Who said "rock is over"?

When I was a kid, someone told me, "Rock 'n' roll is dead." I don't really remember who said it or the exact circumstances. Maybe it was the neighborhood bully gang, obsessed with breakdancing, who said it to me while I was playing in the sandbox at the park. If so, it must have been around 1983. Michael Jackson's "Thriller" and Culture Club's "Colour by Numbers" were huge hits. Pop music had taken over the music scene, replacing disco, prog, and classic rock.

I think whether rock music is over has to do with marketing. Did marketing ruin rock's spontaneity and passion? The thrill of hearing Led Zeppelin's "Poem of Eternity," the exhilaration of playing AC/DC's "Highway to Hell," the racing ecstasy of Motorhead's "Ace of Spades." These bands simply don't care about ticket sales or album revenue figures. They completely ignore the profit motives of those involved.

They write songs for just one audience member—me, I imagine. Those edgy, soulful songs resonate deep within your core, right in the center of your heart. Their afterglow never fades. We've been losing that edge for years now. Bands that defy authority and refuse to be swallowed by commercial structures are rare indeed. The music industry has become a sea of clones, dominated by pop idols who sound like automated machines.

However, there are still great bands out there that haven't lost their edge. This past year, I lost 15% of my hearing, completely lost my voice, and experienced a significant loss of brain cells. I participated in world-renowned heavy metal festivals, Hellfest in France and Loud Park in Japan. It was truly a happy event.

Alice Cooper, Black Sabbath, Roger Waters, Guns N' Roses—even after 30, 40, no, 50 years since their debuts, they still shone brightly. I was also blown away by Mastodon from the US, High on Fire, Sweden's Cult of Luna, and Norway's Kvaratak. These are the guys who are sharpening their edges for the next generation of hard rock fans.

I was convinced. Rock 'n' roll isn't over. It's still alive and kicking, screaming, smashing Gibson Flying V electric guitars. For fans young and old all over the world. Yes, marketing can't round off the edges of rock.

(Supervised by: Dentsu Inc. Global Business Center)