Gen X Playlist

What Rock Fans Don’t Want to Admit by Damon Linker

I’m Gen X, so some of the performers listed in this essay are a little before my time, but of course, I am familiar with them and have heard of them and a lot of their music.

Gen X has so far lost Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, George Michael, Michael Hutchence, Prince, Eddie Van Halen, and Marie Fredriksson (of Roxette). (There’s also drummer Frankie Banali (of Quiet Riot), Charlie Daniels, Mac Davis, and Tony Lewis (of The Outfield)).

What Rock Fans Don’t Want to Admit by Damon Linker

by Damon Linker
September 4, 2021

The recent death of Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts at the age of 80 is just the latest rude reminder of what all of us know in our bones but nonetheless choose to ignore most days: The classic rock era is nearly dead and buried — and so are its greatest icons.

I wrote about this two years ago, and, inevitably, things are looking even bleaker now. Bob Dylan is 80. Paul McCartney and Paul Simon are 79.

And not far behind them are a host of rock stars well into their 70s: Brian Wilson, Carole King, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Joni Mitchell, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, Ray Davies, Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Rod Stewart, Eric Clapton, Debbie Harry, Neil Young, Van Morrison, Bryan Ferry, Elton John, and Don Henley.

James Taylor and Jackson Browne just completed a tour together; the former is 73, the latter 72.

The baby of the bunch, Bruce Springsteen, currently wrapping up another residency on Broadway, turns 72 next month.

Over the next decade, most of these superstars are going to die, and the remaining holdouts soon after.

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