by Gillian Taber

Created on: July 21, 2008

We're not supposed to say it, are we? In these days of equality for everyone and being so P.C. that we no longer know WHAT we are allowed to say, we are not supposed to stand up and say "For the love of my sanity, get off of that stage and take your wrinkles, your once brilliant voice that now sounds like a frog with hiccups and your antique style with you. Make some room up there and let the new guys have a go."

I'll be honest. I have never understood the hysteria over the Beatles. They were an okay band but nothing special in my opinion. The need to turn them into untouchable Gods, who can do no wrong, national treasures, is beyond my understanding when every day heroes like teachers and nurses go unrecognised. I wasn't that keen on the Stones either but at least they had some real rock n roll attitude about them and are growing old disgracefully, perhaps in an attempt to prove they can still do it to themselves more than for us. But the truth is, they can't. I find it sad and painful to watch these people on stage with today's generation. They end up looking like your uncle Derek trying to be cool at your daughter's eighteenth! Fair enough, these older stars have huge followings, loyal fans who love them and I do not begrudge them that. What really gets my goat is the fact that they live on past glories and take up space that new, fresh, young bands and artists could use. Let's face it, McCartney (for example) releases an album and there is a huge fuss over it, massive publicity and everyone rushes out to buy it (except me of course). How much of those huge sales figures are because of the hype and the herd mentality? "I have to buy it because everyone else is and NME (for example) says it is a must have album". Yes, there is a core of McCartney fans who will buy everything he ever releases but many of those albums are bought for the simple fact of being told that you must have it or you aren't 'in'.

Of course I am not saying that stars like the Stones, McCartney and Sting shouldn't release music any more but I think there comes a time when your body simply tells you that you re too old to prance about on stage without risking hip replacement or looking like a total idiot. I lose a little more respect for these aging rockers every time I see them on stage, stuck in a time warp that they are unwilling or unable to get out of. There are literally hundreds of new bands out there who need exposure. For every article, tour, interview on GMTV and the like that these

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