5 rock and roll stereotypes debunked
Over the decades there have been plenty of stereotypes surrounding the genre of rock and roll. Here's a list of a few stereotypes that aren't true but non-rock fans tend to still believe.
1. Rock musicians aren’t talented:
While people may think that rock is just throwing a bunch of notes together and turning up the volume, that not the case at all. This particular type of music is actually very intricate, and is not as easy to play as one would believe it to be. A lot of time and creativity goes into the production of a rock song, the same as any other song. Some of the greatest musicians we see from past and present have come out of the rock scene, so clearly there's talent in there.
2. The songs have no meaning:
Rock songs are loud, some have screaming, but just because they are loud doesn't mean that the song is about nothing. Most rock songs actually have very deep, and emotional, meanings behind them. The loud sound of the songs is a way that the artist expresses the hurt that is meant to be felt in the lyrics of the song. The sound of the song is just a different way of expression.
3. All rock fans wear dark clothes all the time, a lot of makeup and have long hair:
Rock fans don't all look the same. People have an image in their head of how rock fans dress and look, and it not the reality. They definitely have a more edgy look sometimes, but for the most part rock fans look like every other person you’d pass on the street.
4. Rock fans are aggressive and violent:
Rock fans are probably the nicest fans in music. It all sounds scary, but these fans just want to listen to their music and have a good time. They don't want to start problems. If you go to a rock show everyone makes friends with the people around them. Outsiders see the mosh pits and thinks that rock fans want to hurt others around them. This isn’t the case. Mosh pits, just like the loud screaming, are a way of expression and having fun, no one is intentionally out to hurt anyone. These fans are not as scary as everyone makes them out to be.
5. Sex, Drugs and Rock and Roll:
Mainly because of television and film, the stereotype of sex, drugs and rock and roll has been created. However, this is just a stereotype. 30-plus years ago this was the image of rock and roll, but now things like this aren’t what rock is about. Fans and artists are not doing drugs and drinking all the time. It was just and image, and now is no longer the image.