Why don't we have young male singers that sound like Bryan Adams, Rick Springfield, Bruce Springsteen and the likes anymore? Or bands like Dire Straits? I mean, sure music changes. But I am just 25, yet I find it hard to relate to the current crop of pop/rock singers. Today's pop singers are way into the guilty pleasures category (at best!), while the rock singers and bands are trying too hard to sound hard rock. What happened to softer rock, that was still edgier than pop?

You should listen to Nickelback.

You should listen to Nickelback.


Agreed.  The 2000s was a great decade for that type of music with all the post-grunge artists on the scene. 

Why don't we have young male singers that sound like Bryan Adams, Rick Springfield, Bruce Springsteen and the likes anymore? Or bands like Dire Straits? I mean, sure music changes.


Cause culture and fads change over the years.

Too much music is now manufactured a la American Idol.  None of those mentioned would have won.

Too much music is now manufactured a la American Idol.  None of those mentioned would have won.


You got that right. How far would have Neil Young or Bob Dylan gone?  ::)

You got that right. How far would have Neil Young or Bob Dylan gone?  ::)


Good point. Agreed.

You got that right. How far would have Neil Young or Bob Dylan gone?  ::)


Cold Play, Aretha, Metallica, Sex Pistols...............

The bad news is today's pop music is a stupifying synthetic monotony of badly produced slush.

The good news is it's easier than ever to find good music.  All you have to do is explore with your computer and you can hear music from every era an music of cultures worldwide.  All you have to do is refuse what the megacorporations shove in your face and spend an afternoon doodling around.  Say you wanted to know more about American folk music.  Pull up the article on Pete Seeger on Wikipedia -- it doesn't matter if it's 100% accurate or not -- and copy and past names of musicians the article refers to.  You might listen to songs by Leadbelly, The Weavers, Peter Paul & Mary, and Phil Ochs.  Then you're on your way to developing a whole new taste for yourself. 

Then the next day, maybe you want to hear music from Southern Africa, so you're listening to Thomas Mapfumo and Johnny Clegg...and you go from there.

It's much easier to find music than in the days before the Internet, and it's so much more bountiful.
:)

The good news is it's easier than ever to find good music.  All you have to do is explore with your computer and you can hear music from every era an music of cultures worldwide.


That's what you have Youtube for.

OK, OP is another of my guest aliases. I want to bump this thread to demonstrate how people's views change and develop over time.
You can see I was kinda bored with 2013 music. Yet now I miss it.

In early 2013 I was still following pop news/celebrity gossip, so I think the more news/gossip I read, the less open minded about someone's movies or songs  I was. In mid '13 I stopped reading all news and somehow the pop hits on radio started sounding good again despite not knowing who sang what song. Thus I was able to enjoy One Direction and Rihanna songs while on TV I'd switch the channel if I saw their names as I was led to believe it's music for girls.

The constant gossip & news online makes me sick of celebrities (familiarity breeds contempt). Maybe some of you are like me? Have you tried avoiding the latest music/movie news, reviews or gossip? My isolation from them made me see the world without preconceived notions and those new songs on the radio sounded more amazing that way. Since 2015 I follow celebrity news close again again and I'm bored with pop culture again. :)

Since 2025 I follow celebrity news close again again and I'm bored with pop culture again. :)
Oh that's sad, and how is life in the 2020s in general?

Haha I meant 2015 of course. :)

But really, we Western people are so preocuppied with following celebs' personal lives that we follow them more than their careers. It's not about their movies/songs/art anymore, it's all about their outrageous dresses, their statements, their interviews.

When did we lost our focus on what celebrities do and started focusing more on their personal lives? I might be 'old-school', but I'm not like most modern fans. I don't care who they sleep with, I don't care about their political views, all I care about is their songs/movies. I like the Internet, but it increases that effect. It's like people care more about if a female singer is wearing a bra instead of focusing on her music career.

Haha I meant 2015 of course. :)

But really, we Western people are so preocuppied with following celebs' personal lives that we follow them more than their careers. It's not about their movies/songs/art anymore, it's all about their outrageous dresses, their statements, their interviews.

When did we lost our focus on what celebrities do and started focusing more on their personal lives? I might be 'old-school', but I'm not like most modern fans. I don't care who they sleep with, I don't care about their political views, all I care about is their songs/movies. I like the Internet, but it increases that effect. It's like people care more about if a female singer is wearing a bra instead of focusing on her music career.

its always been like that, and when TMZ launched in 2005 got even worse

Yeah but it got worse after Twitter, FB and social media updates. Some are like Roseanne and Trump and need to be banned from using it and have a PR manager to do that for them.
And also this: http://nightmaircreative.com/2011/01/how-well-do-u-wanna-know-that-celeb/
For me, putting a rock band on a pedestal (albeit a very short small pedestal) is still something that I want to do to some degree… they’re living the life I dreamed of as a teenager  :)  Yes, I know they put their pants on one leg at a time – just like us – and have to use toilet paper – just like us – but, it destroys some of the mystique of Rock and Roll I think. Almost comparable to knowing how they did certain things in that Lord of the Rings movie, or how the magician did that fantastic magic trick.
Maybe that's the reason why celebrities were not as disposable in the past? Now it's easier than ever to become famous, yet the fans also get tired from you faster.

I miss the days when singers had sung with real instruments and or an orchestra but nowadays everything is just about sung with autotune garbage.