Doin' It For the Money: Rent a Rock Star

It's my birthday tomorrow and I was thinkin of putting something fancy together - I didn't know you could rent rock stars for something like this - but it looks like everyone has their price: George Michael does it, 50 Cent does it, Van Halen does it, even Elvis does it (link)

Sammy Hagar, who in March will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Van Halen, said that when he heard about Dylan, Elvis Costello and other "real artists" doing the shows, he was shocked.

"I mean, we used to make fun of Huey Lewis for doing all these corporate shows, but he would just shrug and say, 'It's a good life. Forty-five minutes for a couple hundred thousand' … but I just hated the idea, doing some big arena show in some little corporate building or something. It felt cheesy to me. But then when Dylan did it, I started thinking, 'Who am I to be so uppity about this?' "

Comments

[Bat Guano]

Last year I ran into some friends who run a little vintage clothing store here in Kalamazoo next to the State Theatre. They were bug-eyed and over-excited. "Bob Dylan came into our store!!!" Dylan had done a show an hour away in Grand Rapids. Then he did a little special secret show for un-named people at the State Theatre. No one's sure who had rented Bob. It's still a mystery.

[Fatherflot]

Nothing can compare with this http://www.vgmerchandise.com/misc.html:

I, Vincent Gallo, star of such classics as Buffalo 66 and The Brown Bunny have decided to make myself available to all women. All women who can afford me, that is. For the modest fee of $50,000 plus expenses, I can fulfill the wish, dream, or fantasy of any naturally born female. The fee covers one evening with Vincent Gallo. For those who wish to enjoy my company for a weekend, the fee is increased to a mere $100,000. Heavy set, older, red heads and even black chicks can have me if they can pay the bill. No real female will be refused. However, I highly frown upon any male having even the slightest momentary thought or wish that they could ever become my client. No way Jose. However, female couples of the lesbian persuasion can enjoy a Vincent Gallo evening together for $100,000. $200,000 buys the lesbos a weekend. A weekend that will have them second-guessing.

[craig]

translation: 'hey, if bob dylan has no dignity or pride, who am i to have any?'

note that i am not sure that it was an operative statement for this man to begin with........

[lee]

yeah maaaaahhhn . Dylan should play for free maaaahn. or he has no pride [?]. i am sure Daniel Johnston would play a party. Yo la Tengo, pretty much anybody... if they were paid. working musicians play for money. right? what's so undignified about playing music for a living?

[lee]

thanks for that link, fatherflot. his poster collection's cool.

[Steve PMX]

huey lewis was born to do corporate shows. He was always dressed business-casual with an 80s twist (leather tie + blazer / shades) on stage.

p.s. Huey Lewis blows.

[Chris R.]

I can understand Huey Lewis doing the shows because it's his best shot at making money. I have no idea why someone like Bob Dylan is padding his wallet by playing to BankOne middle management. I don't think this is what his hero Woody Guthrie had in mind...

[John M]

dang, so you can rent Vincent Gallo for $25.2 million a year. that would be chump change to the government of North Korea.

[dano]

am i the only one that found Sammy Hagar's honesty about the issue completely refreshing?

[craig]

lee, there's a difference between singing for your supper... and singing AT somebody else's.

[Parq]

Danno - honesty? I think that was kinda Craig's point. Here's Sammy Hagar saying "Well, of course, I assumed that I was too iconic and intellectually esteemed a rock legend to go in for this sort of thing, but hey, if Bob's doing it . . . "

[K]

Do you suppose Bob plays his old hits when he does the Bechtel holiday christmas party?

Let you ask me one question
Is their money that good
Will it buy me forgiveness
Do you think that it could
Do you think I will find
When my death takes its toll
All the money I made
Will never buy back my soul