What is with Kid Rock?

**BRAZZMAN** · May-13-12, 08:24 PM

I'm an older guy so maybe it's a generational disconnect but can someone please explain the appeal of this guy? I mean his music and lyrics. I'm vaguely aware that he's a Detroit booster. [[That seems fashionable these days.) And that he's involved in some charities. Did anyone attend his gig with the DSO and who was in attendance? I would guess not the usual DSO patrons. I've not read all his lyrics but what does he sing about that benefits and "glorifies" Detroit and qualifies him as a booster? Sex, drugs and rock n' roll is what I hear. My, my, what a curmudgeon I am.

**Wheels** · May-13-12, 08:32 PM

Originally Posted by BRAZZMAN

I'm an older guy so maybe it's a generational disconnect but can someone please explain the appeal of this guy? I mean his music and lyrics. I'm vaguely aware that he's a Detroit booster. [[That seems fashionable these days.) And that he's involved in some charities. Did anyone attend his gig with the DSO and who was in attendance? I would guess not the usual DSO patrons. I've not read all his lyrics but what does he sing about that benefits and "glorifies" Detroit and qualifies him as a booster? Sex, drugs and rock n' roll is what I hear. My, my, what a curmudgeon I am.

If you don't get it, a verbal explanation is not going to change your view. To each his own.

**BRAZZMAN** · May-13-12, 08:41 PM

Originally Posted by Wheels

If you don't get it, a verbal explanation is not going to change your view. To each his own.

Wheels, Actually I am looking to change my view. I don't understand so why don't you try a verbal explanation. Others on this forum may also benefit from your insight.

**Django** · May-13-12, 09:34 PM

Buy yourself a 40 or two, put on Devil Without a Cause by Kid Rock and do your best to feel the flavor. A little herb wouldnt hurt.

Im like 44 or 45 and I have a hard time feeling the groove of a lot of the latest music but if I try and really hear the beat I can sometimes understand.

Most RnR artists sing about what they know at that stage in their lives, like most writers, or any artist. Many look back and regret some of the things they have said, but at the time that was what they were feeling. Being an artist is all about expressing whats the artist is feeling at that point be it bad or good.

In short, its all about the beat and relating with what the artist was saying at that point. I cant really relate with The Jackson 5 singing ABC but I did when I was 6 yrs old and I still love the song.

I actually had a hard time getting into kid rock but went ahead and bought Ddevil w/o a cause and still love rockin out to it.

The whole DSO thing is a bit much for me, I know Metallica did the same thing some years back. Probably not something I would even bother to download but it was probably for a good cause as Kid Rock is a solid Detroit booster.

Have a coupla beers and give it a shot. If you can relate with Led Zeppelin you should understand.

**poobert** · May-13-12, 09:41 PM

Well, sex, drugs, and rock and roll have been openly present in music for the past 50 years or so, so unless you're 100 it shouldn't be too shocking anymore.

He's a Detroit booster for all the charity and PR stuff he does for the city. I think that is fairly obvious as well and in the news on a regular basis.

As for his music, I don't care for it. To me it is boring, contrived, uninspired. Lots of singing about himself. A lot of people like it though, and there is certainly worse stuff out there in the mainstream.

**Thames** · May-13-12, 09:42 PM

Originally Posted by BRAZZMAN

I'm an older guy so maybe it's a generational disconnect but can someone please explain the appeal of this guy? I mean his music and lyrics. I'm vaguely aware that he's a Detroit booster. [[That seems fashionable these days.) And that he's involved in some charities. Did anyone attend his gig with the DSO and who was in attendance? I would guess not the usual DSO patrons. I've not read all his lyrics but what does he sing about that benefits and "glorifies" Detroit and qualifies him as a booster? Sex, drugs and rock n' roll is what I hear. My, my, what a curmudgeon I am.

This is Kid Rock in about 1998. You could argue that this is still Kid Rock in 2012. Love this song. Been a fan ever since.

**professorscott** · May-13-12, 10:15 PM

I am approaching [[some say "at") the curmudgeon stage of life, but my take on this thread's subject is a bit different than that of the first poster.

When Mr. Ritchie [["Kid Rock") was much younger, sure, he wrote about the things the young rock and hip-hop musicians write about. And it was a game in the first couple albums, when hearing one of his songs, to guess how many seconds it would take before he said his own name. [[Usually not very many seconds. Mr. Lane and Mr. Clark on WRIF made a contest of it among listeners, for a time.)

But he has an impressive talent for rhythms and rhyming, and as he has matured his penchant for storytelling in song has become noteworthy. His disc jockey from the early days, Mr. Shafer [["Uncle Kracker") has gone on to have a successful solo career, and it says something about a recording artist when one's musicians can go on to become famous as soloists.

I am in no way a fan of hip-hop, but there are instances of it which I enjoy a great deal. The song "Airplanes" by Mr. Simmons, which includes a verse by Mr. Mathers and vocals by Ms. Williams, I particularly like. I can't tell you why. I also found the Run DMC version of Aerosmith's "Walk This Way" oddly compelling, when it first appeared on the scene decades ago. But most hip-hop I eschew.

But Mr. Ritchie's particular spin on that genre blends a lot of musical styles, and I find most of his music quite listenable. He did a duet with, I believe it was, Ms. Crow, which I quite like, and his tribute to Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama" is also musically enjoyable, and represents storytelling of a quality up there with Mr. Seger or the late Mr. Chapin.

So I think he is a rather unique talent, one of the most well-known and successful musicians to come from metro Detroit in the recent past, and I am always glad to see such a person come out for his hometown and help out with things. I don't begrudge him anything; and the thought of a young musician [[as he was; he passed forty not too many months ago) singing about sex and chemically-induced recreation is as old as music.

**Hypestyles** · May-13-12, 10:31 PM

to read some other music critics assessment of Bob, he's a hodge-podge of assorted genres, doing a fusion-spin on all of them in some form-- classic rock [including the southern subgenre, i.e., Skynyrd, Tom Petty], 1980s-era hip-hop [i.e., Run-DMC, Beastie Boys, LL Cool J], early punk [MC5, sex pistols], and country [particularly the 70s-era 'rebel' figures like Hank Williams Jr., Waylon Jennings, David Allan Coe].. "The Kid" considers all of this to be Americana, ripe for the cherry-picking. Despite his self-promoted image of a Harley riding, stoned-out hellraiser raised on Pabst Blue Ribbon, Jim Beam, stripclubs, and 'mary jane', like Elvis he has the very patriotic, community-charity side that he reveals on a recurring basis.

Occurrence · May-14-12, 03:00 AM

Originally Posted by Django

Buy yourself a 40 or two, put on Devil Without a Cause by Kid Rock and do your best to feel the flavor. A little herb wouldnt hurt.

Bad mix. Some good weed makes you realize just how bad Kid Rock's brand of family friendly corporate radio rock is. That's a waste of a good high.

**Django** · May-14-12, 03:22 AM

Originally Posted by Occurrence

Bad mix. Some good weed makes you realize just how bad Kid Rock's brand of family friendly corporate radio rock is. That's a waste of a good high.

We all take our highs in a different way. I dig the Kid, weed and a beer on occasion. To each their own. Corporate rock whatever, if it makes my head nod [[no pun) im down with it.

Ritchie has busted his ass to get where hes at. Fuck a corporate rock radio and all that but the guy has made his mark and I stand behind him.

I like his music but I have even more love for him as a person.

9mile&seneca · May-14-12, 04:27 AM

I'm Kid Easy Listening

**iheartthed** · May-14-12, 09:08 AM

I just don't find him to be that great of a musician. If he's the standard-bearer of today's Detroit music scene then... oh, how the mighty have fallen!

**townonenorth** · May-14-12, 09:22 AM

Originally Posted by Django

We all take our highs in a different way. I dig the Kid, weed and a beer on occasion. To each their own. Corporate rock whatever, if it makes my head nod [[no pun) im down with it.

Ritchie has busted his ass to get where hes at. Fuck a corporate rock radio and all that but the guy has made his mark and I stand behind him.

I like his music but I have even more love for him as a person.

If it takes getting high to listen to his music, then it's not worth listening to.

Occurrence · May-14-12, 09:44 AM

Ehh, I'm on the opposite side. If the weed can't even make the music semi-enjoyable, you know it's bad. With all the great local music, Kid Rock doesn't even register. Good guy and all, but as a musician, not so much. I'd put him in the same class as Nickleback with the same fan demographic. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but it is what it is. You can go to any dive bar around the city on any givin night and see better bands.

**Detroitnerd** · May-14-12, 09:55 AM

I dunno. Take a subnormal kid from the sticks who's fascinated with rock and rap, never read a book in his life, and really just wants to hit the big time and be surrounded by limos, beer, weed and chicks with fat asses. He figures out what works. He decides to honor his Southern rock heroes by being a support-the-troops-no-matter-what brand of dickweed, vomits up a couple songs about partying, slaps together some hayseed-in-the-city ensemble and gets down on his dirty denim knees and totally sucks corporate cock until he's gargling on millions of dollars. An American dumbass. Political idiot. The best recording artist a total hick philistine can be.

The only thing I can say in his favor is that he seems to be genuinely good to the people around him. He always makes sure they get their due, a la Kracker, Ty Stone, etc. Other than that, I hope he gets killed in our first domestic drone accident...

**Gistok** · May-14-12, 10:05 AM

Detroitnerd... not one of your best posts...

He's one of the few music celebrities that even give a rats ass about Detroit. With an attitude like that, it's no wonder so few do....

But then again... as we're so often reminded on this forum... he's not from Detroit... he's from Romeo... and according to some folks here nothing good ever comes from north of 8 Mile...

**Chinman** · May-14-12, 10:31 AM

i filled in for a friend and drove a shuttle bus to the kid rock / dso concert. the people i drove were kid rock fans and had never been to the dso. they said it was one of the coolest concerts they had been to.
the concert goer's were both kid rock fans and dso fans. from jeans and tee shirts to tuxedo's and gala dresses. ages were from the young to the old.
it was a benefit for the dso after all.

**Detroitnerd** · May-14-12, 10:38 AM

Originally Posted by Gistok

Detroitnerd... not one of your best posts...

Actually, I am proud of the post. We just disagree.

Originally Posted by Gistok

He's one of the few music celebrities that even give a rats ass about Detroit. With an attitude like that, it's no wonder so few do....

Nah, I'd rather have people of a certain quality who care about Detroit. Kid Rock is a fucking loooooser, OK? And Detroit can totally do without a fucked-up jackass screaming out a recruitment poster in front of the stars and bars. He just sucks with five U's, man -- suuuuucks. I just calls 'em as I sees 'em, and don't blame little ol' me, a person of good taste, for being the reason few stars care about Detroit. I'd rather have a few Segers or Eminems than a billion Kid Rocks.

**Gistok** · May-14-12, 10:39 AM

Originally Posted by Chinman

i filled in for a friend and drove a shuttle bus to the kid rock / dso concert. the people i drove were kid rock fans and had never been to the dso. they said it was one of the coolest concerts they had been to.
the concert goer's were both kid rock fans and dso fans. from jeans and tee shirts to tuxedo's and gala dresses. ages were from the young to the old.
it was a benefit for the dso after all.

Thanks for the update Chinman. I'm not a music fan of the genre that Kid Rock performs.... but I find it nice that he's introducing some of his fans to a genre [[classic music) that they would otherwise not care about.

For all the complaining that's done on this forum about him, he does seem to continually break out of the mold that many here want to pigeon hole him into. And his dedication to his hometown "area" has never been in doubt... unlike other local celebs who move to LA or Nashville.

**Johnnny5** · May-14-12, 11:08 AM

Originally Posted by Detroitnerd

I dunno. Take a subnormal kid from the sticks who's fascinated with rock and rap, never read a book in his life, and really just wants to hit the big time and be surrounded by limos, beer, weed and chicks with fat asses. He figures out what works. He decides to honor his Southern rock heroes by being a support-the-troops-no-matter-what brand of dickweed, vomits up a couple songs about partying, slaps together some hayseed-in-the-city ensemble and gets down on his dirty denim knees and totally sucks corporate cock until he's gargling on millions of dollars. An American dumbass. Political idiot. The best recording artist a total hick philistine can be.

The only thing I can say in his favor is that he seems to be genuinely good to the people around him. He always makes sure they get their due, a la Kracker, Ty Stone, etc. Other than that, I hope he gets killed in our first domestic drone accident...

Wishing death on someone because you don't like their music? Really?

**Detroitnerd** · May-14-12, 11:30 AM

Originally Posted by Johnnny5

Wishing death on someone because you don't like their music? Really?

Oh, come on, man. Don't you understand overstatement? That said, I wouldn't mourn the fucker.

**EASTSIDE CAT 67-83** · May-14-12, 12:30 PM

His attraction....Its because he's a cowboy baaaaby, other than that I think I'd agree with what most have said here. Although when I was a teenager I couldn't get enough of Ted Nugent, now when I hear noise come out of his narrsistic mouth I cringe...to each his own with each generation but I do believe Kid Pebbles does play up the whole Detroit street cred thing a bit much for a dude from the burbs/sticks.

**dnvn522** · May-14-12, 12:33 PM

I dunno. Take a subnormal kid from the sticks who's fascinated with rock and rap, never read a book in his life, and really just wants to hit the big time and be surrounded by limos, beer, weed and chicks with fat asses. He figures out what works. He decides to honor his Southern rock heroes by being a support-the-troops-no-matter-what brand of dickweed, vomits up a couple songs about partying, slaps together some hayseed-in-the-city ensemble and gets down on his dirty denim knees and totally sucks corporate cock until he's gargling on millions of dollars.

The American dream. He found a way to achieve it. I personally have to respect the "total hick philistine" for finding a way to make that happen.

I don't hate his music, but I certainly don't enjoy it much either. I say "good for him", for being able to find something to cling onto and make lots of money in the process...good or bad. At least he didn't sit around on his ass and have his money just given to him.

**dnvn522** · May-14-12, 12:37 PM

Originally Posted by iheartthed

If he's the standard-bearer of today's Detroit music scene then... oh, how the mighty have fallen!

I wouldn't say that. Yes, he may be from the Detroit area, but I wouldn't say he represents the "Detroit music scene". There are much better examples of that.

Occurrence · May-14-12, 01:08 PM

I don't hate Kid Rock by any means, I just think his music is mediocre. Ted Nudgent on the other hand, I hate. He actually has some decent music, but I can't listen to it because he's such a ...... bag.