PropertyOfZack, All Time Low Guitarist Discusses The "Erosion" Of The Rock ‘N Roll Lifestyle

All Time Low Guitarist Discusses The “Erosion” Of The Rock ‘N Roll Lifestyle

May 19, 2012 ⋅ 28 notes ⋅ Comments

Jack Barakat of All Time Low recently wrote an op-ed on “the erosion of the rock ‘n roll” lifestyle. Check out the full op-ed here and a snippet of it below by clicking “Read More.”

As I revved the engine of the Ducati motorcycle between my legs and checked my aim down the hallway of the Beverly Hills Hotel—obviously to make sure I caused as much damage as possible—the last thing I thought to myself as I let go of the hand brake was, “I hope I didn’t give the front desk my personal credit card.” Okay, fine, that never happened… But could you imagine if it did?

I first approached Alternative Press a couple of months ago about writing a piece for this magazine. I’ve been an avid reader of AP for many years, and it’s been a dream come true for our band to be featured in it so many times. Initially, I wanted to write about the state of the present-day music industry, but considering the mess it’s in, that didn’t sound like much fun. After traveling around the world and interacting with people of all professions, I have realized that almost everyone has wanted to be a “rock star” at some point in their life. The most interesting thing about this notion is the response when I ask them why. The most common answer is, “The girls and the parties, man!” With this in mind, I decided to spend my 800 words clearing up misconceptions about the music industry, touring and “band life” in general.

Now I’m not saying I know everything about the subject, but my band All Time Low have been at it for a while. We’ve seen a lot, smelled a lot, touched a lot and tasted a lot. So let’s start with the basics: sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll—or should I say iPhones, Bud Light and backing tracks. It’s not that sex and drugs don’t exist in the industry anymore, but they are definitely not as common as they used to be. If you ask me, the internet is to blame for the death of this rock ’n’ roll cliché. These days, a more common backstage scene is one of innocence: band members sipping vodka-Red Bulls while creeping their Twitter @replies. I know, I know, exciting stuff. The internet has created a place where people cannot just talk about what happens backstage or on the tour bus, but they can also prove it with very public pictures. People tend to become a lot more cautious when their name and reputations are at stake.