Whos is the Greatest Living Rock Star On The Planet ?

[7lb claimer]

The Wild Feathers are a great modern act but you'd probably define them as Country Rock. Chuck Berry and Jerry Lee from the old days.

[llama]

Hard to look past Dave Grohl.

Currently front man for one of the most successful rock bands of all time; he was the drummer for Nirvana who are arguably one of the most important bands ever.

You don't get more Rock & Roll than that.

[tenpinterry]

Dave Gilmour

Noticeable mentions:

Jon Anderson (as long as you don't let him speak), Ian Anderson, jagger (definitely not macca) & grohl

[Zimmerman]

Such a tough one to answer (not least who can be considered rock n roll).

As well as everyone mentioned, I'll throw in Mick Fleetwood.

Albums, success, excess, rock n roll, longevity - he ticks all the boxes.

[bspittles]

Bowie for me. I would have like to say Meatloaf, but he couldn't maintain his early standards.

Brian May or Roger Taylor? The former keeps going and the latter had a couple of solo albums.

[Ave a banana]

Has to be 'The Boss' Bruce Springsteen for me, saw him at the RDS Dublin 3 years ago .......OUTSTANDING!

[Vid]

Sir Tom?

[Ashers]

Hard to look past Dave Grohl.

Currently front man for one of the most successful rock bands of all time; he was the drummer for Nirvana who are arguably one of the most important bands ever.

You don't get more Rock & Roll than that.

Add Queens of the Stoneage into that as well.

[murf]

Grohl is hardly a household name outside his fan base. Foo Fighters don't really have a broad/ mass appeal or fame like many on this thread. In fact I would say he is still mainly (half) famous for being "the drummer in Kurt Cobain's band"......

[Mystery]

Define "greatest" and define "rock" or "rock star" as you wish.

I'm not sure there are any genuine rock stars because rock isn't a genre that's generating stars at the moment. So you're essentially looking at rock musicians who once moved the needle in terms of interest.

On that basis I'd probably plump for Eminem. I think he's as near as we have.

[llama]

Foo Fighters don't really have a broad/ mass appeal or fame like many on this thread.

They have just cancelled two sold out Wembley shows and a headline slot at Glastonbury. I think it's safe to say they have a broad/mass appeal.

[bluenosey]

Foo Fighters don't really have a broad/ mass appeal or fame like many on this thread.

They have just cancelled two sold out Wembley shows and a headline slot at Glastonbury. I think it's safe to say they have a broad/mass appeal.

I agree. Grohl is up there. They do have mass appeal but a guitar based band rarely breaks the top 20 singles now because it's full of R n B dirge.

You'll find that most of their albums do significantly well, worldwide. Being the drummer in Nirvana, well, that rounds off his CV nicely.

I think Grohl's a top bloke and a worthy shout.

As for Emimen, well he's made a living reading a dictionary to ryhme words and sounds like he's inhaled his fair share of helium. Always playing on this "only white boy rapper" thing, he sort of overlooked the Beastie Boys who are far, far superior in that field. And Vanilla Ice, of course as you can see, I'm not a fan.

[Zimmerman]

Probably my definition of Rock and Roll, only Berry would fit, not sure if he was better than Little Richard or Jerry Lee come to that, granted not seen Stones for many years, but when they came to fame it was playing R and B, they may well be iconic in a music genre, names mentioned but Rock and Rollers they are not.

BBC4 at 21:00 tonight might be up your street mike.

[Billy Whiz]

I don't have anything against Nirvana or Foo Fighters but neither band were/are innovative. Nirvana just reintroduced hard rock to a new audience that weren't old enough to have heard it the first time round in the 1970s.

I think "rock" and "rock stars" are old-fashioned ideas these days. But if the question means who has made the greatest contribution to rock music who is still alive, I'd have to say Paul McCartney, because without the Beatles, pop and rock music might not have developed the way it did. Runner up: David Bowie.

[mikeg13]

Probably my definition of Rock and Roll, only Berry would fit, not sure if he was better than Little Richard or Jerry Lee come to that, granted not seen Stones for many years, but when they came to fame it was playing R and B, they may well be iconic in a music genre, names mentioned but Rock and Rollers they are not.

BBC4 at 21:00 tonight might be up your street mike.

Not a huge fan of the music but loved the way it was performed, saw most of them other than Presley, it was all about the joy of music and it showed these days its all to serious, thats what meant by most not rock and rollers.
Motown, proper R & B, London pop (Who, Action, Small Faces, Downliners, etc) is my music taste, never in to Floyd, Zeplin etc all to staged, it became more an event than a gig, thats a million miles away from rock and roll.

[Beerfuelledman]

I'm a big Dave Grohl fan, and on music and contribution he'd be very high but he doesnt quite 'behave' like a rock star.
Since Keith Moon is dead, the greatest living Rock Star is Nikki Sixx.
He's the one who put GNR on the Motley Crue Tour revitalising the flagging interest in Appetite for destruction which the record company were going to stop at 100k units (it went on the sell 12m). His parties, sex tales and drug additions were well publiscised. You dont get much more rock and roll than actually dying. Twice. And still being alive.

[Billy Whiz]

Anyone interested in Motley Crue should read (if you haven't already) The Dirt - Confessions of the World's Most Notorious Rock Band, which contains one of the the most astonishing first paragraphs in literature

[Moist von Lipwig]

You dont get much more rock and roll than actually dying. Twice. And still being alive.

Dave Gahan is also a fan of that particular trick, out of a heart attack, a suicide attempt and 2 ODs I think he was also officially dead twice. They started calling him the cat after the last one.

[flyingkillercob]

Axl Rose
Bruce Dickinson
Ozzy Osbourne

[Rick]

Chuck Berry for me too, although Little Richard was doing rock'n'Roll from about 51. Those two were a big part the driving force which actually created the genre, as they fused R&B, The Blues and Rockabilly (step forward Jerry Lee). If Little Richard hadn't virtually retired in 59 I think I would have given it to him. But Chuck Berry's one that nearly all the people mentioned above all cite as one of their main influences. Not sure Rock'n;Roll would be quite the same without Chuck Berry (Even though we all know where he really got his sound from )

Must admit didn't realise those three were all still alive Mike.

[hornet]

Dave Grohl.

I don't have anything against Nirvana or Foo Fighters but neither band were/are innovative. Nirvana just reintroduced hard rock to a new audience that weren't old enough to have heard it the first time round in the 1970s.

Nirvana were pioneers of a whole new genre of 'hard rock'

[Maldini]

I was a fan but they weren't pioneers of anything.

They were heavily influenced by the likes of Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Pixies and even The Melvins.

They were different to most bands at the time they came out but nothing original in the slightest.

[Spinynorman]

They were heavily influenced by the likes of Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Pixies and even The Melvins.

........and Boston of course.

[Maldini]

[wolviebob]

Dave Brock of HAwkwind...he's even got 'rock' in his name

[roadrunner]

Mark E Smith.

[Beerfuelledman]

You dont get much more rock and roll than actually dying. Twice. And still being alive.

Dave Gahan is also a fan of that particular trick, out of a heart attack, a suicide attempt and 2 ODs I think he was also officially dead twice. They started calling him the cat after the last one.

Cool I didnt know that. Ok, I'll raise you A&R guru Tom Zutaut taking his girlfriend backstage to meet Motley Crue. Nikki took his girlfriend had sex with her, right there, in front of him.

[Knulpuk]

If we are talking Rock - it surely has to be Robert Plant. I've locked the thread until you all acknowledge I am right by PM. That is all.

[jpk]

If we are talking Rock - it surely has to be Robert Plant. I've locked the thread until you all acknowledge I am right by PM. That is all.

If we are talking tight trousers then definitely

[Zimmerman]

After Kanye West declared himself the above and I declined from temptation to launch something at the TV, it begs the question, who is the greatest living rock star on the planet.

A lot of the stars held high in esteem are dead, so who do we reckon ?

Interestingly/unsurprisingly nobody is willing to back Kanye up?!