore status than Curt Cobain, Staley just took a softer way out. Both were among my favorites, but I don't see much difference.

I shed no tears for Cobain's passing; just wasn't impressed w/ him or Nirvana so much. It was like a bunch of impressionable larva just NEEDED a new Morrison-esque hero, and the spangly jumpsuit fit him perfectly.

How can they put Dave Matthews as a Rocker? Yeah, he should be despised for his warbly overwrought language targeted at deep-thinking college (as well as literal) sophomores -- but a "Rocker" AYFKM?

I despise Jimmy Buffet and Van Morrison for the same reason, and it has nothing to do with them -- it's their pinhead fans who would play the same f*cking tunes on the jukeboxes in all the ginmills I've worked, night after freaking "nihilism-is-looking-optimistic-after-the-third-'BrownEyedGirl'-in-three-hours"-night.

JP

There is a huge difference. Staley died from livin' the rock n' roll lifestyle, albeit to a stupid extreme.

Ka-Bang just killed himself. Period.

BTW - Dying from years of untreated alcoholism/drug addiction is not softer than .00002 seconds with a 12 gauge.

Word. Shame he was never able to clean up his act.

Kurt Cobain was nothing more than a two-bit commercial jingle writer who couldn't sing worth a damn and was barely able to play three chords on his guitar.

The day after he shot himself my room mate put up a sign on our floor that said, "One Down, Two To Go!"

I'll have to disagree with Dave Grohl being anywhere near this list.

Jerry Cantrell was the real talent behind Alice in Chains...Layne was the voice.

My guess is that it'd still up there....

Data Point: When GG Allin died, the nicest thing I heard anyone say about him was, "Good, I'm glad he's dead."

True Story: When Layne's body was found dead after decomposing for weeks, I was watching CNN with the TV on MUTE. And when the headline appeared saying, "Alice In Chains: Gruesome Discovery", my first thought was, "Wow, AIC must have a new album with a really cool title."

Sometimes I am such a stupid rocker. :D

Pretty easy for me to see that Cobain was an artist, pure and simple. I'm told Nirvana had a fairly good drummer, but the reason their music had such impact, and still has such impact and popularity, was not because of the finely polished fina album versions, nor was it the technical wizardry of the musicians. It was something that shines, through the roughness of the performances and the productions...like the proverbial diamond in the goat's butt.

For my money Eddie Vetter is just a guy that sings with his tongue curled up into the back of his throat. Someone suggested I listen to them (Pearl Jam, right?) and I liked everything about them, except the singer. YMMV.

Cobain was a for real guy....he believed what he said...

Not like the fking showbiz sell outs....that go on to cash out well into their 60's....

Or the alternative radio view.....that Cobain was too Dumor fked up to realize the biz he was in is called SHOW BIZ....

All hail Layne Staley and Jerry Cantrell!

I have to agree with the positives about Cobain that have been said here. Technical ability is not directly proportional to artistic ability. That whole genre was a completely different way of thinking from the party-all-night, drink-yourself-dead stupidity of rockers like David Lee Roth and the like. Love him, hate him, he gave a voice to the youth of this country who were sick of the arrogance and extravagance of Metal.

never one to shy away from a musical opinion, let me offer a few:

Nirvana: without Butch Vig (producer), Nirvana would have stayed in the "who?" file as just another noisy band. Yes the songs had hooks and were catchy. Yes they had "angst" and made everyone feel good about flannel. Becuase it was produced within an inch of its life. Cobain was good, but only stays at the current icon status because he died. Like many others, death is a good career move.

McCartney: Easy to bag on him. Sure, he's put out some crap and been a prick about credits, etc. But he forever changed rock and roll. And before you say "oh, it was really John", let me say BS...John didn't play bass. You talk to any bass player worth their salt. They'll tell you that McCartney transformed the instrument and the way that people thought about and played pop/rock music. Period.

Axl: He should have died young like Cobain and Staley...wouldn't be a joke like he is now. He is inconsequential to music.

As for the rest of the list...hard to argue too much. Santana has an amazing body of work, but I can see why he gets backlash. GE Smith is no rocker...he's a wanna-be studio guy.

I'm not sure the criteria for this list. Is it people that always sucked? People that were good, then sucked? People that sold out? There are a couple people on the second list and honorable mention that I could understand taking a poke at, but in all honesty, they are pretty amazing musicians. Clapton? Sure he's done some up and down stuff, but he's a survivor that still gives a crap and can play. Gabriel? Politics aside, still interesting. SRV? Why's he on the list?

I agree, as Johnny Rotten would have said, he's gone to join the stupid club.

Adding in Billy Idol. All I wanted to do through the 80's was left hook him in that curled lip.

Oh yeah, and the music sucked.

With all due respect, I cannot for the life of me understand how you guys would consider anyone like Cobain or Rose an artist. I occasionally listened(maybe still do now & again) to their "junk" because it was catchy or maybe even just "on the radio". But even then I knew I was just blowing chewing gum bubbles like everyone else. Is this really what passes for talent in the R&R industry anymore?

Tabsy, A Cobain fan??????? Where's my medication?

Dude, how old are you?

30,

Yep right in their target audience. This is the crap I grew up with. What was your point? How old are you, and more importantly why would it matter?

Just cause they are so artistic in their self-destruction.

Oh, you meant musically? They both suck.

Best thing ever happened to Dave Grohl was Curt sucking on a 12 gauge soda straw.

Since we're on the topic, who did the parody song to the tune of Carly Simon's "Your So Vain"



"Curt Cobain, I bet they do an album without you..." That had my peeing my pants.

Ed. Spelling

Axl had his time in the light...he won't be there again. He's a hack who was in the right place at the right time, and (for awhile) worked hard. Then he started believing his press.

Compare and contrast him with Clapton. EC has reinvented himself a number of times over the years. Been through multiple addictions, relationships, tragedies. Still sells albums. Still gets respect. Still sells out large venues. He was big in '66, and in '06 he'll likely have another album out and be touring.

What's Axl's 40 year trajectory?

As for Cobain, we won't know, since he wimped out. I like Grohl...not mindbending music, but he's got heart and balls. Not many would make it big on drums, then switch to guitar and make it big all over again.

Although I'll be playing at show at House of Blues this weekend on guitar instead of bass :p

My wife use to work artist relations, then marketing for Yamaha. She use to meet alot of these guys at I think it was called the NAM show over by you guys in Cali. Lets just say my general opinion of most of these guys was likely pretty spot on. They don't create, they are created.

I've gone to the NAMM show every year since '88. Always an interesting weekend...especially after 1pm when the ghouls finally rise and show up.

The best cats are usually the studio guys...you know, the ones that go in and play the music after the "stars" have screwed it up. Of course they don't get credit...and even that scene has withered over the years.

The industry is a messed up place, and I can't say I'm sad to see it going to pieces. New models have to replace the old ones...but I digress.