The Rockstar Must Die
Rock's "Bad Boys" Aren't Just Outdated—They're Bad for the Genre, and It's Time to Cut Them Loose.
As a professional female rock musician, I've had a front-row seat to the bad behavior of men in the industry. Despite being inspired to pursue music by women like PJ Harvey and Courtney Love, I got my start by going on the road with Nine Inch Nails as a teenager. From there, I earned an “honorary” membership to the boys' club, and since then, I've befriended and worked with numerous famous male musicians —even marrying (divorcing, and getting unsuccessfully sued by) one. I have seen firsthand how the rockstar mythos protects powerful men, shielding them from accountability no matter how egregious their behavior. The romanticized "bad boy" trope has always given them a pass. But, if rock as a genre is going to survive—and if we're ever going to achieve true equality in music—it's time to face the truth: the rockstar, as we know him, must die.
Yes, shame on the selfish prick who cheats on and betrays his spouse and family. I've been that wife, so I understand all too well why Dave Grohl's behavior is upsetting. But I also have to wonder why a rockstar cheating on his wife is garnering so much attention without any acknowledgment of the much bigger, more harmful, abusive conduct that our culture continues to not only let rockstars get away with, but enable.
Over the last several years, the #MeToo movement, "woke" ideology and social justice activism have started to expose more cases of abusive behavior embedded in the patriarchal—and often outright misogynistic—structures of the entertainment industry. Some accused parties have been found guilty in a court of law (see Harvey Weinstein and Danny Masterson), while others have been found guilty in the court of public opinion (Kevin Spacey and Aziz Ansari). In effect, famous men everywhere were shaking in their boots for a while, whether guilty or not. But do you know who wasn't worried? The rockstar.