Growing up is hard to do: Rock and roll performers as cultural heroes

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Abstract
This paper describes the changing nature of the rock and roll artist as a cultural symbol. The first rock stars (e.g., Elvis) were heroes for the young but decidedly antiheroic to adult society. Transitional ones (e.g., Beatles, Bob Dylan) contributed to the commercial viability of rock and more sharply defined their antiheroism in the 1960's. Contemporary artists are drawn from a wider variety of backgrounds (e.g., Tina Turner, Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen) and their cultural significance extends beyond their musical talents. The Live Aid, USA for Africa, and Farm Aid efforts illustrate the latter point. The contemporary heroic status of rock stars is due to two factors: 1) Over the years rock and roll has gradually become pop music; and 2) The antiheroic protests that rock was originally identified with have become more acceptable, even institutionalized. Rock stars are a kind of “new” hero. Their link to the mass media ensures visibility and discloses their antiheroism as well. In a complex process of social typing (also involving media and various audiences), they may reinforce cultural dreams and values, suggest deviant modes of expression, or aid in the development of new cultural forms.
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