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Read his criteria. He eliminated Dave because he says a good front man is irreplaceable. I told him what I thought of that. His response to feedback is at the bottom.
Top 10
Lead rock 'n' roll icons of past and present
By David Marek
Staff Writer
December 03, 2004
Despite what Guitar World, Bass Player Magazine and Bi-monthly Professional Thereminist want you to think, rock ’n’ roll is defined not by the musicians, but by the frontmen that lead them.
Although any immature teenager with a PA can become a lead singer for a band these days, only a select few deserve the title of “frontman.” To become one of these gods among men, a singer must have the right mixture of charisma, talent, attitude, stage presence and foresight.
There are certain criteria that a singer must meet to be considered a frontman.
First of all, the singer must be the hands-down leader of the group — good frontmen are selfish brats that never share the spotlight with anyone else. This means that Paul McCartney cancels out John Lennon, Slash cancels out Axl Rose, Jimmy Page cancels out Robert Plant, and so on.
Second, a frontman cannot be a solo artist. Hence, musicians like David Bowie, Elvis Presley, Alice Cooper and post-Sabbath Ozzy are disqualified.
Third, a good frontman is irreplaceable, hence David Lee Roth is absent from this list due to the success of post-Roth Van Halen with Sammy Hagar.
Now, without further ado, I proudly present to you the most talented, legendary, influential and just all-around baddest 10 frontmen in rock ’n’ roll history.
10) Robert Pollard (Guided By Voices) The band lionized by Converse-wearing, Pavement-worshipping, indie jerks has been at the forefront of the “indie rock” scene since the mid ’80s. But don’t hold that against frontman Robert Pollard. Pollard, a former school teacher, knows his frontman arithmetic: larger-than-life stage presence plus meticulous songwriting plus large quantities of alcohol equals a good frontman. Whether he is chanting the ominous lyric “we’ll even the score in World War Four” or going on a drunken rant about The White Stripes, Pollard always delivers an incandescent live performance.
9) Rob Halford (Judas Priest) Regardless of what you think of metal as a whole, Rob Halford’s ability as a singer and a showman is undeniable. With the exception of Ozzy, Halford’s voice is the most recognizable voice in heavy metal, and his live performances were unsurpassed.
8) Mike Patton (Faith No More) Mike Patton is often overlooked as one of the greatest frontmen in rock ’n’ roll. Best known for his work with Faith No More, his dynamic stage presence and musical versatility has caused him to be the ideal frontman for other bands like Mr. Bungle, Fantomas, Tomahawk and, for a short while, The Dillinger Escape Plan.
7) Joey Ramone (The Ramones) Without Joey Ramone, The Ramones would have just been a bunch of no-talent musicians. Fortunately, his audacious attitude and abrasive vocals made The Ramones one of the greatest punk bands of all time.
6) Joe Strummer (The Clash) It was to be expected that the frontman of “the only band that matters” would make the top 10. His somewhat slurred British accent, although rough, made The Clash’s songs seem more personal and intimate. Without his trademark voice, “Know Your Rights” would be nothing more than socialist sloganeering and “London Calling” would lack the haunting feel that makes it a classic.
5) Jim Morrison (The Doors) Although some have called Jim Morrison melodramatic, even the most pretentious critic has to admire his transformation into a great frontman. Starting out, Morrison was so shy that he refused to make eye contact with the crowd and often played with his back facing the audience. However, as he and The Doors gained more experience and notoriety, Morrison grew to be one of the most audacious, sexual frontmen of the late ’60s and early ’70s. He also died young, which, although unfortunate, seems to make good frontmen all the more legendary.
4) Lou Reed (The Velvet Underground) While fronting what is quite possibly the most important rock band of all time, Lou Reed led rock ’n’ roll into more experimental territory that few envisioned for the genre. A visionary songwriter, Reed’s lyrics, which often dealt with taboo topics like drug abuse and sex, paved the way for the punk rockers, new-wavers, glam rockers and indie rockers that would follow in The Velvet’s footsteps.
3) Freddie Mercury (Queen) During one of his early shows with Queen, the mic stand that Mercury was rocking out with inexplicably broke. While many inferior frontmen would have given up right there and thrown a temper tantrum (think Axl Rose), Mercury continued to use the mic stand and inadvertently invented what would later be his trademark — the mic staff. Aside from being a spontaneous inventor, Mercury was the seminal frontman of the late ’70s. He mixed the theatrics and drama of opera with the attitude of rock ’n’ roll, making Queen one of the most memorable bands in rock ’n’ roll history.
2) Iggy Pop (The Stooges) Combine raw talent, raw energy and raw power and you get Iggy Pop, the godfather of punk. As leader of The Stooges (aka: Iggy and The Stooges), Pop dove head first into punk rock before either The Ramones or The Sex Pistols had even recorded a song. And, by all rights, he should be dead. He did every drug, invented the stage dive and cut himself up on stage nightly. This scrawny punk progenitor even had the guts to pick a fight with the Hell’s Angels, as documented on the Iggy and the Stooges album Metallic KO.
1) Mick Jagger (The Rolling Stones) Was there ever any doubt? Mick Jagger is the quintessential frontman — all other frontmen have lived in Jagger’s shadow since the Stones ruled the world in the ’60s and ’70s. With a mere strut, Jagger could drive all women (and quite a few men) in his presence into a sexual frenzy, which ultimately led to the elusive satisfaction he so desired. Only Jagger’s larger-than-life persona could have possibly outshone Keith Richards. Mick Jagger is a king among kings.
Honorable mentions go out to Marc Bolan, Brian Setzer, Aaron Icarus, Grace Slick, Maynard James Keenan, Eddie Vedder, Kurt Cobain, Dave Mustaine, Jack White and Syd Barrett.
Response to feedback:
You knew one of us would ultimately wake from hibernation to respond. Simply put, had VH continued with Roth, they would have become a true "stadium band" and entered into the pantheon of Rock's greatest all-time acts. Even the lessor of those six pivotal albums w/ DLR excels far above any subsequent output with Sam. Don't get me wrong, I'd rather have Sammy over for dinner, no question. However, the obnoxious ones voice coupled with the second most innovative guitarist, along with the rhythmic thunder and harmonies, made it an unbeatable package. Best band I ever saw and I've seen em' all!
Top 10
Lead rock 'n' roll icons of past and present
By David Marek
Staff Writer
December 03, 2004
Despite what Guitar World, Bass Player Magazine and Bi-monthly Professional Thereminist want you to think, rock ’n’ roll is defined not by the musicians, but by the frontmen that lead them.
Although any immature teenager with a PA can become a lead singer for a band these days, only a select few deserve the title of “frontman.” To become one of these gods among men, a singer must have the right mixture of charisma, talent, attitude, stage presence and foresight.
There are certain criteria that a singer must meet to be considered a frontman.
First of all, the singer must be the hands-down leader of the group — good frontmen are selfish brats that never share the spotlight with anyone else. This means that Paul McCartney cancels out John Lennon, Slash cancels out Axl Rose, Jimmy Page cancels out Robert Plant, and so on.
Second, a frontman cannot be a solo artist. Hence, musicians like David Bowie, Elvis Presley, Alice Cooper and post-Sabbath Ozzy are disqualified.
Third, a good frontman is irreplaceable, hence David Lee Roth is absent from this list due to the success of post-Roth Van Halen with Sammy Hagar.
Now, without further ado, I proudly present to you the most talented, legendary, influential and just all-around baddest 10 frontmen in rock ’n’ roll history.
10) Robert Pollard (Guided By Voices) The band lionized by Converse-wearing, Pavement-worshipping, indie jerks has been at the forefront of the “indie rock” scene since the mid ’80s. But don’t hold that against frontman Robert Pollard. Pollard, a former school teacher, knows his frontman arithmetic: larger-than-life stage presence plus meticulous songwriting plus large quantities of alcohol equals a good frontman. Whether he is chanting the ominous lyric “we’ll even the score in World War Four” or going on a drunken rant about The White Stripes, Pollard always delivers an incandescent live performance.
9) Rob Halford (Judas Priest) Regardless of what you think of metal as a whole, Rob Halford’s ability as a singer and a showman is undeniable. With the exception of Ozzy, Halford’s voice is the most recognizable voice in heavy metal, and his live performances were unsurpassed.
8) Mike Patton (Faith No More) Mike Patton is often overlooked as one of the greatest frontmen in rock ’n’ roll. Best known for his work with Faith No More, his dynamic stage presence and musical versatility has caused him to be the ideal frontman for other bands like Mr. Bungle, Fantomas, Tomahawk and, for a short while, The Dillinger Escape Plan.
7) Joey Ramone (The Ramones) Without Joey Ramone, The Ramones would have just been a bunch of no-talent musicians. Fortunately, his audacious attitude and abrasive vocals made The Ramones one of the greatest punk bands of all time.
6) Joe Strummer (The Clash) It was to be expected that the frontman of “the only band that matters” would make the top 10. His somewhat slurred British accent, although rough, made The Clash’s songs seem more personal and intimate. Without his trademark voice, “Know Your Rights” would be nothing more than socialist sloganeering and “London Calling” would lack the haunting feel that makes it a classic.
5) Jim Morrison (The Doors) Although some have called Jim Morrison melodramatic, even the most pretentious critic has to admire his transformation into a great frontman. Starting out, Morrison was so shy that he refused to make eye contact with the crowd and often played with his back facing the audience. However, as he and The Doors gained more experience and notoriety, Morrison grew to be one of the most audacious, sexual frontmen of the late ’60s and early ’70s. He also died young, which, although unfortunate, seems to make good frontmen all the more legendary.
4) Lou Reed (The Velvet Underground) While fronting what is quite possibly the most important rock band of all time, Lou Reed led rock ’n’ roll into more experimental territory that few envisioned for the genre. A visionary songwriter, Reed’s lyrics, which often dealt with taboo topics like drug abuse and sex, paved the way for the punk rockers, new-wavers, glam rockers and indie rockers that would follow in The Velvet’s footsteps.
3) Freddie Mercury (Queen) During one of his early shows with Queen, the mic stand that Mercury was rocking out with inexplicably broke. While many inferior frontmen would have given up right there and thrown a temper tantrum (think Axl Rose), Mercury continued to use the mic stand and inadvertently invented what would later be his trademark — the mic staff. Aside from being a spontaneous inventor, Mercury was the seminal frontman of the late ’70s. He mixed the theatrics and drama of opera with the attitude of rock ’n’ roll, making Queen one of the most memorable bands in rock ’n’ roll history.
2) Iggy Pop (The Stooges) Combine raw talent, raw energy and raw power and you get Iggy Pop, the godfather of punk. As leader of The Stooges (aka: Iggy and The Stooges), Pop dove head first into punk rock before either The Ramones or The Sex Pistols had even recorded a song. And, by all rights, he should be dead. He did every drug, invented the stage dive and cut himself up on stage nightly. This scrawny punk progenitor even had the guts to pick a fight with the Hell’s Angels, as documented on the Iggy and the Stooges album Metallic KO.
1) Mick Jagger (The Rolling Stones) Was there ever any doubt? Mick Jagger is the quintessential frontman — all other frontmen have lived in Jagger’s shadow since the Stones ruled the world in the ’60s and ’70s. With a mere strut, Jagger could drive all women (and quite a few men) in his presence into a sexual frenzy, which ultimately led to the elusive satisfaction he so desired. Only Jagger’s larger-than-life persona could have possibly outshone Keith Richards. Mick Jagger is a king among kings.
Honorable mentions go out to Marc Bolan, Brian Setzer, Aaron Icarus, Grace Slick, Maynard James Keenan, Eddie Vedder, Kurt Cobain, Dave Mustaine, Jack White and Syd Barrett.
Response to feedback:
You knew one of us would ultimately wake from hibernation to respond. Simply put, had VH continued with Roth, they would have become a true "stadium band" and entered into the pantheon of Rock's greatest all-time acts. Even the lessor of those six pivotal albums w/ DLR excels far above any subsequent output with Sam. Don't get me wrong, I'd rather have Sammy over for dinner, no question. However, the obnoxious ones voice coupled with the second most innovative guitarist, along with the rhythmic thunder and harmonies, made it an unbeatable package. Best band I ever saw and I've seen em' all!
Fuck him! We know the truth, Roth Boyz and Grrls! 
Hey, Max Baby! I've been busy taking tests and shit for the new gig! I can only play with y'all at night. I'm quite the vampire, so that's cool.
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