“What the hell makes you think that I would like Kelly fucking Clarkson,” I said.
“I think you’d like her new song as it’s more the sort of music that you like. It's more rock.”
I tried to explain to her that just because Kelly Clarkson and Ashley Simpson have guitars in their songs and even though they are trying desperately hard to be so, it doesn’t mean its rock music.
Here argument was "What is the main component of rock music? Why stupid its guitars of course! There is an electric guitar in the song and so its rock."
“You wouldn’t have even noticed the electric guitar if it wasn’t for you seeing the video where she's dressed in a 'look at me I am a rock chick' outfit.” I said back to her.
Needles to say I never did get around to listening to the Kelly Clarkson album.
But you don't even need a guitar to play rock music. How can that be? You can’t possibly play rock music without a guitar can you? Funk music needs a bass, jazz needs a trumpet, pop needs a chorus, classical needs an orchestra and opera needs a big fat bloke.
Well no. The band Morphine were a three piece that played what at the time was labelled ‘bluesy low end rock music’ that consisted of drums, a saxophone and a two stringed bass played with a slide.
Then there’s Rhode Island’s Lightning bolt who with just drums and bass play a very very loud brand of noise-rock.
But one of my favourite rock songs without a guitar is by a band that you wouldn’t usually describe as rock at all. The track Dead Bodies from Air’s The Virgin Suicides soundtrack is a space rock juggernaut of a ride that by two thirds of the way through I defy you not to be playing air drums to.
Get Air: Dead Bodies Here
