Mark Steyn riffs on Rod Stewart ("his material is ageing in inverse proportion to his birds") and knighthoods for rock stars. Apparently Rod is a bit miffed that he isn't a knight yet.
It is hard to see why Rod shouldn't have a knighthood. Thanks to recent prime ministers, everyone else in showbiz has. Shirley Bassey's a dame, and Cliff Richard's a knight, and so is Mick Jagger... It is time for Sir Bob to do Knight Aid to raise public awareness of the plight of Britain's unknighted rockers like Rod and, er, Beaky from Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich.
And speaking of which, I've always felt it to be a tragedy and a shame and a crime and a sin that there's no Nobel Prize for Rock and Roll. I came to the realization that there wasn't one rather late in life, in fact. It turns out all my fantasies of being awakened by a knock on the door from a sort of Swedish Ed McMahon with a camera crew bearing a check for a gazillion crowns and plaque or trophy were just that: fantasies. Oh, well.
Anyway, cheers to Steyn for noting what has to be the most unwarrantedly, undeservedly catchy, poorly-written lyric in pop music history: "my love you didn't need to coax." Sometimes sheer retardedness triumphs. And of course, just what he means I know, because there have I been.
Posted by Dr. Frank at November 5, 2003 05:19 PM | TrackBackyour last paragraph reminds me of the most horrible poetry i've ever read...(other than my own). Sometimes, i go to the book store and read some of it to make me laugh. If you haven't read any of it...you might want to, but i don't dare recommend it. Jewel's book of poetry. It's awful.
Posted by: Amy 80 at November 5, 2003 06:33 PMEngland fucking swings like a pendulum do. Wouldn’t it be grand if American pop icons could be knights? John Belushi probably came the closest. Remember his excellent portrayal of a Knights of Columbus guy in a couple of old SNL skits? He looked dashing in the cape and Fourth Degree chapeau. Can you imagine Dr. Frank swaggering down Telegraph Avenue in an outfit like that? Oh, the sword would be so cool!
Sir Beaky? Nah. How about Sirs Dino, Desi, and Billy? Right. Ike Turner would be a good knight. He could kick Cliff Richard’s butt.
If MTX fans of the world formed an oligarchy, Dr. Frank would definitely rule…yesterday, today…like a king bee, baby. He’d have Nobel Prizes heaped upon his Grammys.
I don't think there are king bees. He'd have to rule as a queen bee and that's a little weird.
Posted by: Lauren at November 6, 2003 12:14 AMHeh heh heh....A swedish Ed McMahon. I could see him with a mustache, apron and a chef's hat pulled down over his eyes. Ja und der vinner fer der shinging and playshing und der mushic Nobel prishe ish Dr. Frank.....Mork Mork Mork!!!
Posted by: The Weird-o at November 6, 2003 12:33 AMOne thing to keep in mind: Rod Stewart has always maintained a sardonic tone in his interviews, going back decades. I doubt he's seriously "miffed" he's not a knight; or that even if he secretly is, the miffed-ness he expressed in the interview was just playful.
For instance, Stewart and Elton John have a long-running game where they "feud" with each other in public, via interviews, all in fun.
That said... Yes, there's no defending Stewart's latest batch of lukewarm trad-pop "classics."
Posted by: Toucan Spam at November 6, 2003 12:53 AMHey, by the way, Dok... I'm jonesing for you to revisit the file-sharing/copyright issue again soon. Your stuff on that topic has been among the most lucid on the web, and the comments section featured some of the most intelligent debate I've come across.
Pleeeease?
If you *knew* there's no Nobel Prize of R'n'R, why *did* you record that album?
Posted by: Wes at November 6, 2003 04:20 AMWell, given that the U.S. State Department had an official Ambassador of Hip Hop (Toni Blackman: http://tinyurl.com/tuyq) it doesn't seem too unreasonable that there'd be a Rock Laureate. Maybe no one's suggested it.
Be that squeaky wheel.
Posted by: Dave Bug at November 6, 2003 06:08 AMFor rock's impact in some countries, you might want to check out http://www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjournal/news/state/7199700.htm
Posted by: Chrees at November 8, 2003 07:51 PM"It turns out all my fantasies of being awakened by a knock on the door from a sort of Swedish Ed McMahon with a camera crew bearing a check for a gazillion crowns and plaque or trophy were just that: fantasies. Oh, well."
**THAT** was your fantasy? Gee, mine seems a whole lot more sordid now... at least there were Swedes involved in mine too, but they were wearing bikinis...
Posted by: Chrees at November 8, 2003 07:54 PM