A friend posed the question: “If you could be in any rock band, past or present, who would it be?”
For me, hands down it would be The Band, Ronnie Hawkins through The Last Waltz. They were some of the best musicians in rock history and were influenced by artists from all over rock, folk, gospel, country, classical, jazz, and motown. They seemed to genuinely love hanging out and playing music. Plus I’d get to play with Hawkins, Dylan, Janis Joplin, Jerry Garcia, and everyone at The Last Waltz.
I’d like to be in Royal Crown Revue or one of the other retro-swing lounge acts. Playing swanky gigs, wearing sharp suits every night, playing the musical equivalent of film noir – that’s what I always wanted to do anyway.
I would love to play in a jangly 90s indie-pop band with a female vocalist, like The Sundays (who did the 1997 song Summmertime, which I consider to be one of the best jangle-pop type songs ever, surpassing anything by, say, Camera Obscura. Kiss Me by Sixpence None The Richer is also up there. What can I say, I love it. Also Lovefool by The Cardigans.)
I could play fluid, melodic bass lines behind a dreamy female voice and jangly guitars forever.
Kind of a surprising response from someone who mostly plays heavy post-rock and Brian Jonestown type rock.
I would like to have been in The Wrecking Crew. I would have been all over Phil Spector records and Beach Boys records - I would have got to make the original “Smile” recordings - and scores of other hits by many artists. I would have got to work with Hal Blaine and Carol Kaye and Barney Kessel and Tommy Tedesco and so many legendary studio players…wow.
actually - I would like to have been able to play for almost any 80’s metal band as a drummer, probably someone like Poison or Cinderella, but alas, in May of 1989 I was turning 3.
Heh. I was hoping The Who would give me a call after John Entwistle died. Unfortunately, the only band that I think I would have sufficient talent for would be the Partridge Family. Maybe I’d have a chance to nail Susan Dey, though.
The Bangles
OK maybe not, musically speaking I’d want to be in The Soft Boys, but I think the question is a bit strange. If you like a band the way they are then if you join them you’re either going to be a fifth wheel (the Soft Boys surely didn’t need a third guitarist) or replacing someone.
I don’t know about that, I don’t think I’d want to be in a band with Roger Waters. I could go for taking Snowy White’s place with Pink Floyd, just be a hired hand and not be in the line of fire.
I always figured hanging with Morrison and the Doors would have been fun. Of course I wouldn’t have remembered much, and I’d probably be dead by now too. But for 5 or 6 years it would have been a blast.
The Who would be my first choice, but what would I do? They were perfect as-is, and I certainly couldn’t replace Pete.
Other than that, probably any “stadium rock” band would be cool. Big arenas, high-power shows, groupies galore–yeah, that’d work. Or Kansas, as long as I don’t have to listen to Kerry go on about his religion.
