Entertainment & Music Dead or Alive

Of all the losses we've had to the music/ entertainment world this year, the loss of George Michael has really knocked me for six. Not sure why because I also love Leonard Cohen, Prince and Bowie. Maybe because he was so close to my age and I changed from disliking him in Wham! to really appreciating his style as he matured. Looking back now I can clearly see how talented and vibrant he was the whole time.



Just finding out more about him over the last few days. I understand how grief can change you and bring you to reconsider some of your motivations. When his first partner died without receiving the best treatment he could have had, George Michael blamed his fame. There was also the public humiliation and the honesty of being gay - though he handled all that really well. Plus the fact that he couldn't break his contract with Sony. Over time, he lost the desire for fame and just wanted to write songs and sing them. What a weird world we live in when that's not possible!
I found a study done at Sydney Uni about musicians dying, on average, 25 years earlier than the general American population.



Music to die for: how genre affects popular musicians' life expectancy


On the other hand, how is this man still alive? I saw in a documentary that Mick Jagger keeps everyone under control. One is the rock, the other is the roll. They have each others' backs.



http://m.gladstoneobserver.com.au/news/10-celebrities-still-alive-somehow/3126883

 

Hmm, the mortality rate might be something to do with the consumption alcohol and other drugs, I would say.

Later edit: finished the article and these appear to be correlated, along with some other factors.

 

I heard Keith Richards is on his third liver.

 

Keith's got good genes.....LOL... smoking, drinking, drugs.. his like an ever ready battery ... just keeps going.

 

Several media reports about 'Tom Petty" may have passed way ,if there is life after death then there will be several waiting for him.."RIP"..

 

Does Shane MacGowan (lead singer of The Pogues) get classified as Punk or Folk? - 60 years old and still going.

 

I may or may not have a fair bit to do in the music biz. I can tell you that the types of personalities that are attracted to this life are often fragile and do so for the love of their fans. They are usually hopeless with time, money and general day to day life. However they thrive on ideas and see the poor life as a fair trade for the freedom they have (they do have a point here...).

Not all of them, but the majority certainly exhibit most or all of these traits.

This is why you'll see a lot of super-creative people with depression, on drugs or living in some form of poverty. Prolly has a lot to do with the short tenure of celebrity marriages too....

I notice that chart above is from the US which has no Universal health care. Being poor in the states pretty much guarantees you a lower life expectancy.

I suspect you'll find that creatives in countries with universal healthcare live much longer (although still not as long as the general pop).

 

I would say "Punk",but the former "Drummer" for the Ramones is doing a six date Australian blitzkrieg TOUR this November ,just hope Marky Ramone as he is the last living of the first ever Punk group makes the stage..