Brad Skistimas’ song criticizes old rock stars who at the outset were anti-establishment and are now the establishment.
Brad should keep in mind that this is human nature; to be a rebel when you are young. And once an artist makes it all the way to the top the star tends to enjoy the benefits of success and blend in with the establishment. We will have to wait and see if he does succumb to the same success trap.
Looking back at the evolution of American music, new types of music like jazz, blues, folk, country, rock & roll, R&B and rap, etc, emerged as a rebellious challenge to established air play dominance music of their time. This is part part of artistic and technological role innovation plays in American culture.
The same applies to different types mediums that play, distribution music, like: Live shows, radio, TV, records, cassettes, CDs, the web and smart phones, etc. New types of mediums also favor new emerging talents and styles. Five Times August represents the most recent form of medium distribution: Videos, streaming, podcast, X~Twitter, etc…
What annoys me about establishment rock is that most old rock stars sold their music rights to big corporations to form a senior “Muzak” play list we hear over and over in every store. Music that overshadows new talent. With the growing popularity of online commerce that might change and favor new talent.
As for me, I listen to Internet radio stations, mostly located abroad that play unknown new talent…
