What do you think causes "Sting-ification", the process by which a formerly good artist start to suck balls?

Question

It seems to happen more often than NOT happen. Doesn't there seem to be more formerly good artists who have their testicles removed -- like Sting or Rod Stewart, than people who can remain good, like Dylan or Neil Young? It's SAD. But WHY??

Answer 1

Well, in the case of Sting it's pretty simple. He started out composing songs the way most rock artists compose songs: With a minimal knowledge of music theory or complexity. Often a song would be composed around a couple of chord progressions or a simple melody. Somewhere in the 80's, he got heavily into music theory (particularly Greek modes and classical scales) and started using it in his songs to make them more complex.

Lots of musicians do that as they get older because either they reach the limits of where raw talent can take them or they want to be taken more seriously as a musician. Most musicians don't want to write the same song the rest of their life. So they experiment with more "respected" genres of music -- such as Rod Stewart did with the American Songbook. Another thing they do is release jazz or blues records to prove they've developed into "real" musicians. Unfortunately most times these records are terribly unoriginal and alienate their fans.

Not that knowing music theory, or experimenting with "respected" genres of music will make your music bad. If you still have the attitude towards music that you had when you started, you can make good records. Most of the musicians you're thinking of get older and the attitude they had in the beginning doesn't seem as relevant to them, so they lose the attitude.

Answer 2

Now Im confused. Is "Sting-ification" sucking balls, or losing balls?...

(Are you Cartman)