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Aaron Chou
Author's Bio
Born July 29, 1956, Lonn Friend was part of a generation influenced by the likes of Bob Dylan, the Beatles, Metallica, and Nirvana. Receiving a degree in sociology at UCLA, Friend was an editor for the popular magazine Hustler before helming the rock magazine RIP. Although relatively unknown to the public, Friend is still today infamous among musicians as a confidant and friend rather than a journalist. He has helped compose songs for Bon Jovi, M?tley Cr¨še, and Iron Maiden.
Decades Under the Influence
As rock music has evolved over the past three decades, one man can be credited for the ushering of each new era from classic rock to metal thrash to the grunge movement. A well- known journalist among his musical peers, Lonn Friend "wore the headbanging media hat with passion and conviction, represent[ing] everything that made up music's persona."1 By exposing once obscure bands like Guns 'N Roses, Metallica, and Nirvana to the unaware public, Friend brought forth waves of different forms of music to take over America. In Life on Planet Rock, Friend presents rock in its most candid form, from the drugs and sex to the fame and pitfalls that follow all rockers. He befriends countless rock stars, sees more performances than anyone else in his generation, and loses his title of journalist; in the end he is just another fan under the influence of music.
Starting off as a journalist for Hustler, Friend made connections with the music industry easily--pornography and rock 'n roll went hand-in-hand. His boss, Larry Flynt, wanting to create a rock periodical, chose Friend to later helm a project magazine, RIP. Determined to make a big splash as the executive editor, Friend envisioned a magazine that would expose these artists as more than just musicians; a spread of guitar legend Slash of Guns 'N Roses "naked under the water spray, cigarette dangling from his lips [was] a microcosmic image of what made RIP the iconoclastic magazine that it was."2 Guns 'N Roses was led by lead singer Axl Rose, perhaps the most misunderstood musician of his time. Rose often refused to play shows or speak to the press, epitomizing the arrogant rock star too good for the general public. However, Friend shows another side of Rose as a passionate man only willing to sing if he can give the best performance possible. Unfortunately, the drama surrounding Guns 'N Roses never died, and ultimately led to their demise. From Slash's heroine addiction to drummer Steven Adler's inability to deal with fame and fortune--resulting in drug addiction and self-destruction--Guns 'N Roses crashed and burned despite its legendary status among fans. But from its ashes arose the next generation of music: Metallica. Representing something bigger than life, Metallica was more than just an American novelty; "here [they] were in a formerly Communist country--only months since the Wall had come down--and the millionaire rock stars were the fucking Gods."3 Developing a monolith of a record in the form of the Black Album, Metallica's collective ego swelled. The leader of the band, Lars Ulrich, developed a particular sense of entitlement and conceit that compromised his friendship with Friend until relations were mended a year later. However, Friend then tells a compelling story of a man who stayed true to himself despite the fame and fortune: Alice Cooper. Developing a stage character separate from his offstage persona, Cooper was seen as an absurd entertainer but a charming and witty person at the same time, drawing comparisons to a yesterday's Marilyn Manson. Successfully battling alcoholism to save his marriage, Cooper maintained humility and never lost touch with his roots like Metallica and Guns 'N Roses did. Friend even mentions a heartfelt conversation about Cooper's relationship with God and Christianity. While earnest and modest, Cooper still remained a large influence in American music for four decades, releasing twenty four albums.
Digressing from his first encounters with rock legends, Friend returns to the origins of his music influences and its effect in 1970s America. September 1976. UCLA. As far as music came, it could not be heard through the radio, but rather through bongs, blunts, and whatever drug paraphernalia could be found. Under such influences, Friend experienced music "as if [he] could detect the beats inside the beats...actually feeling the songs, hypnotized by its progressive majesty, as accentuated by the pot."4 Months after graduating from college, Friend had his first encounter with musician Todd Rundgren. Turning away from mainstream music and embracing independence, Rundgren was Friend's first acquaintance in the music business. Accepting a job as a crewmember for Rundgren, Friend finally began his journey on Planet Rock to meet rock 'n' roll's biggest stars. Next would be Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, the legendary partners in the band Kiss. Simmons and Stanley wrote salacious songs that reaped in endless fortunes. Their frenzied smash-and-trash performances onstage set America on fire, as a culture of slamming, bumping, and moshing developed at concerts. Besides the outrageous shows, Simmons also was part of the first band "to up the ante of fan adulation to sycophantic levels through aggressive merchandising--KISS dolls, lunch pails to build their brand."5 However, throughout all this demand for public exposure and expression, Simmons and Stanley hid some of their agendas. Unlike contemporaries like Bono or Chris Martin who publicize their humanitarian agendas and their contributions, Simmons and Stanley developed several charitable organizations and other noble pursuits privately. This represented a sense of mysteriousness and curiosity that surrounded all rock stars.
Another mystery and unknown was Kurt Cobain. Friend's experience with Cobain was awkward at best; better connected to musicians enthusiastic and flamboyant, Friend saw a detached and isolated figure in Cobain. Cobain represented a new age of musicians that had different motivation for their work. They shunned popularity and fame and embraced the image of being misunderstood. Opening the chapter "Nirvana at High Noon" with the suicide of Kurt Cobain, Friend compares the day to "Rome burning, as Kurt Cobain, the lead singer of Nirvana, the band that changed the course of rock ' n' roll, didn't overdose like Andy Wood...and he wasn't assassinated in cold blood like Lennon...[he] had swallowed the barrel of a rifle and shot himself."6 The martyr for grunge rock, Cobain brought forth a Seattle scene that would produce many other bands to follow Nirvana's success. Shining against all other competition, Nirvana' 1991 album Nevermind beat out releases by Guns 'N Roses, Metallica, Van Halen, Ozzy Osbourne, Skid Row, U2, and R.E.M., Smashing Pumpkins, Pearl Jam, and even Michael Jackson. But success meant nothing to Cobain; he was a doomed poet, a tortured artist. But thanks to him, bands like Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, and Pearl Jam would be able to come out from the Seattle underground into the national spotlight. Friend's first experience in the grunge scene was at an obscure concert where a band called Pearl Jam played. The lead singer, Eddie Vedder, possessed a vocal style emulated later by the likes of Stone Temple Pilots, Creed, Nickleback. His deep and triumphant voice was the backbone to the band, marking the beginning of the gradual decline in the reliance on guitars as the predominant instrument.
Also during this time period, Friend befriended bands like Aerosmith and Bon Jovi. The twelfth chapter of Life on Planet Rock, "The Screamin' Prophet," depicts his encounter with Steven Tyler, the singer behind the antics of Aerosmith. Using his porn connections to develop a better relationship with Tyler, Friend often brought in X-rated actresses for Tyler's enjoyment. Hopping on board the Aerosmith tour, Friend saw how tour life was, from gathering groupies for the band to the constant partying. However, although Aerosmith had a lot of fun, its music, though including ridiculous tunes like "Dude Looks Like a Lady", composed numerous heartfelt anthems like "Livin' on the Edge" or pop psalms like "Dream On" that exuded self-expression and innovation. On the other hand, bands like Bon Jovi expressed whatever brought in the money. Familiar with vocalist Jon Bon Jovi and guitarist Richi Sambora on both a personal and professional level, Friend saw the two as Yin and Yang. Bon Jovi's ambitious and money-driven side balanced Sambora's passionate and laid-back style. However, Jon Bon Jovi was the leader of the band, and to him, "it was always about reaching for more fame, more success."8 At one point Bon Jovi attempted to sell his music on QVC, a women's shopping channel. What Friend took from Bon Jovi, however, was the evolution of music: it had become a thing of promotion, not passion. Taking his daughter to a Linkin Park and P.O.D. concert, Friend realized how the bands did not play for themselves, but for the crowd. This remarkable change from the self-expressionistic attitudes of Axl Rose to the audience accommodating approach of Linkin Park's Chester Bennington marks the end of Friend's journey on Planet Rock.
Journeying through three decades of music behind the scenes, no one knows or loves rock better than Lonn Friend. To Friend, "if [his] story touches one person by reminding them how blessed they are to be alive and in love with rock 'n' roll, then it was worth every drop of blood, sweat, and tears."9 Filled with passion and zeal, this book of anecdotes is an attempt to put into perspective the lives of musicians, their thought process and motivation in writing songs, and their purpose for countless performances and endless tours. Friend compares detached Kurt Cobain to corporate Bon Jovi; the passionate yet bitter Axl Rose to the fun and goofy Steven Tyler; the ego-driven Lars Ulrich to the humble and down to earth Alice Cooper. All these personalities emerge in Life on Planet Rock in a way no performance or concert could ever portray them. Friend's purpose is to present the transformation of rock through the past three decades by showing these contrasting styles and personalities. Inimitable guitar players worshipped from afar as gods have been replaced by corporate singers involved with the audience as ordinary people. Friend sees this as neither an advancement nor a regression, but just a way that music has changed so dynamically over time.
Written in 2006, Friend's Life on Planet Rock depicts the transformation of rock. Constantly, "brave new life sprouts aloud in molten homage to the metal gods of old."10 New music will always emerge, but in an age where the guitar's importance has been replaced by the power of vocals, Friend often speaks nostalgically of the past, when thirty second guitar solos by Slash of Guns 'N Roses were the reason for packed crowds and frenzied fans. Then, starting with the emergence of Pearl Jam in the 90's and the alternative movement, vocals gained more importance. However, 2006 marked a disturbing trend for rock music; the quality of rock had deteriorated noticeably, and less talented bands gained prominence. Bands like Fall Out Boy and All American Rejects dubiously received fame and recognition when clearly lacking both guitar and vocal talent. The only gift such bands possessed was showmanship, and that seemed to be enough to appease adoring fans. As part of the music scene all his life, Friend may be biased because he has never been part of the crowd or the audience until recently now in retirement. A friend and confidant to so many bands, Friend clearly holds closer feelings to experiences he has shared with older bands, thus holding less appreciation for newer bands that he has no relationships with. However, it is clear that music has gotten worse, seen in the lack of sophistication in lyrics to the heavy reliance on predictable power chords and chord progressions. It is no doubt that historiography affected Friend's writing of Life on Planet Rock, as it was written right in the midst of the death of rock 'n' roll. Life on Planet Rock is a nostalgic commemoration of all rock has done and represented.
A book published obscurely, Life on Planet Rock attracted only the most diehard of music fans who know about Lonn Friend. Reviewers that do know of him speak more enthusiastically about him than any other fans. To one reviewer, Matt Cale, Friend was "the editor-in-chief of the world's greatest rock n' roll fanzine for nerdy teenage boys who couldn't get laid in a whorehouse giveaway¨C a bearded crazy man who spent more time with the stars than anyone else of the period."11 In other words, no reviewer can ever question Friend's credibility. However, Cale continues by mocking Friend's "spiritual bullshit that, while never pushed, popped up from time to time as if to dispel right-wing rumors that all rock nerds shunned religion like showers"--most likely referring to Friend's conversation with Alice Cooper.12 A more conservative and noticeably less knowledgeable review in the Publisher's Weekly sees Life on Planet Rock as a "nomadic, at times humbling memoir, where former RIP magazine editor Friend recalls a quarter-century spent as a ringleader in the music industry circus," withholding any criticism.13 Of course, Friend's main strength is his integrity and knowledge in the music industry. His close ties to so many musicians reveal a new perspective on artists unrelated to their music but more focused on their personalities. However, this is also his weakness; oftentimes his anecdotes keep the reader on the outside looking in, unable to relate to these transcendent rock stars. However, as a whole, it is still a touching story of not just music, but its effect on a man that lived and breathed rock 'n' roll.
Coming out of the chaotic 60's, America remained heavily influenced by music, from its political messages to heartfelt forms of self-expression. Throughout history, music has represented the changes in society and culture. The colorful 70's of conforming by not conforming had bands like Kiss, The Doors, and The Who, bands that exuded creativity and uniqueness. The 80's, a time when rebellious teenagers created something out of nothing, rocked to bands like Poison and Guns 'N Roses. The 90's was mellower, shown in the melodious sounds of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Soundgarden. However, music somehow always remained on the liberal side. Overall, Friend's "definitive look into this bygone era of excessive rock'n'roll" shows that music never followed the gradual conservative movement that America has yet to recover from, as artists and musicians will always represent the left side of the political spectrum.14 In many ways, music is the loud minority that keeps radical reform hopes and the possibility for big changes alive.
Those three decades have made America what it is today. The love for music that everyone shares has created a greater sense of unity and harmony; America usually lacks such union until disasters occur. Whether it is September 11 or Hurricane Katrina, present-day America always finds comfort and peace in music after tragediess. Benefit concerts always show the best side of America, as thousands gather together and sing in unison songs of hope and recovery from disasters and adversity. Friend notes that during the writing process, "the world was rattled by an unjust war and a pair of apocalyptic natural disasters" that showed how much rock 'n' roll served humanity.15 And where did Americans go for relief? Music. Long live rock 'n' roll.
Music was never more alive than it was during the past three decades: never more dynamic, never more exuberant, and certainly never more exciting. However, although the glory, sex and drugs part of rock will never die, the enthusiasm and love for performing seems to be dead. The money and fame gained from music has turned into the primary motivation for present-day performers, who lose the passion and beauty for writing songs. However, as Friend puts it, it is a new generation of music that involves different priorities; "the next generation has found the crack in Planet Rock and shoved a stake in. You don't have to get it, but it wouldn't hurt to at least try and understand it."16 Perhaps rock isn't dead after all. Let's hope it's just entering a new era.
Endnotes
1. Friend, Lonn. New York: Morgan Road Books, 2006.
2. Friend, Lonn xxii (preface).
3. Friend, Lonn 32.
4. Friend, Lonn 51.
5. Friend, Lonn 100.
6. Friend, Lonn 117.
7. Friend, Lonn 130.
8. Friend, Lonn 247.
9. Friend, Lonn xxiii (preface).
10. Friend, Lonn 275.
11. Cale, Matt. "Life on Planet Rock." The Reviews. 19 July 2006. 1 June 2007 .
12. Cale, Matt.
13. "Life on Planet Rock." Publisher's Weekly 22 May 2006: 45-46. Business Search Premier. EBSCO. 1 June 2007.
14. Friend, Lonn xiv (preface).
15. Friend, Lonn xii (preface).
16. Friend, Lonn 275.
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