It Happened Again: Stephen Pearcy Edition

Written By Allyson B. Crawford

I post this to not make fun of Stephen Pearcy. Rather, I want to bring into focus the crisis of addiction in America. It's a problem that politicians like to talk about once in awhile and then seemingly do nothing about... and for a lot of communities, problems with opioids, heroin and fentanyl are only getting worse.

I believe Stephen Pearcy has a bad knee and needs surgery. You can tell by the way he walks around stage - he is stiff. That happens after jumping around on stage, night after night, for 30 years or so. Just ask Prince. Except, you can't because he died of an overdose too, trying to mask the pain of a bad hip. Same story with Tom Petty.

Maybe fans put too much pressure on their idols to keep performing at the same level forever. It just isn't possible. Something goes: looks, voice, a hip or a knee. Or all of it. Then these musicians we say we love struggle to keep up and they get mocked, mercilessly, by the very people who profess to idolize them. It's an odd circle, isn't it? Keep in mind, you likely won't be able to do your job forever, either. Someone younger, faster and cheaper will come behind you and be the "best new thing." It happens in every industry, not just music. That's probably another reason we get a million stories of "economic anxiety" despite a robust economy and subreddits full of young people bemoaning "their lost generation."


By and large, a lot of things suck in the world today. But there's still more good than bad. I hope Pearcy finds the help he needs and that his "new breed" of RATT will stop enabling him and shove him toward rehab. Yeah, the "new breed" isn't making any money when not playing live, but doing shows like this is no way to earn a check: it's akin to theft from fans and it's pushing Pearcy one step closer to the edge.

 

Allyson B. Crawford
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