Why PE‘s rock solid support for has-beens?

Weekend Window, with Leon Muston

HAVING been working as a music journalist for close to a decade, I‘ve come to the conclusion that there are only two groups of people who still support has-been rock stars.

The first, much to my dismay, is the Port Elizabeth ticket-buying public. If you haven‘t had a hit for between 15 and 30 years, come to our neck of the woods. We‘ll support you.

This has been true for Earth, Wind and Fire, Belinda Carlisle and Smokie and will probably be true for reggae veteran Eddy Grant when he visits the city in February.

He last had a chart hit in 1987, but that won‘t stop the Port Elizabeth public from making sure the NMMU Indoor Sports Centre is at least half-full, singing along with Gimme Hope Jo‘anna, Living on the Front Line, Electric Avenue and I Don‘t Wanna Dance.

Unfortunately, these same people won‘t bother driving down to Tapas, Pool City or the Anchor to support new, up-and-coming local groups.

In December I saw two hot new Durban-based acts, Fire Through the Window and Gonzo Republic, play at Tapas to an audience of only 20 people. Even a trio of better known names – Louise Carver, Spoonfeedas and Southern Gypsey Queen – pulled fewer than 100 paying customers between them a week later.

Organisers of an event at Pool City were celebrating a gig with an audience of 250 as a huge success.

The trend continued into January, with 45 people attending Liesl Graham‘s gig.

Maybe 30 years from now these same bands and artists can play to a full stadium in this city, once they‘re old and grey.

There‘s a second group of people who support over- the-hill rock stars. They are the voting members of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the body which decides the Grammy Awards nominations every year. If you haven‘t heard a band on radio for about 20 years, there‘s a good chance you‘ll find their names on the nominations list. We‘re used to seeing Paul McCartney, The Eagles, Robert Plant, Stevie Wonder and Bruce Springsteen on the list, and AC/DC genuinely had a hit this year, so we won‘t focus on any of them, but there are some real surprises among the contenders waiting desperately for that glittering awards ceremony in February.

James Taylor still graces the album chart from time to time, but hasn‘t had a hit single since the 1980s. Yet the man who once sang You‘ve Got a Friend, obviously has quite a few on the voting committee to find himself up against Kid Rock, Ne-yo and John Mayer for best male vocalist.

The Unforgettable Natalie Cole and ‘70s crooner Barry Manilow have dusted off the cobwebs and found themselves nominated for best traditional pop vocal, while 1970s soul icon Al Green is nominated in several RnB categories.

Metal-heads from the 1980s may be stunned to hear Judas Priest and Rush are still rocking (even if they might be more suited to rocking chairs by now), while the reggae category sees veterans Burning Spear and Sly & Robbie competing.

The same category also sees the inclusion of 1990s rap star Heavy D (of Now That We‘ve Found Love What are We Gonna Do With It fame), who has obviously mellowed down the years, while Bruce Hornsby (remember The Way It Is?) has also swopped genres and is apparently now recording country instrumentals – and getting nominated for Grammys for them.

And while we‘ll still support them here in South Africa, I can imagine music fans in other countries being surprised to hear the name Ladysmith Black Mambazo in the traditional world music category.

But weirdest of all has to be the nomination of Cyndi Lauper for best dance album. Show me one night club that actually played a Cyndi Lauper song in the past year. Playing Girls Just Wanna Have Fun at an ‘80s night doesn‘t count!

Opinion