In a recent conversation with Janne Innanfors from Sweden’s Rockklassiker radio, Mötley Crüe‘s bassist Nikki Sixx shared his thoughts on the future of rock music in the digital age. The discussion was prompted by KISS‘s recent announcement about their plans to continue performing as digital avatars after retirement.
Sixx expressed his enthusiasm for technological advancements in the music industry, drawing parallels between the evolution of music videos and the potential for digital performances. He reminisced about Mötley Crüe‘s early DIY video efforts, contrasting them with their latest high-tech production for the band’s latest video, “Dogs of War.”
“I love technology. I think as long as it’s coming from an artist that says, ‘I have something I wanna do and this technology is gonna help.’ Like with Mötley Crüe‘s latest video ‘Dogs Of War'”
“When I think of our first video, I don’t know how much… The video maybe cost a thousand dollars. There was no MTV at the time, so it was, like, how can we shoot a video that when they talk about us on the news when we tour…? We used to have a lot of local news stations that would promote artists coming through town — comedians, country, rock, whatever — so we wanted to have a calling card”, Sixx remembered.
“And we were lighting me on fire on stage at the time and Mick puked up some blood. And it was just, like, ‘Fuck it. Let’s just throw everything in there.’ And that was what we did to get fans to see what we wanna be represented as. The same as ‘Dogs Of War‘.“
Regarding the possibility of Mötley Crüe following in KISS‘s digital footsteps, Sixx maintained an open mind. He acknowledged the finite nature of human existence and the potential for digital technology to preserve a band’s legacy for future generations.
“I don’t know what the future holds. We did some stuff with holograms years ago before the technology was really fleshed out. At some point, we’re not gonna be here anymore. I mean, not to be a Debbie Downer, but it’s just not gonna happen. And how great for your band, or whatever it is that you do, to be able to go forward for generations and generations. So I think when the time is right, put us in a coffin and fire up those avatars,” he stated.
As technology continues to advance, a tendency about a future where performances by digital entities could perpetuate the performers themselves seems to keep gaining traction. The music landscape is definitely morphing at an accelerated speed.
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