BY MIKEY MIGO
Everyone has their favorite rockstars. The reason they are you favorite could and should be because of the music, but the person behind it is always a topic of discussion. For many people I know, the rockstars they choose as their favorites or idolize are extensions of who they themselves are or who they'd like to be. The different "scenes" come with different personalities and types of people.
Today we're going to look at the personality traits that make up the different types of rockstars. It's rare that a musician is defined by one trait, so to single out people as just being one dimensional wouldn't be fair to the artists. These are merely the main traits that most rockstars possess in some combination or another. From the weird to the hip and the pretentious to the washed up, lets take a look at these character traits.
Case Study "A": The Tragic Rockstar
Give me your sad, depressed, emo, addicted, and those in the middle of a huge break down. The tragic rockstar is a sad case. Some are putting up the front to sell albums and their image, others are drug addicts that you can't help but feel sorry for, and then there's those who kill themselves because their "life is too hard to take anymore". The dark and mysterious persona is put there to make people want to "know" more about the musician. The drug addicts were probably addicts before their big break, but now it's an issue we'll talk about with the masses. The suicides be it the traditional self inflicted or the drug overdose usually automatically gains the artist some more and sometimes huge "credibility". I guess you can also lump in those who were murdered in this case study. As horrible as it is, you can probably think of AT LEAST one rockstar/musician that was more famous and more "credible" once they were gone.
Case Study "B": The Eccentric Rockstar
They're so weird and "out there", but we all love them. Maybe they're artsy or maybe they're just bizarre, but the eccentric rockstar has been around for years. Genres like "glam" or many subgenres feature the "weirdo" rockstar. It could be their physical image, odd music, or a combination of the both. For the most part, the eccentric rockstar is huge in a specific demographic and completely misunderstood by the rest of society and music fans. Everyone has their favorite oddball musician they have to explain over and over again to their friends and family. Some could say they're being individuals, some could say they're being different for the sake of being different, or maybe they're just a few cucumbers short of a garden salad.
Case Study "C": The Party Animal Rockstar
Homer Simpson said it best when he proclaimed in his illustrious wisdom that the one people who wear Hawaiian shirts are gay people or big fat party animals. In this case, we're talking about the latter. The party animal rockstars are the ones who get drunk and party on stage, off stage, and in their sleep. They're like the loveable party guy from high school in the way you can't help but laugh at their antics but eventually you want to just go home and sleep in your bed in peace. It's as if the Jackass kids are in band and doing stupid shit just for the hell of it. Sometimes it's funny and sometimes it's not. In the Jackass kid's sake it's almost always the latter.
Case Study "D": The Pretentious Rockstar
It hurts so badly when a rockstar you've enjoyed your entire life becomes pretentious because you then have to go back and question if it's always been that way. In some case studies, the rockstar actually gains "credibility" and "fame" by just being a full fledged pretentious prick. If it's them getting behind a political cause or a charity, you must always question their motive. Granted some rockstars utilize their fame to actually help people, there are too many and far between that use this to get P.R. buzz going in their favor. If you spot a rockstar spewing about the poverty of a country they only visit between albums, wearing a random colored ribbon, or rallying up their fans for a random cause then you just might be looking at a pretentious rockstar.
Case Study "E": The Sophisticated Rockstar
They drink wine with their pink up, they dress in suits, and they are classier than a Hungarian whore. There are some rockstars who have always had a refined aura to them and some who picked it up once they got to the point in their career when they could afford to do so. These rockstars are educated or at least presenting they are in interviews and always come off as if they are superior to their fans. Some do it with class where you can't help but enjoy their unadulterated class. Then again, I know of some rockstars who became wine collectors after reaching that certain plateau in their career to be able to. Why collect wine? It tastes better when it's drunk, not when it's stored in a cellar.
Case Study "F": The Angry Rockstar
Gangsta rap and metal heads know this type very well. They appear as if they weren't hugged enough as a child and they are always pissed off or always fighting with a rival. For rap it seems they are capitalizing on TuPac, Biggie, and standard gang warfare to sell their image. For metal it appears as if they are angry at the world for not being pissed off as they are about whatever their main cause is (religion, politics, other music, society, etc.). Give them a minute on your soap box and they'll rant and bitch for an hour. No matter if you buy into their rants or are forced to listen you're going to come away angry as they are be it at the world or at them. Look for the sleeveless Metallica-like shirts and cut off camouflage pants and odds are an angry rockstar isn't too far away.
Case Study "G": The Dirt bag Rockstar
Despite these rockstars being scumbags, you still can't help but pay attention to them. They get arrested for fighting, lewd conduct, drugs, and all the annoying reports we get all the time about this specific case study. These rockers just looks like they smell funny and odds are they do. They dress in dirty clothes and for the most part are usually good musicians. If they weren't they'd probably be in prison or working a laborer type of job. There's nothing wrong with a laborer job, but these are the ones who would give that career choice a bad name. If they look like they haven't slept in a week, are wearing nasty looking clothing (or topless in public), and have a heroine sheik model on their arm odds are they are a dirt bad rocker.
Case Study "H": The Washed Up Rockstar
Have you been ambushed with the hopeful resurrection of a past star or even one hit wonder? Yeah, that's a washed up rockstar. If they're playing your local county fair and haven't seen the Billboard charts in over five years then yeah, that's a washed up rockstar. These are the bands and musicians who may have been part of a popular genre craze or had one hit album. They are either stuck in that image and style or they completely reinvent themselves to attempt to fit into whatever is popular at the time. Yet, you must give them credit for their continued pursuit to regain what they once had, but at what point does it become redundant and sad?
Case Study "I": The "Everyday (Wo) man" Rockstar
They grew up in the same town as you, they wear the same cloths and they care about the same topics as you do. They wear their dirty T-Shirt and worn out jeans and always remind you that they are the "everyday person". A lot of times it appears as if they are from a small town or in a lot of cases a farm town. Their image is as if they're someone you'd meet in your local pub and that you'd want to buy a drink for. Of course they wouldn't accept the free drink because they know how hard you worked for that money. This case study was very popular in the 80's and in the entire span of country music's existence, but it's there in mostly every other genre. Just look around and you'll see the exact subject of this personality trait.
Again, I'm not singling out any specific rockstar but I'm sure you can use your imagination and figure out a hand full of rockstars who fit these personality stereotypes. Some people have a combination of these and some are one dimensional. That's for you to decide. There are two sides to everything so flip it around and take a look from the different perspective. I just ask the next time you see a rockstar try to figure out their angle and be an educated consumer and fan.
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