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AND NOW PAUL KANTNER IS GONE
Really.
Man, it’s been a rough month for famous pop-culture icons and rock musicians. But I guess this kind of thing is inevitable, of course, and sooner or later the casualties are going to start piling up.
Anyway, I have a few things to say about Kantner, and specifically Jefferson Airplane/Starship:
1. Thanks to AOR hits like “Jane” and “Stranger”, I was aware of Jefferson Starship before I was aware of Jefferson Airplane. Consequently, the first time I ever came across a Jefferson Airplane album – a hits comp called The Worst Of Jefferson Airplane – I thought they were either a parody band making fun of Jefferson Starship, or Jefferson Starship making fun of themselves. I blame Nashville FM radio and MTV for this.
2. Eventually of course I discovered Jefferson Airplane and “White Rabbit” and “Volunteers” and all that. I would argue that Jefferson Airplane has held up better than Jefferson Starship in the long term. That said, I still have a soft spot for “Stranger”. I’ve always liked that primal sounding drumbeat.
The video is a bit naff, mind.
3. Kantner had nothing to do with Starship, the 80s version of the band. Which is nice to know because I never cared for Starship sans Jefferson. Granted, the 80s weren’t kind to very many rock bands that originated in the 60s or 70s. Still, I could go the rest of my life without hearing “We Built This City” or “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now”.
Got to revolution,
This is dF
Man, it’s been a rough month for famous pop-culture icons and rock musicians. But I guess this kind of thing is inevitable, of course, and sooner or later the casualties are going to start piling up.
Anyway, I have a few things to say about Kantner, and specifically Jefferson Airplane/Starship:
1. Thanks to AOR hits like “Jane” and “Stranger”, I was aware of Jefferson Starship before I was aware of Jefferson Airplane. Consequently, the first time I ever came across a Jefferson Airplane album – a hits comp called The Worst Of Jefferson Airplane – I thought they were either a parody band making fun of Jefferson Starship, or Jefferson Starship making fun of themselves. I blame Nashville FM radio and MTV for this.
2. Eventually of course I discovered Jefferson Airplane and “White Rabbit” and “Volunteers” and all that. I would argue that Jefferson Airplane has held up better than Jefferson Starship in the long term. That said, I still have a soft spot for “Stranger”. I’ve always liked that primal sounding drumbeat.
The video is a bit naff, mind.
3. Kantner had nothing to do with Starship, the 80s version of the band. Which is nice to know because I never cared for Starship sans Jefferson. Granted, the 80s weren’t kind to very many rock bands that originated in the 60s or 70s. Still, I could go the rest of my life without hearing “We Built This City” or “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now”.
Got to revolution,
This is dF