Twisted Sister’s Jay Jay French on Why ‘Rock is Dead’
Twisted Sister guitarist Jay Jay French has taken the side of Gene Simmons and thinks that “Rock is Dead.”
French detailed his thoughts on Barstools & Bandtalk’s Rimshots with Sean. His take on the current state of the rock genre is that it seems to lack a lot of youth. When he was growing up, he says most of the biggest names in the rock world were in their 20s. To him in the present day, he doesn’t think that’s the case.
French notes, “I’m not saying that there are no rock bands. I’m just saying that the collective psyche that dictates current music trends and sociological impact of music, it’s not showing up in the rock world in terms of mass acceptance.”
He gives credit to hip-hop, country, and pop genres for having big names who are also artists in their 20s. French touches on how trends change over time, that rock “had a 55-year run,” and now that that run appears to be over, ” … It all kind of comes as a niche product.” (He cites how Big Band, jazz and disco are all considered “niche” now.)
At the end of it all, French makes a great point about the rock genre: ” … There’s always gonna be a body of people out there buying it — wonderful — but the youth of America is not absorbing it and saying, ‘This is reflective of who we are.'”
The whole “Rock is Dead” debate goes back to Gene Simmons making that statement in a 2014 GQ interview. It’s a statement The Demon still stands by. During a December 2014 appearance on The Zak Kuhn Show, Simmons’ continued take on the rock genre is that it isn’t what’s defining pop culture today.
“My point is if you randomly walk down the street and you ask the first young person you meet, a 20-year-old, and you say, ‘Name me anybody in Pearl Jam,’ good luck with that,” said Simmons. “‘Name me or tell me a song. Hum a song.’ They [can’t].”
Interestingly, Rolling Stone co-founder Jann Wenner agrees with Simmons. In September 2022, he took part in an interview with The New York Times to promote his new memoir Like A Rolling Stone. The feature kicks off with a bold intro: “Rock may be dead, but Jann Wenner is still rolling.” Later in the piece, Wenner is quoted saying of rock music, “I’m sorry to see it go. It’s not coming back. It’ll end up like jazz.”
