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Category: People

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The most egotistical rock stars…

Yesterday, I asked my Facebook friends who they think are the most egotistical rock stars…

I was inspired to ask this question after reading up on The Eagles, specifically Don Henley and Glenn Frey. I actually like The Eagles’ music, though I stopped listening to them as much when they fired Don Felder. I like Don Henley’s voice and fully admit that he writes great lyrics. I like Glenn Frey’s music, too, though not so much when he plays solo. Anyway, after reading about The Eagles, I went to The Smoking Gun and read some of the hilariously demanding riders performance artists put in their contracts before they do a show. Don Henley’s rider was egregiously demanding.

My pick for most egotistical rock stars…

I wondered who else was overly cocky and asked my friends. They came up with the following list of the most egotistical rock stars before we got sidetracked by a discussion about Prince and his many muses.

Steven Tyler of Aerosmith

I’m not really an Aerosmith fan, though I do like “Dream On”. Apparently, front man Steven Tyler is egotistical. I guess you’d have to be to pull off that outfit he’s wearing.

Bono of U2

It seems that Bono made the list because he’s always preaching about social issues. I quit listening to U2 about twenty years ago, though I have to admit Bono and his band have charisma chops. Is he egotistical? Yeah, probably.

Kanye West

I have never really listened to much of Kanye West’s music, but I have seen his antics on TV. The first time I ever heard about Kanye West was when a loopy Anna Nicole Smith declared him a genius. Then I saw him on a Hurricane Katrina benefit talking about how George W. Bush doesn’t care about black people. I will never forget the shocked look on Mike Myer’s face as Kanye took it upon himself to ad-lib and shame W on live TV. Kanye also famously interrupted Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards to say that Beyonce should have won. Yeah, maybe his music isn’t technically rock, but I think he belongs on the egotistical list.

Kanye butts in…

Madonna

Performing with Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera.

Madonna loathes hydrangeas.

Madonna certainly belongs on this list. I mean, she deserves credit for marketing herself and reinventing her image over and over again. But she is not known for her humility.

Prince

I was a big Prince fan back in the day. I still think he’s a musical genius, though my tastes have evolved a bit since his heyday. He’s got an ego to match his talent.

This is a pretty damn cool video featuring Prince and other guitar legends. I think maybe his egotism is warranted.

I actually respect him for kicking Kim Kardashian off the stage, though…

Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones

Don’t get me wrong. I love Jagger’s swagger and it’s hard to be a rock star without an ego to match… but he belongs on this list, too!

You gotta have a big ego and some balls to pull off these dance moves with David Bowie…

Justin Bieber

And last but not least, Justin Bieber makes the list. This guy has been all over the news for his antics. Most recently, he got busted for DUI in Miami. His behavior has been so bad that Americans have taken to demanding his deportation to Canada. Given how much we love it when stars engage in attention seeking behavior, I’d say Biebs has a spot on the most egotistical rockstar list.

Got any to add? Leave me a comment!

January 31, 2014
I’m back from vacation and discovered a new band!

Hello again, Pop Rock Nation readers! I’m posting to let you all know I’m back from vacation!

My husband Bill and I just got back from about two weeks in Portugal and Spain. We took this trip courtesy of military Space A privileges, so it was a bit of a “seat of your pants” experience. I am delighted we got to take this trip, since Bill will soon retire from the Army and will hopefully move on to a civilian job. As we all know, civilian jobs are often not so liberal with vacation time.

Anyway, I am excited about a band I discovered in Lisbon, Portugal. Whenever I take trips, I pay specific attention to musicians playing in the street. If they impress me, I can easily be tempted to buy a CD. Bill and I ran across a band in Lisbon called Guents Dy Rincon. This band, from Cabo Verde, describes their sound as “spiritual, traditional, acoustic music”.

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to listen to the CD I purchased while enjoying their music live, right next to the waterfront in old town Lisbon. I really enjoyed the CD. It was produced with quality equipment and the band has sort of a sultry, sensual, sexy sound (how’s that for alliteration?). I checked YouTube and sure enough, others liked their music as much as I did.

Here’s a clip from 2009…

Another, more polished looking clip from 2009…

Unfortunately, we happened to catch these guys as they were finishing up their show and packing up. But I got to see and hear enough to know I liked their sound. If there’s one lesson I can pass along from being a traveler, it’s that music by street vendors can often make great mementos of a fun trip. Bill and I had a fabulous time in Europe. Hopefully we’ll get back there sooner rather than later, but if we don’t, at least I can remember our late afternoon jaunt in Lisbon when I play Guents Dy Rincon’s awesome self-titled album.

I will write a longer post later in the week. Just wanted to share this while it was on the brain!

January 27, 2014
Hall and Oates meet Rumer…

I just rediscovered the magic of Hall and Oates as they meet a British-Pakistani singer named Rumer…

The other day, I got an email from the Majestic Theatre alerting me that Daryl Hall and John Oates would be performing in San Antonio on February 24, 2014. I like Hall and Oates. I grew up in the 70s and 80s and their music was all over the place when I was coming along. However, I also know that these two guys have been around a long while and I wasn’t sure how they were holding up to the inevitable effects of aging.

My good friend George told me that Daryl Hall has a series on YouTube called Live From Daryl’s House, which often features him, John Oates, and their band playing music with different artists. As I was watching clips from Halls’ series, I came across a clip featuring a singer named Rumer. I had never heard of her. In fact, I actually wondered if maybe she was Demi Moore’s daughter, Rumer Willis. But then I did some research and found out that Rumer is actually a British-Pakistani singer Sarah Joyce. Born in 1979, she is old enough to remember Hall and Oates, though she would have been a youngun when they were at the height of their popularity.

In any case, I was a little nervous about listening to what she did with Hall and Oates’ hit, “I Can’t Go For That”. That song was never among my favorites by Hall and Oates anyway. But I was curious, so I played it and…

all I can say is, “Wow!” I actually love this remake of “I Can’t Go For That”. I love that the arrangement is updated to sound exotic and sexy. Rumer has a sublime voice that seems custom made for music to chill out by. That voice is silky smooth and sensual.

I was surprised to read that some people compared Rumer’s vocals to Karen Carpenter’s. Frankly, I don’t hear it. I love Karen Carpenter’s music and her voice was amazing. To me, Rumer’s voice has a sexiness and warmth that Karen Carpenter’s voice lacked. It’s like a puff of intoxicating perfume that subtly reaches the senses until you’re pulled in to its magic. I was not a fan of “I Can’t Go For That” the way it was originally released to the masses, but I could totally get into Rumer’s remake, sung with Daryl Hall.

Rumer also covered Hall and Oates’ sweet classic, “Sara Smile”. I never thought of this song as one that would lend itself well to feminine vocals, but she does great with it…

I like the way this song is stripped down and made into something new, featuring Rumer’s gorgeous vocals. If I were going to compare with Karen Carpenter, maybe I could more on this song than on “I Can’t Go For That”, but I still think her voice is unique and stands on its own. I have always loved “Sara Smile” and would probably prefer the original to this remake, but I think Rumer did a fine job with it. Listening to this makes me want to check out her music. And I love the way the band is into it, too…

I was not familiar with “Be Thankful For What You Got”, but since I liked Rumer’s other work with Daryl Hall, I decided to listen…

This is a very soulful number and again, Rumer and Daryl Hall knock it out of the park. Hall and Oates meet Rumer… and make magic! And now, onto the next order of business.

Why I am writing on Thursday instead of Friday…

Tomorrow, my husband Bill and I are going to attempt to take a military hop somewhere in the world. I have a feeling we’ll end up going to Germany, but we could go somewhere else. The nature of military hops is unpredictable. That’s what makes them both fun and frustrating. The upshot of this development is that it’s unlikely I will be able to do much writing for the next couple of weeks. Of course, if we don’t get a hop anywhere, I could be back to work next week. But the odds are good that I will be somewhat incommunicado, as least as far as blogging goes. I expect to be back around January 23 or thereabouts…

Until then, see you later!

January 9, 2014