Martyrs
 

Does rock need them? The fans obviously do.

Black Metal had Euronymous
Classical had Mozart
Jazz had Coltrane, Ayler etc

You may have a point there - an artist dying for their art (usually total nonsense, but it makes a great myth).

dimebag darryl could go suck a nut.

so could Sid.

James Blunt, goes for a swim, drowns, washed up as Jeff Buckley.

They're useless. In fact the whole death business is just that: Business.

I remember when Kurt offed himself. The next day the Virgin Megastore had a big fuck-off wall filled with cds and merch. People were queueing to load up on copies of Bleach and Nevermind bermuda shorts.

Then they scoured the lyric sheets on the bus home looking for 'clues'.

I sort of like the should-be martyrs though: the ones like Keith Richards, Shane MacGowan, the entire LA hair metal scene that's still breathing, Courtney Love. they keep hanging on regardless. I'm sure it's just to frustrate the record industy's desperation to regenerate some interest in their flagging careers once they kick it.

the industry needs them.

“There's two types of factory [in Manchester]. One makes old corpses. They stumble round like rust dogs. One lives off old dying men. One lives off the back of a dead man. You know which one. You know which Factory I mean.”

- The Fall, C n C

Better than cocky assholes.