If you could bring a dead rock star back to life

[Spiritinthesky]

If you could bring a dead rock star back to life for one gig, who would it be?

John Lennon, Jimi Hendrix, Elvis, Kurt Cobain, Buddy Holly, Freddie Mercury? Or someone else?

This Day in Music are carrying out a world-wide survey to see which dead rock stars people would want to see again - for one night only!

Who would you pick? You can see a full list and vote on
http://www.thisdayinmusic.com

[the captain]

For a gig would be my least favorite reason to do it, considering I don't much like going to shows. Thelonious Monk, probably, although he isn't a rock star (but a jazz composer and pianist, for the non-jazz audience out there). But if I could bring one back for, say, a conversation or a studio session, it would be Freddie Mercury or John Lennon, probably.

[Aegir]

Cheap answer - Carl Wilson.

[Ron]

Gotta go with the King.  I would like to go with John Lennon, but then again that would be ignoring the King. 

[brianc]

If we're talking a live show, I'd go for Jimi Hendrix. My old man saw him in 1969, and if Hendrix was alive to play one gig today, and I was lucky enough to go to it, I would take acid for the show.

[Sheriff John Stone]

Jim Morrison.

[MBE]

Gee
Dennis Wilson
Carl Wilson
Elvis
Ike Turner
Brian Jones
Keith Moon
Buddy Holly

[carl r]

Carl Wilson, quickly,  maybe he can stop the "Beach Boys" playing the Republican Convention 

[JimC1702]

JANIS!!!

[Swamp Pirate]

Townes Van Zandt

[Rocker]

Elvis... but wait, he isn't dead, is he? 

I would love to see a Carl Perkins concert, too and Hank Williams

[8o8o]

Roy Orbison. 

[Jonas]

brian wilson

[Wrightfan]

My first instinct would be Lennon but since we're talking a live gig, I'll go with Freddie.

[mikee]

Rahsaan Roland Kirk

[dogear]

True, one of the greatest. The Case of the 3 Sided Dream in Audio Color and Bright Moments (Live) are my favorite albums.

[Mark A. Moore]

I would love to have seen Buddy Holly & the Crickets perform live.

[The Heartical Don]

Johann Sebastian Bach (I'd want to hear him play 'The Goldberg Variations' and 'The Well-Tempered Clavier' on his harpsichord, see what he originally intended).

PS: there are a few tiny BBs connections. 'Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring' is the template for 'Lady Lynda', and he's namechecked on 'Mt. Vernon And Fairway'.

[brianc]

Yeah, but doesn't Bach playing on the transistor radio make the young prince want to throw it out the window or something?

[pixletwin]

Without out a doubt it would have to be Buddy Holly. He was a Brian Wilson prototype and I would give my left arm to step into some alt-universe where he didn't die in that plane crash to listen to what gorgeous music he would have created.

Number 2 would be Kurt. Imagine Nirvana if they moved Dave Grohl to Rhythm Guitar, brought in a new drummer, and fanned out the music writing responsibilities between Grohl and Cobain. It would have been a partnership to rival Lennon and McCartney IMO.

[The Heartical Don]

Yeah, but doesn't Bach playing on the transistor radio make the young prince want to throw it out the window or something?

Yes but that prince is an idiot 

[brianc]

I think it was a sort of Chuck Berry/"Roll Over Beethoven" kind of sarcasm, on Brian's part. When you are raised on rock 'n' roll and jazz, it's almost too easy to make fun of classical music. I'm sure Brian and his prince meant nothing by it, other than the youthful need for something more "exciting."

[The Heartical Don]

I think it was a sort of Chuck Berry/"Roll Over Beethoven" kind of sarcasm, on Brian's part. When you are raised on rock 'n' roll and jazz, it's almost too easy to make fun of classical music. I'm sure Brian and his prince meant nothing by it, other than the youthful need for something more "exciting."

Thanks for explaining; but I wasn't serious of course.

Let me propose another artist here: what about: G.G.Allin?

[Aegir]

If GG Allin was brought back to life for one gig, he would die in the middle of the gig.

[The Heartical Don]

If GG Allin was brought back to life for one gig, he would die in the middle of the gig.

Hehe - you are perfectly right. He had a death wish for sure. I always wondered about the mental condition of the people who stood in the first rows at his concerts... I bet they suffered from various forms of paraphilia.