© Bud: Geezers rock

I was looking at The Rolling Stone magazine's "Rich list"--the tabulation of who among musicians got the most loot last year. My heart swelled with pride to see the elderly cohort collect the most. The Stones struck up the band with $84.1 U.S. in net earnings. Not bad for four guys with an aggregate total of 240 years on earth. Springsteen ( no youngster himself) came next with $81.9 million. The Eagles were third, the Dixie Chicks fourth, and Metallica fifth. Simon and Garfunkel are still picking up serious coin at the number nine spot ($38.5 million). Cher, that cosmetically-altered old warhorse, rounds out the list in tenth. With her $33.8 million take she can mount another "comeback tour". If all the groups combined, minus The Dixie Chicks, they could open an old age home.

If the kids are supposed to be the ones with the disposable bucks, why aren't Beck, Blink-182, and Linkin Park the money champs? Just another indicator that the talentless, gimmacky bands are not going to leave any lasting mark. Damn good thing that Kurt Cobain committed suicide, or Pearl Jam would not have come in at 42nd on the top 50. In fact, the Top 40 albums in the March 18th, 2004 issue show the heavy in-roads made by country and jazzy pop. Norah Jones is number one and country-fried Kenny Chesney is third in sales. What ever did happen to those erstwhile phenoms like The Dead Kennedys, Oasis, and The Voidoids?