For me, rock’n’roll stars are just mad cunts or have a proper swagger about them that their peers don’t have. Doesn’t matter what they bring out, it’s how they do it. I don’t like loads of music made by people I consider rock’n’roll stars.
I think that nails it.
The very best rock stars though kind of capture the 'mood' of the times that resonates with the youth. I was lucky enough to see Oasis at Maine Rd in 96 and it was just one of them nights where you could feel the mood of that generation. They basically wasted every other type of music and band that night, they were absolutely on top of the world and easily the best band on the planet at that time.
Liam Gallagher had the attitude, the swagger, the voice and it was sheer raw power that just kind of made them probably the most powerful cultural force in the UK at the time. I do think that Britpop - heralded by Oasis and Blur - helped to put Labour into power in 1997. That might sound a bit strong, but Oasis kind of got peoples swagger back. It's hard to explain, but it's something you could 'feel'.
I can't imagine how it must have felt watching the Sex Pistols in the late 70s, again that must've felt like the world was going to change. I can imagine that it would've felt to the kids of the day like music had changed, just like that.
Trying to pick out the best rock'n'roll star is impossible for me. Of all the greats I can think of, my favourites would be Elvis, Little Richard, Mick Jagger, Jimi Hendrix, Axl Rose, Elton John, Bon Scott, Johnny Rotten, Kurt Cobain and Liam Gallagher.