Disturbed's David Draiman Blasts Media's Illusion Of 'False Level Of Excess And Opulence' In Rock

In an interview with Eddie Trunk, Disturbed's lead singer David Draiman spoke about the band's decision to take a four-year hiatus before returning with their most recent album Immortalized. "In today's environment, it's fewer and further between those bands who can afford to take that kind of time away, because, whether we like to admit it or not, touring has become our primary source of revenue these days. And a lot of other musicians out there, whether we like to admit it or not, have not necessarily been as wise with their finances," said Draiman. "They think that their party's gonna last forever, and they burn through what they've made, and they throw caution to the wind a little bit. And there are quite a few who are smarter than that, and how have done smart things with the money that they've made over the course of time, and they budget themselves accordingly, and they don't blow their entire wad, so to speak, in one session."

Draiman spoke about how he believes that many rock bands feel pressured to create a false image of opulence and material wealth, though making a living through music is hard enough as it is. "That, unfortunately, is one of the fallbacks of the great myth of 'sex, drugs and rock and roll. And it's part of something that the media has tried to perpetuate over the course of the past fifty years, if not more, and it really isn't truthful. And for rock, it's not like hip-hop and R&B or rap where you have to put on this type of facade, and you have to be able to show a certain level of opulence and so on and so forth. But the sad part is that most of the media continue to try and tell that story. And here you have a whole generation of bands these days that are struggling to continue to do what they love."

He continued, saying: "Don't get me wrong: we're all very, very blessed to be able to do what we love, and it is the best job in the world, if you can even call it a job. And there's not a day that goes by that we don't thank our lucky stars for it. But this continued perpetuation of this false level of excess and opulence and that the perception that, 'You're a band that got signed and you put out a record, you must have it made, you must be rich, you must be doing God knows what.' They really have no idea... they've no idea what the average person who is a musician breaking their back out there goes through." Draiman adds that how the media paints the illusion of stereotypical rock stars being "inappropriate and it's a false idol of sorts. And it's unfortunate that that's what people try to go ahead and attribute to being a rock star."

Draiman concludes by saying: "It my opinion, it doesn't matter how much money you have, it doesn't matter what level of opulence or how extravagantly you live your lifestyle. What makes you a rock star is what are you able to do when you get behind that microphone, when you put that guitar in your hands, when you weird those drumsticks and when you raise your hand in front of twenty thousand people, do they respond? That's being a rock star. Anybody can have money, anybody can live the 'sex, drugs and rock and roll' lifestyle, per se. But in order to truly be a rock star, you need to transcend that. You need to have abilities and a... almost an element that's kind of... I like to refer it very often as kind of like 'Star Wars' with 'the Force.' You have to be able to have that midi-chlorian count in you. If you don't have it, you're not gonna be able to do it."

(source: Blabbermouth)