Seems like when thereās one passing, two more happen. The rule of three or the triangle effectāhowever you want to look at it. Iām not a fan of dying and death. Iād rather keep enjoying the music, movies, and books!! But Iām right there with the rest of the fans who buy the music, movies, books, etc. when someone passes away. Unfortunately, death happens. There isnāt a cure for death. Not yet. It just happens.
I was talking with someone older than me the other day. The person said they didnāt understand why Chester Bennington and Chris Cornell were considered icons and legends. To this person, people like Bob Dylan or Barbara Streisand are legends and icons. Are they? Sure theyāve done some awesome stuff. But should Chester Bennington and Chris Cornell be on the same list? I think they should.
This is my opinion and I stand by it. Iām guessing you have your own and I expect you to. Opinions are good.
Dylan and Streisand are legendary people. Theyāve made strides in music and film. The songs are memorable. I canāt name a Streisand song, but sheās also not my cuppa. Dylanā¦yeah, I can name a few of his tunes, but his vocal style isnāt for everyone. Thatās okay.
Then why are they counted above Bennington and Cornell?
Metal and rock music had their starts much later than many other popular genres of music. Some cite Black Sabbath and Led Zepplin as innovators in the rock and metal genres. Those werenāt big bands until the late 60s and early 70s. Pop started back in the 50s, so theyāre going to have people with more longevity in those genres. But metal and rock are having their day. Sadly, theyāre also starting to feel the sting of death.
If you are like me and grew up in the 90s and 00s, then bands like Cornellās Soundgarden and Benningtonās Linkin Park were mainstays. A lot of my college and high school days were filled with hours listening to their CDs. Numb from the Meteora album holds a special place in my heart. It got me through a lot of heavy stuff. I wasnāt particularly in to Soundgarden, but you canāt miss the grungy, heavy sound of Black Hole Sun.
So why call these people legends? Because theyāre dead? One person claimed the way they passed should keep them from the status of legend or icon. If thatās the case, then Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, Hendrix, Brian Jones, plus Keith Moon should be kept off the list. The thing is, drugs, drink, depressionā¦it hits us all in one way or another. Members of Alice in Chains, Drowning Pool and many others are gone too soon because of decisions made that maybe werenāt the best. Just because these people took one pill too many or decided to take their life doesnāt mean they werenāt great.
These guys were depressed. They had fame, fortune, and fans, but when youāre popular, it can be lonely. You can be in the middle of a crowded room and feel like youāre the only one there and itās not good. It can be sad and yeah, depressing. There is pressure. What if the next record doesnāt score with the fans? What if it doesnāt sell? What if itās deemed unworthy? What if itās ānot good enoughā?
To some, the pressures of fame are self-inflicted. If you donāt want the stress, then donāt be famous. Itās not that simple. You generally want some fame and cash so you can keep living. But then, if youāre lucky, it gets bigger and harder to control. There is no such thing as kinda famous. Thereās famous in a small town, but not kindaāthatās verging into the one-hit wonder status and thatās its own ball of pressure.
Look at Kurt Cobain. The guy wanted to play music and eat. Okay, he wanted to do drugs to numb the pain from his childhood and a stomach condition, too. Then people saw his skills with songs and lyricsā¦it blew up out of his control. Some didnāt understand the lyrics to the songs and others misrepresented what he meant. He felt like a sellout. For all we know, Bennington and Cornell felt the same way. Iām not saying I know they did or didnāt. Iām just saying you donāt know how these people were feeling, so itās hard to condemn them.
Itās tough being an artist. You want to please yourself, plus make the art your soul expects you to create. Itās tiring. Itās hard. You donāt just sit down and create a masterpiece in music, art or literature. It takes time. There are many moments of self-doubt. Moments where you want to destroy what youāve created in favor of starting over. Itās hard to know if the public will like your work and if they donāt, then thatās torture. Youāve worked so long and hard on the art only to have it rejected. You can get lost in the world of creation, trying to make your art perfect. Itās tough.
For me, the 90s and 00s will forever be the decades of NuMetal, experimentation in music and the resurgence of the massive concert experience ā think Lollapalooza, Lilithfest and the Warped Tour. This music wasnāt made or listened to in a vacuum. A whole generation of people grew up on the tunes from these bands in these concerts and genres. Chris Cornell and Chester Benningtonās music represents times in our lives. To discredit these folks or to say one is more important than the other is foolish. Whatās an icon to you might not be to me, but that doesnāt mean the contributions to art, whichever it is, wasnāt big.
Streisand is a great singer, but her belting out People didnāt make an impact in my life in the massive way Linkin Parkās Meteora album and Hybrid Theory did. āI know I may end up failing, too, but I know you were just like me with someone disappointed in you.ā Thatās a heavy lyric.
The music stands up. Soundsgarden and Linkin Park sound as fresh today as they did when the albums dropped.
We all have our legends and icons. #Legends and #rockstars never die because their #music always lives on. Thatās what makes these guys #legends and #icons to me.
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stuff. I wanted this record so much. Like…a lot. I used to get this record out every time I saw it was back in. I’m pretty sure they hid it from me after a while. Lol.
Megan Slayer and Wendi Zwaduk 