Like most young adults, I recognize the importance of change. Change brings new point of views, new ways of doing things, and an abundance of other positive ideas; however, change can sometimes take a dark turn. In the case of rock music, this change brought its end. At least, that’s what Gene Simmons of KISS has to say.
BEARER OF BAD NEWS
About a year ago, the great Gene Simmons sat down with his son, from Esquire Magazine, and gave him his thoughts on rock music and the current status of the industry. At first, one could draw the conclusion that this is just another Napster/Metallica situation, but upon further reading, it becomes very apparent that Simmons shares an actual concern for the music industry.
For rock, there is no music industry anymore. The up and coming musicians “don’t stand a chance” because the digital revolution has rendered it “impossible” for bands to get paid for their work due to the widely spread practice of file-sharing. The rock legend puts things very simply by stating, “Rock is finally dead.”. When asked to expand on this claim, Simmons gives his son a quick history lesson in rock and it becomes abundantly clear that he is correct. Rock music has, indeed, finally kicked the bucket.
For rock, there is no music industry anymore. The up and coming musicians “don’t stand a chance” because the digital revolution has rendered it “impossible” for bands to get paid for their work due to the widely spread practice of file-sharing. The rock legend puts things very simply by stating, “Rock is finally dead.”. When asked to expand on this claim, Simmons gives his son a quick history lesson in rock and it becomes abundantly clear that he is correct. Rock music has, indeed, finally kicked the bucket.
DEATH OF A CULTURE
Of all the negatives with the “death” of rock, Simmons seems to show more concern for the up and coming bands rather than the ones that have already made it. By showing more concern for the audience than yourself, you make the audience believe that you are genuinely interested in their well-being, making you more persuasive. In, Thank You for Arguing, Jay Heinrichs calls this “disinterest”. In a rhetorical sense, disinterest is “caring only about the audience’s interests”.
Simmons sends his heart out to all the people who want to make it in the music industry because nowadays it’s a longshot. To make it as a musician today, “it’s almost impossible,” says Simmons. Although very difficult to succeed, Simmons still wants these new bands to keep trying. Picture him as the older sibling that wants to watch his little brothers and sisters thrive the same way that he did with KISS. When you’re in the public eye like Gene Simmons, you can’t be all about yourself all the time. Sometimes you have to watch out for the little guys.
To be successful in the art of persuasion, wits are necessary. Simmons cleverly uses his practical wisdom in hopes to get the audience to see his point of view. “Knowing your craft…” is practical wisdom according to Heinrichs. By knowing your craft, you know what the right thing to do is and the right time to do such thing.
Simmons sends his heart out to all the people who want to make it in the music industry because nowadays it’s a longshot. To make it as a musician today, “it’s almost impossible,” says Simmons. Although very difficult to succeed, Simmons still wants these new bands to keep trying. Picture him as the older sibling that wants to watch his little brothers and sisters thrive the same way that he did with KISS. When you’re in the public eye like Gene Simmons, you can’t be all about yourself all the time. Sometimes you have to watch out for the little guys.
To be successful in the art of persuasion, wits are necessary. Simmons cleverly uses his practical wisdom in hopes to get the audience to see his point of view. “Knowing your craft…” is practical wisdom according to Heinrichs. By knowing your craft, you know what the right thing to do is and the right time to do such thing.
Simmons then gives the interviewer a quick quiz. He asks the interviewer to name a few artists from a given period of time dubbed “the golden age of music”, and the interviewer easily lists out a few names. Then, Simmons asks the interviewer to do the same thing, but he changes the timeframe. This time, the interviewer struggles to name one band. The results of this quiz prove that there is no rock industry like the one of Simmons’ time.
Though some may disagree with Simmons’ claim that rock is dead, Simmons makes it pretty obvious that there’s nothing new in the world of rock. Think of Simmons as a professor, or any type of professional for that matter. Professionals know their job inside and out, whether it’s due to formal training or hands on experience. He’s a professional rocker and he’s got the brains to prove it.
Though some may disagree with Simmons’ claim that rock is dead, Simmons makes it pretty obvious that there’s nothing new in the world of rock. Think of Simmons as a professor, or any type of professional for that matter. Professionals know their job inside and out, whether it’s due to formal training or hands on experience. He’s a professional rocker and he’s got the brains to prove it.
“Less is more… less evokes more.”- Jay Heinrichs
Heinrichs describes simple speech as a tool of pathos, emotion, and in terms of rhetoric, is very powerful when you want something done quickly. When you argue pathetically, don’t use over-the-top language. That belongs with ethos and logic, simple speech will get the job accomplished and then some. Simmons uses simple speech to quickly and effectively make his point by saying four words: “Rock is finally dead.”.
These four words hit me harder than an NFL linebacker could. Of all the things Simmons says in this interview, this may be the most important. When someone like Gene Simmons says that rock is dead, it really must be dead, or pretty close to it. I imagine Simmons to be a father to his music. As someone deeply rooted in the music industry, it must be heartbreaking to watch something you help build die. This is almost like a child dying. Like a child, you made it, you watched it grow. Simmons was there from pretty much the beginning and helped it evolve to become something of importance. Then, out of nowhere the child met its untimely end.
These four words hit me harder than an NFL linebacker could. Of all the things Simmons says in this interview, this may be the most important. When someone like Gene Simmons says that rock is dead, it really must be dead, or pretty close to it. I imagine Simmons to be a father to his music. As someone deeply rooted in the music industry, it must be heartbreaking to watch something you help build die. This is almost like a child dying. Like a child, you made it, you watched it grow. Simmons was there from pretty much the beginning and helped it evolve to become something of importance. Then, out of nowhere the child met its untimely end.
ARGUMENT GONE WRONG?
I can see where Simmons is coming from, but I doubt that the average joe will. I feel that it fell short in some areas very beneficial for the argument’s sake. Ethos, for example, would have been an excellent tool for Simmons to use here. Gene Simmons is a legend in the music business, and by establishing his ethos, Simmons could have more power behind his argument.
People that know music will recognize celebrities like Simmons, but will the everyday reader know who he is? Maybe. Probably not though. Simmons could have given a personal experience to help supplement the lack ethos since he has been a rock star for about forty years. Maybe once in those many, many years there has been an event of some sort that would have come to aid in this argument. I feel there was so much wasted opportunity by not establishing his character, and Gene Simmons is too important of a person to have this overlooked. His words carry weight behind them due to his position in the music industry, and he should have done himself justice by utilizing another tool mentioned by Heinrichs: bragging.
Simmons could have made his reputation known, but I can understand why he would want to refrain from doing so. Instead, character references should have been used. Character references are even more powerful than bragging because someone else is doing the work. An audience is much more likely to believe a speaker who is bragged about rather than a speaker who brags about him/herself.
The argument was a success to me, but I believe that I feel this way because I am a music junkie. I doubt that my classmates are going to read this interview and feel the same as I do. The target audience is a minority, especially outside the music industry. Nowadays, rock music isn’t cool and all that everyone listens to is rap or country. Although it is no longer a popular genre, that does not mean this is not an important issue. Rock N’ Roll brought music to the masses. It popularized music. Made it fun. Simmons wants rock music to be back, but it is going to take more than a minority to accomplish this. There needs to be a majority involved with this cause because this argument is meaningless to the general public. They do not who Gene Simmons is or what he does. If this argument is to be well received with the masses, there needs to be more focus on establishing Simmons’ ethos.
People that know music will recognize celebrities like Simmons, but will the everyday reader know who he is? Maybe. Probably not though. Simmons could have given a personal experience to help supplement the lack ethos since he has been a rock star for about forty years. Maybe once in those many, many years there has been an event of some sort that would have come to aid in this argument. I feel there was so much wasted opportunity by not establishing his character, and Gene Simmons is too important of a person to have this overlooked. His words carry weight behind them due to his position in the music industry, and he should have done himself justice by utilizing another tool mentioned by Heinrichs: bragging.
Simmons could have made his reputation known, but I can understand why he would want to refrain from doing so. Instead, character references should have been used. Character references are even more powerful than bragging because someone else is doing the work. An audience is much more likely to believe a speaker who is bragged about rather than a speaker who brags about him/herself.
The argument was a success to me, but I believe that I feel this way because I am a music junkie. I doubt that my classmates are going to read this interview and feel the same as I do. The target audience is a minority, especially outside the music industry. Nowadays, rock music isn’t cool and all that everyone listens to is rap or country. Although it is no longer a popular genre, that does not mean this is not an important issue. Rock N’ Roll brought music to the masses. It popularized music. Made it fun. Simmons wants rock music to be back, but it is going to take more than a minority to accomplish this. There needs to be a majority involved with this cause because this argument is meaningless to the general public. They do not who Gene Simmons is or what he does. If this argument is to be well received with the masses, there needs to be more focus on establishing Simmons’ ethos.