Better to burn out or to fade away?

[Bossy Monkey]

James Dean or James Garner? Janis Joplin or Linda Ronstadt? Keith Moon or Pete Townshend? Jimi Hendrix or Neil Young? Jim Morrison or David Bowie? Phil Ochs or Richard Thompson? Brian Jones or Mick Jagger?

Stress please that I am not implying that the latter name in any of the above litany necessarily belongs to somebody who has faded away; just that they haven't burned out and might be expected to fade away eventually. Neil Young particularly is on the list only because he came up with the phrase in the subject line. (Come to think of it, Johnny Rotten, who inspired it, seems to fit the "fade away" side better these days.) The ones that have really faded away aren't too useful to use in such a list siiiiiiiince they've faded away, haven't they?

I'm mainly asking which you would prefer assuming that you were a star, not so much whether you would prefer Kurt Cobain, say, still to be alive. But of course you're free to answer in any way you like.

I added a copout answer, but you really ought to choose from the first two. Still, it's there if you want it.

[maveric]

1. "My My, Hey Hey"

[Turn CO Blue]

2. "Blaze of Glory" kind of feeling these days... n/t

[Left Is Write]

3. According to Def Leppard, it would be better to burn out.

I don't know about that. I guess you'd have to ask Steve Clark.

[Redstone]

4. Live fast, die young, and leave a beautiful corpse.

Redstone

[AntiCoup2K4]

5. Is this the story of Johnny Rotten?

[KG]

6. better to not have to listen to neil young tunes.

[carpetbagger]

7. Better to burn out than sell out, but fading away has its merits.

The problem is that too many of these guys refuse to fade away. They put out horrendous albums, they go on shameless reunion tour after reunion tour.

There are some who have managed to avoid this. For example, Robert Plant seems to be evolving into the grizzly-voiced bluesman he always dreamed about. He's also kept Zep-nostalgiamania at bay, watering it with the occasional event, but not overdoing it.

I'm convinced the trick to rock stars fading away with dignity lies in their ability to spend their later years working on collaborative projects, doing some novel things, and avoiding the lure of peddling generation-old arena rock, no matter how good it was at the time.

[Bossy Monkey]

8. For one thing, you might wind up singing "Time Is On My Side" or

"My Generation" when in your 60s. Meaning no disrespect to those in their 60s, this looks a little ridiculous.

[Orsino]

9. Burn out doing what, exactly?

I hope to fade away, myself, but greater love hath no man, and all.