I believe on one occasion recently Rod Stewart sang "Maggie May" from a cheat sheet.

When doing sound for some local heavy-ish bands round Medway I've seen some really amazing electric shit.

I've seen plenty of kids unable to tune a guitar.

I've seen plenty of bands too drunk (or otherwise enhanced) to stand, much less play.

Hells bells, I've seen Amy Winehouse totally incoherent on stage, and Babyshambles truly live up to their name.

Oh, does anyone remember Sly and the Family Stone?

I'v seen a four-guitarists (killer guitarists, all four of them) set at Cambridge when I still went there at which TWO of the guitarists could not find, much less ascend, the stage.

I've never heard anyone say "this is why electric music is dying".


It's a pretty simple riposte. If your friends are so great, why aren't they stars?