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There's rap attitude and rhythm under Fishbone's rock, just as Queensryche modifies its metal base into something sleeker and more pointed. "We have audiences full of schoolteachers and college professors," reports Tate, who also plays keyboards for the group. "It's really weird. We have the 7-Eleven clerks and the people from Microsoft."
That's the kind of sound and sensibility to shore up rock's foundation, but Ken Barnes, editor of the trade magazine Radio & Records, suggests, "We may be seeing a fundamental, almost revolutionary shift in what exactly is the mainstream for pop music. New musical ideas continue to come from the inner city instead of rural areas." Pressed hard, Barnes will paint the musical future as "a fusion of dance, funk and rap," and admit, "Rock will never die, but it will become a minority music." Geffen Records president Eddie Rosenblatt scoffs at such predictions. "People have been saying rock 'n' roll is dead since the third Elvis Presley album," he insists. "It's a broad area of music. It will continue to be that."
Maybe it's time for rock to give up on its siege mentality and draw strength from its own breadth. The richness of the music has always been its core. Yes, yes: Paula Abdul is the Doris Day of dance music, and she's flourishing. Michael Bolton has a soul made of buttermilk, but that doesn't put a crimp in his record sales. Nor does it mean that traditional rock is being shut out. It only suggests that it will have to adapt and remain openhearted, keep learning and keep listening. A little heavy artillery never hurts, either: the next few months may see releases by Bob Seger, Guns n' Roses, U2 and Bruce Springsteen. If rock 'n' roll ever died, a roster like that means we've all gone to heaven.
But rock has always been enriched by everything going on around it, including its recurring and eternally recyclable history. Whatever action goes down on the Top 10, the past and the future of rock will continue to intersect on the streets as well as the charts. While the rhythm goes through all kinds of redefinition, it might also be helpful to keep in mind that objects in the rearview mirror are always closer than they appear.