The Demise of Pop Culture Icons

The untimely deaths of many of music’s best gifts have prompted great speculation in recent years.  However, such demise of an icon has been seen in decades since Woodstock.  The fueled craze of peace, love, and music was meant to prompt a revolution, but instead was met with great scrutiny as the world begin to see the ravishing unfold as such legends of the 60’s as Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin met their fate.  See what Woodstock gave the world was a better understanding of a culture deeply affected by the troubles of recreational drugs.  The movement prompted through equal right and love was brought on by popular beliefs of the time.  With a generation of baby boomers that revolutionized subcultures around the world, drugs symbolized and embodied everything the “hippies” believed in, good times, good music, and the power of liberation. 

            These cultural perspectives of the time can be more easily observed when key theories are in place that better analyze the thoughts of the decade.  Through observing such attributes in myths such as the American dream, and concepts of popular culture, myths, and icons; one can easily get a better understanding of why such a movement led to the attainment by celebrities to “fit” a stigma in which icons of the day had to live up to.  Popular beliefs of the time fueled such outrageous actions that no music notoriety of the decade was spared from.  While many legends continued to grace stages across the world many others where left hopelessly stuck in a drug culture rich in attainment; only further stimulating icons of the time to engross themselves into the hippy subculture. 

            While the deaths of such icons can be expressed as a life lost too soon, it can also be said that it did not end there.  While the 60s may have sponsored such drug induced activities, it certainly transcended music into a new catapult of expectancy.  With music rich in history and artist rich in talent; the demands placed upon such music icons only increased.  The stress to stay “competitive” and formidable has brought the limelight of fame once again into such scrutinizing deliverance.  In the past decade the world has lost not only many great music legends, but many other popular celebrity icons to untimely demise.  We all remember the ravishing Anna Nicole Smith, Britney Murphy, and Heath Ledger, and let us not forget The King of Pop, Michael Jackson, and yes The Queen of the Night, Mrs. Whitney Houston; all of whom was taken from us way too early.  See what these concepts of popular belief, myths and icons have shown us throughout the years, is that the basic instinct to belong is felt universally.  Whether it’s the celebrities in the movies, music, or the greats of Woodstock universally we all have the same basic needs and desires to fit in.  What makes being an icon more difficult than others are the pressure to sustain, and the desire to remain happy in the face of their fans.  What makes being a part of societal culture more difficult is the knowledge of disconnect in such a troubled iconic spotlight and the remedy to do nothing about it.