quotations about rock 'n' roll
Rock'n'roll is no more insurrectionary than the Bank of England. Far from being at war with capitalism, pop is its purest offspring.
CHRISTOPHER BRAY
"The Fall of the Rock Stars", Spiked, September 2017
I was seven years old and my father was trying to get me to shut up and go to bed. He was trying to find something on the radio to put me to sleep and accidentally came across a rock station -- I think it was KIMN in Denver. Suddenly, I was like, 'No! No! Leave it there! I like this!' After that, there was no stopping me.
JELLO BIAFRA
Punk News, December 8, 2017
We're just going to play rock and roll and not do anything else; we're going to stay in our rooms, and the world is a nasty, horrible place because it didn't give us everything we cried for. Right?
JOHN LENNON
attributed, The Beatles: A Recording History
My my, hey hey
Rock and roll is here to stay
It's better to burn out
Than to fade away
Hey hey, my my
Rock and roll can never die
There's more to the picture
Than meets the eye
NEIL YOUNG
"Out of the Blue"
Most rock journalism is people who can't write, interviewing people who can't talk, for people who can't read.
FRANK ZAPPA
attributed, The Year the Music Died: 1964-1972
In fact rock, rather than being an example of how freedom can be achieved within the capitalist structure, is an example of how capitalism can, almost without conscious effort, deceive those whom it oppresses.... So effective has the rock industry been in encouraging the spirit of optimistic youth take-over that rock's truly hard political edge, its constant exploration of the varieties of youthful frustration, has been ignored and softened.
MICHAEL LYDON
attributed, The Sociology of Rock
Rock 'n' roll's is built upon the dumb, sometimes satisfying, things humans have done to themselves.
SARAH MACDONALD
"Sex Is Never Just Sex on St. Vincent's 'Masseduction'", Noisey, October 17, 2017
Rock and Roll is inclusive. It welcomes rockers of all races, religions, ages, ethnic backgrounds, alternative lifestyles.
MAURY DEAN
Rock and Roll
Heavy decibels are playing on my guitar
We got vibrations coming up from the floor
We're just listening to the rock that's giving too much noise
Are you deaf, you want to hear some more
AC/DC
"Rock and Roll Ain't Noise Pollution"
I knew the bride when she used to rock and roll.
NICK LOWE
"I Knew the Bride"
This is the failing of the digital age: we are no longer creating any new rock heroes. The days of the titans are gone. Music stores are bankrupt, MTV is dead, a world tour no longer means anything when you can watch it on YouTube for free. Fans have destroyed music by trading in Buddy Rich for a drum machine on an iPhone.
KRISTY LOYE
"Rock and Roll is Dead, and Even Axl & Slash Can't Save It", Houston Press, January 5, 2016
Rock 'n' roll is meant to involve loud volumes and small sweaty rooms. It's sex, danger, joy, pain and repetition mixed with a certain amount of danger and mystery.
BOB REUTER
Tales of a Talking Dog
I hope the guy who came up with the phrase "sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll" rots in hell, I'd like to change it so it makes more sense: "sex death and rock 'n' roll".
GENE SIMMONS
attributed, "50 More Rock'N'Roll Quotes", Clash Magazine, May 1, 2009
Rock and roll ain't nothing but jazz with a hard backbeat.
KEITH RICHARDS
Life
They say the heart of rock and roll is still beating
And from what I've seen I believe 'em
Now the old boy may be barely breathing
But the heart of rock and roll, heart of rock and roll is still beating
HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS
"The Heart of Rock and Roll", Sports
It is an essential sign of the popularity of rock and roll that it constantly marks its difference from other musical cultures, whether popular or not. Rock and roll is, from its own side, not merely a subset of "pop," and there must always be music that is not rock and roll. Such "other" music is "co-opted," "sold out," "bubblegum," "family entertainment," and so on.
LAWRENCE GROSSBERG
Dancing in Spite of Myself: Essays on Popular Culture
Rock and roll is a nuclear blast of reality in a mundane world where no-one is allowed to be magnificent.
KIM FOWLEY
attributed, "50 More Rock'N'Roll Quotes", Clash Magazine, May 1, 2009
Rock 'n' roll is absurd, and only feeds the serious work of liberation by shattering our sense of order via that absurdity.
ANN POWERS
"Kesha Annihilates Authenticity", NPR, September 28, 2017
A missive to all you metal bands, the world is totally over the rock thing. Rock is deader than it's ever been.
BILLY CORGAN
attributed, "50 More Rock'N'Roll Quotes", Clash Magazine, May 1, 2009
As I define it, rock and roll is dead. The attitude isn't dead, but the music is no longer vital. It doesn't have the same meaning. The attitude, though, is still very much alive -- and it still informs other kinds of music.
DAVID BYRNE
Rolling Stone, December 13, 1990