The Days the Music Died

A student’s tribute to the late, great musicians that shaped rock and punk music.

BY Jillian Trager
Copy Editor

When rock was at its peak, it was all about anarchy, violence, nihilism, and the idea of dying young. The more violent a show was, the more fame the band received. Listeners came to believe and expect stereotypical lifestyles from their favorite musicians and always seemed to expect the downward spiral these lifestyles often take.

"Its sad fans have to overreact the way they do, they see them [musicians] as these monumental figures when they are just people," says student art teacher, Brad Vena. In some cases, a musician is only remembered due to the myths that surround their deaths. Everything from suicide to murder, music of the '70s, '80s, and even '90s have mapped-out expectations for listeners and musicians alike to overdose on the effects from the saying "sex, drugs, and rock and roll."

Sid Vicious
Sid Vicious was born in London on May 10, 1957 under the name John Simon Richie. After being raised around drugs, he found himself spending the majority of his time on the streets. Vicious met future band mate John Lydon, also known as Johnny Rotten, while attending school in 1975. After starting out as a well-known fan of the Sex Pistols, Vicious was asked to replace Glen Matlock and play bass in the band. The Sex Pistols have been together off and on since 1975 and some say they changed the face of music. Through their raw lyrics and violent performances, the band revolutionized the future of rock and roll. With songs like "Anarchy in the U.K.," "Holidays in the Sun," and "God Save the Queen," the Sex Pistols pushed the limit on punk rock and normalcy.

Some believe that Vicious' ultimate demise was his destiny from the beginning due to his history of destruction and disrespect for himself as well as everything he came in contact with. His band mates believed he lacked both intelligence and common sense-a nice guy but easily influenced.
Despite the fact that Vicious never took the time to learn bass, he did contribute a dangerous energy to the Sex Pistols and became an instant star. Vicious' fate was sealed when he became romantically involved with groupie/heroin addict Nancy Spungen.

Fellow band members could almost taste the troubles that were yet to come as long as Spungen clung to Vicious’ side and their drug addictions increased.

On October 12, 1978, Sid Vicious awoke in the Chelsea Hotel to find his beloved Nancy Spungen lying in the bathroom, dead of a stab wound. Due to his drug-induced stupor from the night before, Vicious was unable to recall any of the events leading up to Spungen's initial death but confessed to the crime and was arrested. After being released on February 1, 1979, Vicious immediately took some bad heroin supplied by his mother and was found dead of an overdose the next morning. Despite the fact that the murder of Spungen was never solved, some believe one of several friends that had been in the room that night might have had something to do with the murder. Sid Vicious' life and death was seen as the ultimate spirit of punk rock and anarchy.

Kurt Cobain
Kurt Cobain was born on February 20, 1967, in Hoquiam, WA. Cobain dropped out of high school a few weeks before graduation in hopes of getting a job. After struggling to find employment, Cobain was forced to become a janitor for the same high school he dropped out of.

The group Nirvana was formed in 1986 with Cobain on vocals and guitar, Krist Novaselic on bass guitar, as well as various drummers. The group's popularity grew after their second album, Nevermind, was produced with hits like "Smells Like Teen Spirit," "Come as You Are," and "Lithium." Nirvana made appearances on MTV's Headbanger's Ball and NBC's Saturday Night Live. The increasing success of the band became intimidating to Cobain, who enjoyed underground and alternative music.

During the early 90's, Cobain fell into heroin and morphine due to the rigorous demands of touring and continued to focus personal emotions into his lyrics. Understanding that as an overnight millionaire musician, he had very little control of his listeners. He worried his band, Nirvana, was becoming a "sell-out" and attracting the wrong kind of fans.

"When they became main stream, he couldn’t handle it," says Vena.
In 1992, Cobain married Courtney Love in Hawaii and soon had their daughter Frances Bean Cobain. Regardless of his new found happiness, Cobain remained secretly depressed.

On March 4, 1994, Cobain was rushed to the hospital in a coma after an unsuccessful suicide attempt. Records show he attempted to take about fifty prescription painkillers with champagne. Love as well as a number of friends convinced Cobain to enter a detox program which ended a few days later when he fled the program.

A few days after leaving the detox center, Cobain was cited in the Seattle area for carrying a shotgun, he locked himself in his mansion, put a shotgun in his mouth, and put eternal end to his suffering. His body was found two days later, on April 7, 1994, by an electrician visiting the house.
Kurt Cobain was found with a suicide note addressed to Love and the couple’s then nineteen month old daughter that ended with the words "I love you, I love you."

Two days after his body was found, about five thousand people gathered in the Seattle area for a candlelight vigil. Some say Cobain "gave voice to an entirely new generation."
Although Kurt struggled with depression for most of his career, his music continues to influence and encourage musicians of all ages and he will be remembered for his musical insight into emotions.

Dimebag Darrell
Dimebag Darrell, birth name Darrell Lance Abbott, was born on August 20, 1966 in Dallas, Texas. Coming from a musical family, Darrell absorbed himself in hard rock and heavy metal music after discovering Ace Frehley of Kiss.

Growing up, Darrell entered numerous guitar competitions, which resulted in his winning the Dean ML (a cross between a Flying V and an Explorer) guitar.

During the early '80s, Darrell co-formed the band Pantera with his brother, drummer Vinnie Paul and bassist Rex Smith. With early influences such as Def Leppard, Judas Priest, and Motley Crue, Pantera issued albums such as Metal Magic, Projects in the Jungle, and I Am the Night.

In 1990, after numerous lineup changes, Pantera signed a deal with the Atlantic subsidiary East West and changed the direction of their music. With a heavier sound, and influence from bands such as Slayer, Metallica, and Black Sabbath, Pantera became one of the world’s top metal bands.

On December 8, 2004, Darrell, only thirty-eight at the time, was sharing the stage with Damageplan in Columbus, OH when twenty-five-year-old Nathan Gale first shot and killed Darrell and then three others. According to police reports, Gale was shot and killed by Officer James Niggemeyer during Gale's attempt to take a hostage.

The news of Dimebag Darrell's unfortunate death shook the music community and put to rest one of metal's most influential players. Pantera continues to be considered one of metals greatest bands and together, paved the path for future bands.

 

 

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