As the creation, exposure, and marketing of music continue to change at a very rapid rate, feel free to join me in lamenting the disappearance of the record album – and the art that accompanied it. Yes, vinyl is making a comeback as more people buy turntables and wander down to their basements to dig up their favorite classic albums.
But as an expression of their art, musicians, performers, and bands have lost an important creative outlet that traditionally accompanied their songs. Whether it was the intricacies and humor of The Rolling Stones’ “Some Girls” or the simplicity of the Beatles’ famous White Album, music lovers stared at these albums, read the credits, and soaked up the experience while they enjoyed the music.
We blogged about this back in 2013 when renowned album artist Strom Thorgerson passed away. He was the creative force behind iconic album art that included Dark Side of the Moon and Houses of the Holy.
I was reminded of the celebration of the art of Classic Rock last week when I ran across an amazing visual tribute to David Bowie by artist Helen Green. As old rockers know, a physical signature of those golden days was hair. From Elvis to the Beatles to Led Zeppelin, hair often defined the look, the attitude, and the style of the music.
As this article by Jackie Dove on The Next Web points out, Green has been tracking Bowie’s hair for four decades, producing this can’t-take-your-eyes-off animation of the evolution of his coifs.
Green’s Bowie drawings are magnificent. (You can check her work out here. I bought one of Green’s Bowie prints for the office.)
Many other creative types have showcased the music via art. A couple of decades back, an amazing performance artist named Denny Dent created amazing mural-size renditions of Classic Rock artists, often in real time in front of crowds. Dent passed away a few years ago, but his art was a visual representation of the power of the music and the artists who made it. It provided another dimension of the music that fans could appreciate:
(For email recipients, watch the Denny Dent video by clicking here.)
Many stations have connected the audience to the art of the music via Scott Segelbaum’s “Rock Art Show” events which travel from market to market, showcasing amazing art like Green’s, as well as original artwork from supeerstars like Bob Dylan and Ringo Starr. From handwritten lyrics to the work of great photographers like Baron Wolman, Scott’s shows bring the art of music to life.
These fantastic artistic treatments are reminders to us in radio that the music we celebrate can take many forms beyond just audio. And the audience enjoys these different expressions of the music and the artists they love. When critics talk about the “shelf life” of musical genres or even radio formats, it is art like Helen Green’, Denny Dent’s, and Strom Thorgerson’s that enables the music to live on in other forms of art to be enjoyed by millions.
As programmers and operators of music radio stations that many say are now “endangered media species,” it is art and music cultural touchstones like these that help fans connect with and revel in the music they love via experiences you simply cannot get from just earbuds and smartphones.
The strength of the music goes beyond Block Party Weekends and fly-aways, and maybe that’s why the Classic Rock format, in particular, will endure. Few other music genres enjoy this level of artist and brand depth.
Finding new ways for radio to celebrate this amazing music and these iconic performers with fans of all ages is part of the secret of keeping radio and its formats fresh, exciting, and alive.
Music is art.
Jacobs Media has consistently walked the walk in the digital space, providing insights and guidance through its well-read national Techsurveys.
In 2008, jacapps was launched - a mobile apps company that has designed and built more than 1,300 apps for both the Apple and Android platforms. In 2013, the DASH Conference was created - a mashup of radio and automotive, designed to foster better understanding of the "connected car" and its impact.
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Fred was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2018.
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I was totally captivated by Denny Dent’s art and was motivated to tie it to compelling
TV creative for Classic Rock stations — we had some great believers in KLSX LA , KQRS Minneapolis,KRFX Denver — and a host of others thanks to you guys support –
Loved that campaign!
I did, too. It really brought Classic Rock to life. Thanks for those memories, Dave.