Maturity. That tricky process that any rock musician is faced with at some point. A band that never matures, or grows in some way, ends up the worst type of charicature, the kind that give credence to each generation of parents who complain about “that racket” their kids are listening to. See The Ramones shortly following End of the Century and Rock ‘n Roll High School as Example A. They would go on to give “youth culture” a bad name for the next 10 years.
It’s rare that your favorite band matures at a rate that fans can keep up with. Sometimes the artist actually is going through “growing pains” that rightfully leave fans scratching their heads or storming out of concerts grumbling, “I didn’t come here to see #%@@&$^$@#$ing Mariah Carey!” (grumbled by Townsman Ken at Elvis Costello’s Mighty Like a Turd Tour). Other times the artist simply grows up before their audience can figure out exactly what’s going on. Bob Dylan plugging in may be the best example of this phenomenon; I wonder if old Tom Waits fans felt this way when Swordfishtrombones came out.
What’s been your experience with favorite artists “maturing” before your eyes? Have you kept pace with them, caught up with them later, decided you simply didn’t like what they were up to, pouted and sucked your thumb instead?
