Rockstars of the Week

Close friends and family know that I'm a huge fan of rock n roll (and not so close friends usually figure this out pretty quickly). Good music is as essential to me as good friends and good food. There's something about the rhythm, the passion, and the intensity of a rockin' song that captivates your entire body, brings a smile to your face and sends chills up your spine (occasionally, just occasionally, a song will even bring a tear or two to my eye). My favorite way of describing this is to quote David Bowie's bold line from Sweet Head" "Before there was Rock you only had God." I'm in love and I love it.

But as much as I love their music, I'm certainly not always a fan of rockstars themselves. There's a good number of amazingly talented musicians out there who just come up short in the persona department. Pete Doherty, singer for the Libertines and Babyshambles immediately comes to mind as a stellar musician who has just blown it in all other aspects of life.

Anton Newcombe of the Brian Jonestown Massacre, while lesser known, definitely lands a #2 spot on that list. (For and up close and personal glimpse into his unstable (and ridiculous) personality, I recommend the documentary Dig! The “rockstar personality” is stereotypically destructive, and there are many who fit the bill. From the very beginnings of rock and roll, substance abuse (Elvis, Jimi Hendrix, Scott Weiland, and countless others), violence (most recently/humorously, Axl Rose), and the occasional troubled soul (Kurt Cobain) have been as integral a part of rock and roll as the music itself.

But every now and then, you get a rock star who defies this stereotype, who realizes the world does not revolve around them, and who actually decides to do something good for that world. When this happens—and it seems to be happening more and more, especially, it seems, for rockers in the later stages of their careers—it deserves recognition. Because when you are famous for your music, you certainly have no responsibilities when it comes to how you wield your influence (certainly, a reckless persona almost seems as a necessity if you are to be a credible rock musician). Yet when a person or group has so much influence that their behavior and decisions are recognized and often revered by thousands of impressionable fans (think punk rock), it's always a plus (albeit sometimes a surprise) when their decisions will do some good in the world.

Some well-known conscious musicians have been able to do a lot with their influence. Live Aid and Live 8 sprang from this realization that musicians have an enormous amount of influence. Farm Aid was the same idea on a bit of a smaller scale. Many musicians have begun to use their music as a means of speaking their minds, and lately, everyone from Paul Simon to Bright Eyes has had a passionate, often political, statement to be made through song. My favorite, which when performed live was admittedly tear-inducing, is Bruce Springsteen’s adaptation of a Blind Alfred Reed song on his recent Seeger Sessions tour, where he both blatantly and subtly laments the administration’s poor response to the thousands affected by Katrina. You can listen to the song here, and if you missed the concerts, here's a great video glimpse.

This past week, a decision was made by a band that was nothing but conscientious, which is causing me to deem them the “Rockstars of the Week.” On Tuesday, Pearl Jam announced their Carbon Portfolio Strategy, which involves an investment of $100,000 divided among nine environmental organizations to support research and action. The investment, which the band hopes will help “advance preservation of existing ecosystems, restoration of degraded environments, and continued investment in clean, renewable energy technologies,” is part of the band’s goal to reduce their own impact, especially while touring (gas guzzling tour busses traveling thousands of miles are putting a dent not only on the environment, but also on band’s pockets—there’s a worthwhile article on this in the latest Rolling Stone which I seem to have misplaced…).

Not only are Pearl Jam trying to offset their own environmental impact, they are encouraging fans to become carbon-conscious as well. The announcement on their website encourages and invites fans to join the band in their efforts:

“We encourage you to identify and support leaders in your own community leading the charge for clean and renewable energy. In addition, we hope that you'll take a close look at how their daily activities contribute to the increasing amounts of carbon emissions in the air.”

The site also allows fans to be a part of Pearl Jam’s own Carbon Portfolio by making a donation through paypal (there’s a direct link on the site) to help support the nine organizations the rockers have identified. There are also links to several tools that help you calculate your own carbon impact. (Although, my favorite carbon calculator is still the one at stopglobalwarming.org).

Unfortunately, fans are probably not quite as excited about joining the band in thinking about carbon as they were to adapt grunge fashion 10 years ago (it somehow seems less rebellious, less cool, and well, less convenient than heading to the mall as a teenager). Yet there is a glimmer of hope that the trend toward environmental sensitivity can eventually become as ubiquitous as flannel shirts were in the 90’s. I'm not sure what it will take, but I'm certainly willing to join in the effort, and encourage others to as well. And hopefully there are a few of you out there who, regardless of whether you've outgrown your flannel shirts, will jump on this eco-rockin bandwagon too. Because if this earth gets any hotter, there won't be much need for flannel anymore.