"The egomaniacal frontman is dead – at last" - Telegraph article about frontmen and women in rock, including Morrissey (February 14, 2022)

An interesting article yesterday in the Telegraph by Ed Power, charting the (alleged) changes in how lead singers see their role.

It's behind a paywall, but the relevant sections are below:

It’s hard to understate how seismic a shift this represents. In the alternative milieu where Wolf Alice and Black Country, New Road operate, the cult of the front person has long reigned unchallenged. Mention The Smiths and nobody thinks of Johnny Marr’s dexterous riffs. They think of Morrissey on Top of the Pops waving shrubbery over his head...

That’s because Stipe’s duties went beyond merely singing. As with Morrissey and other great frontmen and women, the job, above all, was to be an embodiment of the band. The music, rightly or wrongly, was seen as an extension of their personality. Its angst was their angst, its euphoria theirs.

 

[Surface]

I agree
But I was kind of meaning from last 20 years ( I should have put that in
The previous post)
Even from the younger bands/ singers, it just seems all very flat .

Flat in what way Baz, surely it's all about the vibe they create when playing live. The atmosphere at the MEN for the 1975 gig was better than anything I've seen for years.

 

[ZOOM FROM GLOOM]

Well, the world moves on and maybe you're just old and past it nowadays. You have enjoyed Morrissey for many years and in years to come the youngsters of today will no doubt look at new bands and think they're nothing like the Arctics or The 1975 used to be.

I remember listening to The Ramones and telling my mum I'm off to see this band tonight, she said something along the lines of, what utter crap.

Time moves on!

get NOIDED !

I agree
But I was kind of meaning from last 20 years ( I should have put that in
The previous post)
Even from the younger bands/ singers, it just seems all very flat .

 

[j*e*t]

I don't like this song but noticed that the video only features the singer.

 

[The.Truth.]

What is rap if not egomaniacal frontmen/frontpeople?

 

[j*e*t]

What is rap if not egomaniacal frontmen/frontpeople?

I don't listen to rap so I can't answer that. The point I was indicating was that Grian Chatten of Fontaines DC doesn't seem at all an egomaniac to me and yet the focus here is totally on him as the singer. Is that his choice, to emphasise the lyrics, or is it driven by the need to maximise visual appeal in the music business?

 

[Deleted member 30524]

What is rap if not egomaniacal frontmen/frontpeople?

I wouldn’t describe Rap as music...

It’s just some gobshite screaming
Words that most people can’t
Understand.

Anyone who listens to Rap
Should be stood up against a wall
And 4king shot.

 

[BrokenFrame]

I wouldn’t describe Rap as music...

It’s just some gobshite screaming
Words that most people can’t
Understand.

Anyone who listens to Rap
Should be stood up against a wall
And 4king shot.

Harsh, man.

 

[ZOOM FROM GLOOM]

 

[The.Truth.]

I wouldn’t describe Rap as music...

It’s just some gobshite screaming
Words that most people can’t
Understand.

Anyone who listens to Rap
Should be stood up against a wall
And 4king shot.

That's what they said about rock and roll in the 50's.
"The music is just noise and you can't understand what they're saying."

 

[The.Truth.]

I don't listen to rap so I can't answer that. The point I was indicating was that Grian Chatten of Fontaines DC doesn't seem at all an egomaniac to me and yet the focus here is totally on him as the singer. Is that his choice, to emphasise the lyrics, or is it driven by the need to maximise visual appeal in the music business?

Another point is probably that people that don't believe bands have frontmen anymore probably can't name any current bands.

 

[Dirk Blaggard]

Well, how I see it, ego is fuel.
It helps the "message " get far and wide The issue becomes when there is no message, just ego

There are loads of good bands out there. Some brilliant music. They just do not get the platform

 

[BrokenFrame]

I believe it’s self esteem that you’re thinking of. It can be a positive ‘fuel’ if one’s intentions don’t harm others.

Ego is something different, usually defined as negative.

I thought a big ego was high self esteem though.

 

[ZOOM FROM GLOOM]

I thought a big ego was high self esteem though.

or big ego = a delusion of grandeur, putting on a false front, because of low self esteem.

Usually when it’s said that someone has a ‘big ego’ it’s a criticism of that person’s character. If someone said you have a healthy ego and high self esteem and your actions don’t harm others, then that can be seen as positive.


I thought we were speaking more about the ego as a negative as used here in ‘egomaniacal’ frontman.

 

[The.Truth.]

A frontman/woman has to have a pretty healthy ego. They may not realize that it's not exactly about them but more about the energy that they channel. Seeing a good show, or probably a bad show, is like a ritual.
I think it might be an asset for them to actually be a little delusional. In the scheme of things they are not that important and few of them will last for that long but they perform a service while they are active. Someone has to be the focal point and be a sort of antenna to pick up and direct whatever is coming through them for the people that need that particular message.

Even the ones who seem to try to reject the egomaniacal stereotypes are just as precious about everything surrounding them. For example, Michael Stipe, Kurt Cobain, and Thom Yorke might have all seemed to want to reject that aspect of stardom but when you look into it they were all extremely self-absorbed. It's just a different kind of thing they were portraying.

 

[Surface]

Talking of Egomaniacal frontmen, I'm off to see Echo &The Bunnymen tonight!

​

 

[billybu69]

"The egomaniacal frontman is dead – at last" Somone should tell the Russian people, take to the streets and get rid of theirs.​