I've recently been pondering my generation of music and the events leading up to its current situation, and a question arose: Who was the last great Rock Star to walk the Earth? At first Noel and Liam Gallahger came to mind, but really, the whole British Indie Rock thing died out around the early 2000s, so I immediately began further search. Pete Dohetry, naw he became Cobainasized before his band grew big success in the states; possibly Julian Casablancas, his rush to his solo career sort of killed it for Strokemania; Jack White, he fled the thought-to-be new Seattle that is Detroit to fast to upstart a movement and was soon to bluesy, direct, real to have recognition span across to the large popular audiences of Mtv, VH1, ect., plus he didn't truely meet the rock star persona lacking the ability to relate to everyone due to his love and determined focus of music he liked and lack of self interest(he's still the greatest guitarist, writer, and artist of the last decade though, well in my opinion); possibly Anthony Kiedis, but RHCP are just too good as a band together to separate each member out as the key factor to their success; Dave Grohl, no, his sparatic ability to jump from band to band and his reminiscent odor of him always being known as the drummer from Nirvana killed his ability of relation with the general public; so who??? Honestly, Kurdt Kobain was the last great rock star because he despised the role, played it perfectly, and took it to the grave with him quite possibly. He reached across to everyone, Black, White, Hispanic, Asian, Orange, everyone understood what he was making was pure and great. He's probably doing 360s in Wishkah right now for me saying this, and I hate to put him on some demigod pedestal, but in my opinion, he was the true last great Rock Star.
I encourage you to express your opinion on the matter leave comments, start fights, to whatever you please, just please let the voices be heard......

Shitstorm in...5...4..3..2...1.........................!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Kurt Kobain? Seriously? OMG!!!!

This thread will go platinum.

Kurt Cobain? Wow.

<grabs popcorn and has a seat>

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Blues with a feeling.

GUILD GUITARS: MADE TO BE PLAYED!

I guess the whole Nirvana and Kurt Kobain thing is a matter of taste, it's all in what you like. I can remember vividly when they came out, the whole landscape of music was changing and they just hit at the right time. I don't think that they were anything special, they just came along at the right point in time. They made their mark that is for sure but to say that Kurt Kobain is the "Last Great Rock Star" is ridiciulous.

Just let me get my suspenders on..............

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The blues ain't nothin but a good man feelin bad.

The fact that I can't name someone else doesn't validate Cobain, although I can see where you are coming from with the 27 club and 50 mill sold. I think the fact that people dressed like him and hate him would make him more of a pop star than a rock star, ie a product of pop culture rather than rock culture. I don't think he is as heavy idolized as those who love him seem to think he is.
Either way this will be a interesting topic for sure.

This is certainly the best portion of the original post


EVERYONE! Pure and great!

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Blues with a feeling.

GUILD GUITARS: MADE TO BE PLAYED!

See i think this influence he supposedly had is overstated. for egery 1 person that loved him there were 10 that he didnt register with and who didn't hate him, but just werent moved by him at all. the fact that he died early is what HELPS the argument that he was great because it makes him a bit more mystical. but as for having influenced so many people, i just cant see that.

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Blues with a feeling.

GUILD GUITARS: MADE TO BE PLAYED!

because he died, not based on the genius or vast catalog of work he produced.

as for Zeppelin, that was a much different time too, the media was much different then, but no doubt they were Rock first Pop second, if you could even consider them pop since the whole idea of "pop culture" was different then due to there being less media outlets and availability.. Cobain just seems Pop first because of how his "legend" is built up based on who he was, his style, the "grunge" movement, and how cool and different it was coupled with his early death,,,not his actual catalog of work.

Interested to see what others can come up with though.

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Blues with a feeling.

GUILD GUITARS: MADE TO BE PLAYED!

(says with suspenders on)...."a mosquito, my libido"......

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I Can't Explain

The last I looked the Stones are still going strong.

Well, so you're claiming after April 5, 1994 there has been no more "great" rockstars. All the people you mentioned were great, but none gained the amount of popularity that Cobain had. It's kind of like saying SRV was the last great guitarist. <_< Besides, everybody knows Bieber is like the Beatles and Michael Jackson put together ^^

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I traded my car in for a microphone.

yeah his work isnt genius, everyone tries to make genius work and fails/sells out. He started out playing for his own means and ended up creating a definitive grunge album, an album that "changed a generation" and contains songs that even Bob Dylan pays kudos to, and then put out a pure expressionalized album that challenged his "fans" and could have possibly killed his career, not to mention his beautiful displays of melody in forgotten works, plus his amazing live performance; now if that isnt ironically genius nothing is, name someone else and i will bow to your answer(i know i sound really defensive, im just trying to make people think)

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, they are exhausted beyond comparison

Jack White, in my opinion, was the last great guitarist, its kind of a tie though between him and John Mayer, but thats a whole different topic for a whole different thread, please do not take anything i said as a means to digress unless you want to see a whole topic shift focus completley

I think Julian Casablancas is a good contender, theres a new strokes album coming out in 2011, I think.
Caleb Followill from kings of Leon?
or
Alex Turner from the arctic monkeys?

There are certainly a few prats out there that'd gladly nominate themselves for the title, namely Brandon Flowers;
'We want to knock Led Zeppelin and Nirvana off their pedestals', which wouldn't be quite as unreasonable if it was to come from someone with any talent.

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Rated "M" for meaty.