The cool hunter

I am a 'friend' on Facebook with a site called The Cool Hunter. It is pretty cool, so no worries about the name being mis representative. It is cool because it posts cool pictures from around the world. I am however somewhat disappointed because although I like cool pictures I had hoped that it was going to be actually a cool Hunter. You know, hunt out cool things. Like a cool phrase that someone has said, a cool bar, a cool person. A cool new flavour of ice cream perhaps. I know that this is all a factor of being disappointed in something I had originally imagined so I am not so down beat. It did of course, because it is me, make me wonder about cool people in music.

I think that one of the things that attracts us to some peoples music in the first place is because we think they are cool. or really not cool, or really popular, or really not popular. Or macho, or funny, or gay or something. The reality though is that if you equate cool with being super good, then we are all looking for our own cool to be reflected in the musicians we like. At least to some point. So with that in mind these are some people I think are cool, and why.

Henry Rollins is cool. Henry Rollins may in fact be the coolest guy on the planet. He is articulate enough to host a TV show where he interviews people from alternative culture (sounds like a hippie yogurt flavour doesn't it). People like Oliver Stone, Serj Tankian (System of a Down) plus politicians, writers. He has his own publishing company that publish the books he writes. He does stand up comedy, like this

Ok, not so funny, but I thought it should be listened to by as many people as possible. Henry is cool because he is smart and not afraid to say what he thinks in a public forum.


However, so much about being cool is about showing that you don't care. That the usual rules of society do not apply to you because, well, you are just too cool. This is how the shock artists have made a living since the 50s. As far as this goes you would have to say therefore that many of the Rock and Roll people are cool. Well it is certainly the image they portray. Few actually push the envelope, and those that can then back it up with some music of style and substance should be treasured. Like David Bowie

It is something that is increasingly lost in time I guess, however I have read some of the reviews of his music at the time it came out. Well, the good stuff, the 70s stuff , and it was really out there. I have no real idea what the video for that song is about. It is a cool song though , and I really do respect the ability to write a song that 30+ years since it was written still sounds different and interesting. is it cool? Well it is not perhaps cool in the traditional sense of being cool like this guy.

Who is now considered a legend. There is no doubt he possesses a lot of the physical charm and demeanour of a cool person. I must admit that I was a big fan, I think I admitted that a while ago. I really bought into the whole Morrison myth. Now not so much. I guess I am older and so these things are put into perspective a bit more. It now seems a whole lot less glamorous to be out of your head the whole time. Letting people down and just generally being a useless junkie. That said, I still like a lot of the music. I think it is pretty cool. Like so many things though it is dated now. Well, to be honest he died before I was born and so I guess it has always been a bit dated !!!

More of my era of cool is this guy

I know that a lot of people didn't really get into the Smashing Pumpkins. I did though. I was introduced to them by my brother and became a huge fan pretty quickly. There is something cool about the bald headed man in the public eye. It is saying yes I am bald and I am fine with that. In a world that is increasingly obsessed with looks and labels and how you are perceived it was refreshing. It is more of the norm now, well not norm, but not as unusual , but when that came out in the mid 90s it was cool. There is a coolness to Billy Corgan as well. The music of the SPs is very good. It did peter out a bit at the end, but the first four albums are always worth a listen.

I think though, that what makes people cool in music is actually less about them and more about the music. A friend put it well to me the other day, yes Kurt Cobain was cool, but would you want to have a beer with him? doubtful frankly. Perhaps that is it though, that is the key. It is all an invention of what we think. In reality they can be complete wankers and it still doesn't matter that much to us. Axl Rose was and will always be a very uncool guy. However, when he fronted the worlds best band making the best music did we think he was cool? Hell yes.

So with that in mind here is Mr cool himself

Because when you make music that good, it doesn't matter how you come across in a reality show.

Who do you think is cool? Why?