Ask a rock star why they chose music as a career and they'll reply, "Because I didn't fit in anywhere else." What a freewheeling maverick they must be, eh? Too rebellious to fit in, too singular to be pigeonholed. So instead of becoming a doctor or a call-centre robot, they chose a career where odd little ways are considered a plus point.
But if they're all such misfits, why is popular music so packed with people who look, sound and behave exactly alike? They're all individual in the very same way, these not-so-weird boys and girls.
So, for our Christmas enjoyment, aolmusic has come up with a most enjoyable collection of 89 all-time rock cliches. It's an American list, so some cliches - 62. Thanking God; 40. Songs About Mom - don't apply to British artists. At the same time, it misses out such time-tested Brit cliches as Singing in An American Accent (unless artist in question is making a point of not singing in an American accent and so Sings in Yorkshire/Glaswegian/Geordie Patois).
Can you add to the very fine 89? There are plenty up for grabs. How about: Ex-Bandmates Swearing They'll Never Reunite, Only to Change Their Minds When the Tax Bill Arrives? But I'm sure you can do better than that. And I'd be beholden if some smart alec didn't start a separate list of Rock Critic Cliches.
