Thread: If Rockstars didn’t die young.

Throughout the years, we lost a lot of our favorites to many causes. Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Elvis Presley, Ian Curtis, Bon Scott, John Lennon, Freddie Mercury, Frank Zappa, Kurt Cobain, Jerry Garcia, Michael Hutchence, Layne Staley, Scott Weiland, Chris Cornell, Chester Bennington, the list goes on. It really makes us wonder what would our worlds be if they were still around or at least lived longer. Not only it'll obviously be different, but it maybe not in the way we think. And many of them were larger than life icons cause they died when they did. The thing I've noticed is some of the rock figures who died young are more iconic than the ones who are still alive right now. Since I've made this topic, I'll be the first to play along while mentioning these guys again much as I could. Jimi Hendrix 27 He was one of those guys who had never sit still during his lifetime. Jimi would continued to innovate and produced some mind-blowing music until he runs out of ideas and ends up being a touring attraction. I'd love to have witnessed his evolution, and can you imagine him using any modern synthesizer for his guitars? I also think he would also be friends with guys like Alex Lifeson and Tom Morello. Janis Joplin 27 She probably wouldn't aged well after bouncing back from substance abuse, but maintained that great voice and made a chunk load of other standards her own. Jerry Garcia 53 The Grateful Dead would still be together. However, unlike others who actually died during the psychedelic era, Jerry outlived them and would have continued to showed some despair moments but great things as well. Jim Morrison 27 He probably wouldn't make much music and go on tour with the Doors, but he would put out his own poem books and spoken word albums as a side-project - his journeymen poetry showed promise. Frank Zappa 52 He would be much more prolific and promiscuous than he ever was, and he would say a lot of interesting things about today's state in America and modern music. I could see him being friends with bands who are known for their quirky humor and musical styles like Primus and System of the Down, but he wouldn't find them to be fitting for him to collaborate. Frank would mostly remain as an outsider, but that's how he was built. Elvis Presley 42 He would probably have done some special concerts and be more charitable. Elvis would be a bridge between the classic early Rock Roll era and more modern music. He actually had a strong appreciation for African American artists in all genres. I could see him like RB, Soul artists, and even some rappers who made their debut years after him. And I could also see him liking Dave Grohl. John Lennon 40 There's no predicting what he would've done. I don't think we would have an actual Beatles reunion - just a one show only event for special occasions akin to Led Zeppelin's most recent moves. He would also continued to be a political activist and call out every single Post-Carter US president much as he could notoriously. Bon Scott 33 It'd obviously be very different for Brian Johnson - he would remain unknown and a lot less rich. But for Bon on the other hand, ACDC would have never reached anywhere close as they did with him staying on as the lead singer successfully. He would also put out his own solo albums and make them sound like if the Young Brothers, Phil Rudd, and Cliff Williams added elements of punk to their unique sounds. Everytime when I hear his voice, he almost sounded like if he was about to say, I'm gonna kick your a. Ian Curtis 23 He and the rest of the members from Joy Division would receive some big commercial success in the 80's they deserve for their work while go on tour with other alternative bands like U2 and the Cure. Freddie Mercury 45 Freddie wasn't fearful, so I could see him collaborate with younger acts like Muse and Lady Gaga as a producer, a guest, or both. He would also be surprise guest at every big rock concert and even a Broadway show. Of course, Freddie would do AIDS charity work and he would be knighted. Sir Freddie Mercury - that actually sounds very smooth. Overall, he would be much more fun in an old age than most people do at a certain point in their lives. Michael Hutchence 37 Although INXS had never been a planet-shaking band as some of their peers back in the 80's and early 90's, but they would get a massive revival of their popularity after Elegantly Wasted. Michael would also give bands like the Killers and Nine Inch Nails a call to go on tour with them. Can you imagine him being friends with Trent Reznor? I actually think both of them would have a great relationship. Kurt Cobain 27 If he didn't picked up a pistol for a swing, I still don't think it'd be the same. He wanted his band's lifetime to be short and had amply shown his desire to move on. I think Nirvana would make two or three more albums by the end of the decade and pull the plug. After that, he would acoustically go solo. Layne Staley 34 Like I've said about Janis - he wouldn't aged well after a full recovery from drug addiction, but maintained that great voice while doing his thing with Alice In Chains and Mad Season. He would also revisit his hair metal roots and make some of his own solo albums. What most people dont know about him is he was also a gamer I could see Layne attending E3 every now and meet some of the most famous developers back stage like Shigeru Miyamoto and Hideo Kojima. Scott Weiland 48 There two things Scott would either do if he was still around other than cleaning himself up fully Rejoin Stone Temple Pilots or put himself into retirement after realizing the amount talent and capability he had lost. I sadly don't think it'd be the same for him. Chris Cornell 52 Might be too soon to wonder since it's been almost a year since he past away, but we would have an Audioslave reunion tour a few years from now. And he would also make a fresh new start with them as a side-band akin to how Corey Taylor goes on with both Slipknot and Stone Sour which was actually his first band. Chester Bennington 41 He would ask Mike Shinoda or his label to cancel the One More Light North America tour in order to focus on his recovery from depression. And a few years after that, Linkin Park would go make another concept album like a Thousand Suns but with Orwellian theme lyrics loosely based on 1984 and musically influenced by the Pre-NIN industrial bands like Throbbing Gristle What do you guys think?