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The great rock and roll sell-out; mentions Westlife
Topic Started: Jul 30 2008, 12:15 PM (63 Views)
JoanneVIP
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THE BOSS
The great rock and roll sell-out


Wednesday July 30 2008

In their heyday, a quarter of a century ago, The Clash were so consumed with notions of artistic integrity and credibility that they refused to cheapen themselves in the shop-window that was Top Of The Pops.

If their contemporaries thought the boycott was a tad extreme, they could at least see where Joe Strummer & Co were coming from. Few acts of that time were ever offered commercial endorsements, and many would have had a long hard think before saying 'thanks, but no thanks'.

But that was then and this is now. When eco-warblers Radiohead announced they'd be giving this year's Glastonbury Festival a miss because the public transport system wasn't up to scratch, their po-faced stance came across as endearingly old-fashioned in an era when bona-fide Rock Gods are renting themselves out for parties like so many bouncy castles.

When Coleen McLoughlin booked serial chart-toppers Westlife for her recent wedding to Wayne Rooney, no one batted an eyelid. Louis Walsh's drones had previously taken a large pay cheque for singing Happy Birthday at the 18th bash of a girl whose parents had also hired Will Young for her 16th.

Nor is it any surprise to learn that Westlife's stable-mates, Girls Aloud, charge €300,000 for a 20-minute party piece.

Elsewhere, Sugababes made €350,000 for 30 minutes at a Russian rich kid's 21st, and Pussycat Dolls will get your party started for €650,000.

It's no surprise either that has-beens Janet Jackson and All Saints provided the after-dinner entertainment at the 18th birthday of the Sultan of Brunei's daughter, in return for a diamond-encrusted watch each, plus a camel-train of money.

Nor it it startling that washed-up Whitney Houston would begin her long climb-back behind closed doors at black-tie soirees, or that Deep Purple are in demand with self-made millionaires of a certain age on the pay-to-play party circuit.

But what may cause some head-scratching is the number of rock music legends, rich and famous beyond their wildest dreams, who are available to do a turn at weddings, birthdays, anything, as long as the price is right.

On New Year's Eve 2006, George Michael flew to Russia to perform for a few hundred guests of Vladimir Potanin, a mining and lumber magnate.

Michael sang for 75 minutes, earned an estimated €3m, and was home in London in time for New Year's Day lunch. Had Rod Stewart been booked for the same gig at his standard rate, he'd have charged only half that amount.

Perhaps realising that she might have a limited chart shelf-life, Christina Aguilera began doing the party rounds relatively early in her career. The pint-sized powerhouse earned over €1m for serenading another Russian billionaire, Andrei Meinchenko, at his 2005 wedding.

Amy Winehouse, meanwhile, didn't say "no, no, no" when Chelsea Football Club owner Roman Abramovich invited her to strut her stuff at his girlfriend's gallery opening in Moscow.

The Rolling Stones may be rolling in it, but they couldn't turn down €4m for a couple of hours work entertaining the guests of Ryanair Chairman David Bonderman when he threw a 60th birthday bash at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas. The evening was MC'd by Robin Williams. The comic, who's become a fixture on the party circuit, picked up his usual fee of $1m.

If the Stones are filthy rich, Paul McCartney must qualify as stinking, but that didn't inhibit him from accepting a $1m fee from the husband of TV producer Wendy Whitworth to appear as surprise guest at her 50th birthday.

The ex-Beatle, who donated his fee to an anti-landmines charity, reasoned: "Ralph gets to be the great husband for organising the surprise, his wife gets a rocking party, I get to rehearse the band for the upcoming tour, and, most important, Adopt-A-Minefield gets one million dollars."

Billionaire McCartney stressed that he wouldn't be making a habit of performing at private parties, but Elton John has no such reservations.

Although he can still fill stadia anywhere in the world, Elton makes space in his diary for a half-dozen private affairs each year, pocketing a minimum €1.3m for each. Unashamedly, he calls these nice little earners his "bank raids" which net him another bundle of "giggle money" to throw on the pile.

Compared to touring, a once-off gig for a Russian oligarch or a Saudi sheikh makes a great deal of sense.

Whereas a tour operates on paper-thin profit margins, takes years of planning and requires an army of road crew, a single showcase for the super-rich means a private jet and limo laid on at the host's expense, a relaxed trot through the greatest hits, a big fat pay cheque, and home for breakfast.

In the words of Gwen Stefani's manager, Jim Guerinot: "It's quick cash for the artist. That's what it comes down to.

"It can be these unbelievable amounts of money offered by someone like the Sultan of Brunei or some sheikh somewhere, who's willing to pay what you make for being on tour for three weeks."

Joe Strummer would be turning in his grave at this development. Purists have decried it as the final ignoble sell-out of Woodstock to Wall Street.

For proof, they cited the all-star line-up paid to perform at the 2005 bar mitzvah of the daughter of armaments magnate David H Brooks. Former leading lights of the counter- culture who did a turn included Stevie Nicks, Don Henley of The Eagles, Aerosmith and Tom 'Damn The Torpedoes' Petty.

Rock's refuseniks are a steadily shrinking group. Robert Norman, who books megastars for corporate events in the States, says: "Bruce Springsteen and U2 won't do it, and, really, there are very few others."

But while the old taboos are still observed by a few, for the many those taboos were broken when rock stars started leasing their music as advertising soundtracks.

As one commentator put it: "Once you had rock classics on the ads, the private event bookings became viewed as pedestrian offences. If they were still viewed as a crime against the old ideals, they were usually downgraded from a cultural felony to a mercenary misdemeanour."

Stars being stars, of course, they want it both ways. They may be the hired help for the party, but don't dare hand them a list of songs to play.

"They're not jukeboxes," stresses Robert Norman. "They're artists."

And don't expect them to hang around entertaining your guests with amusing anecdotes about Iggy Pop, the fire-hose and the race-horse.

And, whatever else you do, please don't pack the tables nearest the stage with your mob associates.

According to Norman: "The artists don't want to be singing for gangsters or someone who represents something they don't feel comfortable with." He says that it has become standard practice for stars to vet potential party hosts to nip potential embarrassment in the bud.

In 2001 Jimmy Buffett, whose hits include Margaritaville, took $250,000 to play at a Roman-themed party for tycoon LD Kozlowski. Videos of the event were subsequently shown in a court case where Kozlowski was charged with looting his company to fund a lavish lifestyle.

Rock's rich tapestry indeed.

- Damien Corless/The irish independent
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jlovenicky
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Jacqueline
Lots of money!
Thans hun,
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Nicky's Angel
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Sara
yes that is a lot of money I wish I had money like that. thanks for posting Jo
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