It's interesting that you believe in space or limiting exposure, when, say, some artists like Rihanna put out an album every year and tour constantly. Do you think that may be because today's pop music is more disposable?
Well, it's very different. And I think that all of the new artists would love it if it was the way it used to be. Let's use Rihanna as an example because I always say it is so wild that her name is Robyn and you know my best friend's name was Robin.
So I saw her on David Letterman many years ago, and she did a live performance of "Shut Up And Drive" and I said to several different people that this girl could start a rock band. She really could be a rock singer. She could front a really great rock-n-roll band and she should. And of course that didn't happen, and she became a really big star, but she would probably be happier had she actually done something like that because then she could have had Rihanna with a great band. And then she could have been a rock star and she could have gone to her solo Rihanna and been a pop star. She could have done both like I do. And of course, since we're not friends and I don't know her, I wasn't able to say that to her but I did say it to a lot of other people. It's a heck of a lot more fun.
What other younger acts do you find interesting?
You know, I think of somebody like Beyonce and I think when she broke up Destiny's Child I thought, "that's not a good idea." Because you should never break up your band. Because your band may come in very handy to you down the road. Because if you don't verbally break it up, then you're not making a comeback. You are just going back with your band. It's like with Gwen Stefani and No Doubt, she never breaks up No Doubt, she just goes and does her crazy Gwen thing and then she comes back and becomes a real rock-n-roll singer with her real rock-n-roll band. So that was very very smart, I think. Because then you're being able to change all the time. And really, if you spend three years doing your thing and then, you know, two years doing your rock thing, and then you have a baby and then you do two years of your thing -- it's like you're always on the move doing something new which keeps you young, keeps you energized, keeps that youthful spark happening. And so in many ways I feel very, very sorry for this generation of kids because I think some of them are really really good. You know, I'm walking around and I can't stop singing "Call Me Maybe" even though it's actually like not even a single anymore. But I love it. And I'm hoping that that little girl, because she is really good and I think she wrote that song, she's really good. So maybe she should get a band. And she should practice, you know. And she should play gigs. She should work on it. But the problem is today, you know, even if you do that and you have a huge song like that. And even if you come up with two or three more huge songs. It' going to be very hard to follow that up. And you really do have to get out there and play. And if you don't, you're just going to be a recording artist and just recording artists never have staying power. You have to go do some shows at some point.
Read the full interview in Rolling Stone.
Full interview here:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/1...usaolp00000250
. It was basically Beyonce and backup singers. The break-up's foreseen!!
