Imagine if Lennon or Hendrix were still alive today

I was thinking about this the other day. There's no doubt the impact to music people like John Lennon and Jimi Hendrix made. But what would music be like if both men were still alive.

I wonder especially with regards to Hendrix, a legendary musician who certainly played a part in changing music forever. What further impact would he have had were he still alive? How would he have impacted rock, the development of rap, the advent of disco?

The same with John Lennon. Would he and his son have done some duo recordings? Would Lennon have directed an artsy but popular film? Would the Beatles have reunited? What would they have sounded like singing at halftime of the Super Bowl?

There are others, like Joplin, so feel free to add your own thoughts.

 

Hendrix was headed in a jazz direction -- "electric church music" he called it -- so he probably would have spent a lot of years exploring that, although I'm sure he'd have had at least two solid blues albums in him, too.
Lennon? Less sure. His last stuff was very poppy. I doubt seriously if the Fabs ever would have reunited, though. George, of all people, was the real stumbling block.

 

Sure, they might have done some great things if they'd lived.

But what if they'd done some stuff that ruined their legacy? What if Lennon tried to reunite the Beatles but with Julian on bass instead of George ala Eddie Van Halen?

 

Harrison played lead guitar; McCartney played bass. Had they both lived, I could have seen he Beatles playing together informally. But I'm not sure they ever would have reunited for anything like a tour or album. But who knows. Can you imagine how much freaking money those guys would have made with one huge world tour? They would have put the Rolling Bones to shame.

 

If either was alive, I imagine (get it -- imagine!?) he'd be pretty pissed about being buried.

 

As Denis Leary once said, Elvis should have been killed in the 50s or early 60s, because we would have remembered the Blue Suade Shoes, pelvis swinging entertainer. But that's not what happened, and that's not how we remember Elvis.

You know how we remember Elvis.

Not saying Lennon nor Hendrix would have gone the fried PB and banana sandwich diet and OD on the shitter route, but their untimely deaths make us remember them more fondly than if they had died when they were older.

 

I guess that's more along my line of thinking. I know the Stones and Beatles were totally different in many respects, but remember the resurgence in popular for the fab four about a decade ago?

 

The humor was not lost on me. Check out the thread title.

 

The Who keeps going down two members, but I read that Townshend is very happy to have a new album out to support so it isn't just about the old tunes. I think Lennon would feel the same way about his career if he was still with us.

With Lennon and Hendrix alive, one thing I know that would have happened is U2 doing something with both of them. Or Pearl Jam.

 

Good God, can you imagine what incredible music a joint venture between U2 and Lennon would have produced?

 

Lennon would have been labeled a communist and told to "shut up and sing."

 

The blue is throwing me. Sarcasm or truth Pastor?