Death of Rock Star

I’m afraid i’ve been in denial about this for some time, but truth is we all saw the death of Gwen Stefani in the making. Just like addiction to crack can walk you down the long dark alley of destruction and leave you selling your body to perverts for another fix :: so the addiction to fame can walk you down the long dark alley of lost identity and leave you selling your soul to lab rats for another fix.

Ever hear “Tragic Kingdom” by No Doubt? The last song on their third and same titled album. A work of art indeed was this album which saw Gwen and brother Eric put Orange County, Florida on the Celebrity map. Ever hear “Cool” on Gwen’s “Love, Angel, Music, Baby” album? It’s pathetic. How does an artist go from making such powerful music to doing covers from “Fiddler on the roof”? In just 6 years Gwen has gone from ::

“Just a girl” to “What are you waiting for”
“Spiderwebs” to “Rich Girl”
“Tragic Kingdom” to “Cool” have you heard this song? “Cool”. What a joke.

I don’t understand??? No wait wait, I do! She sold out. It’s like making a poodle do tricks for a juicy bone. Is it what he wants to do? No! Does it accurately portray the feelings and thoughts he has inside? No! So why does he do it? Cause it’s what the people want. It’s how he gets his treat.

Gwen Stefani has become a high-priced hooker. Like so many other before her. Why did she sell out? Maybe Eric was actually the talent of the show and upon his leaving the band (after Tragic Kingdom) she ran out of ideas… Nope, you can replace band members, she sold out for fame, for money and attention. Gwen Stefani, you have lost all my respect. What happened to seeing things through, being true to yourself and your ideas. What happened to showing a bit of character. I’ll tell you what happened - Record Companies and MTV happened. But we’ve all been through that before. So let’s rather take some time and give props to the artists that we respect for having stood their ground and got through the hard times. I’ll start:

Dolores O’Riordon (Cranberries) - past their prime but ever heard her do a cover song from Mary Poppins for fame or money? No.
Skin (Skunk Anansi) - not so famous anymore but has she gone from determined rocker to cheesy commercial hip-hopper just to please a mindless-lab-rat mass of zombi’s? No.
Foo fighers - Nirvana lost Kurt Cobain - David Grol Picked himself up and carried on. Respect.
Red hot chilli peppers - Lost guitarist Hillel Slovak - Replaced him and rose to fame. Their determination paid off.

These are just a few examples that prove that selling out is worse than going through hard times. All the above artists can or have bounced back and automatically have our praise. Gwen Stefani has lost a fan. And i’m sure many fans. Fans that understood her, to gain a mass that are clueless. There’s just no way to get that back.