Why does Keith Richards find modern rock inauthentic?
The Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards has never shied away from giving his opinion on the changing state of the music scene. Over the last 60 years, Richards has consistently grumbled about various inner workings of the business, and he blames one specific element for the death of rock ‘n’ roll.
Throughout the decades, Richards has continuously claimed that rock music isn’t as vibrant as it was during his day. The genre is incomparable to when the Rolling Stones embarked on their pioneering journey; that’s because music must continuously evolve in order to survive. Very few artists have an interest in recreating songs that have come before – innovation is integral to success, and not every icon of the old school will appreciate the forward advancements.
In Richards’ mind, rock and roll has a clear definition, and anybody who strays too far from the formula is removing its soul. While others believe the genre is fluid, rather than being a strict sound, it’s an attitude which can wear a million different guises.
In the past, Richards has criticised a variety of high-profile rockstars, with everyone from Led Zeppelin to David Bowie facing the wrath of his tongue. When Zeppelin established themselves as the hottest new band in Britain in 1969, Richards quickly disregarded their success and told Rolling Stone: “The guy’s voice started to get on my nerves. I don’t know why; maybe he’s a little too acrobatic”. Meanwhile, he later said Bowie was “all pose”.
When the Rolling Stones guitarist decided to speak up about the music industry again in 2020, he didn’t point his gun at one specific artist. Instead, Richards blamed the synthesiser for the death of rock ‘n’ roll and as the sole reason why the genre is no longer as culturally relevant as it once was.
“There is no new rock ‘n’ roll. It’s pointless. There’s great musicians and some great singers and stuff. Unfortunately, to me, in music, it’s been synthesised to death,” Richards told Rolling Stone. “Once you start synthesising things, you’re not getting the real thing. I don’t want to go into a long discourse on what’s wrong with synthesisers and music these days, except to say they’re cheap and corny.”
Currently, the music scene is thriving, but you have to look a little harder to find it, and a comment by Richards in 2016 suggests he isn’t prepared to look far to discover new artists. He later told The Quietus: “These days? You know what? Ed Sheeran is really interesting to me… Yeah, yeah. Lovely guitar, and he’s a one-man band at the moment, but he has the potential. And James Bay. They’re the two that come to mind immediately.”
If Richards believes Ed Sheeran is the saviour of rock ‘n’ roll, no wonder he thinks modern music is on its arse.
