Rant - Solo Acts

I've been feeling bad about my last post. Feeling sorry for myself isn't going to win me any blogging awards. Do they even have blog awards? Oh man, now I really want one.

So here's the deal, when you're the lead singer in a successful band, why do you need to go solo? This drives me crazy, I mean lead singers get all the attention anyways. It's hard enough to make it as a musician. I mean, let's say you're the bassist for some marginal band out there, like Maroon 5, you've finally achieved your dream, you're making some money, your stupid band is all over the radio, sure your metrosexual lead singer gets all the magazine covers and groupie action, but hey you're famous-ish, so it's cool right? So one day after your stripper girlfriend drops you off at band practice you get to hear that the talentless douchebag you called a lead singer is leaving the band to do a Solo Album. You spent years locked in your bedroom alone learning scales and studying chord progressions, and learn how to look cool when you smoke. This guy was lead in his high school's production of Brigadoon and now he thinks he's freakin' John Lennon. So now he's like, "Hey thanks for making me famous. Fuck you."
Here's a few bullets to drive my point home:
No Doubt really wasn't that great of a band, but hey they had a certain level of charisma, and their songs were catchy. Then this...

-Really Gwen? Your band was holding you back from what? From making crappy hip-hop with guest rappers? I am sure the four faceless rubes that spent years touring with you when you were nobodies wouldn't have had a problem making "wee-ooh wee-ooh" songs with you if that kept the paychecks rolling in.
But no, we get two solo albums from Gwen Stefani, who is cute, but come on, let's admit it: not all that great. At anything. Especially loyalty.


This one absolutely KILLS me!
For god's sake, it's called the Dave Matthews Band, and you had to go solo?! What is it that you had to do as just plain old Dave Matthews, that the Dave Matthews Band wouldn't let you do?
Maybe that really buff guy in DMB who plays the violin was just getting too much attention and Dave had enough. He sure got his revenge when he released this solo album--that nobody bought, or heard, or cared about.
If you bought this album, and you're not directly related to Dave himself, I hate you.

I know there are bunch of great examples of this that I haven't already thought of, if anyone read this blog I would encourage you to fill me on some that I'm missing. I also know that this is a stupid thing to get all fired up about, but it's probably due to jealousy and the fact that I'm a successful musician in the body of a rhythm-deprived guitar hero hack.