Rock and Roll Heroes

I mentioned in my last post about a certain singer being a rock hero to me.

I've decided to expand upon that idea.

The idea of a rock singer being a "hero" is nearly laughable, when you think about it. I mean, come on, these people are rock singers - not firefighters, not soldiers, not EMTs, not doctors, not teachers, but guys who shake their collective bon-bons and make tons of cash doing so.

But, like in all fields, there are those who rise above.

This is a list of some of the people in the rock and roll pantheon who have gone above and beyond just being performers and have, in my humble opinion, made a difference in the world - some profoundly, some less so, but all heroically.

Bob Geldof and Midge Ure: Lead singers of 80s groups The Boomtown Rats and Ultravox, respectively, these are the guys who organized the original Band Aid supergroup in late 1984 ("Do They Know It's Christmas?") and the Live Aid concerts the following year. They opened the eyes of a generation to a world "outside your window/and it's a world of dread and fear/where the only water flowing is the bitter sting of tears." Sadly, we've forgotten, and Africans are still starving to death. But, for a short time, these two men helped to focus the world's attention on a terrible tragedy that had been ignored for too long. Geldof couldn't be knighted per se, being Scottish, but I do recall the Queen bestowing upon him the equivalent of knighthood. Well-deserved, I'd say.

Pearl Jam Sometime in the early 90s, PJ decided to stand up to the behemoth known as Ticketmaster. If you've never bought an event ticket through this outfit, then understand that they are notorious for charging usurious fees disguised as "handling charges" and "convenience fees." The guys in Pearl Jam actually testified before Congress - and seeing Stone Gossard, in all his Seattle grunge glory stand before all those congressmen was nothing short of magnificent. The boys wanted their fans to be able to see their shows without having to pay all those ridiculous fees (none of which, of course, came back to the band). They tried some experiments for a time, using small ticketing agencies and playing in non-traditional locations (Indio, California, anyone?), but the big guys ended up winning, anyway. Like I said, though, it was cool that they tried.

Tom Petty for the song "The Last DJ," which I referenced in my previous post. Granted, Tom Petty has been around so long I'm sure he pretty much has carte blanche to do whatever he bloody well pleases, but it's still nifty to see him stick it to the man, which he does quite well in this song.

Toad the Wet Sprocket, for the song "Hold Her Down" from their masterpiece album, Fear. It unflinchingly tells a harrowing story of the rape of a young woman, then does something unexpected - the song goes on to express, from a man's point of view, how impossible it is to understand this "shame of what a man can do." Terrible, in the original sense of the word, which is to say "frightening." Stunning, really.

Adam Ant and Ted Nugent Two of the wilder acts in rock and roll history, to be sure, but both committed to lives of sobriety from alcohol and drugs. Quite a brave stance in the line of work they're in.

Bono from U2. If you haven't followed him recently, he's been using his rock star cred to influence politicians and world leaders around the globe to look more closely at issues like AIDS and debt relief in Africa. One doesn't necessarily have to agree with his politics to admire the fact that he's actually out there doing something, rather than floating on a raft in his pool in Bel-Air, lighting stogies with $100 dollar bills.

Freddie Mercury of Queen. Poor, poor, lost Freddie, but he sure could rock with the best of them. Actually, with that operatic range and unreal stage presence, better than most anybody else, then or now. (I recently watched Queen's performance from my Live Aid DVD - simply astounding). I can recall guys back in high school who would take great joy in verbally abusing any slight-looking guy, homosexual or not, flinging around epithets about sexual orientation, all the while wearing Queen t-shirts. If I had understood the irony then, I would have laughed myself silly at them (except then they would have probably come after me). I'll also never forget the "Wayne's World" video of "Bohemian Rhapsody" which included a quick cut at the very end of the song (where Freddie's singing "nothing really matters") where Wayne and Garth wipe away tears of sadness for the recent death from AIDS of Mr. Mercury. Very touching, to be sure.

The Edge aka Dave Evans, from U2. Nobody plays guitar like this man. And nobody ever looked as cool (or will ever attain the same level of coolness he did) wearing a black, flat-brimmed cowboy hat, hair tied in a ponytail halfway down his back, wire-rimmed sunglasses, blue chambray shirt buttoned all the way to the top and jeans, while playing on top of an old hotel in Los Angeles (the video for "Where the Streets Have No Name). Next time you see that video, watch him carefully (when the camera's not centered on Bono) and tell me if he's not the coolest guy ever to sling an axe onstage. No way. No one else.

That's all I can think of for now, but I may add more later, as they come to mind.