Success Doesn't Suck

By: Reidar@ Nirvana: Never Fade Away

Last Updated - 4/18/98

From the very start of modern rock 'n' roll, the stars have suffered from
enourmous pressure from us as fans, from thei labels, and most of all from
the media. Most people in the business can't handle it. Or at least not
the 'real' stars.

In this century, four people have put their name and face on the rock 'n'
roll Hall Of Fame Heaven. Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison and
Kurt Cobain. All dead at the age of 27. All victims of alcohol and/or
drugs.

Several things seem to be the same for all four. All of them were young
when they boroke through. They got success with their major label debuts,
too much success. They couldn't handle it. Kurt Cobain was only 24 years
old when Nevermind struck the charts, selling ten million copies, putting
his face on posters on most teenagers rooms. But no one seemed to care
what he sang about. He refused to do big tours, he wanted his band to
first release a rarieties album, then an album which would "scare the fans
away". But he knew he couldn't do it that way. He had sold out. He then
agreed to do a major tour, canceled it before they'd finished it,
attempted to do suicide on sleeping pills, then shot his head off on April
4th 1994. He was 27.

With James Douglas Morrison, it's nearly the same story. He was the same
age as Cobain when his band, The Doors, released their first LP. One
cannot compare the success of these two people. Jim Morrison's fans were
young girls who wanted his dick, not his music. He couldn't handle it
either. He began drinking, took acid, and became the first person ever to
be arrested on stage. When he died in 1971, at the age of 27, he was only
a shadow of himself, a fat, ugly alcoholic. He hadn't done a live show in
six months. But still, the album recorded just before his death, LA Woman,
became the Doors album that would seel the most.

The stories of Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin are to me rather unknown.
But it's the same deal as with the two mentioned above, they get famous at
an early age, start with alcohol and/or drugs, and die of the addiction.
It's sad.

Now, why can I claim that success doesn't suck then? It seems wrong after
you've read this, but fact is that all of these four people lived a wasted
lifestyle even before they got famous. They would have died young and
unknown, as losers, if rock 'n' roll hadn't found them. With rock 'n'
roll, they got their kicks, they lived out the dreams they'd dreamt about.
They died as stars. Left millions of fans behind, mourning.

So I guess success doesn't suck, after all...