by William Bosch

Created on: February 10, 2009

As I write this article, I can almost taste the hate mail aimed straight at me. But as a musician and someone who has performed in club bands before, I need to take a stand against the embarrassment of rock stars that are so far over the edge it has become pathetic. Every single one of us have personal issues which we face everyday. But by discussing the personal issues of those in the spotlight, we need to realize that they are, for better or for worse, looked up to by their fans, many of whom are teenagers; and as such they introduce values and lifestyles that teens wish to emulate. So their "personal issues" become much more than personal; rather, those issues become the trends and habits of a new generation wanting to be like the stars that they idolize.

I was always under the impression that awards should be given to those who demonstrate leadership. But when leadership goes awry, it is hardly deserving of award status. To many, the thought of not granting awards to such musicians would have denied recognition to past artists. Perhaps, then, we should have set the example a long time ago and not allowed heinous behavior to be awarded no matter how good the music was. Doing so has just set the stage for the continuation of artists to tempt fate and lead others down a serious path of useless self destruction.

I wonder what we have missed in the world of music by artists such as Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, and Jimi Hendrix, for instance, if drug use had not cut short their otherwise bright futures. How many more albums would Led Zeppelin have penned if drummer John Bonham had not died in a pool of his own vomit? The members of Motley Crue are lucky to be alive yet today after their history of abuses. These were all bands or members of bands that were in the spotlight, drawing millions of teens wishing to be able to live life like that of their famous rock stars; teens that were still developing mentally and were highly impressionable, just like teens of today. The tradition of excess continues with the likes of Amy Winehouse very publicly over-indulging. Her raw talent is being overshadowed by her habits, which, if she doesn't change her ways, could kill her.

So I believe the best thing we could do is that we should be treating these artists, not awarding them. Think of the music we could enjoy for years to come, instead of spending years wondering: what if?

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